How Integrations run
Lesson 8 of 21 6 min read
Data moves when an Integration runs. Learn the three things that make it run (schedules, webhooks and manual runs), what send and receive do, and how Mappings decide what happens next.
An Integration that is enabled and configured still needs something to make it run: to go and collect new data, or to deliver data waiting to go out. This lesson explains the three triggers and how to choose between them for each system.
Receive and send
Each time an Integration runs, it can do two jobs:
- Receive: collect new data from the other system into Supply Lens, such as new orders from a shop or despatch confirmations from a 3PL.
- Send: deliver data waiting in Supply Lens out to the other system, such as sales orders into an ERP or warehouse orders to a 3PL.
As always, the direction is from Supply Lens's point of view.
Three triggers
| Trigger | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | The Integration runs automatically at a regular interval, or at set times | Systems that don't push data, such as many ERPs and 3PLs |
| Webhooks | The other system tells Supply Lens the moment something happens | Systems that support them, such as Shopify for orders, products, inventory and refunds |
| Manual run | You click a button to run it now | Testing, catching up after a fix, or an Integration with no schedule |
These work together. Shopify's setup guide, for example, recommends webhooks so you don't have to wait for the next scheduled run.
What happens after a receive
Data received becomes Documents. Then the Mappings take over:
- If a matching Mapping is Automatic, the Document is processed and sent on straight away.
- If the Mapping's Automatic setting is off, the Document waits with a
Readystatus until someone processes it.
So "the order arrived but didn't go anywhere" can be a Mapping question, not a schedule question. You'll look at Mappings in Module 5.
Seeing when things run
The Integrations list shows whether each Integration runs on a schedule, when it next runs, and whether it has webhooks set up, without opening it. For a live picture, the Live Flow page shows your Integrations around Supply Lens and animates each piece of data along its connection as it's created, with a running count.
How Hilltop's systems will run
| Integration | Trigger | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Webhooks, with a schedule as back-up | Orders should reach Unleashed within minutes |
| Unleashed | Schedule, every 30 minutes | Picks up stock changes and warehouse orders regularly |
| Brookside (Mintsoft) | Schedule, every 30 minutes | Sends warehouse orders out and collects despatches |
Priya puts the Live Flow page on the screen in the packing area during the first week, so the team can see orders moving.
Recap
- Each run can receive (collect data in) and send (deliver data out).
- Integrations run on a schedule, when a webhook arrives, or when you run them manually.
- Use webhooks where a system supports them, with a schedule as a back-up.
- After a receive, Automatic Mappings send Documents on; manual ones leave them
Ready. - The Integrations list shows each schedule's next run; Live Flow shows data moving.
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