How to sync your company's internal unique IDs for vendors to TradeTapp

You can push your company's internal unique IDs for vendors into TradeTapp to help simplify integrations. When using the API, this will help your team quickly identify and efficiently manage your vendors. 

The internal unique ID will be displayed in your TradeTapp account on the vendor grid. You can sort this column to track your vendors.

You can automate the delivery of your internal unique IDs to TradeTapp by using a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) service. The following instructions can be used by your IT team to set up and test the connection with your ERP or accounting system: 

1. Send your public SSH key to TradeTapp 

Your public SSH key allows you to establish secure connections between remote networks. 

Please send your public SSH key with the .pub file extension here. Fill out the form and attach your public secure shell key (SSH key) in the description box. Click "Submit" and our Support team will acknowledge the receipt of your public key. We will work to provide you with a unique username and address for your company. 

The public key provided must be associated with a private key on the server that will be used to connect to the SFTP service to send files. 

If you do not already have a public SSH key, please reference this article for steps on how to generate an SSH key pair.

Once we have received your public SSH key, we will provide you with a unique username and address for your company in the format of username@sftp-upload.buildingconnected.com. 

2. Test your connection with TradeTapp’s directory 

Once you have received your company’s unique username and address in the format shown above, you can test your connection with TradeTapp’s directory. 

Open your Command Line Interface and enter the following command to confirm you can connect to TradeTapp’s internal backlog directory for your company: 

sftp <username>@sftp-upload.buildingconnected.com

To test uploading a file, please upload an empty .txt file then enter the following command. Please note that the full file path should be provided. 

sftp> put FILE_PATH

Finally, enter the command below to view all files listed in your company’s internal backlog directory. If your connection was successful, you will see the empty .txt file listed. 

sftp> ls

3. Create a script or an automated task to send internal unique IDs to TradeTapp. This must be done by your internal IT team.  An SFTP client can also be used to automate the sending of files.

Once you have confirmed you have successfully connected to TradeTapp’s directory, please create a file containing internal unique IDs. The file format requirements are as follows:  

• The file should use the .CSV file extension.
• The file name should not contain any spaces. 
• The file size should be no larger than 3MB. 
• The file should be formatted as shown below. Please note that column headers are required and must be sent exactly as indicated in the table below. 
  • • The required fields to input your company's internal unique IDs are:
      • • tax_id
        • unique_id
    • The other fields are for uploading internal backlog value for each vendors, which can be done in the same file. They are optional if you are not utilizing this feature. Read more about importing your company's internal backlog values here. 
• The unique ID field accepts alphanumeric values.

Once your .CSV file is set up using the format above, your IT team will be able to create a script to automate the sending of the file to our directory using the SFTP service. An SFTP client can also be used to automate the sending of files.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m having trouble connecting to the SFTP service. How can I troubleshoot?

Some typical reasons for having trouble connecting to the SFTP service are: 

• The correct SSH key pair is not on the server being used to connect to the SFTP service. The private key associated with the public key provided to TradeTapp must be on the machine you’re using. 
• There are multiple public keys on the machine, and a different one was provided for set-up than the one configured for the file transfer.
• Permissions issues - the .ssh directory should have 700 permissions.

• If you are receiving an error while trying to connect using an SFTP client, try to connect via the command line. If you are able to connect using the command line, this will isolate troubleshooting to the client you are using. 

How quickly will the files be imported?

 As soon as a new file is received, TradeTapp will import the file and display the data in your TradeTapp account. 

There may be around a 10-20 second processing delay, but the data should be available in your account shortly after the file is received.

Can we use an SFTP client to view the files we sent to TradeTapp via SFTP?

Yes. Using your preferred SFTP client, you can view your company’s home directory. The home directory is where you can see all the files you have sent to TradeTapp’s internal backlog directory. 

To view your home directory using a graphical user interface (GUI), enter the following information in your chosen SFTP client when prompted:

• Server: sftp-upload.buildingconnected.com
• Username: the username provided to you by TradeTapp in the format of username@sftp-upload.buildingconnected.com. 
• SSH Private Key: the path of your private key that corresponds to the public key you provided to backlog@tradetapp.com.  

More information on configuring an SFTP client can be found in this article.

What data will be displayed in TradeTapp? 

The TradeTapp import service will match the tax ID (‘tax_id’ column) and display the vendor's corresponding internal unique ID in the vendor grid.  

Where are the unique IDs in the API? 

The unique IDs will be present in 3 public API responses: Contacts, Qualification Submissions, and Financial Data.