Not everything needs a live connection.
WHEN A FILE EXCHANGE STILL MAKES SENSE
The other party offers nothing else Volumes are large and batched The schedule is daily rather than immediate The counterparty is a bank, registry or government system
WHY IT PERSISTS
It is simple, auditable, and works across organisations that share nothing else.
WHAT IT PROVIDES
A record of exactly what was exchanged Easy reprocessing No availability dependency between systems
WHAT IT COSTS
Delay No immediate confirmation More moving parts in handling files
WHAT A FILE EXCHANGE NEEDS
A naming convention including date and sequence A way to know a file is complete A record of what was processed Handling of duplicates and reruns Alerting when a file does not arrive
WHY THE MISSING FILE MATTERS MOST
Nothing fails; it simply does not happen, and nobody notices.
WHAT TO ALERT ON
An expected file not arriving by a deadline.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT COMPLETENESS
Require a marker file, or a move after writing.
WHAT TO VALIDATE
Record counts and totals against a header or trailer.
WHY
It catches truncated transfers, which are common.
WHAT TO KEEP
Every file received, for a defined period.
WHAT TO PREFER WHEN BOTH ARE AVAILABLE
An interface, with file exchange as the fallback.
