Stage 7: Review & test the Inventory process flow (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)

Introduction

In this stage you will access the [[Inventory]] Virtualstock >> Shopify process flow.

Here, we pull products from Shopify (via their storefront API) that are assigned to the Patchworks sales channel - i.e. only SKUs associated with Virtualstock Supplier. This data is manipulated before Virtualstock Supplier part numbers are updated with a free stock quantity.

The process flow is pre-configured with all required settings, including any connector instances you defined as part of the installation stage. On this page, we guide you through recommended checks so you can ensure the flow meets your requirements.

The steps

Step 1 Select process flows > process from the left-hand navigation menu (or click here). Your process flow list is displayed - for example:

If you've used Patchworks before installing the Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier blueprint, you might see more process flows than the three shown here.

Step 2 Click the [[Inventory]] Virtualstock >> Shopify entry to open the process flow in edit mode.

Step 3 Access settings for the trigger shape and edit the default schedule to reflect the frequency at which you want this process flow to run:

The default setting is to run twice per day at 08:05 a.m. and 06:05 p.m This schedule is recommended to keep the inventory flow away from times when other process flows may be running since an inventory sync can take longer.

When setting your schedule, keep your rate limits in mind - how many calls can you make to Shopify at one time, and how many calls can you make to Virtualstock Supplier?

Step 4 Access settings for the first connector shape (Shopify) and review/update parameter values:

These parameters are associated with Shopify's Retrieve product listings published to your app endpoint - they determine which products are retrieved.

To be retrieved, a product must match ALL defined parameters.

Click the edit icon associated with each parameter and set it as required. Default settings are:

Parameter	Default setting
updated_at_min	Retrieves any orders updated in the last 24 hours.

Before saving/exiting these settings, ensure the source instance is for a test/sandbox environment.

Step 5 Access settings for other connector shapes (there are three in all) and double-check that the source instance is for a test/sandbox environment - for example:

Step 6 When you're satisfied that the flow is ready to test, click the initialise flow button from the actions bar:

The process flow should run and complete successfully. Check that the outcome is as expected in Virtualstock Supplier.

Step 7 Go to the next stage.