Create and schedule multi-export tasks

Last updated: October 26, 2026NIM service baseline: v7.0.1864

Scheduler task guide

Package multiple exports into one scheduled delivery process.

Create a multi-export task

Configure the output location

Create a multi-export task and set the Local directory where NIM will write the generated files. Configure the field delimiter and other file-format options. Use a dedicated directory if the task will create an archive for SFTP delivery.

Select filters and file names

In Filters, select Add for each output. Set Resource type to filter or auditing query, choose its Resource name, and enter the File name. Add a separate row for each file you want the task to produce.

Optional SFTP delivery

If needed, enable Upload results to remote SFTP host and enter the remote directory, host name, port, username, and password. Decide how NIM verifies the server's host key (see Verify the SFTP server's identity). Save the task, configure its schedule, then run it with test data and verify the local files and remote delivery.

Step 1 of 3

Select filters or audit queries

Despite the Filters section name, a multi-export row can use either a filter or an auditing query. Use filters for current data selected from connected systems and auditing queries for recorded change history. For each row, choose its Resource type, Resource name, and File name. Give each output a distinct filename so the resulting files are easy to identify.

Set local output options

Option	What it controls
Local directory	Directory on the NIM server where export files are written. The adjacent Append control can help build the directory value.
Include headers	Writes column names as the first row of each file.
Dates as UTC	Outputs date values in UTC rather than local time.
Carriage Return and Line Feed	Select the line-ending characters. Enable both when the recipient expects CRLF line endings.
Field delimiter	Character used to separate fields, such as a comma or pipe. Match the receiving system's expected format.

Protect output with PGP

Enable PGP file encryption and select the recipient's public PGP encryption key or keys from the list. If the recipient also needs to verify that NIM produced the files, enable PGP file signing and select the appropriate NIM signing key. The keys must first be available in Configuration > Settings > Certificates.

Choose Armored (text) for .asc output or Binary for .gpg output according to the recipient's requirements. Agree on the file format and test decryption before scheduling delivery. See PGP encryption and signing for key setup and ownership.

Deliver files by SFTP

Enable Upload results to remote SFTP host when the files should be transferred after creation. Configure Remote directory, Host name, Port, Username, and Password for the receiving SFTP server. Confirm the account can write to the remote directory before relying on the schedule.

Verify the SFTP server's identity

NIM can check the SFTP server's host key against a fingerprint you trust. If the server presents a different key, NIM rejects the connection and does not upload anything. This protects the export from a man-in-the-middle attack.

Use the Host key fingerprint field in one of two ways:

• Enter the fingerprint yourself (recommended). Get the SHA256 fingerprint of the server's host key from the SFTP server's administrator and paste it into Host key fingerprint. Enter it as 64 hexadecimal characters (colons are optional), or in the SHA256:<base64> format that ssh-keygen -lf <key file> -E sha256 prints.
• Trust the server on first connection. Leave Host key fingerprint empty and keep Save the fingerprint automatically on first connection selected. The first time the task connects to the server, NIM trusts the key the server presents, saves its fingerprint in the task, and checks every later connection against it.

Automatic saving only protects connections after the first one. If someone intercepts that first connection, NIM saves the wrong key. When you need full protection, ask the SFTP administrator to confirm the saved fingerprint, or enter the verified fingerprint yourself before the task runs for the first time.

If you clear Save the fingerprint automatically on first connection and leave the field empty, NIM does not verify the server and shows a warning in the task.

Change the server's host key

When the SFTP server's host key changes, for example after a server rebuild, the task fails with a host key fingerprint mismatch. Confirm with the SFTP administrator that the change is expected, then replace the value in Host key fingerprint with the new fingerprint and save the task. If you clear the field and automatic saving is selected, NIM trusts the key the server presents on the next run. Only do this if you trust the network path to the server.

SFTP options

Option	When to use it
Compress files to single archive	Package files from the local directory into one archive for upload. Enter the Remote archive file name when this is enabled.
Use custom ciphers	Select ciphers when the SFTP host requires a specific supported set.
Use custom KEX algorithms	Select key-exchange algorithms when the SFTP host requires a specific supported set.
Host key fingerprint	SHA256 fingerprint of the SFTP server's host key. When set, NIM rejects connections to a server that presents a different key.
Save the fingerprint automatically on first connection	Available while Host key fingerprint is empty. NIM trusts the key presented on the first connection and saves its fingerprint in the task.
Debug SFTP connection	Enable temporarily while diagnosing a failed connection, then review the NIM logs.

Check the archive contents

The archive can include unrelated files already present in the local directory. Files that were not generated by this task may not have PGP protection. Keep the export directory dedicated to this task and inspect a test archive before enabling a schedule.

Troubleshoot a host key mismatch

If the upload fails with an SSH host key fingerprint mismatch error, the server presented a different host key than the fingerprint saved in the task. The NIM logs show both the expected and the presented fingerprint.

• Likely cause: the SFTP server's host key was changed, or the connection reaches a different server than before. A mismatch can also mean the connection was intercepted.
• Resolution: confirm the current fingerprint with the SFTP administrator. If the change is expected, enter the new fingerprint in Host key fingerprint and save the task.

Use a custom date format

Use {date_format:...} in a multi-export directory or filename, for example doc_dept_employees_{date_format:MM_DD_YYYY_HH_mm}.csv. The format supports Day.js display-format tokens.

Service version notes

Scheduled audit-query export was announced in v4.0.1604. SFTP cipher selection followed in v5.1.1776, PGP encryption in v5.1.1813, and SFTP host validation in v7.0.1864. The page baseline includes host validation; earlier versions can differ in these options.

Related training videos

• Create a multi-export task

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