To view SFTP folders and files in Slate:

• Go to Database → SFTP Explorer, or

• Connect through a client that supports the SFTP protocol, such as WinSCP or FileZilla.

SFTP Explorer

SFTP Explorer lets you:

• create, rename, and delete SFTP folders

• upload, download, and delete files stored in SFTP folders

By default, SFTP Explorer contains two folders: incoming and outgoing. Exported queries are stored in the outgoing folder.

📝 Note: In test environments, you won’t see the incoming folder until Slate picks up files for import.

Limiting access to particular SFTP file paths

To access SFTP Explorer, you must provision SFTP User Access.

The SFTP Explorer is path-restriction aware. Add path restrictions to a user’s SFTP Access settings In Database → User Permissions → Select a user → Roles.

📖 Further reading: Path restriction

Creating, renaming, and deleting SFTP folders

Using SFTP Explorer

To create an SFTP folder in SFTP Explorer:

1. Go to Database → SFTP Explorer.

2. Select New Folder.

3. Enter a name.

4. Select Create.

To edit the folder, select the pencil icon. In the popup, you can enter a new name or delete the folder.

Using a third-party

1. Connect to your Slate SFTP folders via an external program such as WinSCP, FileZilla, or other SFTP program and create the subfolders.

2. Create the subfolder under /incoming/ via a source format import automation tab:

3. Select Edit on an existing source format.

4. Under Path, add the subfolder followed by a /.

5. Select Save. If the specified folder does not exist, the folder will be created.

6. Create the subfolder under outgoing via the path setting in a scheduled export:

   
   

7. Add the subfolder to the path and save the Scheduled Export. Slate creates the specified subfolder.

With the folders created, the user can connect to the SFTP site.

Viewing large numbers of files

​By default, the SFTP Explorer will show up to 500 files within a given directory, and while it is not possible to change this setting, the 500 file limit only applies to what is shown on the screen: you can search a directory that contains more than 500 files, but you will only see up to 500 matching results.

File expiration

Slate does not delete files when you hit a certain number of files. Instead, files older than 30 days may be removed from the SFTP servers at any time, as the SFTP servers are intended for file delivery only and not for permanent data storage.