About this section

If you're new to Patchworks and want to find out more before you get started, take a look through this section for background information and demo videos.

In this section

Dashboard guides

Developer hub

Introduction

We have some exciting features in the pipeline for this year, and into 2025! Our current roadmap can be viewed below.

Current roadmap

Introduction

If your user account is associated with an administrator role, you can build your own blueprints and upload them to your private marketplace.

If you'd like to make your blueprint available in the Patchworks public marketplace, you should submit it for approval.

Introduction

You can work with the Patchworks dashboard in your preferred language, using the language switcher in the top information bar - for example:

When you switch languages, the dashboard fields, labels, buttons, and options are translated.

Supported languages

The following languages are currently supported:

• English

• French

• German

• Italian

Introduction

Leveraging a combination of proven technologies and innovative solutions, our tech stack is curated to provide a comprehensive, flexible environment for developing, deploying, and managing our products.

Overview

Presentation Layer

Our user interface combines the power of PrimeVue for feature-rich UI components, Tailwind for styling, and Vue.js for building a progressive and interactive user experience.

Business Logic

Laravel is a PHP framework known for its elegant syntax and robust features. Combined with Nuxt - an open source framework based on Vue.js, Nitro, and Vite - we have a solid foundation for server-side rendering and seamless navigation.

DevOps & Deployment

We leverage the agility and scalability of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud infrastructure, Vercel for seamless deployment and hosting, Kubernetes for container orchestration, and Argo for managing and automating workflows.

Development Tools

Our development process utilises TypeScript for type safety, PHPUnit for comprehensive testing, NPM for efficient package management, and Docker for containerisation.

Data Management

We use MariaDB and MySQL for relational database management, Elasticsearch for powerful search and analytics, and Redis for high-performance caching and data storage.

Introduction

This page details Patchworks IPs that should be whitelisted if required (typically if you are experiencing connection issues and your systems are behind a firewall).

IPs to be whitelisted

Introduction

Having registered for a Patchworks account and logged into the dashboard, you're all set to start syncing data between your business-critical systems. There are two ways to approach this:

If you registered for a Patchworks account before July 2023, you'll be familiar with using to sync data between systems. Process flows include all the functionality of services and much more. You can continue to use services but if you'd like to try , please contact your Customer Success Manager, or reach out to . If you registered for a Patchworks account after July 2023, you will be using automatically.

Introduction

With customers worldwide relying on Patchworks to sync data between numerous systems, we understand just how vital data security and integrity are throughout our operations. Patchworks is committed to implementing and promoting Information Security best practices at every level of our organisation.

Following rigorous audits by an accredited certification body, we are delighted to see this reflected in our certification for compliance with ISO/IEC 27001:2022.

Introduction

For Google account registration, you are directed to Google for authentication. Your account is then created with immediate access to a free trial which runs for 15 full days (ending at midnight on the 15th day).

About this section

Having for a Patchworks account, a company profile is created for your organisation. From here you can view/update basic details for your organisation (name and contact information) and manage users.

Introduction

Company insights can help you understand how your process flows are performing, and your resource usage.

With the ability to view details for all process flows that run in a given month, and drill down to the performance of individual shapes, this is a powerful tool to help you identify any areas that could be optimised to ensure maximum efficiency.

Introduction

If you are a user with an , you can update general details for any existing user accounts associated with your company profile.

The steps

Introduction

You can trigger a password reset email for another team member in your organisation, from your own company profile.

Introduction

This page includes video demonstrations showing different aspects of the Patchworks platform.

What is Patchworks?

Introduction

There are two ways to access your company insights page:

Introduction

The cross-reference lookups page includes a range of prebuilt cross-reference lookup tables. These perform a range of conversions which you can apply via a .

Introduction

The scripts page includes a range of prebuilt custom scripts. These scripts perform a range of functions that you may find useful when building process flows.

Having it can be used in your process flows immediately, via the .

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with , you can view all 'native' user accounts for that company - i.e. accounts for users at that company.

