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Importing a List from the FTP Site

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    Importing a List from the FTP Site

    Act-On software provides FTP access to transfer large contact lists. You can import lists, export lists, and schedule the synchronization between your Act-On lists and the lists you upload to the FTP site.

    This is especially useful for users without a CRM. 

    Connect to the Act-On FTP site 

    1. Contact Act-On Support to enable the FTP feature if it is not yet enabled for your account.
    2. Once enabled, click Settings, and choose Connectors.
    3. Click Data Sources, and click FTP. Click the Connect button.
    4. The first time you click Connect, this creates an FTP account on an Act-On server.
      • Your FTP Username generated for you and cannot be changed.
      • The system will prompt you for a password. Create a password and save it for future reference.
      • The FTP server information will appear on the screen. You can use this to send in external data if desired.

    PGP Encryption

    Transfer your list files with added authentication security.

    Within the FTP connector settings, you can add PGP encryption when transferring your marketing lists. With PGP enabled, a private key will be used for all marketing lists for that account. If a marketing list fails decryption, either by virtue of being unencrypted or encrypted by a non-matching public key, an error message will be displayed to inform the recipient.

    Keep in mind:

    • If you enable PGP for FTP the expectation is that every file you upload to Act-on will be encrypted not just Marketing lists.
    • If you enable encryption and try to open a file that is not encrypted it will not work. This is all or nothing.
    • If PGP encryption is enabled, the connector will attempt to apply the decryption key to all previously uploaded files as well. Be sure to replace any existing (unencrypted) files with encrypted ones

    Import lists to Act-On

    Once the FTP connection is established, you can upload your lists into the FTP server directly.

    1. Click Contacts, and then click Marketing Lists.
    2. Click New List.
    3. Enter a list name and select the appropriate folder.
    4. Click Select Method in the Set Up New List Contents section.
    5. Choose Import from your recently uploaded FTP files.
    6. Accept the terms of the agreement.
    7. Select one of your recently uploaded FTP files, and click Next.
    8. Click Next.
    9. Specify the fields you want to use in Act-On, and click Finish.

    Syncing the lists

    After importing the list, you can synchronize the list between the FTP site and Act-On by following the steps below:

    1. To the right of the recently imported list, Click the Green Down Arrow.
    2. Click Import/Export and then Click Manage FTP Sync.
    3. Enter a Name.
    4. Select Import, and select a File.
    5. Select Export, and select a File.
    6. Click Schedule to specify how often the sync will occur.
    7. Click Save.

    Note: Once an Act-On field is populated, emptying the field in the CSV file will not clear the Act-On field. The Act-On field will continue to hold the original field data even after an FTP sync.

    To change this behavior, contact Support and request the “overwriteBlankEntries” setting. This will add the following option to the Sync window:

    overwrite blanks FTP.jpg

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