This guide walks through setting up a fully automated workflow to enrich a Supplier Data Manager (SDM) reference base using product data from Akeneo PIM. The solution uses Akeneo's Tailored Export and Scheduled Export features to synchronize data automatically via SFTP, eliminating manual data pulls and keeping the SDM reference base up to date.

The overall data flow is:

Akeneo PIM → Scheduled Tailored Export → SFTP server → SDM automated import → SDM reference base

Before you start

Before beginning the configuration, ensure you have the following:

• Administrative access to your Akeneo PIM instance and your Supplier Data Manager (SDM) instance.
• An existing SDM reference base: The target reference base within SDM must already exist and be configured with all necessary columns, including the unique identifier columns used to match and update incoming records.
• An SFTP client (e.g., FileZilla) to test and verify the connection.
• A data structure definition: A clear understanding of which product data the SDM reference base requires, including the unique identifier (e.g., sku) that will serve as the reconciliation key.

Phase 1: Create the SDM ingestion workflow

Before Akeneo PIM can send data, you must create a dedicated project and automated workflow in Supplier Data Manager (SDM) to receive and process the incoming files. This workflow is the foundation of the automation.

1. Create a new project: In your SDM instance, create a new project dedicated to ingesting reference base data from Akeneo PIM. Give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Akeneo Reference Base Ingestion).
2. Define project fields: Within the project settings, create fields that correspond to each column you plan to export from Akeneo PIM. For automatic mapping to work, the field codes in SDM must match the attribute codes in Akeneo PIM (e.g., sku in Akeneo PIM corresponds to a sku field in SDM).
3. Configure the workflow: A standard workflow for this purpose requires two steps:
4. Mapping: Maps the columns from the incoming file to the fields defined in the project.
5. Match History: Uses the mapped data to create or update records in your SDM reference base.
6. Enable fast mode: For both the Mapping and Match History steps, enable fast mode. This setting ensures that as soon as a file is received, it is processed automatically through the entire workflow without requiring manual intervention.

Phase 2: Configure SDM for SFTP access

To allow Akeneo PIM to deposit files directly into SDM via SFTP, you must enable SFTP access at two levels: organization and user.

1. Enable SFTP for the organization: In the SDM admin settings, go to the organization configuration and ensure the Ftp allowed checkbox is enabled.
2. Create a dedicated user: In the SDM admin panel, create a new user specifically for this integration (e.g., your_email+customer_name@akeneo.com). Using a dedicated user ensures the account is always linked to the correct organization.
3. Enable SFTP for the user: In the user's configuration settings, enable the ftp allowed toggle.
4. Verify the connection: Use your SFTP client (e.g., FileZilla) with the new user's credentials to confirm a successful connection to the SFTP server:
5. Host: ftp.sdm.akeneo.cloud
6. Port: 22
7. Username/Password: the dedicated SDM user's credentials

Phase 3: Create a Tailored Export job in Akeneo PIM

This step creates the custom export profile in Akeneo PIM that formats product data exactly as SDM requires.

1. In Akeneo PIM, go to Exports and click Create export profile.
2. Select Tailored product export to gain full control over the file's structure.
3. Give the export profile a clear, recognizable name (e.g., sdm_reference_base_export).
4. In the Content tab, add the required product attributes to the export builder. The column headers in the export must match the Akeneo PIM attribute codes exactly (e.g., if the attribute code is sku, the column header must also be sku). This allows SDM's Mapping step to work automatically.
5. Configure the product filters:
6. For the initial run: Include all relevant products to populate the reference base for the first time. Verify that the unique identifier column contains only unique values.
7. For subsequent runs: Optimize performance by adding filters:
   • Exclude products where the unique identifier attribute is empty.
   • Under the Time condition filter, select Updated products since the last export to create a delta export containing only new or modified products.
8. Save the export profile.

The screenshot above shows the Content tab of a Tailored Export profile in Akeneo PIM, with product attributes mapped to export columns whose headers match the SDM field codes.

