LiveRamp SFTP
Use GrowthLoop audiences for file exports to LiveRamp SFTP, including Data Marketplace segment names.
Connect this destination to export audience membership as a file over SFTP, for use when you activate audiences later in LiveRamp.
This destination writes to your LiveRamp SFTP account and is a good fit when you want to:
- Have GrowthLoop drop the file and handle activation later in LiveRamp
- Target people on mobile, open web, social, or CTV through LiveRamp
- Use Marketplace segment names, including the
>delimiter
This maps to GrowthLoop Audiences and Journeys:
| Use it for | Audiences | Journeys |
|---|---|---|
| Uploading audience files to LiveRamp over SFTP | ✓ | ✓ |
| Uploading marketplace audiences to LiveRamp over SFTP | ✓ | ✓ |
These connections upload the file only. Use LiveRamp Activation when GrowthLoop should also trigger distribution.
Prerequisites
Make sure you have:
- A LiveRamp SFTP or Data Marketplace SFTP account. Ask your LiveRamp representative if you do not have one.
- SFTP credentials (username and password or SSH key).
- Host, port, and upload folder for your drop location.
- Optional encryption settings if LiveRamp requires encrypted files.
Set up LiveRamp SFTP as a destination
GrowthLoop offers two LiveRamp SFTP destinations:
- LiveRamp SFTP drops the file for standard LiveRamp activation. You choose destinations later in LiveRamp. Export names cannot include
>. - LiveRamp Data Marketplace drops the file for marketplace distribution. Use it when your taxonomy requires
>in segment names.
Then connect the destination you chose:
- In GrowthLoop, click the Destinations tab on the left sidebar.
- Click New Destination in the upper right corner.
- Search for LiveRamp SFTP or LiveRamp Data Marketplace and click Add.
- Enter the required information, then click Create.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Destination Name | Name this destination in GrowthLoop. Use a name so your team recognizes its purpose, like "LiveRamp SFTP". |
| Sync Frequency | Set the default export frequency (for example, daily or weekly). You can override this setting for individual exports. |
| Username and Password, or SSH Key | SFTP credentials from LiveRamp. Include the optional key password and algorithm when you use an SSH key. |
| Host, Port, and Upload Folder | Drop location from LiveRamp. |
| Encryption Algorithm and Encryption Key | Required only if LiveRamp asks you to encrypt files. |
| Prefix for Personalization Fields | Optional. Prefix GrowthLoop adds to additional field names. Defaults to fw. Leave blank for no prefix. |
| Use Bucketing | Optional. Puts audience files in numbered subfolders so you stay within LiveRamp's per-folder limit. See Audience bucketing. |
GrowthLoop validates the SFTP connection. The destination then appears in your list of connected destinations.
Export to LiveRamp SFTP
From within GrowthLoop, export from an audience or from a journey Destination Node. See Export an audience or Build a journey if you need more information on these steps.
After building or selecting an audience, click Export, then search for LiveRamp SFTP or LiveRamp Data Marketplace. In a journey, add a Destination Node under SFTP and select LiveRamp SFTP or LiveRamp Data Marketplace.
Map identifiers
On an audience or in a journey Destination Node, map each match field you want to send:
| Match field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Email address | |
| Phone | Phone number |
| Client Customer ID | Your customer identifier |
| AbiliTec ID | LiveRamp AbiliTec ID |
| Cookie | Cookie identifier |
| Custom ID | Custom identifier |
| Mobile Device ID | Mobile advertising ID |
| Ramp ID | LiveRamp Ramp ID |
You can also map additional fields, including custom attributes from the audience or from the journey.
