Product documentation
Patchworks
Patchworks
  • Patchworks product documentation
  • Welcome
    • Welcome to Patchworks!
    • What is Patchworks?
    • Patchworks demos
    • Product roadmap
  • Getting Started
    • Getting started introduction
    • Core subscription tiers
    • Key concepts & terminology
    • Multi-language support
    • Patchworks quickstart guide
    • Technical overview
      • Patchworks infrastructure
        • Auto-scaling
      • ISO certification
      • SOC 2
      • Tech stack
      • Patchworks IPs
  • Registration
    • Registration introduction
    • Registration & sign-in summary
    • Password control
    • Registering for a Patchworks account
      • Simple registration
      • Google account registration
    • Two-factor authentication (2FA)
    • SSO
      • Azure AD / Entra
      • Okta
      • PingOne
  • Company Management
    • About company profiles
    • Accessing your company profile
    • Adding & managing company profile banners
    • Multi-company profiles
      • Adding & linking a new company
      • Switching in & out of a linked company
      • Viewing linked companies for your multi-company profile
      • Downloading a linked companies summary
      • Un-linking a company from your multi-company profile
    • Company insights
      • Accessing your company insights
      • Company insights overview
        • About operations
        • About data usage
  • Users, Roles & Permissions
    • Users, roles & permissions introduction
    • Roles & permissions summary
    • Viewing all users for your company profile
    • Creating a new user account for your company profile
    • Updating general details for an existing user account
    • Updating the role for an existing user account
    • Triggering a password reset for another user
    • Managing your own user account
    • Managing team members & users for multi-company profiles
      • Working with your team members
        • Viewing team members for your own multi-company profile
        • Creating a new team member to manage linked companies
        • Assigning user roles for an existing team member
        • Viewing team members who manage a linked company
        • Granting & revoking permission for an existing team member to manage a linked company
        • Triggering a password reset for an existing team member
        • Removing a team member account from your multi-company profile
      • Working with 'native' company users
        • Viewing 'native' company users for a linked company
        • Creating a new 'native' user for a linked company
        • Assigning roles for an existing 'native' linked company user
        • Triggering a password reset for an existing 'native' linked company user
        • Removing a 'native' linked company user from their company profile
  • Marketplace
    • The Patchworks marketplace
    • Marketplace blueprints
      • Submitting a blueprint to the public marketplace
    • Marketplace connectors
      • Submitting a connector for the public marketplace
    • Marketplace process flows
    • Marketplace scripts
    • Marketplace cross-reference lookups
    • The notification centre
    • Private marketplaces
      • Accessing your private marketplace
      • Uploading private marketplace resources
        • Building & uploading blueprints for your private marketplace
        • Uploading custom connectors to your private marketplace
        • Uploading process flows to your private marketplace
        • Uploading scripts to your private marketplace
        • Uploading cross-reference lookups to your private marketplace
      • Changing private marketplace resources
    • Marketplace troubleshooting
      • Installed process flows not working as expected
  • Blueprints
    • Blueprints introduction
    • The anatomy of a blueprint
    • Installing a blueprint
    • Building a blueprint
    • Patchworks blueprints
      • Lightspeed X-Series & Shopify
      • SEKO Logistics & Shopify
      • Shopify & NetSuite
      • Shopify & Descartes Peoplevox
      • Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier
        • Available process flows (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Orders (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Fulfillments (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Inventory (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
        • Installation guide (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 1: Create a Shopify app/sales channel for Patchworks
          • Stage 2: Add required products to your Patchworks sales channel (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 3: Define instances & install the app (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
            • Adding connector instances AFTER installation
          • Stage 4: Update cross-reference lookups (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 5: Review & test the Orders process flow (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
