> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.iafcertsearch.org/mncb/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.iafcertsearch.org/mncb/data-management/data-import/ftp-settings.md).

# FTP Settings

## Getting Started

In this section, you'll have the ability to manage your FTP Connections settings and the files you want to retrieve or [*fetch*](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] from your FTP server.

1. [Setting up an Active FTP Connection](#setting-up-your-ftp-connection-settings)
2. [Define the files](#define-the-filenames) that should be retrieved from the FTP
3. [Fetch files ](#fetch-files-from-ftp)for data import
4. [View FTP Import Activities](#ftp-data-import-activities)

## Setting up your FTP Connection Settings

1. Go to the **Import** page
2. From the navigation tab, click **'FTP Settings'**
3. Click the **'Edit'** button

* FTP Access Status
  * <mark style="color:green;">**Active**</mark>, *continuously fetch/download the files from the FTP*
  * <mark style="color:red;">**Inactive**</mark>, *stops fetching /downloading the files from the FTP*
* FTP Server Protocol
  * **FTP**, *relies on usernames and passwords for authentication*
  * **SFTP**, *uses SSH keys for authentication, which are much more secure*
* Server Host
* Server Port
* Server Username
* Server Password&#x20;
  * If **SFTP** is selected, add the **Private Key**

4. To check if the FTP is successfully connected, click the '**Test FTP Connection'** button.
5. Once the FTP is connected, click the **'Save Changes'** button.

Once you are done setting up your FTP connection, the next step is to add the files you want to fetch or retrieve from the FTP servers.

## Define the filenames

Defining or nominating the filenames is required so that IAF CertSearch can retrieve your data from your server into the IAF CertSearch database.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Prerequisite**

Before defining the filenames, ensure that you have uploaded the files *that contain your f*[*ormatted data* ](/mncb/data-management/data-import/certification-file-templates.md)into the FTP server.
{% endhint %}

1. In the FTP Settings page, go to the **FTP File Names** section
2. Click, the **'Add FTP Filenames'** button
3. In the Add FTP File Name modal, add the filenames you want to retrieve.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Make sure that your file names match the file names uploaded to your server.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

* Supported characters for a filename are the following:
  * Alphanumeric characters: A-z, a-z, 0-9
  * Dashes (-)
  * Underscores (\_)
  * Spaces ( )
  * Forward slash, for subfolders support (/)
  * *example:* `ab_certs_1.xlm`, `ab_certs_2.xlsx`

4. If you want to add more than 1 filename, click the '**+ Add FTP Filename**' button
5. Once completed, click the **'Submit'** button

***

## Fetch Files from FTP

Once the files are defined, you can either choose to:

* **Fetch the files right away**, which can be done by manually clicking the **'Fetch Files'** button
* **Fetch during the FTP crawl schedule** which starts at **UTC 01:00 am daily**.

#### Rules

* <mark style="color:red;">Any changes made to your file will be updated every 24 hours.</mark>
* <mark style="color:red;">If the file names do not match, the system will not upload the file.</mark>
* <mark style="color:red;">Fetching the files will be skipped if there is no filename in the FTP filename section.</mark>

***

## FTP Data Import Activities

Allows you to see all the FTP import activities.

[^1]: Process of retrieving or downloading files from the FTP server