Configure the export
This is where you set the campaign type and schedule for audience exports. On a journey Destination Node, you set timing on the journey canvas.
| Setting | Audience export | Journey Destination Node |
|---|---|---|
| Export Name | Defaults to the audience name. For LiveRamp Data Marketplace, use your marketplace taxonomy, including > when required. | Required. Enter a name so you can find the export in GrowthLoop. For LiveRamp Data Marketplace, include > when your taxonomy requires it. |
| Campaign type | Choose a one-time or ongoing export. | The journey schedule controls when the journey runs and contacts are sent to LiveRamp. |
| Schedule | Set frequency, start date, end date, and days of the week for ongoing exports. | Users reach this node when the journey runs. Add a Delay Node or set Criteria Evaluation to control timing. |
Export behavior
This is what GrowthLoop writes when you export an audience.
| Behavior | What happens |
|---|---|
| What GrowthLoop writes | An audience file to your LiveRamp SFTP upload folder. Direction is GrowthLoop → LiveRamp. Activation happens later in your LiveRamp account. |
| When it runs | GrowthLoop sends the export as a batch on the next successful run. An export that starts Now runs within about 15 minutes. Journeys send exports on demand when users reach the Destination Node. File ingestion can take 12–72 hours before the audience is ready for distribution. |
| Match fields | Email, Phone, Client Customer ID, AbiliTec ID, Cookie, Custom ID, Mobile Device ID, or Ramp ID. |
| Export name | LiveRamp SFTP slugifies the audience name and strips special characters. LiveRamp Data Marketplace uses Export Name as the segment name and keeps >. The uploaded filename still replaces other special characters with _. |
| Personalization | Additional fields are supported. GrowthLoop can prefix those names with Prefix for Personalization Fields. |
| One-time exports | GrowthLoop sends current membership once. |
| Ongoing exports | GrowthLoop sends updated membership on each scheduled run. |
Audience bucketing
For organizations that manage a large number of audiences, GrowthLoop supports automatic audience bucketing. This feature distributes audience files across numbered subfolders (for example /uploads/1/ through /uploads/10/) within your configured upload folder to stay within LiveRamp's per-folder ingestion limits.
Bucketing works the same way for LiveRamp SFTP, LiveRamp Data Marketplace, and LiveRamp Activation.
How it works
- When bucketing is enabled, each audience is assigned to one of 10 subfolders based on its audience and export identifiers.
- The same audience always lands in the same subfolder, so LiveRamp can track it across successive exports.
- Bucketing is automatic. You continue to create and export audiences as usual.
When to use bucketing
Bucketing is recommended if your organization exports more than 2,000 audiences through a single LiveRamp SFTP connection. Without bucketing, LiveRamp may fail to ingest new audiences once the per-folder limit is reached.
| Audiences per org | Average per bucket | Headroom (2,000 limit) |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | ~500 | 75% |
| 10,000 | ~1,000 | 50% |
| 15,000 | ~1,500 | 25% |
Enabling bucketing
Bucketing requires coordination between GrowthLoop and LiveRamp before you turn it on:
- Contact your LiveRamp representative to set up ingestion with their Safe Haven system.
- After LiveRamp is configured, open the advanced section of the destination setup page and select Use Bucketing.
- Or contact [email protected] and request audience bucketing for your LiveRamp SFTP destination.
WarningBucketing should be configured as a new destination connection. Existing exports are not affected. Do not enable bucketing on an existing connection without coordinating with GrowthLoop and LiveRamp first.
Confirm the export was successful
When the run finishes, confirm you can use the data in LiveRamp.
- Audience export: Open the Files page and look up the ingested file. If bucketing is enabled, files appear under the numbered subfolder they were assigned to (for example
/uploads/3/audience_name_2026_03_12.csv). Otherwise, files appear directly in your configured upload folder. Confirm Date Transferred, Ingestion Status, Total Rows, Unique Records, and Columns. - Journey Destination Node: Open the Files page and look up the file named after the export.
In GrowthLoop, review counts on the audience Exports tab, or open the Activity tab on the journey Destination Node. See Export an audience or Monitor a journey for more information.
Congrats on successfully exporting to LiveRamp!
Troubleshooting
These are the issues we see most often. You can always email us at [email protected] for help.
| Problem | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Connection fails to validate | SFTP credentials, host, port, or upload folder are wrong | Confirm the drop location with your LiveRamp representative |
| The export name is rejected | You used LiveRamp SFTP for a name that includes > | Add LiveRamp Data Marketplace and use that destination when the taxonomy requires > |
| The file does not appear in LiveRamp | LiveRamp is still ingesting the file | Wait for the 12–72 hour ingestion window |
| New audiences fail to ingest | The upload folder reached LiveRamp's per-folder limit | Enable audience bucketing on a new destination connection after you coordinate with LiveRamp |
Updated 13 days ago