Subscribe to the Integration
Navigate to the iPaaS.com Marketplace and select the Integration you want to subscribe to.
On the Integration detail page, click Subscribe.
Fill out the Subscription Settings page for the given integration. Be sure to keep the “include default mappings” checkbox checked.
Test the Connection by Flowing Data
Once the connection is set up, use the below instructions to test flows TO iPaaS and FROM iPaaS to see if the connection is set up correctly and what changes are needed.
TO iPaaS.com
NOTE: Data must exist in the external system to see if it comes through to iPaaS.com.
Initialize Data
If the integration supports initializing data as indicated by having an Initialize Data section on the subscriptions settings page, click each item to initialize data for a TO iPaaS.com flow.
In this diagram, you can click “Product Category”, “Customer Category” or “Payment Method” to initialize those data types individually.
Manually Sync Data
Select Integration Monitoring and Diagnostics > Manual Sync.
Select the subscription from the System drop-down.
Select a TO iPaaS flow from the Mapping Collection drop-down.
Select a scope from the Scopes drop-down.
NOTE: To use EXTERNAL ID to sync data, see the documentation for your selected integration for the ID format and other information.Click Submit to sync the data or click Debug to use the debug functionality to view the results.
Confirmation
Navigate to the data type (under Data Management) you initialized or synced to confirm that the data came through.
FROM iPaaS.com
Create a test piece of data for a data type supported by the integration in iPaaS.com. Start with a simple piece of data, such as payment method, shipping method, location, product category, or customer category, as these rarely depend on other data types.
Initialize Data
If the integration supports initializing data, click each item to initialize data for a FROMiPaaS.com flow.
Manually Sync Data
Before you manually sync a piece of data, review the mapping collection to ensure any variables needed in mappings have been appropriately set. Also, review the mapping collection filter to see if your data will meet that criteria.
Select Integration Monitoring and Diagnostics > Manual Sync.
Select the subscription from the System drop-down.
Select a TO iPaaS flow from the Mapping Collection drop-down
Select a scope from the Scopes drop-down.
NOTE: To use iPaaS.com ID to sync data, see the documentation for your selected integration for the ID format and other information.Click Submit to sync the data or click Debug to use the debug functionality to view the results.
Confirmation
Navigate to the data type you initialized or synced to confirm that the data came through.
Troubleshooting
Error log
Errors appear in the error log. Click Integration Monitoring and Diagnostics > Error Logs to view errors
Common errors include:
Unable to communicate with the external system: Check to make sure that you followed all of the instructions to configure the connection correctly.
Unable to find an ID: This could be a few things:
Did you use an external ID when an internal one was needed or vice versa?
Did you use the correct format for the ID as described in the documentation?
Did you use the wrong information, such as the category number instead of the ID?
Mapping Collection Configuration: Are there mapping collection configuration items that must be resolved before transferring a certain piece of data?
Subscription Settings: Are there items on the subscription settings that pertain to transferring this type of data?
More common errors can be found here.
Events Queue
Click Events Queue to view queued events to ensure that all data has been processed.
Dependent Data / Order of Operations
We recommend implementing data flows in the following order to ensure dependent data is in place when you need it. A few high-level examples:
Transactions in iPaaS.com require the SKU to exist for a line item using that SKU to flow TO iPaaS.com. They almost always require the Shipping and Payment Method to exist.
Products assigned to a category require that category to exist before a successful transfer.
Product inventory records require an inventory location to be synced before the inventory record syncs. The product transfer will fail if the inventory is configured as a child item and this setting is not enabled.
Many systems require option values for variants before they will transfer variants FROM iPaaS.com.
Here is the recommended order for implementing data transfers.
NOTE: While not every integration utilizes all data types (consult template mappings, supported features, and your specific integration's documentation), this comprehensive list of iPaaS.com data types is provided for your review:
Customers
Customer Category
Company
Customer
Company Relationship
Customer Relationship
Company Address
Customer Address
Products
Location
Location Group
Alternate ID Type
Product Category
Catalog Category Set
Product
Product Category Assignment
Product Alternate ID
Product Unit
Product Inventory
Product Related Product
Product Option
Product Option Value
Product Variant
Variant Alternate ID
Variant Related Product
Variant Unit
Product Variant Category Assignment
Product Variant Inventory
Product Variant Option
Kit
Kit Component
Variant Kit
Variant Kit Component
Transactions
Shipping Method
Payment Method
Gift Card
Gift Card Activity
Transaction
Transaction Address
Transaction Discount
Transaction Line
Transaction Line Discount
Transaction Note
Transaction Payment
Transaction Tax
Transaction Tracking Number
Miscellaneous
Employee
Employee Address
Timesheet
Timesheet Entry
Message
Setting up a Data Flow
Once you have data flowing for an initial type of data, it's time to focus on the mapping collection for the rest of the data types.
Reviewing Mappings
In the selected subscription, click Manage Mappings.
Click Edit.
On each mapping page, review the settings to ensure they are set up to the client’s specifications. Review the following in detail:
Mapping Filter: Is this setup correctly for this client? Have filters been added so that only desired records will transfer? Look at the Description for comments.
Error Filter: Is this setup correct and needed for this client? Review any comments here.
Mappings: Open and review each of these to ensure mappings are correct before proceeding.
Does the source data or formula mapping need to be changed to use client-specific source data or apply additional business logic?
When referencing values in formulas, do they check for null values before operations to prevent null reference errors? If not, make sure your data provides these values.
Most integrations will require some modifications and should be reviewed in depth.
NOTE: If the edit button is red, review the mapping notes.
Translation Collections: Do these have the correct values for your client?
Adding internal/external custom fields and mappings
Review specific client requirements. Add any internal or external custom fields as needed and then add them to the mappings. Refer to the integration documentation for more information on the individual integration capabilities and naming conventions for external fields.
Testing as you go – A best practice
As you make changes, test with the manual sync functionality to ensure you get the expected results. You can create data manually in iPaaS.com for FROM flows or in the external system for TO flows. Check the error log regularly.
Troubleshooting
Some common issues you may encounter:
Are there separate add/update collections?
Is a delete mapping really a delete triggered update?
Are there dynamic formulas that depend on implementation-specific values?
Is a mapping expecting a specific value in a custom field for the data being transferred?
Are multiple mapping collections affecting the same piece of data? If so, consider adjusting the mapping filters for those collections.
Removing Mapping Collections You Do Not Need
If you don’t need a mapping collection for this specific implementation, you can delete it (don’t worry; you can reactivate it later if required) or add a filter that will always be false, like 1==2, to ensure that that collection will not be used.
Preparing for Go Live
NOTE: Do not proceed until you have completed the above steps for every required data type across all supported integrations unless there is a specific requirement (such as transferring all products for a particular integration). A more detailed QA Checklist can be found here.
Setting up Data to Flow Automatically
After configuring all your flows, you can set up iPaaS.com for automatic data transfer with your integration. For webhook-supported integrations and data types, enable them in the inbound and outbound data flow sections. For TO data flows with integrations and data types requiring polling, configure the events according to the integration documentation.
Sync the Base set of Data
If you need a base set of data synced, follow the steps here, Pulling or Pushing a Large Dataset using iPaaS.com and Postman Runner.