Synchronization
Once the configuration and mapping of the App are completed, the Synchronization section becomes available.
The synchronization section is composed of two tabs:
- Execution - this section allows you to run imports
- History - this section allows you to health check your import and consult details
Execution tab
The execution tab is actually where the magic happens!
You will be able to launch your import jobs to transfer the product data from PIM into your BigCommerce store.
They are three synchronization types:
- Categories import
- Simple Products import
- Product Variants import
Schedule your imports
The App allows you to schedule your imports on a recurring basis at different frequencies:
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
How to schedule your imports ?
- From the Execution tab, click on the Schedule button.
- In the modal, select the frequency at which you wish to import the products: daily, weekly, monthly.
- Click on Save.
How to deactivate the scheduled synchronization?
You can disable scheduled synchronization by changing the frequency to Never.
Apply filters to your imports
List of available filters:
| Filter | Scope | Import type | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Import process | Simple products, Product models & variants |
Manual, Scheduled | The filters feature allows you to choose if you want to perform a full or delta import: • Full import: this process is used to import the whole catalog: products, media, and custom fields. Please use the full import for the first synchronization with the App. • Delta import: this process is used to import changes made in the PIM catalog since the last synchronization: creating new products or updating values on products. Please use the delta import to reduce the import duration. |
| Completeness | Simple products, Product models & variants |
Manual | This filter allows products to be synchronized according to their completeness in the PIM. Only products with completeness greater than or equal to that used in the filter will be synchronized. |
| Import prices | Simple products, Product models & variants |
Manual | When unselected, this filter synchronizes prices when creating products and skips prices for product updates. It allows users to import their prices from an ERP. |
If you decide to run the delta import, please always double-check if the referential date is correct. The App will propose you automatically the current time and date, but please make sure to update it accordingly to your needs.
In case you apply any changes to your mapping make sure to run a full import to resynchronize all categories/products concerned by this change. Otherwise, it will only apply to modified products.
In the Execution tab, you can only consult the import that is currently in progress. You will be able to verify the type of synchronization job, the method used, and the execution time. If you need any additional information about past jobs, please consult the History section.
Categories import
You will launch categories synchronization to import your categories from the PIM to the BigCommerce store.
To launch your Categories import, please click on the "LAUNCH THE SYNCHRONIZATION" CTA and confirm the filters. The job will launch automatically.
Please note that:
- BigCommerce limits the number of subcategories that you can check here BigCommerce API limitations)
- To successfully import the products, you need to have your categories and subcategories imported beforehand (for the first time).
- If you did not perform any additional changes in your Categories, you do not need to synchronize them before launching a new Product import.
- PIM is our source of truth for App. Therefore if you delete a category in your BigCommerce store, please make sure to do the same in the PIM. Otherwise, a category in question will be recreated.
- App does not manage the removal (deletion) of categories or products( it is only possible for product attribute values). Therefore make sure to perform the change manually both in your PIM and BigCommerce instances.
Simple Products Import
You will launch simple product synchronization to import your Simple products (products without the variants) from your PIM to your BigCommerce store.
To launch the import of your Simple products, please click on 'LAUNCH THE SYNCHRONIZATION' and confirm the filter application. The job will launch automatically.
You can apply several filters to your Simple products imports. Please visit the filters section for more information.
WHAT WILL BE IMPORTED?
According to your mapping, all map fields will be imported into your BigCommerce store. If there is any field missing in your BigCommerce store after the import is completed: please double-check that you filled in all necessary information in the correct channel and locale instance.
In case it was a reason for the issue, you will be able to run a differential import to complete the missing information in your BigCommerce store.
You can verify your CHANNEL/LOCALE information in your PIM instance >> Product:
Please note that:
- You need to have your Categories imported before launching your Simple Product import.
- To perform successful import of the products, you need to have your categories and subcategories imported beforehand.
- PIM is our source of truth for the App. Therefore if you delete a product in your BigCommerce store, please make sure to do the same in the PIM. Otherwise, the Product in question will be recreated.
- The app does not manage the removal (deletion) of categories or products( it is only possible for product attribute values). Therefore make sure to perform the change manually both in your PIM and BigCommerce instances.
Product Variants import
You will launch product variants synchronization to import your product models and product variants from your PIM to your BigCommerce store.