About this section

This section includes guidance for administrators to add and manage user accounts via your . It also includes guidance for all users wishing to access and manage their own user details, together with general information about passwords, roles and permissions.

Introduction

The Patchworks infrastructure is designed for resilience and scalability - utilising cutting-edge technologies and best practices to ensure your data flows securely, efficiently, and reliably.

Leveraging a combination of proven technologies and innovative solutions, our tech stack is curated to provide a comprehensive, flexible environment for developing, deploying, and managing our Core product.

In this section

Introduction

If you are a user with an , you can trigger a password reset email for other users in your company.

When this is done, a reset email is sent to the email address for the user, containing a reset link. Password reset links are valid for 24 hours. After this, another password reset must be triggered so a new link is emailed.

About this section

This section includes guidance about the different paths available to register your company for a Patchworks account.

About this section

This section contains quick, task-based guidance for queries that may arise when working with the Patchworks marketplace.

In this section

Introduction

Having built resources that you want to share, they can be uploaded to your private marketplace. You can upload a package of resources as a blueprint, or individual components (connectors, process flows, scripts, and cross-reference lookups.

Pages in this section

Introduction

This section provides a technical overview of process flows that are included with the Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier blueprint.

Available process flows

Introduction

If you need to 'un-link' a managed company from your profile, please contact your Patchworks Partner Manager.

What next?

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can assign different user roles for existing 'native' user accounts associated with that company.

If you are a multi-company profile user with an administrator or manager role, you can change the role associated with other lesser-role company users. The following rules apply:

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section and select the [company] users tab - here you will find all 'native' user accounts associated with this company - i.e. users who are directly associated with this company profile and can log into the Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials:

Step 3 Click the name of the user account that you want to update:

Step 4 The user roles tab is displayed and you'll see which roles are currently assigned for this account:

Step 5 Assign (and/or remove) roles as needed by clicking the appropriate assign role / remove role button.

Step 6 Save changes.

Introduction

When a new team member is added, assigning them a role is part of the initial account creation process. Steps detailed on this page can be followed if you need change the role(s) for an existing team member.

If you are a multi-company profile user with an administrator or manager role, you can change the role associated with other lesser-role team members. The following rules apply:

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Click the name of the user account that you want to update:

Step 3 The user roles tab is displayed and you'll see which roles are currently assigned for this account:

Step 4 Assign (and/or remove) roles as needed by clicking the appropriate assign role / remove role button.

Step 5 Save changes.

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can view and manage users associated with your own company profile.

The steps

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard using your own Patchworks credentials and ensure that you are .

Step 2 In the top, left-hand corner click the arrow associated with your company name - then select your profile:

Step 3 Move down to the extra section, where all users for your multi-company profile are displayed:

Step 4 From here you can select any user's name to access and manage their profile.

Introduction

The connectors page allows you to browse, install and update all prebuilt connectors - these are 'standard' connectors that Patchworks builds and maintains.

When you install a connector, it is added to your connectors list - from here you can add instances (authenticated with your credentials for that system) and then start working with these as process flow connections.

Browsing connectors

Having selected the connectors option from the marketplace, you can browse and prebuilt connectors:

Connectors are displayed as tiles over a series of pages, which you can step through using page numbers at the bottom of the marketplace. Each connector includes general details and an option:

Related information

For all information about working with connectors and instances, please see our section.

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can view and manage user accounts that are directly associated with a company that you manage. These are sometimes referred to as 'native' company users. You can:

• View native company users for a linked company

• Create a new native user for a linked company

• Assign new user roles for an existing native company user

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company (i.e. your own user account is associated with a manager or administrator role and you have been granted permission to manage the company in question), you can grant and revoke permission for other team members to manage the same company.

The steps

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard using your own Patchworks credentials and ensure that you are .

