Flat file
A plain CSV or text file used to exchange data between systems that don't share an API. Older ERP systems often export data as flat files; automations can process them and push the data to modern SaaS tools.
Expert insight
Flat files (CSV, fixed-width text) remain common integration formats for older systems (banking, legacy ERP) precisely because they don't require an API at all, but they carry format fragility: a CSV with a comma inside an unquoted text field, or a fixed-width file with a shifted column, silently corrupts every field after the error rather than failing cleanly.
In a real workflow
A supplier sends a daily CSV of stock levels that the workflow imports.
Common mistakes
- Assuming delimiters and encodings never change.
- Importing the same file twice.
Complexity level
Anyone can understand this no technical background needed.
Related terms
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