sFTP Account Code File Error: Failed to Parse

  • Updated

The "Failed to Parse" error in Unimarket's File Processing module, indicates that the system was unable to read the structure of the file. Before it could even begin validating the account code data. 

This is typically a technical formatting issue rather than a logic error with your FOAPAL segments.

 

1. Primary Diagnostic Step

  1. Login to Unimarket.

  2. Navigate to the Administration module and select File Processing.

  3. In the Purpose field, select Account Codes.

  4. Hover over the "i" icon (information circle) next to the failed status to view specific details about what the error pertains to.

  5. Hover over the blue "i" icon. 
  6. If it simply says "Failed to Parse," download the uploaded file that errored. By clicking the named file hyperlink (in blue) and proceed with the technical checks below.

 

2. Common Technical Causes

A. Encoding and BOM (Byte Order Mark) - Most Common

Unimarket's sFTP processor is sensitive to file encoding. If you are saving your CSV from Excel, it may include a "BOM" or use UTF-16, which the system cannot read.

  • The Issue: The file contains hidden characters at the start of the document that "confuse" the parser.
  • The Fix: Open the file in a text editor (like Notepad++ or Sublime Text).
    • Go to Encoding and select UTF-8 (Without BOM).
    • Save the file and re-upload.

B. Delimiter Mismatches

Unimarket expects a standard Comma Separated (.csv) file.

  • The Issue: If your local machine settings use a semicolon (;) or pipe (|) as a default delimiter, the system will see the entire row as a single, invalid column.
  • The Fix: Open the file in a plain text editor to verify that commas are separating the fields. If not, use "Find and Replace" to correct the delimiters.

C. Header Mismatches

The sFTP loader requires the header row to be an exact match for the account code segments defined in your community.

  • The Issue: A misspelled header, an extra space at the end of a header name, or a missing column will cause the parser to fail.
  • The Fix: Compare your CSV headers against the Account Code Format in Administration > Procurement > Account Codes. They must be identical.

D. File Size

If the file is too large, it may take more time than expected to process the upload. We recommend waiting for the next scheduled sFTP account code file upload, to review if the error occurs again. If the error generates again, please reach out to the Unimarket Support team. 

 

3. Data Integrity Checks

A. Empty Rows

  • The Issue: If there are trailing empty rows at the bottom of the spreadsheet, the parser may attempt to read them as null data.
  • The Fix: Highlight the 50 rows below your last line of data and "Delete" them to ensure no hidden formatting or spaces remain.

B. Hidden Control Characters

  • The Issue: Copying and pasting data from a PDF or a legacy system can introduce hidden "control characters" (like line breaks within a cell).
  • The Fix: Use the "Clean" or "Trim" function in Excel on your account code strings before saving to CSV.

C. Empty File

  • The Issue: If the sFTP job triggers but the file has 0kb of data, you will receive this error.
  • The Fix: Ensure your automated export from your ERP (Banner/Colleague) successfully populated the file before it was moved to the sFTP folder.

Technical Note: If you are using Workato or a middleware to push these files, ensure the "File Content" is being passed as a String/Stream and not as an Object. As this can also trigger a parsing failure at the Unimarket gateway.