FTP/SFTP Data Integration for File Automation
Connect FTP/SFTP servers and let AI agents query uploaded files containing sales reports, affiliate data, and vendor metrics alongside live platform data from 1,000+ sources.
Key Takeaways Automate FTP/SFTP file processing
Improvado monitors your FTP and SFTP servers for new file uploads, automatically detecting CSV, JSON, and Excel files containing marketing data. The platform handles secure authentication including SSH keys and certificates for SFTP connections. Files are processed immediately upon upload or on your preferred schedule, eliminating manual downloads and data entry workflows.
Transform file data for analysis
Raw files from FTP/SFTP get cleaned and standardized through Improvado's transformation engine before loading into your data warehouse. Column headers are normalized, data types are validated, and missing values are handled according to your specifications. The platform can merge multiple files, deduplicate records, and apply custom business logic to prepare data for analysis.
Data objects and fields Improvado extracts from FTP/SFTP
| Object | Fields |
|---|---|
| Formats | CSV JSON Parquet Avro ORC |
| Compression | gzip bzip2 snappy zstd none |
| Ingestion | full reload incremental by prefix incremental by timestamp event-triggered |
| Schema | auto-detect manual mapping schema evolution header inference |
| Auth | password SSH key certificate multi-factor |
From connection to autonomous action in three steps
Connect
Connect your FTP or SFTP server by providing hostname, port, credentials, and directory paths. Agent authenticates via password or SSH key and validates access to your specified folders.
Ask
Ask questions like 'Which files arrived late this week?' or 'Show me file size trends for our inventory feeds over the last 30 days.'
Act
Agent monitors file arrivals, tracks delivery timing against expected schedules, alerts on missing or delayed files, and validates file sizes against historical patterns to catch data quality issues.
What teams ask their AI agent about FTP/SFTP
Real prompts from enterprise marketing teams. The agent reads your data, answers in seconds, and takes action when you ask.
Process daily sales reports from retail partners uploaded via SFTP into unified revenue dashboard
Your AI agent analyzes FTP/SFTP data and delivers actionable insights — automatically, in seconds.
Combine affiliate marketing CSVs with internal campaign data for complete attribution analysis
Your AI agent analyzes FTP/SFTP data and delivers actionable insights — automatically, in seconds.
Load vendor performance reports from FTP into executive dashboards with automated data validation
Your AI agent analyzes FTP/SFTP data and delivers actionable insights — automatically, in seconds.
Your agent doesn't just read FTP files — it validates vendor data on upload
Read
Agent reads file metadata including arrival timestamps, file sizes, naming patterns, directory locations, and transfer completion status. Tracks historical delivery patterns and identifies anomalies in timing or file characteristics.
Write
Agent creates monitoring rules for expected file deliveries, sends alerts when files are missing or delayed, and flags files that fall outside normal size ranges. Can trigger downstream pipeline processes when specific files arrive.
Monitor
Agent watches for files matching your naming conventions, monitors delivery windows against SLAs, detects when regular file patterns break, and alerts on unusual file sizes that may indicate incomplete extracts or data corruption.
AI agents monitor FTP/SFTP directories and query data from CSVs, Excel files, and JSON uploads as soon as they arrive. They answer questions like "Did today's retail partner sales file match expected revenue?" by comparing uploaded data with forecasts and historical trends. Automate data quality alerts by flagging missing columns, format errors, or anomalies in affiliate reports before they reach dashboards.
| Source System | Files Received | Avg Delivery Time |
|---|---|---|
| ERP Daily Exports | 28 files | -12% faster |
| POS Transaction Logs | 56 files | +8% slower |
| Warehouse Inventory Feeds | 14 files | Stable |
| Customer Data Extracts | 7 files | -23% faster |
| Finance Reconciliation Files | 21 files | +5% slower |
Send FTP/SFTP data anywhere
Load normalized data to your preferred warehouse, BI tool, or cloud storage. Click any destination to see its integration guide.
They extract data. Improvado deploys an agent.
Traditional tools move data from A to B. Improvado gives you an AI agent that reads, acts, and monitors — with FTP/SFTP as one of 1,000+ integrated sources.
| Feature | Improvado | Supermetrics | Funnel.io | Fivetran |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data fields extracted | 200+ | ~90 | ~120 | ~80 |
| Total integrations | 1,000+ | ~150 | ~500 | ~300 |
| Cross-channel normalization (CDM) | ✓ Built-in | ✗ Manual | ● Basic mapping | ✗ Raw only |
| AI Agent access (MCP) | ✓ Read, Write, Monitor | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Data warehouse destinations | ✓ 16+ warehouses & BI tools | Sheets, Looker, BigQuery | BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift | ✓ Broad warehouse support |
| Refresh frequency | Every 15 min | Scheduled triggers | Daily / 6hr | Every 15 min (premium) |
| SOC 2 Type II & HIPAA | ✓ | ✗ SOC 2 only | ✓ SOC 2 | ✓ |
| Best for | Teams that want an AI agent, not a pipeline | Small teams, spreadsheets | Mid-market, data teams | Engineering-led ELT pipelines |
Comparison based on publicly available documentation as of April 2026. Feature availability may vary by plan tier.
Frequently asked questions
What file formats does Improvado support from FTP/SFTP?
How does Improvado handle SFTP security and authentication?
Can Improvado process files in subdirectories?
What happens if file uploads fail or contain errors?
How often does Improvado check for new files?
Can Improvado archive or delete processed files?
"Improvado saves about 90 hours per week and allows us to focus on data analysis."
"Improvado's reporting tool effortlessly integrates all our marketing data so we can easily track users across their entire digital journey. This saves me and my team countless hours."
Put an AI agent on your FTP/SFTP today
Connect in under 5 minutes. Your agent starts reading, acting, and monitoring immediately.