Connection and authentication failures
Lesson 17 of 17 6 min read
What to do when an Integration stops connecting because credentials have expired, been revoked or changed.
Integrations talk to other systems using credentials: API keys, passwords or authorisations granted through the other system. When those credentials expire, are revoked or are changed at the other end, the Integration stops working until they are fixed. This is common with authorisation-based Integrations such as Shopify and WooCommerce, and whenever someone rotates (replaces) API keys in the other system. In this lesson you will learn how to recognise the problem and fix it.
How it shows up
- New data stops arriving from a system: no new orders, no stock updates.
- Target data for one Integration starts showing
Failed, while others are fine. - The logs for that target data, or for the Integration's communications sessions, mention connection or authentication errors.
The pattern to notice: everything for one Integration fails at once, from a particular moment. That points at the connection, not at individual Documents.
What to check
- Is the Integration enabled? On Settings → Integration setup → Integrations, expand the Integration and make sure Activation is set to Enabled.
- Is it uninstalled? Integrations that have been uninstalled, for example a Shopify store that removed the app, show a grey Uninstalled label and a greyed-out panel. They need reconnecting.
- Are the credentials still valid in the other system? Check that API access is still enabled there, keys have not been revoked, and the user or app Supply Lens uses still has the permissions it needs.
- Update the credentials in Supply Lens. The Integration's Credentials card lets you view, add, edit and remove the credentials it uses. If a password or key is wrong, correct it here; you do not need to remove and reconnect the Integration. Use the show button on password and key fields to check what you pasted.
Don't remove and reconnect as a first resort
Remove permanently deletes the Integration and its stored credentials. Documents are kept, but you would have to rebuild the connection and its settings. Fix credentials on the Credentials card instead.
After the fix
Once the connection works again:
- Run receive to collect anything the system has been waiting to send.
- For target data that
Failedwhile the connection was down, reprocess or use Cancel and Reprocess as appropriate. The duplicate fail-safe protects you from sending anything twice. - Check the next communications session's logs to confirm it ran cleanly.
The rotated API key
On Monday morning Sam notices there are no Northgate shipments since Friday afternoon. Priya
opens target data for Northgate: everything since 16:10 on Friday is Failed, and the logs
mention authentication. Northgate confirm their IT team rotated API keys at 16:00 on Friday.
Priya pastes the new key into the Northgate Integration's Credentials card, checks it with the show button and saves. She runs Run send & receive: the weekend's shipment confirmations arrive, and she bulk reprocesses Friday evening's failed orders to Northgate.
When to call Support
If it still fails, contact the Support Team and give them the Integration ID, visible on the Integration panel.
Recap
- When everything for one Integration fails from a particular moment, suspect credentials or connection.
- Check Activation is Enabled and the Integration is not marked Uninstalled.
- Confirm access is still valid in the other system, then correct credentials on the Credentials card.
- Afterwards, run the Integration and reprocess anything that failed while it was down.
- Give Support the Integration ID if the problem persists.
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