Step 2

Step 3 Click the name of the user that you want to update:

Step 4 Move down to the extra panel and click the managed companies tab:

All companies that are linked to yours for management are listed:

Step 5 The next step depends on the action that you wish to take:

Step 6 Save the company profile.

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can trigger a password reset email for users associated with a company that you manage.

When this is done, a reset email is sent to the email address for the user, containing a reset link. Password reset links are valid for 24 hours. After this, another password reset must be triggered so a new link is emailed.

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section and select the [company] users tab - here you will find all 'native' user accounts associated with this company - i.e. users who are directly associated with this company profile and can log into the Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials:

Step 3 Click the name of the user that requires a password reset:

Step 4 Move down to the extra section and select the [company] users tab - here you will find all users who are directly associated with this company profile (and can log into the Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials):

Step 5 Click the name of the user account that you want to access:

Step 6 Click the reset password button at the top of the page:

Step 7 The user will receive an email from Patchworks which includes a link to change their password.

Changing a private marketplace blueprint

Suppose you need to change any component within a blueprint that's in your private marketplace (i.e. a blueprint that has been uploaded to your private marketplace and is available from the blueprints tab). In this case, you need to follow the steps below.

Step 1 Make changes to connectors, process flows, scripts, or cross-reference lookups, as needed.

Step 2 Delete the existing blueprint from your private marketplace.

Step 3 Upload a new blueprint with updated resources.

Changing a private marketplace connector

Suppose you need to change a custom connector that's in your private marketplace (i.e. a connector that has been uploaded to your private marketplace and is available from the connectors tab). In this case, you can make the required changes and then re-upload the connector - the steps for this are:

Step 1 Select process flows | connectors & instances from the left-hand navigation menu to view your installed/custom-built connectors.

Step 2 Find the connector that you want to update and make changes to the as needed:

Step 3 When any changes are saved for a connector that has already been uploaded to the marketplace, a re-upload button becomes available:

Step 4 If this connector is in use for any of your linked ('child') companies, you'll see an update available option when viewing connectors in that company profile - for example:

...use this to install your updates.

Changing other private marketplace resources

If you need to change a process flow, script, or cross-reference lookup that's in your private marketplace, follow the steps below.

Step 1 Make the required changes to the resource.

Step 2 Delete the existing resource from your private marketplace.

Step 3 Upload the updated resource.

Introduction

Two registration paths are available for Patchworks:

This section includes information to help with whichever registration path you choose.

Patchworks partners

If you are a Patchworks partner managing , you can add linked company profiles after your own company is set up.

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can add new team members to your own company profile. Once a user is added you can (if required) go on to grant them permission to manage other companies.

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Click the create user button:

Step 3 Enter the person's name and email address:

Step 4 Click the save button. The user account is saved and an email is sent to the given address, with a link for the user to set their password.

Step 5 The user roles tab is displayed and you'll see that the new account is created - by default, new accounts are created with a user role:

Permission to manage other companies can only be granted for team members with a manager role, so you need to assign this role now.

Step 6 Click the assign role button against the manager role:

Step 7 Click the remove role button for the user role:

Step 8 When prompted, confirm this change.

Step 9 Save changes.

Step 10 If required, you can now go on to .

Introduction

A Patchworks blueprint contains everything you need to perform a specific task - for example, to sync orders between Shopify and Virtualstock Supplier.

Accessing blueprints

You can browse and purchase blueprints from the . Having purchased a blueprint, it is added to your company profile and becomes available in the :

In this section

Introduction

The Patchworks marketplace is your one-stop-shop for a range of pre-built resources that you can install to streamline your dashboard integrations:

Here you can browse and install:

Accessing the marketplace

To access the Patchworks marketplace, log into the and select marketplace from the left-hand navigation menu:

Introduction

If your Patchworks user account is associated with a multi-company profile and you have been granted permission to manage a linked company, you are a team member with access.

As such you can perform the following tasks for other team members (i.e. other users associated with your agency/partner profile):

Introduction

Having saved and deployed a custom script, you can upload it to the scripts section of your private marketplace. This guide walks through the steps needed to achieve this.