            • Changing the supplier delivery date calculation for orders
          • Stage 6: Review & test the Fulfillments process flow (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 7: Review & test the Inventory process flow (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 8: Go live (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
      • Veeqo & TikTok
  • Connectors & instances
    • Connectors & instances introduction
    • Patchworks connectors
      • Adobe Commerce - Magento (prebuilt connector)
      • Aero Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Airtable (prebuilt connector)
      • Akeneo (prebuilt connector)
      • Algolia (prebuilt connector)
      • Amazon Seller Partner API (prebuilt connector)
      • Avasam (prebuilt connector)
      • BigCommerce (prebuilt connector)
      • BigCommerce B2B Edition (prebuilt connector)
      • Bleckmann API (prebuilt connector)
      • Bloomreach Engagement (prebuilt connector)
      • Braze (prebuilt connector)
      • Brightpearl (prebuilt connector)
      • Business Central (prebuilt connector)
      • CacheFlow (prebuilt connector)
      • Carma (prebuilt connector)
      • Centra (prebuilt connector)
      • ChannelEngine (prebuilt connector)
      • Cin7 (prebuilt connector)
      • Clarus WMS (prebuilt connector)
      • Clerk (prebuilt connector)
      • Cloudshelf (prebuilt connector)
      • Commerce Layer (prebuilt connector)
      • Commercetools (prebuilt connector)
      • Cybertill (prebuilt connector)
        • Cybertill post-request script
      • Deposco (prebuilt connector)
      • Descartes Peoplevox (prebuilt connector)
        • The Peoplevox setData script
          • Using the Peoplevox setData script in process flows
        • Peoplevox XML to JSON conversion script
        • Using the Peoplevox search filter when pulling data
      • Dotdigital (prebuilt connector)
      • EdiFabric (prebuilt connector)
      • EKM Insight (prebuilt connector)
      • Emarsys (prebuilt connector)
        • Emarsys pre request script
      • Ergonode (prebuilt connector)
      • EVA (prebuilt connector)
      • Flexport (prebuilt connector)
      • Fluent Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Fredhopper by Crownpeak (prebuilt connector)
      • Freshdesk (prebuilt connector)
      • FTP (prebuilt connector)
      • Fulfillmenttools (prebuilt connector)
      • Google BigQuery (prebuilt connector)
      • Google Pub Sub (prebuilt connector)
      • Google Sheets (prebuilt connector)
        • Working with the Google Sheets connector
      • Gorgias (prebuilt connector)
      • GXO Logistics (prebuilt connector)
      • Happy Returns (prebuilt connector)
      • Huboo (prebuilt connector)
      • Hubspot (prebuilt connector)
      • InPost (prebuilt connector)
      • Inriver (prebuilt connector)
      • Jira (prebuilt connector)
      • Klaviyo (prebuilt connector)
      • Lightspeed Restaurant (K-Series) (prebuilt connector)
      • Lightspeed Retail X-Series (prebuilt connector)
      • Linnworks (prebuilt connector)
      • LionWheel (prebuilt connector)
      • Mailchimp (prebuilt connector)
      • Mailjet (prebuilt connector)
      • Mapp Marketing (prebuilt connector)
      • Marketplacer - Operator (prebuilt connector)
      • Marketplacer - Seller (prebuilt connector)
      • Mirakl (prebuilt connector)
      • MongoDB (prebuilt connector)
      • NetSuite (prebuilt connector)
        • Preparing your NetSuite environment to work with Patchworks
        • OAuth 2 (client credentials) authentication
        • OAuth 1 authentication
      • Occtoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Octopus Energy (prebuilt connector)
      • Odoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Ometria (prebuilt connector)
      • OnBuy (prebuilt connector)
      • OneStock (prebuilt connector)
      • OpenAI (prebuilt connector)
      • Orderwise (prebuilt connector)
      • OroCommerce Storefront (prebuilt connector)
      • Paddle (prebuilt connector)
      • PDM Automotive (prebuilt connector)
      • PagerDuty (prebuilt connector)
      • Pimberly (prebuilt connector)
      • Pimcore REST API (prebuilt connector)
      • Plytix (prebuilt connector)
        • Plytix post-request script
      • Prima Solutions (prebuilt connector)
        • Setting up a Prima Solutions connection
      • Quickbooks (prebuilt connector)
      • RabbitMQ (prebuilt connector)
      • Rebound (prebuilt connector)
      • ReturnGo (prebuilt connector)
      • Returnless (prebuilt connector)
      • Reveni (prebuilt connector)
      • REVIEWS.io (prebuilt connector)
      • Sage 200 (prebuilt connector)
      • Salesforce Commerce Cloud (prebuilt connector)
      • Salsify (prebuilt connector)
      • Sanity.io (prebuilt connector)
      • SCAYLE (prebuilt connector)
      • SEKO (prebuilt connector)
      • SFTP (prebuilt connector)
      • ShipBob (prebuilt connector)
      • Shiptheory (prebuilt connector)
      • Shopify (prebuilt connector)
