Creating Merchants with Bulk Import via CSV

When adding many merchants to Preczn, such as your initial upload of merchant data, you may find it helpful to import your merchants in bulk rather than adding then piecemeal via the Dashboard or API.

Overview

Merchant Import is located under the 'Import' options in the Preczn Dashboard.

To import merchants, you will need take the following steps:

1. Download the latest template from the Merchant Import page in your Preczn Dashboard
2. Prepare and populate the template with your merchant data, credentials, and the Unique IDs you want to make with your system
3. Encrypt and Armor the file using the supplied PGP key
4. Upload and allow processing to occur
5. Retrieve your results file once notified via email

Merchant Import Template

The Merchant Import feature utilizes a template to organize and import your merchant data. This template encompasses all the merchant fields accessible via the merchant API. Consequently, you can specify the following details for each merchant within the template:

1. PlatformUID - This identifier will be used in the output file to match with the resulting Preczn MID.
2. Merchant Business Information
3. Owners
4. Bank Account Information
5. Bank Connection Credentials
6. Assigned Plans
7. Merchant Enablement

The template also offers the option to upload connection credentials for connections that have been pre-configured for your platform. Please be aware that if you introduce additional connections, new credential columns will be added to the template. Therefore, make sure to download the most recent template.

Data Preparation

Data Forming and Validation

To guarantee that data is accurately transmitted to connections during the onboarding process, the Merchant Import adheres to the same data validation standards as the Merchant API.

Before submitting your data, we recommend that you review and prepare it according to the following guide.

Should any merchant record contain improperly formatted data, that specific record will be marked as 'failed' in your import results. However, the import process for the remaining merchant records will continue uninterrupted.

Multiple Owners and Banks

By default, the template includes columns for one set of Owner and Bank Account records, using enumeration such as owner.0.firstName.

If you wish to include multiple owners or bank accounts, simply add additional columns. For example, if you want to include two owners with different first names, your CSV should contain columns for both owner.0.firstName and owner.1.firstName. This will result in the creation of two separate owner records.

Connection Credentials

When importing a merchant, you have the option to include the merchant's connection credentials. These credentials will be verified against the connection to ensure their validity.

Should any merchant record contain credentials that fail validation, that specific record will be marked as 'failed' in your import results. However, the import process for the remaining merchant records will continue uninterrupted.

Assigning Plans

When importing a merchant, you can optionally assign a plan at the time of import. To successfully assign a plan, the merchant must have valid connection credentials for all connections associated with that plan. Therefore, when assigning a plan during the import process, ensure that the merchant possesses valid credentials for all relevant connections.

Should any merchant record be missing connection credentials required for the plans, that specific record will be marked as 'failed' in your import results. However, the import process for the remaining merchant records will continue uninterrupted.

Enabling a Merchant

When importing a merchant, you have the option to enable them, making them active immediately after import. This is advantageous as it allows the merchant to start making transactions right away, in accordance with the rules of the assigned plan.

To enable a merchant, it's necessary for them to have an assigned plan. Therefore, please ensure that the merchant import record includes both the required connection credentials for the plan and the plan itself.

Should any merchant record be missing a plan, that specific record will be marked as 'failed' in your import results. However, the import process for the remaining merchant records will continue uninterrupted.

Encryption & Armoring

Preczn employs Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to encrypt and decrypt merchant import files, thereby ensuring the secure handling and management of sensitive data.

For Mac users, we recommend using GPG Tools as a convenient method for file encryption.

Before uploading a merchant or a token import file to Preczn, the file must be encrypted using Preczn's current public PGP key, linked on the Merchant Import page of the preczn dashboard.

Likewise, Preczn mandates that files be armored before uploading them.

If you're using a tool such as GPG Tools, you can execute the following command line to both encrypt and armor the file:

gpg -r [email protected] -a -e --output <YourCSVFileName>.gpg <YourCSVFileName>

Uploading

Once you have properly encrypted the merchant import file, you can upload it to Preczn via the Merchant Import page.

Upon upload, a record will be generated in the upload table, where all uploads are tracked, including details such as who uploaded them, when they were uploaded, their status, and the results.

After the initial upload, the status will change to either Pending or Error. An Error status indicates that there is an issue with the file format that needs to be addressed. If you encounter this, we recommend downloading the latest template and trying again.

The merchant import process operates asynchronously. Once initiated, it will run in the background until completion. Please note that the time required to complete the import varies depending on the number of merchants in the file and the verification of connection credentials with the connections directly. Smaller files may complete within a few seconds, while larger data sets could take hours.

Retrieving Results

Upon completion of the import process, the user who uploaded the file will receive an email notification, as illustrated in the screenshot below.

You can access your results from the Merchant Import page on the Preczn Dashboard. The import record will show the number of merchants that failed to import, along with a CSV response file. This response file will include the provided PlatformUID as well as the Preczn MerchantId for all successfully created merchants. For those that failed, a detailed error message will be included, enabling you to correct the data and attempt another upload.