Preparation

Ensure that the script that you want to upload is

The steps

Step 1 Login to the Patchworks dashboard and ensure you're switched to the correct company profile.

Step 2 From the left-hand navigation menu, select process flows | scripts options - all of your custom scripts are listed.

Step 3 Find the script that you want to upload - it should have a deployed status:

Step 4 Click the name of the script to access script details, then click the upload button:

Step 5 The upload is queued for processing and will be completed as soon as possible.

Introduction

Existing users can access their company profile and view all associated user accounts. If you are a user with an administrator or manager role, you can also access options to create and manage user accounts.

The steps

Follow the steps below to access the user list.

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard using your own Patchworks credentials.

Step 2 Log into the Patchworks dashboard, then select settings | my company profile to access your profile page - for example:

...your company profile page is displayed with general details at the top and additional information in an extra panel below:

Step 3 Move down to the extra panel, where the users tab is displayed by default and any existing users are shown.

Introduction

If your user account is associated with a manager or administrator role, you can remove other team member accounts from your company profile.

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Click the name of the user account that you want to remove:

Step 3 Click the 'delete' icon at the top of the page:

Step 4 When prompted, confirm this removal.

Introduction

Having registered from a Patchworks account, a company profile is added for the company that you registered. You'll need to access this profile to update company details or to view/manage users. Follow the steps below to access your company profile.

The steps

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard. and select settings from the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar.

Step 2 Select my company profile:

...the manage profile page is displayed with general details at the top, and extra information in the lower pane:

From here you can:

• Update general details, including company name, website, telephone and email address

• View associated with this company profile

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can remove a 'native' user from their company profile.

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section and select the [company] users tab - here you will find all 'native' user accounts associated with this company - i.e. users who are directly associated with this company profile and can log into the Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials:

Step 3 Click the name of the user account that you want to remove:

Step 4 Click the 'delete' icon at the top of the page:

...and then confirm this action:

Introduction

If your Patchworks account is associated with an admin role, you can add a message to be displayed as a dashboard banner. All users associated with your company profile will see this banner when they access the dashboard:

Message text is added and managed via your company profile page.

Need to know

• Only admin role users can add/manage message text.

• Banner text persists until the message is removed from your company profile.

Adding a banner message

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard and .

Step 2 In the top general section, add required message text to the banner field:

Step 3 Save changes. Your banner is displayed immediately.

Managing an existing banner

• To amend the text displayed in a current banner, simply change the banner field text as needed and save changes. The banner updates as soon your updates are saved.

• To remove a banner, clear all text from the banner field and save changes. The banner is cleared as soon as this change is saved.

Introduction

Having created and saved a cross-reference lookup, you can upload it to the cross-reference lookups section of your private marketplace. This guide walks through the steps needed to achieve this.

The steps

Step 1 Login to the Patchworks dashboard and ensure you're switched to the correct company profile.

Step 2 From the left-hand navigation menu, select the cross-reference lookups option - all of your cross-reference lookups are listed.

Step 3 Click the name of the lookup that you want to upload, to access details, then click the upload button:

Step 4 The upload is queued for processing and will be completed as soon as possible.

Introduction

Your private marketplace can be accessed via the main Patchworks marketplace - it's simply a case of toggling between 'public' and 'private'.

The steps

Step 1 Log into the dashboard and (if you're managing multiple company profiles) ensure that you've .

Step 2 Select a tab to view: , , , , or .

Step 3 Click the private tab to the right of the tabs:

Any resources that have been uploaded by users associated with your company profile or (for linked companies) your parent company profile are displayed - for example:

Introduction

Patchworks is an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS).

Our secure, , cloud-based platform automates the flow of data between your company’s business-critical systems/applications in a smart, intuitive way.

In today's market, businesses can pick and mix from best-of-breed applications to tackle specific goals...perhaps an eCommerce application for sales order processing; an ERP system for records management; a warehouse management system to maintain inventory and a CRM for relationship management and marketing.

