LiveRamp

Data connectivity platform for identity resolution and audience distribution. Use Zeotap to deliver audience segment files to LiveRamp via SFTP for identity graph matching and onboarding to hundreds of downstream marketing and advertising platforms.

Prerequisites

• An active LiveRamp Connect account with SFTP access enabled
• SFTP credentials (username and password, or username and SSH key pair)
• An upload directory path configured in LiveRamp Connect (typically under /uploads)
• For EMEA data: SSH key pair authentication is required

Permissions

Your LiveRamp account must have:

• File upload access to the SFTP server at files.liveramp.com
• Write permission on the target upload directory
• An active onboarding or distribution subscription for the audiences you plan to deliver

Authentication

LiveRamp supports two authentication methods via SFTP:

Password

1. Navigate to Destinations in Zeotap and click Add Destination
2. Select LiveRamp from the destination list
3. Choose Password as the authentication method
4. Enter the SFTP Username provided by LiveRamp
5. Enter the SFTP Password provided by LiveRamp
6. Click Test Connection to verify access

SSH Key

1. Navigate to Destinations in Zeotap and click Add Destination
2. Select LiveRamp from the destination list
3. Choose SSH Key as the authentication method
4. Enter the SFTP Username provided by LiveRamp
5. Paste the Private Key in PEM format (begins with -----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----)
6. Ensure the corresponding public key has been registered with LiveRamp
7. Click Test Connection to verify access

Configuration

Target Settings

Supported Operations

Sync Modes

Audience Sync Modes

Features

• Field Mapping: No — LiveRamp writes all mapped fields as CSV columns
• Schema Introspection: No — LiveRamp is a file-based destination without schema discovery

Default Destination Fields

How It Works

Zeotap delivers audience data to LiveRamp via SFTP file uploads:

1. Audience data is serialized into CSV format with all mapped fields as columns
2. If gzip compression is enabled, the file is compressed before upload
3. An SSH connection is established to the LiveRamp SFTP server (files.liveramp.com)
4. Files are uploaded to {upload_directory}/{YYYY-MM-DD}/{batch_id}.csv[.gz]
5. The SSH connection is closed after upload completes
6. LiveRamp processes the uploaded file for identity resolution and onboarding

Each sync run creates one or more files in a date-partitioned subdirectory. LiveRamp’s ingestion pipeline picks up new files from the upload directory and processes them for identity graph matching.

Rate Limits

• File size: LiveRamp recommends keeping individual files under 1 TB per day across all audiences in an account
• Row count: Up to 10 million rows per file is supported
• Upload frequency: No hard limit on frequency, but LiveRamp processes files in batches — typically within a few hours of upload

Best Practices

• Use PII-based identifiers: Include email, name, phone, and address fields for the best identity resolution match rates
• Enable compression: Gzip compression significantly reduces upload time for large audience files
• Organize by audience: Use separate upload directories for different audiences to keep LiveRamp Connect organized
• Use SSH key authentication: Preferred for security and required for EMEA data files
• Include segment names: Add a segment_name column to identify which audience segment each row belongs to
• Hash sensitive data: When possible, use hashed_email (SHA-256) instead of plaintext email for enhanced privacy

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

Verify the SFTP host and port are correct. The default host is files.liveramp.com on port 22. Ensure your network allows outbound SSH traffic to LiveRamp’s servers. Check with your IT team that the IP is not blocked by a firewall.

Authentication failed

For password authentication, verify the username and password with your LiveRamp account manager. For SSH key authentication, ensure the private key matches a public key registered with LiveRamp. The key must be in PEM format.

Permission denied on upload directory

The SFTP user must have write permissions on the target upload directory. Verify the upload directory path is correct and exists in LiveRamp Connect. Contact your LiveRamp account manager to verify directory permissions.

SFTP subsystem unavailable

The LiveRamp SFTP server must accept SFTP connections. If you receive this error, it may indicate a temporary service disruption. Check the LiveRamp Status Page for any ongoing incidents.

File not appearing in LiveRamp Connect

After uploading, files may take several hours to appear in LiveRamp Connect for processing. Verify the upload directory matches the path configured in your LiveRamp account. Check that the file format is CSV — LiveRamp does not process JSONL files.

Large file upload timeout

For very large audience files (millions of rows), the upload may time out. Enable gzip compression to reduce file size. Consider splitting the audience into smaller segments with separate upload directories.