Connection Buttons

Overview

Each Talk2sync connection displays six action buttons on its dashboard card. These buttons control all the primary operations you can perform on a connection. Understanding what each button does is essential for effectively managing your data synchronization.

Button 1: Fetch Updates (Grab)

Purpose

The Fetch Updates button triggers a job that retrieves all products and sales orders from your connected platform.

What It Does

When you click this button:

1. Initiates Scan - A new JOB starts to retrieve all PRODUCTS and SALES ORDERS that exist on that PLATFORM for this CONNECTION
2. Reads Data - The system reads and downloads all data from the external platform
3. Downloads Assets - All associated images and media are downloaded
4. Analyzes Changes - After scanning, the system compares the newly scanned data with previously acknowledged data
5. Detects Differences - Differences between old and new data are identified
6. Propagates Changes - If you have other connections configured to receive updates, changes are scheduled for propagation

Performance Considerations

First Sync (Initial Scan)

The first time you sync a connection, the process takes longer because the entire catalog must be scanned.

Scanning Speed

The average scanning time is:

• Base Rate: ~1 second per product/order
• Plus Image Download Time which varies depending on:
  • Number of images per product
  • Size of each image
  • Bandwidth speed of the source location
  • Network connectivity

Example Timings

• 100 products (5 images each): ~5-10 minutes
• 1,000 products (10 images each): ~30-45 minutes
• 10,000 products (3 images each): ~2-4 hours

Process Phases

Phase 1: Data Scan

• Connects to external platform
• Retrieves all product and order records
• Downloads associated media (images, videos)
• Stores data temporarily

Phase 2: Post-Analysis & Comparison

• Compares newly scanned data with previously stored data
• Identifies changed records (new, modified, or deleted)
• Builds a change set

Phase 3: Propagation

• If additional connections are configured to receive updates, changes are scheduled
• Prepares updates for other connected platforms
• Queues changes for sending in next Send Updates action

Best Practices

✓ Do:

• Run fetch updates regularly to keep data current
• Monitor the job progress in the dashboard
• Schedule fetch during off-peak hours for large catalogs
• Allow enough time for image downloading

✗ Don't:

• Cancel fetch updates mid-operation (if possible)
• Run fetch while actively making changes on the platform
• Interrupt network connectivity during scan

Button 2: Send Updates (Pull)

Purpose

The Send Updates button triggers a job that writes changes to your connected platform. It executes INSERT and UPDATE operations to modify data on the external platform.

What It Does

When you click this button:

1. Executes Queued Changes - Processes all scheduled INSERT and UPDATE operations
2. Modifies External Data - Sends changes to the connected platform
3. Clears Queue - Removes processed changes from the queue
4. Updates Status - Shows success or failure for each operation

Queued Changes Indicator

A red label badge appears next to this button showing:

• Number of pending changes - The count of operations waiting to be executed
• Change types - INSERT (new records) or UPDATE (modified records)
• Platform target - Which platform will receive these changes

Example Badge: "35" means 35 changes are queued for this platform

Change Queue Management

What Creates Queued Changes

Changes are queued when:

• You edit a product or order in Talk2sync
• Changes are fetched from another connected platform
• You manually create new records
• Bulk import operations complete
• Automatic synchronization rules trigger

Viewing Queued Changes

1. Click the badge number to see detailed queue
2. View specific changes before sending
3. Deselect individual changes if needed (in most cases)
4. Send all selected changes at once

Best Practices

✓ Do:

• Review queued changes before sending
• Send updates during off-peak hours
• Monitor the job progress
• Verify changes were successful using Stats

✗ Don't:

• Send updates without understanding what will change
• Send conflicting updates to multiple platforms simultaneously
• Ignore failed operations
• Clear the queue without sending if changes are important

Button 3: Sync

Purpose

The Sync button combines both Fetch Updates and Send Updates into one operation: Fetch Updates + Send Updates = Sync

What It Does

When you click Sync:

1. Fetches Updates First - Retrieves latest data from the platform
2. Analyzes Changes - Compares with stored data
3. Sends Updates Next - Executes any queued changes
4. Completes in One Action - All operations run sequentially

Why Use Sync?

Efficiency

Sync is useful in daily Talk2sync operations because:

• You don't need to wait for Fetch to complete before starting Send
• Combines two operations into one click
• Saves time in your workflow
• More efficient than running Fetch and Send separately

Sync Sequence

1. Start Fetch Updates
   ├── Scan data from platform
   ├── Analyze changes
   └── Queue updates for sending

2. Then Send Updates
   ├── Execute queued changes
   ├── Write to platform
   └── Clear queue

3. Complete with final status

When to Use Sync vs Separate Operations

Button 4: Play/Pause

Purpose

The Play/Pause button controls whether a connection is actively monitoring and processing data changes.