On their own, these applications fulfil their individual requirements perfectly. However, the key to real strategic advantage is integration - establishing a frictionless exchange of data between all of your applications, in a smart way.

Introduction

As a multi-company profile user with , you will encounter two different types of user when you :

• Native company users. These users are directly associated with the linked company. They can log into their Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials.

Introduction

When you choose to you will see a managed companies list which shows all companies that are linked to your profile.

However, if your user account has not been granted explicit access to manage companies, the 'switch' option won't be available for you to use. In this case, you can access the managed companies list via Patchworks settings, as shown below.

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with , you can see who else in your team also manages that company.

The steps

Introduction

Having built a custom connector (or edited a Patchworks connector to work in a different way), you can upload it to the connectors section of your private marketplace. This guide walks through the steps needed to achieve this.

Introduction

Having purchased a blueprint from the , it is added to your company profile and can be installed via the in your dashboard.

Introduction

For simple registration, you provide an email address and a password to use as login credentials for the Patchworks dashboard, followed by a few company details.

Your account is then created with immediate access to a free trial which runs for 15 full days (ending at midnight on the 15th day).

Introduction

Password requirements

When setting a password for simple sign-in, the following rules apply:

• A minimum length of 8 characters

• At least 1 lowercase letter (a - z)

• At least 1 uppercase letter (A - Z)

• At least 1 number (0 - 9)

Password expiry

Patchworks passwords do not expire.

Users who sign in via Patchworks can choose to any time, from the Patchworks sign-in page. Alternatively, users with a Client Admin role can .

Password storage

Patchworks passwords are stored in an encrypted AWS database.

Password control

Passwords can never be viewed or accessed by users, irrespective of their role.

Managing your own password

Any logged-in user can change their password by selecting the change password option associated with their avatar (in the top right-hand corner of the dashboard). For further information please see: .

Managing passwords for other users

Users associated with an can trigger a password reset for any users in their company profile, via the Patchworks dashboard. For more information please see our page.

Forgotten passwords

Users can reset their password via a forgot your password link - this link is always available at the bottom of the sign in to Patchworks page:

Selecting this option displays a reset password page, where the user can enter their email address and trigger a password reset email:

The password reset email includes a link for the user to follow and reset their password.

Google sign-in passwords

If a user registers their Patchworks account with , they won’t be aware of a ‘Patchworks password’ because they always sign in with Google credentials.

However, if a password reset is triggered for a Google sign-In user, they still receive a password reset email, which can be used to set a Patchworks password.

This does not affect the person’s Google sign-in, it just means they can choose to log in via Google or enter their email address and Patchworks password ().

External access

We have already noted that is used to authorise access to Patchworks via . In this scenario, Patchworks requests an access token from Google; once a token is received, it is used to request the required user information for the sign-in process.

However, OAuth2 is also used for clients who wish to access Patchworks services via a Patchworks API endpoint. In this scenario, Patchworks provides an access token to clients, which is used to authenticate API requests.

For further information please see our .

Introduction

You can download summary details for all of your linked companies via the managed companies page - for example:

The following details are provided for each of your linked companies:

Need to know

• The fact that a company is does not necessarily mean that you or anyone else in your team has the ability to manage it. Linked companies can only be managed by users in your team who have been .

• Your Patchworks account must have the in order to view linked companies for your organisation.

The steps

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard using your own Patchworks credentials and ensure that you are .

Step 2 Choose to for a list of all companies that you have permission to manage:

Step 3 Click the download button:

Step 4 The CSV file is generated and saved to the default downloads folder for your browser.

Introduction

Having added all resources that you want to include in a blueprint (custom connectors, process flows, scripts, and cross-reference lookups) you can create a blueprint and upload it to your private marketplace. This guide walks through the steps needed to achieve this.