        • Shopify token authentication
        • Adding a custom (GraphQL) endpoint for Shopify
      • Shopline (prebuilt connector)
      • Shopware (prebuilt connector)
      • Sitoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Snowflake (prebuilt connector)
      • SparkLayer (prebuilt connector)
      • Stok.ly (prebuilt connector)
      • Swan Retail System (prebuilt connector)
        • Swan Retail System - pagination update timestamp response script
      • Swap Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Tempo (prebuilt connector)
      • The Edge by John Lewis (prebuilt connector)
      • TikTok Shop (prebuilt connector)
      • Torque (prebuilt connector)
      • Trello (prebuilt connector)
      • Twilio (prebuilt connector)
      • Veeqo (prebuilt connector)
      • Virtualstock (prebuilt connector)
      • Visual Next (prebuilt connector)
      • Visualsoft (prebuilt connector)
      • Voyado (prebuilt connector)
      • Whistl (prebuilt connector)
      • WooCommerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Xero (prebuilt connector)
      • Zendesk (prebuilt connector)
      • ZigZag (prebuilt connector)
    • Working with connectors
      • Accessing your connectors
      • Installing a connector
      • Updating a connector
      • Removing a connector
    • Working with instances
      • Accessing instances
      • Adding an instance
      • Updating an instance
      • Removing an instance
    • Event connectors (BETA)
      • Accessing your event connectors
      • Adding a new event connector
      • Updating an existing event connector
      • Removing an existing event connector
      • Message queues/topics
        • Adding a new message queue/topic
        • Renaming a message queue/topic
        • Removing a message queue/topic
  • Process flows
    • About process flows
    • The process flow home page
    • Prebuilt process flows
      • Installing a prebuilt process flow
      • The anatomy of a prebuilt process flow
    • Building process flows
      • Approaching your first process flow
      • Techniques for building process flows
      • Best practice for building process flows
        • Payload size - best practice
        • Scripts - best practice
        • Multi environment management - best practice
        • Targeted syncs - best practice
      • Understanding how data flows through shapes
      • Process flow versioning
      • Adding a new process flow
      • The process flow canvas
      • Process flow settings
      • Process flow shapes
        • Standard shapes
          • Assert shape
          • Branch shape
          • Connector shape
            • Configuring a database connection
            • Using connector shape response scripts
            • Configuring SFTP connections
            • Configuring FTP connections
          • Filter shape
            • Using regex for string-type filters
            • Using contains one of many or does not contain one of many for string filters
          • Flow control shape
          • Manual payload shape
          • Map shape
            • Importing & exporting map shape configurations
            • Working with field mappings
            • Working with field transformations
              • Available transform functions
                • Array transform functions
                  • Array join transform function
                • Date transform functions
                  • Custom dynamic date transform function
                  • Custom static date transform function
                  • Format date transform function
                  • Round date transform function
                • Number transform functions
                  • Cast to string transform function
                  • Custom number transform function
                  • Math transform function
                  • Round number transform function
                • Other transform functions
                  • Cache lookup transform function
                  • Cast boolean to string transform function
                  • Cast to boolean transform function
                  • Custom boolean transform function
                  • Null to string transform function
                  • Null to zero transform function
                  • Null value transform function
                  • Script transform function
                • String transform functions
                  • Contains one of many transform function
                  • Custom string transform function
                  • Cast to float transform function
                  • Concatenate transform function
                  • Does not contain one of many transform function
                  • Cast to number transform function
                  • First word transform function
                  • JSON encode transform function
                  • Last word transform function
                  • Pad transform function
                  • Replace transform function
                  • Split string transform function
