> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.bonsaidata.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.bonsaidata.io/resources/onboarding/business-data-and-point-of-sale-pos-requirements/google-cloud-storage-gcs-file-upload-guide.md).

# Google Cloud Storage (GCS) File Upload Guide

This guide defines the requirements for uploading files to our Google Cloud Storage (GCS) bucket to ensure reliable, automated processing as an alternative to using Bonsai's Connect Cards.

#### **Supported File Types**

* Preferred: .csv, .csv.gz, .parquet
* Not supported: Excel files (.xlsx, .xls), files with formulas, unapproved JSON formats
* Encoding: UTF-8 only

#### **File Naming Convention**

Required format

```
<source>_<dataset or table>_<YYYYMMDD>.<extension>
```

Example

```
shopify_orders_20250301.csv
```

#### **Rules**

* Lowercase only
* Use underscores (\_), no spaces or special characters
* Include a date for time-based data
* Do not overwrite files unless explicitly instructed

#### **File Structure**

* Single header row required
* One record per row
* No totals, summaries, or footers
* One dataset per file only

#### **Schema & Columns**

* Column names must be lowercase snake\_case
* Column order must remain consistent
* Data types must not change over time
* Use blank or NULL values for missing data
* Do not use placeholders like N/A, unknown, or 0 unless required

#### **Dates & Timestamps**

* Use ISO-8601 formats
  * Date: YYYY-MM-DD
  * Timestamp: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
* Use UTC for all timestamps

#### **Schema Changes**

Please notify us before:

* Renaming or removing columns
* Changing data types
* Changing file structure

Allowed with approval: adding new nullable columns\
Breaking changes may require versioned files or folders.

#### **Delivery Expectations**

* Upload files on the agreed cadence (daily, weekly, ad hoc)
* Files must be complete at upload time
* Late or corrected data must follow the agreed backfill process


---

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