Preparation

Creating and uploading a blueprint requires you to select existing resources that you want to include. As such, all required resources (custom connectors, process flows, scripts, and cross-reference lookups) must be created and ready to use within your own multi-company profile - i.e.:

• Any custom connectors must be created

• Any Patchworks prebuilt connectors must be installed

• Any process flows must be created, enabled, and deployed

• Any scripts must be saved and deployed

The steps

Having created/installed/deployed all resources that you want to bundle as a blueprint, follow the steps below to build and upload your blueprint.

Step 1 Login to the Patchworks dashboard and ensure you're switched to the correct company profile.

Step 2 Select the marketplace option from the left-hand navigation menu, then select the blueprint tab.

Step 3 Click the build new blueprint option:

...now you can use the create a blueprint form to select all resources that you want to include in this blueprint:

Step 4 First, enter a name for this blueprint (this name is displayed for users to see in your private marketplace) and - if available - a link for any existing help documentation.

Step 5 Use the process flows dropdown list to select any process flows that you want to include:

Step 6 By default, any connectors found in previously selected process flows (via shapes) will be selected for inclusion in this blueprint. If required, you can use the select connectors field to choose additional connectors to be included:

Step 7 By default, any cross-reference lookups found in previously selected process flows (via shape transformations) will be selected for inclusion in this blueprint. If required, you can use the select cross-reference lookups field to choose additional lookups to be included:

Step 8 By default, any caches found in previously selected process flows (via and shapes) will be selected for inclusion in this blueprint. If required, you can use the select caches field to choose additional caches to be included:

Step 9 By default, any data pools found in previously selected process flows (via the shape) will be selected for inclusion in this blueprint. If required, you can use the select data pools field to choose additional data pools to be included:

Step 9 Click the upload button to upload this blueprint to your private marketplace:

The upload is queued for processing and will be completed as soon as possible.

Introduction

If you are a Patchworks partner and you have the partner features subscription bolt-on associated with your subscription, you can create new companies that are linked to your own profile. Having created a new linked company profile, you can go on to manage subscription settings, team member access, and 'native' company users.

Need to know

• Your is associated with an allowance for the number of companies that can be created in each subscription tier.

• If you don't have the but require new linked companies to be added, please contact your Patchworks Partner Manager.

The steps

The steps to add a new, linked company profile are summarised below:

Stage 1: Create a new company profile

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard using your own Patchworks credentials and ensure that you are .

Step 2 In the top-left corner, click the arrow associated with your current company name and select the switch companies option:

Step 3 Click the create company button at the top of your managed companies page:

Step 4 Complete general details for this company:

Step 5 Save the company profile to exit back to the mange companies list.

Step 6 Refresh/reload the browser page.

Step 7 Go the the next stage.

Stage 2: Set subscription details

Step 1 Use the 'switch' icon associated with the new company, to switch into that profile - for example:

Step 2 In the top-left corner, click the arrow associated with the new company name and select the [[company]] profile option:

Step 3 Scroll down to the extra panel at the bottom of the company profile page, then select the [[company]] subscriptions tab:

...you'll see that the existing subscription is set to trial, by default:

Step 4 Use the core subscription tier dropdown field to select the required subscription for this company - for example:

Step 5 Save the profile:

Stage 3: Add users & grant team member access

Having created a linked company and saved subscription details, you can go on to:

• who can then and complete required tasks.

• for the linked company who can then log in directly to access their own dashboard.

Introduction

If you are a multi-company profile user with permission to manage another linked company, you can add a new 'native' user for that company.

By default, new users are created with a user role. If you are a multi-company profile user with an administrator or manager role, you can change this if required - the following rules apply:

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section and select the [company] users tab - here you will find all 'native' user accounts associated with this company - i.e. users who are directly associated with this company profile and can log into the Patchworks dashboard with their own credentials:

Step 3 Click the create user button:

Step 4 Enter the person's name and email address:

Step 5 Click the save button. The user account is saved and an email is sent to the given address, with a link for the user to set their password.