            • Mappings - tips & tricks
              • Mapping an array & a parent field
          • Notify shape
          • Route shape
          • Run process flow shape
          • Set variables shape
          • Split shape
          • Track data shape
            • The tracked data page
          • Trigger shape
            • Trigger shape (schedule)
            • Trigger shape (callback)
            • Trigger shape (event listener)
            • Trigger shape (webhook)
          • Try/Catch shape
        • Advanced shapes
          • Cache
            • Add to cache shape
              • Generating dynamic cache keys with variables
              • Appending data to a cache
              • Cache pagination options
            • Load from cache shape
              • What cached data do you want to load?
                • Loading all cached data from a static cache key
                • Loading multiple items from dynamic cache keys
                • Loading a single item from a dynamic cache key
            • Referencing a cache in mapping transformations
            • Cache maintenance
          • De-Dupe shape
            • Adding & configuring a de-dupe shape
            • Working with data pools
            • Importing & exporting de-dupe data
          • Script shape
          • Callback shape
      • Skipping shapes
      • Shape notes
      • Dynamic variables
        • Payload variables
        • Metadata variables
        • Flow variables
          • Adding & managing flow variables
          • Referencing flow variables in a process flow
          • Referencing flow variables in custom scripts
          • Referencing flow & meta variables in mapping transformations
      • Connection pools
    • Managing process flows
      • Accessing your process flows
      • Enabling & disabling a process flow
      • Renaming a process flow
      • Duplicating a process flow
        • Duplicating a process flow between linked companies
        • Shape configuration in a duplicated process flow
      • Process flow labels
        • Process flow label management
        • Using process flow labels
      • Initialising a process flow manually
      • Initialising a process flow manually with a payload
      • Stopping a running process flow
      • Removing a process flow
    • Error reporting & exception handling
      • Real-time run logs
      • Run logs & queue
        • Working with run logs
          • Viewing logs
          • Viewing logs (classic)
          • Downloading run logs
          • Retrying a failed process flow run
        • Working with your run queue
      • Email notifications for failed process flow runs
    • Cross-reference lookups
      • Accessing cross-reference lookups
      • Installing cross-reference lookups
      • Adding a cross-reference lookup
      • Importing & exporting cross-reference lookups
      • Using a cross-reference lookup in field transformations
    • Troubleshooting process flows
      • Unable to edit a process flow
      • Process flow not running
      • Process flow run failures
      • Re-syncing a previous payload
      • Required fields are not being tracked
      • Process flow timeout retrieving large payload
      • Process flow error when using a webhook connector
      • Your third-party systems go offline
      • Using a pre-request script for some process flows but not others
  • General Settings
    • General settings introduction
    • Audit logs
    • Notification groups
  • Developer Hub
    • Patchworks developer hub
    • Postman importer
    • Connector builder
      • Accessing the connector builder
      • Building your own connector
        • 1: Basic details
        • 2: Connector variables
        • 3: Authentication methods
          • Adding a new authentication method
          • Authentication method options
            • Auth variables
            • Connector variables
            • URL parameters
            • Header
            • Body
            • Pre-request script
            • Post-request script
          • Supported authentication types
            • Basic authentication
              • Configuring basic authentication
            • Token-based authentication
              • Configuring token-based authentication
            • OAuth 2
              • OAuth 2 (authorisation code)
                • Configuring OAuth 2 authentication (authorisation code)
              • OAuth 2 (client credentials)
                • Configuring OAuth 2 authentication (client credentials)
            • OAuth 1
              • Configuring OAuth 1 authentication
            • SOAP authentication
            • DB user pass authentication
            • No authentication
              • Configuring No Auth authentication
        • 4: Endpoints
          • Adding a new endpoint
          • Endpoint options
            • Authentication
            • Endpoint variables
            • URL
            • Header
            • Body
            • Schema / Taxonomy
