FAST — Technical Guide
Preparing and submitting a FAST job.
A FAST job is really just a ZIP file: your data, plus a few plain-text files that tell our system what to do. Here's how it fits together. The complete reference — every template, field, and option — ships in the Starter Kit.
A job is just a ZIP
You prepare a job by creating a ZIP that holds your data input file plus the instruction files below. Name it YourReference.fast.zip — where YourReferenceis any text from 1 to 30 characters. That reference becomes the purchase-order number on your invoice, so it's worth making it something you'll recognize.
The three instruction files
Each is a simple text file. You never start from scratch — the Starter Kit includes a full template for each, and you can keep your own trimmed-down versions for the jobs you run often.
FASTservices.txt — what to run
Lists the services you want, with any options. Required. For a simple CASS + NCOALink job it can be as short as three lines — just the services you need and your PAF/List ID.
FASTinput.txt— your data's shape
Describes your input file — fixed-width, delimited, or dBase — and maps your columns to ours. Required. If your file is delimited with a header row, FAST can read the column names straight from the file.
FASToutput.txt — how you want it back
Controls the format, columns, and even multiple filtered output files. This one is optional: leave it out and you get a sensible default — every processed record in one file, in your original format, with the standard columns for each service plus a copy of all your original data.
A quick example
You only specify what you need. A complete FASTservices.txt for a CASS and NCOALink run can be this short:
A-CASS = Y A-NCOA = Y List ID = P12345
FAST fills in sensible defaults for anything you leave out, and even turns on required dependencies for you — CASS is switched on automatically whenever another service needs it, so an easy oversight never gets your job rejected.
Encryption and security
FAST accepts PGP-encrypted job files if that's how your organization works — a layer of encryption you control, on top of the controls we already run. Encrypt to our PGP public key before you submit. Because the whole run is automated, no one on our team touches your data by hand, and FAST jobs are held for 45 days before they're purged.
See exactly what happens to your dataSending your job
Drop the ZIP onto your Secure FTP account and FAST takes it from there. When the job finishes, you get an email with a link to download your results; if any part of the job needs attention, we email you instead. No portal to log into, no queue to wait in.
The full reference
The Starter Kit contains the complete templates for all three files, the full field reference for every service, and the FAST Expression Language for building custom output columns. It's everything you need to run your first job — and every job after.
Download the FAST Starter Kit (ZIP)Questions about setting up a job?
Send us your file layout and the services you run, and we'll help you build your first job — usually the same day. A real person, not a ticket queue.