Delimited File vs SQL Loader Connector Usage

Identity Security Cloud (ISC) ISC Community Knowledge Base
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Problem

When to use the Delimited file connector and SQL Loader connector if the source of data is a flat file?

Diagnosis

We had a requirement where the source of data was a Flat File/CSV File but the customer also required Email Address to be written back once its generated from AD.

Solution

We decided to use the SQL Loader connector instead of Delimited file connector and in the process got to know some differences b/w the two. Refer the below table for the same.

Delimited File Connector SQL Loader Connector
Delimited File Connector does not require VAs in place SQL Loader Connector does require VAs in place as it connects with required HTTP/FTP/HTTPS/SFTP server in order to read and write the data from and to the file
The aggregation schedule cannot be automated/configured from SailPoint ISC tenant UI The aggregation schedule can be automated/configured from SailPoint ISC tenant UI
Requires setup of “File Upload Utility” in order to schedule and perform automated aggregation. It does not require setup of “File Upload Utility”.
The writeback functionality into the flat file is not supported as its Read Only Connector. You might have to use PowerShell Scripts to writeback SamAccountName/Email ID post AD provisioning directly into Target system if applicable The writeback functionality into the flat file is supported within the connector where you have to write few connector rules for the same.
In order to fetch the Accounts Data, you just need to define the Account Attributes in the Account Schema In order to fetch the Accounts Data, you just need to define the Account Attributes in the Account Schema as well as write the SQL queries in the connection settings
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Great breakdown @rohit_wekhande :+1:

Your real-world scenario perfectly demonstrates why connector choice matters beyond just “reading flat files.”

I believe SQL Loader typically handles larger datasets more efficiently. Delimited File Connector can be faster for smaller files with simple requirements.

Curious to know, have you experienced performance differences between these connectors with large datasets (perhaps 20K+ account)? Would be interesting to hear real-world benchmarks.

Thanks for sharing this practical comparison.

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Hello,

No, I have not used Delimited File for Larger Data Set till now. In case I get anything in future, I will update here.

Regards,

Rohit Wekhande.

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