Step 6 The user roles tab is displayed and you'll see that the new account is created - by default, new accounts are created with a user role:

If required, you can assign an alternative role by clicking the appropriate button.

Step 7 Save changes. Once the user has set their password (via the link provided in an email triggered in step 5) they can access the Patchworks dashboard for their own company.

Introduction

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a subset of multifactor authentication (MFA). It typically uses a one-time time-based passcode (TOTP) to add an extra layer of security to the user’s account.

How it works - technical

Generally, 2FA works as follows:

1. A secure string of letters and numbers (known as a secret key) is generated.

2. This string is shared with an authenticator app on the user’s mobile device - usually by scanning a QR code.

3. The authenticator app uses the secret key, along with the current date/time to generate a code. These codes expire after a short period of time and a new one is generated.

How it works - user journey

When 2FA is enabled for your Patchworks account, you will log into the dashboard as normal with your username and password. Having entered your credentials, you are prompted to enter an authentication code, which you obtain from your authenticator app:

Need to know

To enable 2FA for your Patchworks login, you will need an authenticator app - for example (but not limited to Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Duo, Authy).

Enabling 2FA for your Patchworks login

To enable 2FA for Patchworks, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard.

Step 2 Select settings (from the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu):

Step 3 Select my account settings:

Step 4 Select the multi-factor authentication tab:

Step 5 Click the enable button:

...setup information is displayed with a QR code:

Step 6 Open your preferred authenticator app and scan the QR code.

Step 7 Your authenticator app will generate a 2FA code, which you should enter in the Patchworks multi-factor authentication tab, then click confirm::

Step 8 A set of recovery codes is displayed, which can be used in the event that you can't access your authenticator app for any reason. Copy these codes somewhere secure (such as a password manager).

Step 9 Click the copied button to confirm that you've copied recovery codes - the setup is now complete:

The next time that you log into Patchworks, you'll be prompted to enter a 2FA code (generated by your authenticator app) before you can access the dashboard:

Disabling 2FA for your Patchworks login

To disable 2FA for Patchworks, follow the steps below:

Step 1 Log into the Patchworks dashboard.

Step 2 Select settings (from the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu):

Step 3 Select my account settings:

Step 4 Select the multi-factor authentication tab:

Step 5 Click the disable MFA button:

Step 6 When prompted, confirm your decision:

Introduction

In Patchworks, an operation is counted whenever a request is made to send or receive a payload to/from an endpoint.

Crucially, we're not concerned with the number of items in the payload - we simply count the number of times a process flow requests to send or receive a payload. This might happen in several ways:

Considerations for your operations count

The number of payloads that a process flow sends or receives correlates to the number of operations logged. In the most straightforward case, you might create a process flow that always receives a single, unpaginated payload from one system and then sends a single, unpaginated payload to another system - this would be an operations count of 2.

However, as the complexity of process flows increases, so does the possibility that the number of payloads can increase during a process flow run. The most likely ways that this can happen are:

Paginated data. If you receive paginated data, you receive 1 payload for each page of data - so each page represents 1 receive operation. In short, an initial data pull can result in multiple receive operations. And if you receive multiple pages, it follows that multiple pages continue through the flow - which means (potentially) multiple pages will be sent into your destination system, resulting in multiple send operations.

Flow control. The shape is typically used to batch an incoming payload into multiple, smaller payloads for onward processing. So, even if you start by receiving 1 payload, it's likely that you will be sending multiple payloads at the end of the flow.

Examples

The examples below show the impact that these scenarios can have on operation counts:

Introduction

When a new user account is created, assigning them a role is part of the initial account creation process. If you are a user with an administrator or manager role, you can change the role(s) for an existing user account - the following rules apply:

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section - you'll see a [company] users tab showing all existing user accounts. At a glance you can see each user's name, email address and role - click the name of the user that you want to update:

Step 3 Move down to the roles tab and assign (and/or remove) roles as needed using the appropriate assign role / remove role buttons:

Step 4 Save changes.

