SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) allows 15Five to automatically receive employee data from your HRIS or a custom script, without manual CSV uploads. When a connection is active, your HRIS generates and sends a CSV to 15Five on a schedule you configure — 15Five then imports the data and applies all updates.
SFTP is available to all 15Five customers on all plans.
Feature Structure
SFTP operates through four areas within 15Five:
- Setup tab — displays the SFTP server credentials your HRIS needs to establish a connection
- Import history tab — lists all past imports; individual imports can be opened to view details
- Settings tab — designates a contact person to receive sync summary and import error emails; also contains the option to disable the connection
- Enable / Disable controls — toggle the SFTP integration on or off from the Integrations section of your account settings
What You Can Do
Set Up
Manage
Common Questions
Key Rules
- All CSV files sent via SFTP must be UTF-8 encoded.
- SFTP supports the same column headers as the bulk CSV import. See Add People to 15Five — Overview of Methods for the full field list.
- Either email address or employeeid can be used as the unique identifier. The identifier is set in your company's import settings. 15Five does not populate
employeeidautomatically — account admins must set this field. - SFTP imports act as the source of truth for employee data. They overwrite all manual in-app changes, including manager assignments. Only SCIM offers an option to preserve manual manager changes.
- To sync a field that has no matching column header, create a custom attribute in 15Five and map your HRIS field to it.
- Import frequency is determined by the cadence configured in your HRIS, not within 15Five.
- If your HRIS does not have a built-in SFTP client, your IT or Engineering team can write a script that sends automated CSVs to 15Five's SFTP server. Contact your HRIS account manager to confirm whether SFTP must be enabled on the HRIS side before setup.