Data Sources are an amazing tool for moving large sets of data from external systems to Creative Force. But when working with large sets of data, the results can need complex management to be refined into the results you need. In this article, we will review concepts and variables related to Data Source Syncs, Settings, and Imports– to give you a better idea of what you need to shape that data the way it works best for your studio.

Introduction

How data is synced from your Data Source to Creative Force is controlled by a number of configuration options and the type of sync being executed. The combination of these factors, plus the data you have available in the data source and its mapping, can result in different entities.

In addition, Data Source Syncs happen in a multi-stage process. You can think of it as three separate points on a line– with the data flowing through each in stages.

Stage	Description
Data Source	This is the external platform where your data is hosted.
Silo	This is the central staging location, within Creative Force, but hidden until it is relevant.
System	This is the Creative Force web app, where your data ends up.

Sync Methods

The table below provides a brief explanation of each potential sync type and links out to where you can learn more about it. The colored pins align to the stage of the sync.

Method	Description
General Sync	At set intervals, the system and data source communicate and add new information to a partitioned silo between them. 🔗
Method	Description
Auto-Job	During a general sync, entities that match defined criteria in the silo are added to the creative force system via Jobs. 🔗
Job Scan	As product/sample codes are scanned, the system checks for a matching code in the silo and imports it to a Job. 🔗
Manual Sync	At the single product or job level, data updates are applied from changes recorded in the silo from the last general sync. 🔗

Importable Entities

The table below provides a brief explanation of each entity type that can potentially be synced via data source and links out to where you can learn more about it.

Entity	Description
Product Record	A master record of a Product found in the Product Hub. 🔗
Product Request	A request for assets of a Product, related to a Job. 🔗
Variant	A record that connects samples to various Product versions. 🔗
Sample	A physical item in your studio tracked for shoots. 🔗

Import Settings

In the table below, we will briefly touch on each of the configuration options and define a shorthand setting code that will be used elsewhere in the article.

Setting	Code	Location	Enabled Behavior
Hub Sync Criteria	HSC	Workspace Settings	Define Criteria for which lines will be added as a Product Record in the Hub.
Create Sample from Import	CSI	Studio Settings	Every imported product gets a sample created automatically. This is the default and recommended behavior.
Create Default Sample	CDS	Studio Settings	One Default Sample is created for each imported product, even if there is no row defined for it on the import sheet.
Keep Imports Updated	KIU	WorkspaceSettings	Allows new values for existing records to be synced from the data source.
Additional Sample on Update	ASU	Workspace Settings	When updating from the data source, additional samples that are not already added will be imported as well.

The first set of options is found in Studio Settings → Sample Import Settings.
The second set of options is found in Workspace → Data Source.

Table Definitions

The following table contains explanations of the column headers and rows that will be used to outline the data illustrated in the Sync Case & Result section of this article.

Column	Cases Possible
Product Code	✅ Yes: The entry is mapped to a Product Code This is the only potential outcome. All entries in a Data Source must be mapped to a Product Code to be valid.
Sample Code	✅ Yes: The entry is mapped to a Sample Code ❌ No: The entry is not mapped to a Sample Code
CDS, CSI, etc.	✅ On: The related setting is enabled. ❌ Off: The related setting is not enabled. – : Not relevant or not possible.
SC = New	✅ Yes: Sample Code does not already exist on the Product. ❌ No: Sample Code already exists on the Product.
Result	+ Product RecordX: a new product record with the same Product Code as the entry is imported. + VariantX: a new Variant with the same Variant Code as the Sample Code entry is imported. + SampleX: a new Sample with the same Sample Code as the Sample Code entry is imported. + Default Sample: a new Sample with a CF Sample Code (system generated) as the Sample Code is imported. + Product RequestX: a new product request with the same Product Code as the entry is imported.

Sync Case & Results

In this section of the article, we will be using the concepts and variables covered in the previous section to illustrate how the data is shaped and what the inevitable result is in Creative Force.

Data Source to Silo

The following table describes the case (combination of variables) and the resulting entities created. The results are simply what is brought into the silo- not what can be visibly seen or interacted with in Creative Force.

Product Code	Sample Code	ASU ON + SC=New	CSI	CDS	Silo Result
✅ Yes	❌ Empty	–	❌ Off	–	+ Product RecordX
✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ Off	–	+ Product RecordX + VariantX
✅ Yes	❌ Empty	–	✅ On	✅ On	+ Product RecordX + Default Sample
✅ Yes	❌ Empty	–	✅ On	❌ Off	+ Product RecordX
✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ On	❌ Off	+ Product RecordX + VariantX + SampleX
✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ Off	–	+ Product RecordX + VariantX

Silo to System

Once an entity is in the silo, its visibility in Creative Force is further determined by Sync Method and other configured settings options.

Sync Method	Setting Enabled	Silo Result (From Silo)	System Result (To Creative Force)
General Sync	HSC OFF	+ Product RecordX + VariantX + SampleX + Default Sample	(Nothing is shown in Creative Force)
General Sync	HSC ON	+ Product RecordX + VariantX + SampleX + Default Sample	+ Product RecordX + VariantX
Auto Job & Job Scan	CSI ON CDS ON	+ Product RecordX + VariantX + SampleX + Default Sample	+ Product RequestX + SampleX + Default Sample
Auto Job & Job Scan	CSI ON CDS OFF	+ Product RecordX + VariantX + SampleX	+ Product RequestX + SampleX
Auto Job & Job Scan	CSI OFF CDS OFF	+ Product RecordX + VariantX	Product RequestX
Manual Sync	KIU	Entity Property has Updated Value	Property Updated

Import from Data Source