📌 Note: This guide assumes you are an administrator in both Technolutions Slate and Element451. Start with the companion article, Using Element451 Bolt with Technolutions Slate (Overview), if you have not read it yet. Build against your Slate test environment first.

Overview

This walkthrough moves data from Slate into Element451 on a schedule. A Slate query exports to your Element451 SFTP server via Custom File Transfer, then a scheduled Element451 Import task maps the file into person records. When it is done, Bolt agents can personalize conversations with your Slate data.

Step 1: Create the SFTP account in Element451

In Element451, go to Settings > General Settings > SFTP Management.
Create a new SFTP account for the Slate integration. Use a dedicated account rather than reusing an existing one.
Note the host, username, password, and folder path. You will enter these in Slate. For security, share credentials across two channels (for example, username by email and password by phone or password manager).

See SFTP Management and Securely Transferring Files (SFTP) for details.

📌 Note: If your network team restricts SFTP access by IP, allowlist Slate's outbound IP addresses. Technolutions publishes the list in Outbound Networks.

Step 2: Build the export query in Slate

Create a Slate query for the population you want available to Bolt agents. Typical examples include prospective students from marketing campaigns, event registrants, inquiry populations, and outreach lists.

Include fields that align with Element451's Person schema:

Column	Required?	Why
Slate ID	Required	Stored in Element451 as the Slate ID identity. Maintains a persistent identity between systems
Email	Required	Primary matching field in Element451
First Name	Required	Personalization and matching
Last Name	Required	Personalization and matching
Birth date	Strongly recommended	Slate dedupe uses first + last + email + DOB on the return trip. Records without DOB dedupe less reliably
Mobile Phone	Recommended	Enables SMS engagement
Program of Interest and other personalization fields	Optional	Intended major, entry term, student type, campus, and anything else agents should know

⚠️ Prevent duplicates. Always include a stable unique identifier (email is most common; Slate ID or an external ID also work). Avoid exporting populations where the same person may appear multiple times under different emails unless matching rules account for it. Keep the file lean at first and add fields as your Bolt use cases grow. Every column you send must stay in the file permanently or imports may break (see Element451 + Slate: FAQs and Troubleshooting).

Step 3: Schedule the export in Slate

From the query, click Edit Query, then Schedule Export.
Configure the export modal:

Setting	Value
Status	Active
Destination	Custom File Transfer
Connection	Your Element451 SFTP server, sftp://<username>@<host,> with the credentials from Step 1
Path	The provided SFTP folder, with a date-stamped filename such as <folder>/<filename>_%F.csv
Format	CSV (Delimited)
Delimiter	Comma (,)
Headers	Include Header Row
Text Qualifier	Double quotes (")
Encoding	Unicode (utf-8)

Set the schedule. Daily is the recommended frequency, and coordinate timing so the Element451 import runs after the file arrives.
Go back to the query page and click Run to SFTP to send a first file now.
Monitor Database > Job Activity Monitor and confirm both the Export and Transfer steps succeed.

Technolutions documentation: Scheduling Exports and Sending Scheduled Exports to a Remote SFTP Server.

Step 4: Create the import task in Element451

In Element451, go to Data + Automations > Import + Export > Imports.
Click +, select Data, and click Confirm.
On the Source tab, choose your SFTP connector and point it at the folder from Step 1. Use a wildcard pattern that matches the Slate filename, for example <filename>_*.csv, or the date token pattern <filename>_[date:now,format=Y-m-d,timezone=local].csv to pick up only the current day's file.
On the Mapping tab, map each file column to its Element451 Person field. Map the Slate ID column to the Slate ID identity field (see Element ID and Slate ID). Save the mapping as an Import Mapping Template so it can be reused and audited (Creating Import Mapping Templates).
On the Configuration tab, set Matching using a stable identifier combination. Email plus Slate ID is the usual choice, and an external ID also works. Set the import mode to Update Existing and Import Only New People so existing records are updated instead of duplicated.
Optionally create a segment from the import on the Groups and User Type tab. It makes debugging much easier.
Use Preview and then Test Import to validate without touching records. Review results in Run History.

Full reference: Creating Imports and Import Mapping Examples. For complex mapping scenarios, consult your Element451 Implementation Specialist.

Step 5: Schedule the import

Open the import, click Schedule, and set it to repeat on your cadence.
Schedule the import 15 to 30 minutes after the Slate export is due, so the file has time to land.
Toggle on When no matching files are available, execute the next scheduled task run so one missed file does not stop future runs.

See Scheduling Import + Export.

Validate

Before enabling the full scheduled export, send 2 to 3 test records through the pipeline and confirm field mappings on both sides.

Slate Job Activity Monitor shows Export and Transfer succeeded
Element451 Run History shows created and updated counts that match expectations, with skipped rows explained
Records appear correctly in the People module, with identity fields populated, Slate ID present, and personalization fields correct

Next: set up the return trip in Element451 to Slate: Syncing Bolt Outputs Back to Your CRM.

Slate to Element451: Setting Up the Inbound Data Sync