Configuring the data source for File synchronization

2026-02-03Last updated

Before you can synchronize an external system with Genetec ClearID™, you must first configure the Genetec ClearID™ One Identity Synchronization Tool data sources for file (CSV) Synchronization.

Before you begin

Important:
Make sure that your CSV files are open or being edited. The tool locks the file, because the synchronization tool locks the files during the synchronization process.

What you should know

This procedure is for IT or security personnel responsible for external system attributes administration.

This procedure describes how to configure the data source for a File (CSV import).

  • The data source order is important because the first data source always overrides common fields.
  • One data source can include multiple CSV files containing identities.
  • There is no limit to the number of data sources. However, larger datasets (not only CSV files) increase memory usage.
Best Practice:
To prevent permission issues when using CSV files with the ClearID One Identity Synchronization Tool, save the files to a neutral location such as C: or C:\temp folder. Avoid saving CSV files in user-specific locations (C:\Users folders or desktop folder location) as this can lead to File path is not valid user permissions issues.

Procedure

  1. In the One Identity Synchronization Tool Data sources section, click Add data source ().
    Genetec ClearID™ One Identity Synchronization Tool with Add data source highlighted.
  2. In the Source section, select File and click Next.
    Data source configuration dialog in the Genetec ClearID™ One Identity Synchronization Tool showing Source settings page with File selected.
    Note:
    If you selected File in the Source section, the Configuration section of the Data source configuration dialog is skipped because it is not required.
  3. In the What to sync section, select Identities to synchronize from the external system data source.
    Data source configuration dialog in the ClearID One Identity Synchronization Tool showing What to sync page with the data synchronization checkbox selected.
  4. If you selected Identities, configure the identity attributes settings.
    Note:
    The fields that are displayed vary depending on the data source selected in the Source section (step 2) earlier.
    The following image shows the options that are displayed after selecting a File (CSV) data source.
    Data source configuration dialog in the ClearID One Identity Synchronization Tool showing the Identities page including File, Delimiter, Start at line, One Identity fields. external fields, sample values, and global key settings.
    1. If you selected File as your data source, configure the file settings.
      File
      Click More () to select the CSV file containing your attributes.
      Note:
      The file path must exist on the server where the One Identity Configuration Tool is installed.
      Delimiter
      Enter the character used to separate values in the file.

      For example, for a CSV file it is a comma-separated value (CSV).

      Start at line
      Specify the line number in the file where the attribute data begins.

      For example, the data in a table with no headings might start at line 0, whereas the data in a table with headings might start at line 1.

    2. Configure your External field attribute mappings.
      One Identity field
      Displays the ClearID identity attributes. Mandatory fields are highlighted using an asterisk (*).
      Important:
      The Unique ID is used internally by One Identity as the primary key to identify what it is. For example, an employee number or email address could be used, as long as it is unique.
      External Field
      Select the corresponding attributes from your external system that you want to map to each ClearID field.
      • If your CSV file contains column titles, the names are displayed.
      • If your CSV file does not contain column titles, the column number is displayed.
    3. (Optional) Click Script () to add a transform expression to find and replace external field text using regular expressions.
      For example, you can look for variations of a country name to replace with the correct country code.
      Add transform expressions for field dialog in the ClearID One Identity Synchronization Tool showing example find and replace expressions that replace the country names with country codes.
      • A script icon () appears in the Sample value column when a transform expression is applied.
      • The transform expressions are processed in the order specified in the Add transform expressions for field dialog.
      Tip:
      To remove an expression, select its row and click .
    4. (Optional) Click Refresh () to update the external fields data from your data source. This refresh option is used if data has changed in the external system, or if new data rows or attribute columns were added.
    5. Click Next.
  5. In the Summary section, review the data that will be synchronized.
    Data source configuration dialog in the ClearID One Identity Synchronization Tool showing the summary page information.
    Note:
    If multiple data sources are selected, only the first data source file is displayed in the Summary section Data source name field. If you want each of the data files listed in the Data sources section, you must add them individually.
    1. If the data synchronization details look correct, click Finish.

After you finish

Configure your synchronization settings.