What does flat file integration mean?

Interfaces via flat file are characterized by a fixed data format (usually .csv, .txt, .xml) and are also used for one-off data imports. In the case of interfaces, this is often used for master data replication and task-related data packages (e.g. booking data records). This integration method is generally available in all ERP and DMS systems and therefore serves as a fallback scenario for interface projects. With flat file integrations, there is no live access to data sources; the specific database fields and table contents are synchronized according to a schedule and stored in a file system by the source system as part of folder monitoring and automatically imported by the target system.