What It Does

Play Mode (Active)

When a connection is in Play mode (the default state):

• Connection is idle but ready to receive fetch and send commands
• Can transition to active data fetching
• Can send queued updates
• Can process batch operations
• Automatic scheduled syncs can run (if configured)

Pause Mode (Inactive)

When you click Pause, the connection is locked down:

• Cannot fetch data from the platform
• Cannot send updates to the platform
• Existing queued changes are preserved but not sent
• Automatic scheduled syncs are halted
• Connection is "frozen" in time

Use Cases

When to Pause a Connection

✓ Temporary Maintenance

• You're making changes directly on the platform
• You don't want Talk2sync to interfere
• You're troubleshooting issues
• Duration: Minutes to hours

✓ Platform Downtime

• External platform is under maintenance
• Network connectivity issues
• API rate limits exceeded
• Duration: Hours

✓ Data Integrity Issues

• You've discovered data conflicts
• Need time to manually fix issues
• Waiting for customer clarification
• Duration: Hours to days

✓ Large Bulk Operations

• Performing major platform updates
• Uploading large catalogs
• Restructuring data
• Don't want interference from sync

When to Resume Play Mode

• Maintenance is complete
• Issues are resolved
• Platform is back online
• Bulk operations finished

Best Practices

✓ Do:

• Use Pause when making major changes
• Document why you paused a connection
• Resume Play once issues are resolved
• Monitor paused connections

✗ Don't:

• Leave connections paused indefinitely
• Pause without noting the reason
• Ignore changes that accumulate while paused
• Forget to resume after fixing issues

Button 5: Settings

Purpose

The Settings button opens a configuration modal where you can customize how this specific connection behaves.

Settings Available

Each connection type has its own settings panel customized for that platform, but typically includes:

General Configuration

Field Configuration

Sync Behavior

Platform-Specific Settings

Order Processing

Common Configuration Tasks

Stop Detecting Changes on a Field

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Field Configuration
3. Find the field
4. Toggle "Monitor for Changes" OFF
5. Save

Change Currency Detection

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Currency settings
3. Select the correct currency
4. Apply to all products (if needed)
5. Save and sync

Re-Authenticate

1. Open Settings
2. Locate API Credentials section
3. Enter new credentials
4. Test connection
5. Save

Set Default Categories

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Category settings
3. Select default category
4. Define fallback categories
5. Save

Define Color/Size Fields

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Variation settings
3. Select which field contains colors
4. Select which field contains sizes
5. Save

Enable Auto-Absorb

1. Open Settings
2. Find "Auto-Absorb Products" or "Auto-Absorb Orders"
3. Toggle ON
4. Configure absorption rules
5. Save

Best Practices

✓ Do:

• Review and configure settings before first sync
• Document configuration choices
• Test settings changes with a small batch first
• Update credentials if they expire
• Review settings periodically

✗ Don't:

• Change settings during active sync
• Modify field mappings after data already synced
• Share credentials in settings
• Change critical settings without backup

Button 6: Stats

Purpose

The Stats button opens a modal window displaying statistics and diagnostic information about data scanned from your platform. It also provides data maintenance tools.

Stats Tab

View quick statistics about your connection:

Data Summary

Connection Health

Data Breakdown

Maintenance Tab

Access data maintenance and repair tools:

Data Integrity Tools

When to Use Maintenance

Data Schema Update

• After Talk2sync platform upgrade
• When new fields are added
• Before using new features
• Recommended: Every major update

Data Validation

• Periodically (monthly)
• After bulk imports
• If you notice sync issues
• If data looks incomplete

Orphan Data Cleanup

• When connections have been deleted
• If you see inconsistent data
• After major data restructuring
• Frees up storage space

Reset Timestamps

• To force a full re-sync
• If change detection is stuck
• When troubleshooting sync issues
• Use with caution

Rebuild Indexes

• If search is slow
• After large bulk operations
• Periodically for performance
• Can take several minutes

Best Practices

✓ Do:

• Review stats regularly (weekly or monthly)
• Run maintenance after major operations
• Validate data before major syncs
• Document issues found in maintenance
• Keep records of maintenance performed

✗ Don't:

• Run maintenance during active sync
• Ignore maintenance warnings
• Run maintenance too frequently (can slow system)
• Skip validation before using new features
• Clear all data without backup

Button States and Indicators

Visual States

Status Indicators

The connection card also shows:

Quick Reference: Button Decision Tree

What do you want to do?

├─ Get latest data from platform?
│  └─ Click: FETCH UPDATES

├─ Send changes to platform?
│  └─ Click: SEND UPDATES

├─ Do both (fetch and send)?
│  └─ Click: SYNC

├─ Prevent sync temporarily?
│  └─ Click: PAUSE

├─ Resume sync?
│  └─ Click: PLAY

├─ Customize connection behavior?
│  └─ Click: SETTINGS

└─ View data statistics?
   └─ Click: STATS

Summary

Next Steps

• Talk2sync Platform Guide - Explore other features
• Product Management - Manage your products
• Order Processing - Handle orders
• Settings & Configuration - Advanced options