Plex and SFTP / Flat Files integration

What moves between them

The main flow is from Plex outbound to SFTP. ml-connector reads purchase orders, invoices, and GL transactions from Plex on a schedule aligned to your business cycle (typically daily or per shift), transforms the records according to your file format spec (CSV, EDI, XML, or fixed-width), and deposits the files in the outbound/ folder on your SFTP server. Inbound acknowledgments or reference files from trading partners can be read from the acks/ or inbound/ folder and used to update record status in Plex if needed, though the primary flow is Plex to SFTP.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector stores the Plex OAuth2 credentials encrypted and refreshes the bearer token on each session, so API calls continue uninterrupted. It polls the Plex REST API on a configurable interval, filtering by modified_date or created_date to retrieve only new or changed records since the last poll. It maps Plex suppliers, GL accounts, and cost centers to your vendor and account dimension names per the flat-file format you specify. For SFTP, ml-connector stores the SSH private key encrypted and presents it at the TLS layer on each connection, with optional key passphrase and host key verification in production. Files are written to the outbound/ folder with a naming convention you define (e.g. ORDERS_20260612_001.csv), and processed files can be archived or deleted per your retention policy. Plex does not guarantee idempotency across SOAP datasources, so ml-connector tracks file manifests and uses Plex reference IDs to detect re-exports. Rate limits and connection failures are retried with exponential backoff, and every file write and Plex query carries an audit trail.

A real-world example

A mid-sized automotive supplier manufactures components for OEMs and also procures subassemblies from a network of vendors. The company runs Plex for manufacturing, inventory, and AP, and uses legacy EDI systems for purchase order distribution and invoice receipt from vendors. Before the integration, the procurement team exported purchase orders from Plex each morning, converted them to X12 EDI, and uploaded them manually to the vendor SFTP portal, then checked vendor invoice files daily and re-entered the data into Plex. With Plex and SFTP connected, each new purchase order exports automatically as a CSV or EDI file to the vendor portal on a morning schedule, and incoming vendor invoices are polled hourly and posted into Plex's AP module without re-keying. The manual export and import steps are eliminated, and invoice matching becomes immediate.

What you can do

• •Export Plex purchase orders and releases to SFTP as CSV or EDI X12 850 records on a daily or shift schedule.
• •Poll SFTP inbound folders for vendor acknowledgments and invoice files, and post received invoices into Plex AP with automatic GL coding.
• •Map Plex suppliers, GL accounts, and cost centers to your vendor and account dimensions in the flat-file format.
• •Authenticate Plex via OAuth2 bearer token refresh and SFTP via SSH key pairs with optional passphrase and host key verification.
• •Maintain a full audit trail of every Plex export, SFTP file write, and inbound acknowledgment for compliance and troubleshooting.

Questions

Does ml-connector support EDI formats like X12 or EDIFACT, or just CSV?

ml-connector supports CSV, fixed-width text, XML, and standard EDI formats including X12 (810 invoices, 850 purchase orders, 997 acknowledgments) and EDIFACT (INVOIC, ORDERS, CONTRL). The format and column layout are configured per trading partner, and ml-connector maps Plex fields to the required structure.

Can ml-connector read inbound files from SFTP and update Plex?

Yes. ml-connector can poll the SFTP inbound/ folder for vendor acknowledgments, invoice receipts, or reference files, parse them per your specification, and post the records into Plex AP or GL. The primary flow is Plex to SFTP, but bidirectional sync is supported if your trading partner sends files back.

What happens if the SFTP connection fails or a Plex export takes too long?

ml-connector retries failed Plex API calls and SFTP connections with exponential backoff and jitter, up to a configurable limit. If a retry exceeds the limit, ml-connector logs the failure to the audit trail and triggers an alert, and the file is held for manual review or reprocessing on the next schedule cycle.