The screenshot above shows the filter configuration of the Tailored Export, including the Time condition filter set to "Updated products since the last export" for delta exports.

Phase 4: Schedule the export and configure the SFTP destination

Once the Tailored Export profile is saved in Akeneo PIM, configure it to deliver files automatically to the SDM SFTP server on a schedule.

1. Open the Tailored Export profile you created in Phase 3.
2. Configure the SFTP destination in the Storage subsection:
3. Type of storage: SFTP

4. File path: inputs/<Your_SDM_Project_Name>/export_%job_label%_%datetime%.xlsx

   The path must start with inputs/, followed by the exact name of the SDM project that will ingest the file. A mismatch in project name will prevent SDM from processing the file. - Host: ftp.sdm.akeneo.cloud - Port: 22 - Authentication: Select Login / Password and enter the username and password for the dedicated SDM user created in Phase 2. 3. Enable the schedule: - Toggle Enable schedule. - Set the frequency. A daily run at a low-traffic time (e.g., 2 AM) is recommended to avoid conflicts with peak usage. 4. Save all changes to the export profile.

The screenshot above shows the Storage configuration of the Tailored Export profile, with SFTP selected as the storage type, the SDM-specific file path, host, port, and Login/Password authentication fields.

Phase 5: Test and verify

Before relying on the scheduled automation, run a manual test to confirm the end-to-end flow works correctly.

1. From the export profile page in Akeneo PIM, trigger a manual export.
2. Using your SFTP client, connect to the server and verify that the exported file has been delivered to the correct directory (inputs/<Your_SDM_Project_Name>/).
3. In SDM, check the Match History of the project to confirm that the file was automatically processed and the reference base has been populated or updated.

Monitoring the automation

Once the automation is active, check the following regularly to confirm the process is running correctly.

Check the Akeneo PIM export status:

In Akeneo PIM, go to Activity > Process Tracker and find your scheduled export job (e.g., sdm_reference_base_export). Each run should show a Completed status. A Failed status indicates an error — click the job to view details.

Verify file delivery on the SFTP server:

Using an SFTP client, log in to ftp.sdm.akeneo.cloud and confirm that the export file is present in inputs/<Your_SDM_Project_Name>/. After SDM processes the file, it is automatically removed from the directory. Files accumulating without being removed indicate an issue on the SDM side.

Confirm SDM data ingestion:

In your SDM project, go to Match History. New records corresponding to the Akeneo PIM export schedule confirm that the end-to-end process is working.

Troubleshooting

File does not appear on the SFTP server

Likely cause: The Akeneo PIM export job is failing.

1. In Akeneo PIM, go to Activity > Process Tracker and check for specific error messages on the failing job.
2. Verify the SFTP credentials (host, username, password, port) in the export profile are still correct.
3. Confirm that the SFTP user has write permissions for the target directory.

File is on the SFTP server but is not processed by SDM

Likely cause: The SDM workflow is not being triggered.

1. Verify that the file path in the Akeneo PIM export (inputs/<Your_SDM_Project_Name>/...) exactly matches the name of your SDM project, including capitalization. A typo is a common cause of this issue.
2. Confirm that both the Mapping and Match History steps in your SDM workflow have fast mode enabled. Without fast mode, the process pauses and waits for manual intervention.

Data is processed by SDM but records are not created or updated correctly

Likely cause: A mismatch in the data structure or content.

1. Download the export file from the SFTP server and open it.
2. Verify column headers: Each header must exactly match the corresponding field code in your SDM project.
3. Check unique identifiers: The unique ID column must be populated for every row and must not contain duplicates.
4. In SDM, review the Match History for row-level errors, which can indicate data type mismatches (e.g., a text value sent to a number field).

The automation stops working after running successfully

Likely cause: A configuration change in Akeneo PIM or SDM has broken the integration.

1. Check credentials: Verify that the password for the dedicated SFTP user has not expired or been changed.
2. Check for configuration changes: If an attribute in Akeneo PIM or a field in the SDM project has been renamed or deleted, the automatic mapping will break. Realign the field and attribute codes to restore the integration.