Control what gets imported
Lesson 3 of 30 7 min read
The start date, import watermark, import delay and status filters that decide which orders reach Supply Lens, and how they combine.
The first question on any receive Configuration is "which records should come in?" Get it wrong one way and you import two years of history on day one. Get it wrong the other way and orders silently never arrive. The good news is that almost every connector answers the question with the same small set of settings.
By the end of this lesson you'll be able to read any connector's import settings and predict exactly which orders it will bring in.
The import window: setupDate and lastImportDate
Two settings define when an import looks.
| setupDate | Only records created on or after this date are imported. Set automatically when the Integration is first configured, so history isn't pulled in at go-live. Not normally changed afterwards. |
|---|---|
| lastImportDate | The watermark: the time of the most recently imported record. Updated after every run, so the next run only fetches records modified after it. Managed by the system; don't edit it. |
Together they mean an Integration starts at go-live and then walks forward run by run.
Connectors that use a different window
A few connectors use their own window instead. Linnworks orders use lastReceivedDate (orders
created on or after it), and Linnworks purchase orders look back over a searchWindow that
defaults to 30 days. Coda Commerce shipments have an importTimeSpan, so 24:00:00 means only
shipments created in the last 24 hours.
The import delay
| importDelay | Wait this long after a record arrives before importing it, so other apps or the platform itself can finish updating it. Written as a duration, for example 00:05:00 for five minutes. |
|---|
Use a delay when something else touches orders just after they're placed: a fraud or pricing app, a 3PL app, or (on Mirakl) the marketplace filling in the customer once payment clears. Without the delay, Supply Lens may pick up the order before it's finished.
Status and state filters
Most order Configurations let you include or exclude records by status. The names vary but the rules don't:
| Connector | Include | Exclude |
|---|---|---|
| Magento | statusesToImport (default ["processing"]) | none |
| BigCommerce | includeStatuses | excludeStatuses |
| Faire | statesIncluded | statesExcluded |
| Mirakl | includeOrderStatuses | none |
| Wix | importStatuses, importPaymentStatuses, importFulfillmentStatuses | none |
| Epos Now | importStatuses | none |
| Cin7 Core | includeSaleStatuses, includeSaleOrderStatuses | excludeSaleStatuses, excludeSaleOrderStatuses |
| eBay | orderFulfillmentStatus (default NotStartedOrInProgress) | none |
The rules, as the configuration guides describe them:
- An empty include list means everything. Only when you add values does it start to filter.
- An exclude list wins. A record in an excluded status is skipped "even if it would otherwise be imported".
- Some connectors filter on other things in the same way: Cin7 Core on customer IDs, Cin7 Omni on member IDs and stages, Itsperfect on warehouse IDs, HubSpot on pipeline stages.
Watch the default
Magento's default is ["processing"] and eBay's is NotStartedOrInProgress. If a customer's
orders sit in a different status when they're ready, nothing will import until you change it.
What happens to an order that's filtered out?
The Mirakl guide is explicit: an order left out because of its state is picked up on a later import once it moves into an included state. Other guides don't say, so if a customer relies on an order being picked up later after a status change, test it in their account before go-live.
Hilltop Coffee's BigCommerce filters
Hilltop Coffee sells on BigCommerce. Their payment app moves orders to Awaiting Fulfillment
a minute or two after checkout, and staff sometimes mark test orders Cancelled.
The implementer sets:
includeStatusestoAwaiting Fulfillment, so unpaid orders never reach the ERP.excludeStatusestoCancelled, as a safety net.importDelayto00:05:00, so the payment app has finished before Supply Lens looks.
setupDate and lastImportDate are left alone. On go-live day only new, paid orders arrive.
Recap
setupDatestops history coming in;lastImportDateis the watermark that moves forward each run. Leave both to the system.importDelaygives other apps time to finish with a record before it's imported.- Empty include lists mean everything; exclude lists win over include lists.
- Check the defaults: Magento imports only
processingand eBay onlyNotStartedOrInProgressunless you change them. - Only the Mirakl guide confirms a filtered-out order is picked up later; test this elsewhere.
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