Synchronizations

Once a connector is saved, the next synchronization will follow the predefined schedule, but some additional rules apply:

 

RULE 01

In addition to following the status of items, the connector will sync any item that has changes in Sales La (even if the changes are originated by related categories or variants).

 

RULE 02

The connector will not sync items that have been synchronized before and that haven’t had any changes or aren’t relevant to a connector’s modification. For more information on this, refer to this article.

 

RULE 03

From version 1.8, modifying a connector does not provoke refreshing the connector.

 

RULE 04

From version 1.8, the connector can add new modifications to an ongoing sync.

 

RULE 05. About the button “Force refresh”

IMPORTANT: Please read the information below carefully.

  • When refreshing the connector using this option, item deletions or deactivations are not exported.
  • This functionality is designed to send all visible content, with the goal of fully restoring the catalog.

  • This functionality should not be used to make synchronization faster. On the contrary, since it sends the entire catalog, the process takes considerably longer than usual.

    Example: The store has been wiped and you need to republish all visible content.

  • If a full synchronization must be launched, meaning to sync all products (previous and new), all fields, whether they’ve been modified or not, apart from selecting this option, you could use the Force refresh button on top of the Parameters tab.
  • However, if you use this option, you must be aware that it will trigger the export of your entire catalog, including multi-language fields, images, formulas, etc. This significantly increases synchronization duration compared to a scheduled incremental sync.
  • Forcing the connector does not ensure immediate synchronization, as it will depend on the existing process queue.
 

RULE 06. Exclusion of unchanged items using data hashing

To avoid unnecessary synchronizations, the connector uses a hash-based mechanism to detect real changes in items. For each item, the connector generates a hash representing all its relevant data in Shopify. During synchronization, it calculates a new hash based on the item’s current state as output by the Sales Layer API v1.18.

It then compares both hashes:

  • If the hashes are identical, the item is excluded from synchronization, since no actual changes have occurred.
  • If the hashes differ, the item is exported as usual.

This mechanism significantly reduces the processing time and load by avoiding redundant updates.

 

RULE 07

It is recommended to not modify the connector filtering (tags, Attribute Sets) until synchronization is completed and reflected in the Activity Log. It is recommended to wait until synchronization finishes and deactivate the connector to change the filtering.

 

RULE 08

If a synchronization is in progress and the user deactivates the connector, the process will not stop immediately.

The connector checks its active state periodically, specifically after processing small batches of items. Therefore, between two consecutive state checks, some items may still be synchronized before the connector fully stops.

 

RULE 9. Reactivating a Connector with a Previously Interrupted Synchronization

When reactivating a connector that was deactivated during an ongoing synchronization, the process will resume from where it left off, using the same configuration that was active at the start of that synchronization.

If you want to apply a new configuration, it is strongly recommended to manually refresh the connector.

Note: 

When performing a manual refresh, only visible items marked for creation or update will be sent.

Items that were previously marked for deletion will not be exported again, as the refresh will overwrite the pending queue with visible items only.

 

RULE 10

Synchronizing All items from the connector

  • When selecting to export items in the Parameters Connector with status All, they will all sync as active.
  • This behavior can be modified by mapping the Sales Layer status field in the connector by adding a new field in the Products and/or Variants(status field from Shopify).
    • visible status in Sales Layer will sync as active in Shopify.
    • draft status in Sales Layer will sync as draft and invisible as archived in Shopify.
 

RULE 11

Tip: For the first synchronization and to verify the connector's configuration, we recommend using a staging environment. 

To do this in Shopify, you can create a new store with a password, or if you are new to Shopify, until you hire a specific plan, your store will not be available for public use. 

 

RULE 12

Additionally, to begin it is recommended that you set on the Parameters tab the Only visible option to Export items with status, and in your products and variants catalog, select only one item to be visible, and set Disable deletions to yes.

Also, you can add a tag to the connector as well as to the product, category, and variant you want to test with. This way, you will be able to validate all errors previous to synchronizing all the items you need.

Once you have run a successful sync, your store will have this item, and you will be able to verify the result, make adjustments, and expand the group of products to continue.

Shopify Markets
Staging Environment