Access Data Via Outbound SFTP

What is Outbound SFTP?

Outbound SFTP, or Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol, is a network protocol used to transfer data over the internet securely. It is commonly used for enterprise and business-to-business file transfer in many industries. Mentor Collective allows partner institutions to access and download files containing mentorship information via outbound SFTP.

Available Outbound Mentor Collective Data

Mentor Collective's platform currently supports outbound, automated exchanges of the following data exports:

• Mentees: Data on all mentees who have been invited, registered (or de-registered), onboarded, and/or matched in your program.
  • Including but not limited to: school ID, name, program status, demographic information
• Mentors: Data on all mentors who have been invited, registered (or de-registered), onboarded, and/or matched in your program.
  • Including but not limited to: school ID, name, program status, number of mentees
• Mentorships: Data on both the matched and unmatched pairs in your program.
  • Including but not limited to: match status, match date, number of conversations
• Flags: Details related to all of the priority flags that have been reported in your program.
  • Including but not limited to: topic(s), flag status, submitter notes, institution notes

If you would like additional details about what is included in each export, please contact

Partner Support (partnersupport@mentorcollective.org).

Benefits of Outbound SFTP

Data Security and Compliance

Outbound SFTP ensures secure data transfer, crucial for maintaining compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., industry best practices and safeguarding sensitive information).

Streamlined Operations 

SFTP can streamline various operational processes, such as automating data transfers between systems, reducing manual data entry, and minimizing errors.

Improved Efficiency

By automating data exchange through SFTP, we can significantly improve efficiency, allowing staff to focus on higher-value tasks rather than manual data handling.

Integration Flexibility

SFTP can integrate with various systems and platforms, making it versatile for connecting with different tools and applications across campus.

Enhanced Reporting and Analytics

Outbound SFTP enables the seamless data flow into reporting and analytics systems, facilitating data-driven decision-making and insights.

What Can I Do With This Data?

• Input data into existing institutional systems. There’s no need to introduce a new platform to all relevant personnel at your institution. Instead, automatically import data into existing systems, such as early alert, student conduct or, student success systems (i.e. Maxient, Slate, Navigate, and Symplicity).
• Value peer insights. You likely have many alerts coming from faculty and staff - but not often from other students or students’ themselves. Your mentorship program may be one of the only source(s) of information about your students that comes from students.
• Integrate mentorship into your student success strategy. You don’t want to miss on key insights from your mentorship program that can support your institution's overall student success strategy.

Video Introduction 

Enabling SFTP

Want to use SFTP? Please identify the IT contact person for SFTP setup at your institution and share their contact information with your Mentor Collective representative. Your Mentor Collective representative will then connect the IT contact person with Mentor Collective’s Product Technical Support Manager to set up inbound and/or outbound SFTP. 

If SFTP is already set up for a different program at your institution, you will not need to work with your IT contact person. Instead, please just inform your Mentor Collective representative and they will work with the Mentor Collective team to enable SFTP for your specific program. 

FAQ

❓How often are outbound files generated?

• Files are generated and made available in each partner's SFTP directory on a nightly basis.

❓Does each outbound file contain “comprehensive” or “incremental” data? 

• Each file is comprehensive. This means each file will contain all program data and records created since the program has started, rather than only the new data since the last file was generated. 
• There is a timestamp to help identify the most recent data and files are available.
• Note that in some cases, existing records can change (for example, a priority flag status may change from pending_action to is_resolved).

❓What format are outbound files in?

• A CSV file.

❓How long are outbound files available?

• Outbound files are available for 90 days, after which they will be removed.