A comprehensive guide to uploading your extracted data files to FISCAL using automated HTTPS, SFTP, or manual methods.
In this article:
Data upload overview
Once you have extracted the required data from your systems, you need to upload these files into FISCAL.
FISCAL offers flexible upload options:
- Automated HTTPS Uploads: The HTTPS method uses a RESTful API with JWT (JSON Web Token) bearer authentication with TLS 1.2 or higher encryption. All data is transmitted using encryption through Microsoft Azure's secure infrastructure. This method is ideal for organisations that have development resources to create API integrations.
- Automated SFTP Uploads: SFTP (Secure or SSH File Transfer Protocol) uses TCP port 22 and encryption algorithms to securely connect and transfer files. This method works well for organisations with existing SFTP infrastructure and batch processing workflows.
- Manual UI Uploads: For occasional uploads or organisations without automation capabilities, the FISCAL interface allows direct file uploads through a web browser. While convenient for testing, this method is not recommended for regular production use.
File upload best practices
To ensure reliable and secure data uploads, follow these recommended practices:
- Automate whenever possible: to ensure consistent, timely data delivery, reduce manual effort, minimise human error, and decrease fraud risk.
- Schedule uploads daily during off-peak hours: Use standard scheduling tools like cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows) for overnight/early morning uploads.
- Test with empty files first: Verify your upload configuration without adding records to FISCAL.
- Implement proper error handling: Include retry logic and logging for troubleshooting upload issues and connection failures.
- Secure your credentials: Treat API tokens and SFTP passwords as sensitive information using environment variables or encrypted secrets management.
- Use proper file naming: Avoid spaces and special characters in file names to prevent upload issues. Add a Date / Timestamp to the filename to make it easy to identify a file.
- Monitor upload success: Regularly verify that your automated uploads are completing successfully.
FAQs
Q: How often should I upload data to FISCAL?
A: We recommend daily uploads during off-peak hours. This ensures fresh data for analysis while minimising system impact. If relevant, you can upload more than 1 file daily (e.g. if you want to update transaction data after a payment run).
Q: Can I upload files for multiple units at once?
A: Yes, but you'll need separate requests for each unit and file type combination. For example, if you have 3 units and need to upload both transaction and supplier files, you'll make 6 separate upload requests.
Q: What file formats does FISCAL accept?
A: FISCAL accepts CSV, TSV, XLSX, and TXT formats. For HTTPS uploads, the Content-Type header must always be set to text/csv regardless of the actual file format.
Q: How do I know if my upload was successful?
A: Monitor the FISCAL upload page to confirm files have been received into your FISCAL site.
Q: How do I know if a file has successfully processed?
A: The Upload icon in your FISCAL site will show a red number if there is an error with a file processing. Go to the Uploads page to see details. Depending on the type of error, you may be able to continue the processing of the file, ignoring the records with errors, or you may need to resolve the error and either re-upload the file or re-configure the mappings. Our Support team can help you with this: support@fiscaltec.com.