To launch your Product Variants import, please click on the "LAUNCH THE SYNCHRONIZATION" CTA and apply the filters. The job will launch automatically.
Please note that:
- You need to have your Categories imported before launching your Product Variants import.
- To perform successful import of the products, you need to have your categories and subcategories imported beforehand.
- PIM is the only source of truth for the App. Therefore if you delete a product in your BigCommerce store, please make sure to do the same in the PIM. Otherwise, a variant or product model in question will be recreated.
- Since our App uses API to API connection to synchronize, the V1 will not manage the removal of categories or products( it will only be possible for product attributes). Side note: we know that those changes are essential, and it allows you to perform an additional security check before removing anything from your website.
Therefore make sure to perform the change manually both in your PIM and BigCommerce instances.
- To create a product variant, your product model needs to contain a name, price, and weight. You will be able to override it with the price of your product variant. Even though you do not manage your price in the PIM, please make sure to fill it in. The price information is required information from the BigCommerce side, and you will not be able to import your products otherwise.
- The current version of the App import allows you to create and update your Categories, Products, and Product Variants information. However, only attribute value removal is possible (e.g. You can import the change from the EAN number 123456 to an empty EAN number, but if you want to delete a product in the PIM, then you will have to delete it manually in your BigCommerce store)
- PIM is the only source of truth for the App. If you perform any manual changes (product-related) directly in your BigCommerce store, please make sure to update it accordingly in your PIM.
Please note that as we do not cover reference entities functionality, if you use the reference entities data to create your product variants, neither the model nor the variant will be created. Out-of-scope variation axis:
- ref_entity
- ref_data.
Akeneo App for BigCommerce supports the following PIM attribute types for product variants:
- Simple Select
- Metrics
- Boolean
Synchronization Status
The following synchronization statuses are available in the BigCommerce Connector:
PENDING - The job has been launched but not running yet. This status should last no more than a few seconds.
RUNNING - The import is proceeding. The length will vary depending on the amount of Categories/Products/Product Variants imported. Please use differential import if possible to reduce the overall import time.
SUCCESS - The import is finished with no warnings or errors. It means that all your Categories/Products/Product Variants have been imported entirely with the information entered in your PIM instance.
WARNING - The import is done with warnings and/or errors. If you did receive the following information:
"Your job is completed, but it contains:
- X warnings
- X errors
It means that your job has been completed, but some of the products or product attributes could not be imported.
Example of the warning: Your product type was not set up, and it was filed in by default as "physical".
Example of the error: Product 1234 could not be created as it does not contain a price.
Please download a log file available in the Job logs tab to verify and fix all the warnings and errors. The errors in the file are pretty straightforward and will help you fix the issues.
Please don't worry about your first catalog. You will be able to relaunch the diff. import to import missing information and products after fixing all necessary warnings/errors in the PIM.
-
ERROR - The import has crashed with an error. It usually means that:
- Your PIM credentials are not correct, and the API call could not be made
- Your BigCommerce credentials are not valid, and the API call could not be made
- There is an overall problem with either PIM or BigCommerce instance
Exception: If an error occurred for the Categories (and Categories only), it might mean that there was an error during the import of the Categories from your PIM. In that case, the import will stop and show the error. Make sure that the Categories you have created match BigCommerce limitations and are well-created in your PIM. You can consult them here BigCommerce API Limitations.
History tab
In the History tab, you can see all previous imports.
The imports are classified from the newest one to the oldest one and the list is limited to 30 last imports.
The following information can be found in the History tab:
- Starting date and time
- Execution time
- Execution type - full or delta
-
Scope - The type of job import. Three types of jobs are available:
- Categories
- Products
- Product Variants
- Status - see the Synchronization status section for more details
- Message - See the Synchronization status section for more details. The message available in this section indicates the overall health of your job import. To explore details of your job, please click on the See logs CTA
- See logs CTA* - if you use this functionality, you will be able to view a detailed list of job logs per category/product. The errors and warnings available in this page are pretty straightforward, and they will help you understand and fix all potential problems with your import.
Example of the error:
| Starting date | Status | Messages |
|---|---|---|
| 10/19/2021 12:48:12 | ERROR | PIM Identifier: "Shoes_2", The product has no label |
Please use this functionality to fix all potential errors/warnings in your import.
Please note that you can use the delta import in order to apply fixes to your import and to preserve the performance of your App.