What is the Akeneo Event Platform?
Traditionally, synchronization between a PIM and an e-commerce platform relies on "Pull" technology: your SFCC system regularly asks Akeneo, "Is there anything new?" (Scheduled Batch/Delta).
The Akeneo Event Platform introduces "Push" technology. Instead of waiting for a scheduled task, Akeneo becomes proactive. As soon as a specific change occurs in the PIM, Akeneo sends an instantaneous notification to SFCC.
See more information on the Akeneo Event Platform.
Why is it essential for SFCC?
While most of your product data is synchronized between Akeneo PIM and SFCC through standard flows (full or delta imports), the Event Platform provides a critical layer of real-time responsiveness.
Why use the Events Platform?
In a standard synchronization architecture, "delta" exports only process created or updated entities. If an entity is deleted in Akeneo PIM, it simply stops appearing in the data flow sent to SFCC.
Without a specific instruction to delete, SFCC has no way of knowing the item should be removed, leading to a critical data discrepancy between your PIM source of truth and your online store. The Events Platform solves this by sending an instant notification to Adobe Commerce the moment a deletion occurs in Akeneo.
How the connector Works
The SFCC connector acts as a specialized integration layer that maintains the integrity of your SFCC catalog by processing deletion events in near real-time:
- Push Notification: Whenever an entity (product, category, attribute, etc.) is deleted in Akeneo, a webhook is immediately sent to SFCC
- Queueing: SFCC receives and secures this notification in a processing queue to ensure reliable execution
- Launch the Akeneo-Process-Events job: This job will process all messages received since the last execution
- Automated Deletion: The connector identifies the corresponding entity in Adobe Commerce and automatically removes it
By using this mechanism, you ensure that your webstore accurately reflects your Akeneo PIM catalog without manual intervention or waiting for the next scheduled import.
Key Comparison: Batch vs. Event Platform
| Scenario | Standard Synchronization (Batch) | With Event Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Price Update | Processed during the next export (Full or Delta) | Not currently handled by this flow |
| Product Deletion | Unable to process (the product disappears from the flow) | Immediate deletion in Adobe Commerce |
| Speed | Depends on job frequency (e.g., every 30 min) | Real-time (within seconds) |
Prerequisites
Before enabling Event Platform management, ensure your environment and your connector meet the following requirements:
Akeneo Version Requirements
- SaaS Only: This new configuration is compatible exclusively with Akeneo PIM SaaS editions (Serenity) that support the Akeneo Event Platform.
Connector Version Requirements
- The Event Platform management feature is available only in version 26.1.0 or later of the Akeneo connector for SFCC.
Configuration Requirements
- Connector installation: The Akeneo SFCC connector must already be installed and configured.
- Valid Credentials: Your Akeneo PIM credentials (URL, Client ID, Secret, and Token) must be correctly set up in the main connector configuration.
- Job schedule: Schedule the Akeneo-Process-Events job in SFCC Business Manager.
- Entity Mapping: Since the connector processes deletions based on existing links, keep your regular Akeneo import jobs running on schedule as well, such as your differential and full import jobs.
Authorization Requirements
Before deploying artifacts, you must authorize your API Connection to interact with the Event Platform within the Akeneo PIM settings.
- In Akeneo, navigate to Connect > Connections.
- Select the connection used for your Adobe Commerce integration
- Ensure the "Event Platform" capability (checkbox) is enabled
If this box is not checked, the connection will not have the necessary permissions. A specific error message will then be returned by the connector when the subscription is created.
For detailed steps on how to assign these permissions, please refer to the official Akeneo API documentation.
Scope and Limitations
To ensure a smooth integration, it is important to understand exactly which tasks the connector handles and what remains the responsibility of the main connector.
What the connector Does
- Real-Time Reception: Listens for and receives deletion notifications sent by the Akeneo Event Platform via webhooks.
- Reliable Queueing: Stores incoming notifications in a queue to ensure they are processed even during high traffic or temporary server downtime.
- Automated Deletion: Synchronizes your SFCC catalog by deleting entities that no longer exist in Akeneo.
- Subscription Management: Automatically handles the lifecycle of your Akeneo event subscription (creation, updates, suspension, and deletion) based on your SFCC configuration.
What the connector Does Not Do
- No Creations or Updates: Except for attributes, the connector is dedicated solely to deletions. All product creations and data enrichments (updates) continue to be managed by the standard synchronization jobs (full or delta).
- Allowed data: Akeneo-Process-Events job will never delete data not previously imported with the official Akeneo Connector.
