Building data pipelines can be a complex and time-consuming task. Whether you’re dealing with file transfers, data transformations, or database operations, there are numerous components to configure and maintain. When it comes to importing files from SFTP servers into databases, you often need to:

Set up and maintain SFTP client libraries
Handle file parsing and data type conversions
Manage database connections and transactions
Implement error handling and retry logic
Monitor the entire process

This is where Sling comes in. Sling is a modern data movement platform that simplifies these complex workflows into simple, declarative configurations. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up a seamless data pipeline that imports files from an SFTP server directly into your Postgres database.

We’ll cover:

Setting up Sling on your system
Creating a replication configuration
Running the data import process
Managing your data pipeline through both CLI and UI

Getting Started with Sling

Sling can be installed in multiple ways, depending on your operating system and preferences. Let’s look at the quickest way to get started.

Installing Sling CLI

For macOS users, you can install Sling using Homebrew:

# Install Sling using Homebrew
brew install slingdata-io/sling/sling

For Windows users, you can use the installation script:

# Add the Sling bucket
scoop bucket add sling https://github.com/slingdata-io/scoop-sling.git

# Install Sling
scoop install sling

For other installation methods, check out the installation guide.

Verifying the Installation

After installation, verify that Sling is working correctly:

# Check Sling version
sling --version

Understanding Sling Components

Sling consists of several key components that work together to make data movement simple and efficient.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

The Sling CLI is a powerful tool that allows you to:

Manage connections to various data sources and targets
Run data replications directly from your terminal
Test and validate configurations
Integrate with your existing workflows and scripts

Sling Platform

Sling Platform Editor

The Sling Platform provides a web-based interface for managing your data operations. It offers:

Visual replication configuration
Real-time monitoring of data transfers
Team collaboration features
Centralized connection management

Sling Agents

Agents are the workers that execute your data operations. They:

Run in your own infrastructure
Provide secure access to your data sources
Support both development and production environments

For this tutorial, we’ll focus primarily on using the CLI, but we’ll also show you how to accomplish the same tasks using the Platform UI.

Creating SFTP to Postgres Replication

Let’s create a replication configuration that will move data from your SFTP server to a Postgres database. We’ll break this down into steps.

Setting Up Connections

First, we need to configure our SFTP and Postgres connections. You can do this using environment variables or the Sling CLI:

# Set up SFTP connection
sling conns set sftp_source type=sftp host=sftp.example.com username=myuser password=mypassword

# Set up Postgres connection
sling conns set postgres_target type=postgres host=db.example.com database=mydb username=dbuser password=dbpassword

Creating the Replication Configuration

Create a file named sftp_to_postgres.yaml with the following configuration:

# Define source and target connections
source: sftp_source
target: postgres_target

# Define default options that apply to all streams
defaults:
  source_options:
    # Configure CSV parsing options
    format: csv
    header: true
    delimiter: ","
  target_options:
    # Configure database load options
    add_new_columns: true

# Define the data streams
streams:
  # Stream configuration for customer data
  "data/customers/*.csv":
    object: public.customers
    mode: full-refresh
    
  # Stream configuration for orders data
  "data/orders/*.csv":
    object: public.orders
    mode: incremental
    primary_key: [order_id]
    update_key: updated_at

This configuration:

Connects to your SFTP server and Postgres database
Processes CSV files from specific directories
Creates or updates tables in your Postgres database
Uses different replication modes based on the data type

For more details about replication configuration options, check out the replication documentation.

Running the Replication

You can run your data replication using either the CLI or the Platform UI.

Using the CLI

To run the replication using the CLI:

# Run the replication using the configuration file
sling run -r sftp_to_postgres.yaml

You can also run specific streams or use additional options:

# Run only the customers stream
sling run -r sftp_to_postgres.yaml --stream "data/customers/*.csv"

# Run with debug logging
sling run -r sftp_to_postgres.yaml --debug

Using the Platform UI

Sling Platform Execution

The Sling Platform provides a visual interface for running and monitoring your replications:

Upload your replication configuration to the platform
Configure your connections in the Connections page
Use the visual editor to modify your configuration if needed
Click “Run” to start the replication
Monitor the progress in real-time

The Platform UI provides additional features like:

Detailed execution history
Performance metrics
Error logs and debugging information
Scheduling capabilities

Next Steps

Now that you have your SFTP to Postgres data pipeline up and running, here are some next steps to explore:

Learn More About Replication Options

Explore different replication modes for your data
Configure source options for better file processing
Optimize target options for database loading
Use runtime variables for dynamic configurations

Explore the Platform

Sign up for the Sling Platform to access the UI
Learn about team collaboration features
Set up scheduled replications
Monitor your data pipelines

Get Support

Join our community for help and discussions
Check out our comprehensive documentation
Follow us on social media for updates and tips

With Sling, you’ve simplified what would typically be a complex data pipeline into a maintainable, declarative configuration. As your data needs grow, Sling grows with you, providing the tools and flexibility you need for modern data operations.

Import SFTP Files to Postgres Database with Sling