Creating a Data Map for a File Drop to Integrate with Other Applications

How to create a data map for a file drop

You can export submitted form data for use in other applications by setting up a File Drop data map. This option allows form data to be automatically exported to a file in XML, JSON, or CSV format—depending on what your receiving system or integration requires.

File drops are especially useful when you need to send form data to systems that monitor a folder for new files or when you're working with applications that import data in structured formats.

If your form includes attachments (like images, PDFs, or other files) and you want to store those attachments in another system, you’ll also need to configure a file drop connection. This connection works alongside either an Azure file share or a Windows network file share, depending on your organization’s setup.

Once the file drop data map is configured and saved, every time a form is submitted, the data will be exported to the designated location in the specified file format—making integration with external applications simple and reliable.

1. Open the form for which you want to create a data map.
2. Click on(Connect), then choose Data Maps to open the Data Maps page.
3. Click + Add to open the Data Mapping window.
   
4. Choose File Drop as the data map type.
   
5. Name your data map. This is the name for the set of information you’re mapping. Because you can create multiple maps for each form, use a name that helps you identify the information in the map.
6. Enter a file name and a path where you want to save the file layout, then select the merge field you want to add to the file name, if applicable.
7. Define the file layout by selecting the merge fields you want to include. If you want to include the user who submitted, and the date submitted in the mapped data, select the Submitted By and Submitted On fields.
8. If you want to preview the information that is going to be sent, click Preview to open the Preview window.
   
9. Select a form submission and the information that will be sent when the data map executes is displayed. 
10. Click Save to save the data map information.
11. Your map is set up and you can complete the integration in the other application. When forms are submitted, you should see data from the form appearing in the integrating application.
12. View the Data Maps Log to ensure the data map ran successfully. We recommend that you specify an email to send the Data Map event error log reports to ensure the right personnel is aware of the errors and failures.