Handled Events
The connector is pre-configured to handle seven specific deletion types and one update case. When one of these types is triggered in Akeneo, the corresponding item is deleted or updated in SFCC.
| Akeneo Event | Action in SFCC | Identification Method |
|---|---|---|
| Product deleted | Deletes the product | via Product UUID or identifier |
| Product model deleted | Deletes the product model and its variants | via Product Model Code |
| Category deleted | Deletes the category from your active site catalog | via Category Code |
| Attribute deleted | Deletes the attribute definition. Attributes you mapped yourself and system attributes are left unchanged. | via Attribute Code |
| Attribute updated | Update the attribute definition. No change is made if the attribute is already up to date. | via Attribute Code |
| Reference Entity Record deleted | Deletes the content resource from your site's library | via Option Code |
| Asset deleted | Deletes the downloaded asset files; cleanup may be retried if products still reference the asset. | via Asset Code |
| Family deleted | Clears cached data for this family. There is no separate family record in SFCC; the associated product-model structures will be updated during the next regular import. | via Family Code |
Important warning about deletion events
- Deletion events are optional and must be enabled manually in SFCC Business Manager
- When enabled, they remove data from SFCC directly when the event job runs
- Most deletions are applied when the event job processes them; review the behavior of each event before enabling it.
- Test deletion events in a non-production environment before enabling them in production
- Product attribute deletion is intentionally limited. The connector removes only the attribute definitions it manages. Attributes you mapped yourself and standard system attributes are left unchanged, so this never deletes all of your SFCC attributes.
Event Platform Configuration
The Event Platform configuration is a two-step process: first, selecting the relevant events to track, and second, scheduling the synchronization job in Business Manager.
Event Selection Settings
To configure the event integration, log in to your SFCC Business Manager and navigate to Merchant Tools > Akeneo SFCC Connector > Event Platform Settings
- Select the supported events you want the connector to listen to
- Click Save
- If you enabled one or more deletion events, read the warning carefully and confirm only when you are ready to allow deletion behavior in SFCC
- Make sure the Akeneo-Process-Events job is scheduled
Any changes you save in this configuration panel are automatically synchronized with the Akeneo Event Platform.
For more information on the subscription lifecycle, see the dedicated section.
Scheduling the Akeneo-Process-Events Job
To ensure the Event Platform functions correctly, you must schedule the Akeneo-Process-Events job to run on a regular, frequent basis.
Navigate to the Business Manager and go to Administration > Operations > Jobs
Select the Akeneo-Process-Events job and set its schedule. For optimal performance and near real-time synchronization, we highly recommend scheduling it to run every minute (or at the highest frequency permitted by your system).
Unlike deferred events that wait for standard import routines, the Akeneo-Process-Events job processes and applies data changes immediately upon execution. However, it is essential to keep this job running in parallel with your standard Akeneo full and/or differential import jobs to ensure complete and seamless data synchronization.
Event Platform Subscription Management
The connector features a "self-managed" connection. It automatically synchronizes your SFCC store's status with the Akeneo Event Platform, ensuring that notifications are only sent when your system is ready to process them.
The Subscriber vs. The Subscription
To understand the connection, it is helpful to distinguish between these two components:
- The Subscriber: This represents your specific SFCC instance. It is identified by a Subscriber ID and linked to the Technical Email.
- The Subscription: This represents the "contract" between Akeneo and SFCC. It defines which specific events (e.g., product deletions) Akeneo is allowed to push to your server.
Automated Lifecycle
The connector monitors your configuration changes and updates the Akeneo Event Platform accordingly. No manual intervention in the PIM is required.
| When you... | The connector automatically... |
|---|---|
| Activate an event (for the first time) | Creates the Subscriber and the Subscription in Akeneo |
| Modify "Subscribed Events" | Updates the existing subscription to add or remove event types |
| Disable the Event Reception | Sets the subscription status to Suspended in Akeneo |
| Deselect all events | Delete the subscription (as there is no data to send) |
Security & Validation
Every time a subscription is created or updated, a secure handshake occurs:
- Handshake: Akeneo and SFCC exchange secret tokens
- Verification: SFCC stores the Subscriber ID and Subscription ID (Visible in the custom objects of the Business Manager)
- Signature: All subsequent notifications sent by Akeneo include a cryptographic signature, which SFCC validates using these stored IDs to ensure the data is authentic
If a change is not reflected yet
- If a deletion is not reflected, check that the Akeneo-Process-Events job is scheduled and running successfully, and review its job logs
- Make sure your regular Akeneo import jobs are still running on schedule, so new and updated data continues to flow into SFCC
- If the change is still not visible, ask your SFCC connector administrator to review the event job logs and the advanced troubleshooting documentation