File import configuration
This article describes how to configure your file import data source.
Before you begin, create a sample CSV file (less than 1,000 columns) to upload during the setup process. This sample file is used to automatically detect the column mappings.
To be successfully imported, the CSV files must be formatted correctly. For information on the file format, see Prepare a CSV file for import.
1. Add a file import data source
- Navigate to Sources > Data Sources.
- Click + Add Data Source.
- Under Categories, click File Import and select the File Import platform.
- In the Name field, enter a unique name related to the file type.
- Click Continue.
2. Upload a sample file (optional)
If you are using a sample CSV file in your file import configuration, upload it on the Upload Sample File screen. Column names in row 1 of the sample file are automatically detected and used to preconfigure entries in the Column Mappings screen.
To skip this step and manually list the columns in your file, click Continue to go directly to the Map Columns screen.
Complete following steps to upload a sample file:
- Click Upload File and select the sample CSV file you want to upload.
The Sample File preview screen displays the file contents in table format. - Scroll through the sample file to verify that the columns and data look correct. The detected column names are listed in CSV format below the table and are pre-populated on the Map Columns screen.
- If there are problems with the sample file, click Remove and correct the errors or try another file.
- After you are done reviewing the contents of the sample file, click Continue.
3. Configure column mappings
Use the Map Columns table to map pre-configured column labels to event attributes or manually enter your file column labels for mapping. Each row of the CSV file is processed as an event.
Columns not mapped to an event attribute will be ignored. Mapped columns not present in the CSV file will be skipped.
Complete the following steps to map your file column labels to event attributes:
-
Use the Event Specification drop-down list to select the specification that matches the data in the file. To use a custom set of event attributes, select Custom.
This selection determines the value of thetealium_event
attribute during the import process. If you select Custom,tealium_event
is set to imported, otherwise it is set to the corresponding specification name, such as purchase.Changing the selected specification resets the column mapping table.
-
If you did not upload a sample file, enter the file column labels into the Map Columns table. Each CSV column label must be unique.
-
Select the corresponding event attribute from the drop-down list.
If the column contains a date/time value, select the corresponding attribute and click Set Format. In the Date/Time Format slideout, select the appropriate date/time format or enter a custom format and click Done. -
When you are done mapping all corresponding event attributes, click Continue.
4. Map visitor ID attributes
To use your file data with AudienceStream, map your data to visitor ID attributes. Select the mapped event attribute that represents a visitor ID and map it to the corresponding visitor ID attribute.
Visitor ID Mapping in AudienceStream is enabled by default. Disabling visitor ID mapping may cause errors in visitor stitching. For more information about Visitor ID Mapping in AudienceStream, see Visitor Identification using Tealium Data Sources.
5. Configure a file transfer service
If you use your own file transfer service, have the connection details ready before proceeding.
Choose an existing file service configuration or create a new one.
- If you have already created a file service configuration, see the Complete an existing file service configuration section.
- To change your file service information, click the edit icon next to your configuration name.
- To add a new configuration, see the Add a new file service configuration section.
Complete an existing file service configuration
To complete or edit your file service configuration, complete the following steps:
-
Select your existing configuration from the Choose File Service Configuration drop-down list.
-
Enter the File Name Prefix, such as
customers
. The prefix of the file name is used to identify which file import data source to use when importing the data in the file. In this example, the prefix is used to create a CSV file titledcustomers_VERSION.csv
.The file name prefix must be unique between multiple file import data sources. For example, using the prefixes
customers
andcustomers-orders
will cause unexpected results because they share the same initial prefix:customers
. -
(Optional) To improve file processing efficiency, compress your files using a GZIP format. If your files are compressed, select GZIP for the Compression format.
-
(Optional) To ensure secure processing of your files, encrypt your files with PGP encryption. If your files are encrypted, select PGP for the Encryption format.
If you are processing files that are both compressed and encrypted, the files must be compressed first, then encrypted. New versions of previously-mapped files must use the same encryption and compression methods as the original files.
For more information about compression in File Import, see Encryption and Compression in File Import Data Sources. -
In the Enable File Service Processing section, use the toggle to enable or disable service processing for File Import.
- When set to ON, the file service is checked and files are processed every 10 minutes.
- Set to OFF if you are not ready to start processing files. You can enable the service later.
-
Click Continue to go to the Summary tab.
Add a new file service configuration
To add a new file transfer service configuration, complete the following steps:
- Click the + icon to add a new file service configuration.
- In the Service Configuration screen, enter a name for your configuration and select the type of file service you want to use.
- Enter the credentials necessary to access the selected service.
- Tealium S3 Bucket - The necessary credentials are generated for you automatically.
- My SFTP Connection - Choose an Authentication Method. Password, Upload Private Key File, and Generate Key Pair are supported authentication methods.
- If you select Password, enter the password and click Test File Source Connection.
- If you select Upload Private Key File, choose a file from the list and click Test File Source Connection.
- If you select Generate Key Pair, click Generate and click Test File Source Connection.
- (Optional) Click Test Connection to test your file service connection.
- Click Save.
6. Summary
In this final step, view the summary, make any needed corrections, and then save and publish your profile.
- View the Event Attribute and Visitor ID mappings.
- To edit your configuration, click Previous to return to the step where you want to make changes.
- Click Finish to exit the configuration screen. Your new data source is now listed in the Data Sources Dashboard.
- Click Save/Publish to save and publish your changes.
To check the status of import activity, navigate to the Data Sources Dashboard by expanding the data source and clicking the Status tab. For more information, see View import status.
Edit a File Import data source configuration
To change a file import data source configuration, navigate to the Data Sources Dashboard and click the edit icon next to the configuration you want to change. From the Data Sources Settings screen, you can edit column mapping, visitor ID mapping, and file service configuration settings.
This page was last updated: June 23, 2024