Configure Data Synchronization

Owned by Chris Sinkinson (Unlicensed)
Apr 15, 2021
6 min read

AppArmor allows you to supply subscriber information via CSV data files submitted to secure SFTP / FTPS servers. The data files are “mapped” to the appropriate mechanisms and groups. Whenever a new data file is received by our server, the system will synchronize (add new entries, remove unnecessary entries, and update any changed data) automatically.

FTPS/SFTP Credentials

The FTPS/SFTP Credentials page provides connection details for your account. AppArmor support can create your credentials for you. Once available, the credentials will appear on this page.

Both FTPS and SFTP connection options are available. If you choose to use SFTP you will need to supply AppArmor with a public key certificate file for authentication.

Please note that AppArmor runs FTPS on the non-standard TCP port 2100, and SFTP on the non-standard TCP port 2200. Be sure to set these values correctly in your FTP client.

Instructions

Instructions for the FTPS/SFTP connections are included on the page. We recommend that you review those instructions before sending your files.

File Locations

The File Locations panel lists the locations to upload your files. Current best practice is to place your files in the /CUSTOM folder. This will allow you to create a unique mapping for your file, and provides greater flexibility. The /SMS, /EMAIL, /VOICE, /DESKTOP folders remain for legacy reasons, but should not be used for new implementations.

Custom Subscriber Sync

The Custom Subscriber Sync page lists any data files that exist in your SFTP/FTPS account. Any files with a red “X” icon have not yet been mapped, click the “Edit” button to enter the mapping interface. Any files with a green checkmark icon have been mapped. When new files are uploaded, the system will automatically run the synchronization based on the mapping configuration.

You can also drag and drop files into the “Custom Subscriber Sync” panel to upload over HTTPS. Files dropped into this panel will also trigger a synchronization.

Download

The download button allows you to download a copy of the data file.

Delete

The delete button allows you to remove the file. Please note that the mapping will remain. If a file is re-uploaded with the same filename, the mapping will be reconnected to the file and synchronization will occur. To completely change your mapping, we recommend uploading a data file with a new filename.

Unsubscribe All

AppArmor keeps track of which data file created each subscription, we call this the “subscription source”. The Unsubscribe All button allows you to remove all subscriptions related to this data file.

Editing a File Mapping

When editing a file mapping, you will be shown a grid of the first 10 rows of data from the data file, along with the column headers. At the top of each column is a “Map Field” button that allows you to map the data from the column in the data file.

When you click the Map Field button, you’ll be taken to the field mapping interface.

There are two types of mappings that you can create for a column in the data file. They are:

  1. Subscriber Mapping - This allows you to associate the data in the field with a mechanism group. For instance, a phone number field could be mapped to the SMS mechanism to receive text message notifications.

  2. User Mapping - This allows you to associate the data in the field with a user profile field. This allows you to import your user profiles, which becomes helpful when targeting users for notification based on their user profile attributes. For instance, if the users address information is mapped to their profile, then it will be possible to target users for notifications by their geographic location.

You will notice there are two tabs on the field mapping interface, one for each of these mapping types. You can create both Subscriber Mappings, and User Mappings on the same field.

Subscriber Mapping

When mapping a subscriber column, you’ll need to choose which mechanism (Email, SMS, Voice, or Desktop) that the subscriber should be added to. Once you’ve selected the mechanism, the list of available groups will be displayed below. Choose the group to assign the subscriber.

You will notice checkbox options that are wrapped with square brackets. These represent the columns in the data file. Selecting one of these options will dynamically assign the user to a group based on the value of the selected column. If a group does not already exist matching the column value, then one will be created. Dynamic group assignment also supports comma separated values within the column. This way, users can be dymically assigned to multiple mechanism groups.

User Mapping

Data can also be mapped directly into the user profile within the system. This allows you to build comprehensive user profiles with additional data about each user. This information is helpful when targeting alerts to specify users by attribute, or by geographic location.

When you select the “User Mapping” tab, you’ll be prompted to choose either the destination user field, or the account field to populate with the information from this column. You can choose to populate multiple fields with the data from this column. You will also need to identify the “User ID (Email) Field”. This field acts as the unique identifier for the account and is typically the email address of the user.

Once you have finished mapping all your fields, we recommend uploading another copy of the data file to begin the synchronization process.

Sync Logs

You can monitor the progress of the file synchronization using the Sync Logs page. You will see the most recent log files as they are being generated.

Please note that the initial synchronization of your data file can take several hours depending on the complexity of the mapping and the amount of data. The synchronization process is purposely designed to be a low priority task, so as not to interfere with sending or other more important system processes.

You can view the logs by pressing the view log button, however please keep in mind that only the top 1000 rows of the log can be viewed online. If you need to see more data, press the “Download” button to view the file offline.

Data Sync Notifications

To receive email notification of data synchronization tasks, you can sign up for data sync notifications. There are two types of notifications which you can subscribe for:

  1. New File - You’ll receive an email for each file uploaded and processed.

  2. Daily Overview - You’ll receive a single email each day with an overview of the files imported.

To subscribe, simply put a checkmark next to the user in the appropriate column.