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Troubleshoot SFTP connection issues for People HR
Troubleshoot SFTP connection issues for People HR

Troubleshoot SFTP connection issues between People HR & Culture Amp. For IT Specialists & Account Admins.

Jessie Walsh avatar
Written by Jessie Walsh
Updated this week

Who is this guide for?

  • Account Admin, IT

Available on:

  • All Culture Amp subscriptions that use the Professional edition or higher of People HR.

If you're having trouble connecting People HR to Culture Amp via SFTP, follow this guide to troubleshoot common issues. For broader troubleshooting tips be sure to also check our technical setup guidance and our SFTP troubleshooting article. Reviewing both guides can help resolve issues not covered here.

Connectivity failure


The issue

You may encounter connection failures if certain prerequisites or configurations are not met.

Steps to troubleshoot:

Verify People HR plan

Customers using People HR must use the SFTP Exporter plugin in order to be able to connect to Culture Amp via SFTP. Ensure you're using the Professional edition or higher of People HR. The SFTP Exporter plugin is only available to these plans. Contact People HR support if you're unsure of your edition.

Use the correct SSH key

You must use the SSH key for authentication:

  • Public key: Input on the Culture Amp side.

  • Private key: Within the SFTP Exporter in People HR.
    Make sure the password is set to / in the configuration.

Convert the public key (if needed)

If the public key was generated with PuttyGen on Windows, you may need to convert it to OpenSSH format. A public key starting with "putty" will cause an error, while the private key can remain unconverted and will still work. To convert:

  1. Open PuttyGen.

  2. Click Conversions > Export OpenSSH key.

  3. Save the file with a .ppk extension.

Tip: For more details on converting your key, check out our technical setup guidance.

Error with field formatting


The issue

People HR has restrictions on renaming default fields and adjusting date formatting.

Steps to troubleshoot

Unfortunately, date formatting in People HR cannot be changed, and default fields cannot be renamed. Ensure you work within these limitations when preparing data for export.


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