              • Schema options
              • Field tagging
                • Working with field tags
                • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: orders
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: customers
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: refunds
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: products
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: fulfillments
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: inventory
            • Pre-request script
            • Post-request script
            • Pagination
              • Custom relative URI pagination method
              • GraphQL cursor pagination method
              • Limit-offset pagination method
              • Link header pagination method
              • Next page token pagination method
              • Next page URL pagination method
              • Page number parameter pagination method
              • PeopleVox pagination method
              • NetSuite SOAP pagination method
              • Script pagination
          • Enabling an authentication method for an endpoint
        • Techniques for working with variables & parameters
          • Working with variables
          • Working with parameters
        • Building a database connector
          • Working with queries
      • Maintaining your own connectors
    • Custom scripting
      • Accessing custom scripts
      • Installing custom scripts
      • Creating & testing custom scripts
        • Creating a script manually
        • Creating a script with AI
          • AI conversation history
        • Testing scripts
        • Custom script messages for logs
      • Custom scripting technical overview
      • Custom script examples (general)
      • Pagination scripts
    • Patchworks API
      • Core API
      • Core API authentication
        • API keys
        • OAuth 2 (client credentials)
      • Core API spotlights
        • Initialising a process flow & sending data via the Patchworks API
          • Quickstart guide
          • The steps
            • Preparing your data
            • Mapping payload data
            • Obtaining process flow & version IDs for API requests
            • Obtaining a token for Patchworks API authentication
            • Initialising a process flow & sending data
        • Working with cross-reference lookup API requests
      • Core API general information
        • HTTP response status codes
  • Patchworks bolt-ons
    • Patchworks bolt-ons
    • Stockr
      • Stockr overview
      • The Stockr summary
  • RELEASE INFORMATION
    • Release information introduction
    • Core release notes
      • 2025 05 14 release notes (core)
      • 2025 04 16 release notes (core)
      • 2025 04 03 release notes (core)
      • 2025 03 19 release notes (core)
      • 2025 03 05 release notes (core)
      • 2025 02 26 release notes (core)
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      • 2024 05 01 release notes (core)
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      • 2024 04 11 release notes (core)
      • 2024 03 21 release notes (core)
      • 2024 03 13 release notes (core)
      • 2024 03 07 (2) release notes (core)
      • 2024 03 07 release notes (core)
      • 2024 02 29 release notes (core)
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      • 2024 02 13 release notes (core)
      • 2024 01 25 release notes (core)
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      • 2024 01 04 release notes (core)
      • 2023 12 21 release notes (core)
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      • 2023 07 24 release notes (core)
      • 2023 07 14 release notes (core)
      • 2023 06 26 release notes (core)
    • Tapestry release notes
      • 2023 04 30 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 03 31 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 02 23 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 01 31 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 11 07 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 11 01 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 10 24 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 10 10 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 09 26 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 08 23 release notes (dashboard)
    • Stockr release notes
      • 2023 01 31 release notes (Stockr)
  • Training & Support
    • Raising a support ticket
  • The Patchworks Academy
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  1. Process flows
  2. Building process flows

Best practice for building process flows

PreviousTechniques for building process flowsNextPayload size - best practice

Last updated 1 month ago

Introduction

In this section, we share some insights on best practice for different aspects building process flows.

Pages in this section

Payload size - best practice
Scripts - best practice
Multi environment management - best practice
Targeted syncs - best practice