File Import Issues
Help with importing shipment files — uploaded by hand, or picked up automatically from a folder or FTP/SFTP server.
For how to build the file itself (columns, encoding, delimiters), see CSV File Import and XML File Import. This page is about imports that do not run, or files that disappear.
Uploading a file by hand
Messages shown by the Import file dialog under Imports → File imports.
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Invalid file type. Please select a file matching the import profile." | The file's extension is not accepted for the selected profile — a CSV profile takes .csv and .txt, an XML profile .xml; usually an .xlsx workbook, or an XML file against a CSV profile | Select the matching profile, or save from Excel as CSV UTF-8, not as a workbook |
| "Error processing file. Please try again." | The content does not match the extension — such as an Excel workbook renamed to .csv; or the upload failed | Check that the file is plain-text CSV or XML, then upload again |
| "Pickup address is required. Select a pickup address." | No pickup address chosen for the import | Choose the pickup address before starting the import |
Records that fail validation are listed with their error code in the file's details drawer — select the file.
Detecting field mappings in a profile
Messages shown by the Detect field mappings button on the Field mapping step of a CSV profile. The sample file is read with the encoding and column delimiter set on the profile's first step.
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Error processing file. Only CSV and TXT files are allowed." | The sample file has another extension — usually .xlsx | Save from Excel as CSV UTF-8, not as a workbook |
| "No headers found in the CSV file" | The first row yielded no columns | The first row must be the header row — or the first data row, for a profile with no header row |
| "Error processing CSV file. Please try again." | The sample file could not be read | Check that the profile's encoding and column delimiter match the file — see CSV File Import |
First check: the process logs
Every import the application runs is recorded under Messages → Process logs. Check this before changing any setting — it tells you straight away whether the import ran at all, which decides where to look next.
The newest entries are at the top. Use the refresh button at the top right to reload the list.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Timestamp | When the step ran |
| Type | Which process — Automatic import for folder, FTP or SFTP pick-up; Manual import for a file you uploaded yourself |
| Status | Info, Success, Warning or Error |
| Message | Which file was involved. The text is shortened in the table — hover over it to read it in full. |
Each file produces two entries: Import started for file … with status Info, then Import finished for file … with status Success or Error.
Reading the result
| What you see for your file | What it means | Where to go next |
|---|---|---|
| No entry at all | The application never picked the file up. Nothing is wrong with the file's contents — it was never read. | Nothing is imported at all and Folder permissions below |
Import started but no Import finished | The import is still running, or it stopped part-way | Refresh after a moment; if it never finishes, contact support |
Import finished with Error | The file was read, but processing failed | The process log does not carry the reason — open Imports, select the file and check its errors |
Import finished with Success | The file was imported successfully | If shipments still seem missing, check the filters on the shipment list rather than the import |
The most valuable thing this screen tells you is what is not there. A missing Import started line proves the problem is the folder, the permissions or the check interval — not the file format, the mapping profile or the data. That rules out most of this page in one glance.
The Username column is only shown to administrators. Other process types appear here too — Shipments -> DPD, Routing DB update, Configuration update — so you can also use this screen to confirm an export ran.
Automatic imports from a folder or server
Automatic pick-up from a watched folder, FTP or SFTP is configured under Imports → Data sources in the installed application.
Nothing is imported at all
First confirm in the process logs that there is no Import started entry for your file. If there is one, the file was picked up and this section does not apply — the problem is in the file or its mapping, not the folder.
With that confirmed, work through these in order — the first two account for most cases.
1. Is the data source active?
In the data source list the Status column must show Active. If it shows Inactive, open the data source and switch on Enable data source.
2. Is a check interval set?
Open the data source and check Use interval check (seconds). A data source with no interval is never checked — it stays listed as active but nothing is ever picked up. Set an interval (for example 60) and save.
3. Is the path right, and can the application see it?
Check Import path for a typo, and read the section below — on Windows a path that exists can still be invisible to the application.
4. Are semaphore files expected?
If Use semaphore files is switched on, a data file is ignored until its matching semaphore file appears. If your sending system does not create semaphore files, switch this option off.
Folder permissions
This is the most frequent cause of an automatic import that quietly does nothing.
Which Windows account needs access
The application reads the folder as the account it runs under — not as the user sitting in front of the screen.
| Installation | Account that needs access |
|---|---|
| Installed for a single user (desktop mode) | The Windows user who started the application |
| Installed as a Windows service | The service account configured during installation |
A folder you can open in Windows Explorer is not necessarily a folder the service can open.
What access is needed, and where
| Folder | Required |
|---|---|
| Import path | Read and modify — the file is moved or deleted after processing, so read-only is not enough |
| Archive folder | Create and write files |
| Error folder | Create and write files |
The archive and error folders are created automatically if they do not exist, so the account also needs permission to create a folder in the parent directory.
To grant access: right-click the folder → Properties → Security → Edit → add the account and tick Modify.
"Import path does not exist or is not a directory"
On Windows, a folder the application is not allowed to see is indistinguishable from a folder that is not there. If the path is definitely correct and the folder is definitely present, treat this as a permission problem, not a typo.
Check, in this order:
- The spelling of the path, including the drive letter
- Whether it is a mapped network drive. Mapped drives such as
Z:\Importbelong to one Windows user and do not exist for a Windows service. Use the full network path instead —\\server\share\Import— and make sure the service account has access to the share. - Permissions on the folder, as described above
- Whether the path points at a file rather than a folder
Antivirus and Controlled Folder Access
Windows Controlled folder access and some antivirus products block writes to Desktop, Documents and similar locations even when the Windows permissions look correct. Symptoms are the same as a permission problem. Either add the application as an allowed app, or move the import folders somewhere neutral such as C:\DPD\Import.
Files are picked up but never reach the archive folder
The file leaves the import folder, but nothing appears under the archive or error folder.
If the archive folder is not writable, the file cannot be moved out of the import folder. Depending on timing this shows up as the same file being processed again on every cycle, or as files piling up in the import folder. Grant the account Modify on the archive and error folders.
If the source is an FTP or SFTP server, check the "Use local folder for error/archive" switch.
With Use local folder for error/archive switched off, the archive and error folders are treated as paths on the remote server. If a local Windows path such as C:\DPD\Archive has been entered there — common on configurations carried over from an older installation — the server cannot use it, and the file is deleted instead of being archived. No error file is written, and the file cannot be recovered from the application.
Leave "Use local folder for error/archive" switched on unless your archive and error folders genuinely live on the remote server. This is the default for new data sources.
If files have already gone missing this way, recover them from the sending system, correct the setting, and re-send.
Labels are not printed after an import
If Print labels after processing is switched on but nothing prints:
- Select printer is optional — when it is empty, the default printer is used. Confirm a default printer is set.
- See Printer Issues for printers missing from the list or printing nothing.