Scenario

You've installed a process flow from the Patchworks marketplace via a blueprint or via the process flows section. When you run the process flow it either fails or does not work as expected.

Reason

When a blueprint or a process flow is installed, it usually includes dependencies such as connectors, scripts, caches, etc. If a dependency fails to install or has not been deployed correctly, this can cause associated process flows to fail or give unexpected results.

Solution

Check the following:

Did the blueprint/process flow installation complete without any failures?

Once a blueprint or process flow has been installed from the marketplace, a series of confirmation messages is displayed - one message for each component.

Typically these are 'success' messages, but occasionally you may see a failure for one or more components. These messages are displayed briefly and then cleared however, you can review them later from your .

If any part of the installation is shown to have failed, you can install the or again.

Have you completed all post-installation steps for the blueprint or process flow?

Installation instructions for Patchworks blueprints and process flows include some post-install setup steps - these must be completed before any associated process flows will run correctly. Double-check these steps to ensure that all required setup has been completed:

Are all associated scripts deployed?

Any custom scripts associated with a Patchworks blueprint or process flow are installed and deployed as part of the installation process. However, if an installed process flow is not working as expected, it's a good idea to check that all required scripts are deployed. To do this, follow the steps below.

Step 1 Select scripts from the left-hand navigation menu:

Step 2 Check the deployment status column for listed scripts - you're looking for any that show as un-deployed:

Step 3 Click the name of the first un-deployed script:

Step 4 Scroll down and click the save and deploy button:

Step 5 Repeat these steps for any other scripts that need to be deployed.

Introduction

Patchworks pulls fulfilled orders from Shopify and the dispatch is then sent to Virtualstock Supplier, with the associated tracking number.

We pull newly updated orders with a fulfilled or partially-fulfilled status and filters on source_name = VS_Patchworks for sales orders.

Process flow snapshot

Operations count

The operations count for this process flow is: 2 per fulfillment.

Process flow shapes

For reference, all shapes in this process flow are documented below. Do not change shape settings unless advised to do so in our .

Scripts used in this process flow

Cross-reference lookups used in this process flow

Introduction

The steps detailed on this page show how to switch into a linked company that you manage and - when you've finished working with that company - how to switch back to your own company.

Need to know

• You can only switch into companies that you have been .

• Your Patchworks account must have the in order to view linked companies for your organisation.

Switching into a linked company

Step 1 Click the arrow associated with your current company name and select the switch companies option:

The managed companies page is shown, listing all companies that are linked to your organisation (i.e. all companies that can be managed by your team):

If you have been , you'll see an icon in the switch column:

Step 2 Click the ‘switch’ icon to the right of the required company profile:

Step 3 You are switched into this company profile:

Notice that the company name has changed at the top of your window - if you click the associated arrow, you'll find quick access to profile settings for this company, should you need to change general details or manage company users:

Step 4 You can now proceed to complete any required setup for this company (for example, , add , , etc.).

Step 5 When you've finished working with this company, you should to ensure that you don't make any subsequent updates in error.

Switching back to your own company

When you've finished working with a managed company, follow the steps below to your own (i.e. original) company.

Step 1 Click the arrow associated with your current company name and select the switch companies option:

Step 2 The managed companies page is shown.

Step 3 Click the switch to original company button:

Step 4 You are switched back to your own profile and the managed companies page updates to show all companies that your team can manage:

Introduction

If you are a user with an administrator or manager role, you can create new user accounts for your company profile. These users will be able to log into the dashboard for your company - the level of access that they have will depend on the role that you grant during the account creation process.

By default, new users are created with a user role. Provided that you have an administrator or manager role, you can change this if required - the following rules apply:

The steps

Step 1 .

Step 2 Move down to the extra section - you'll see a [company] users tab showing all existing user accounts. At a glance you can see each user's name, email address and role - for example:

Step 3 Click the create user button:

Step 4 Enter the person's name and email address:

Step 5 Click the save button. The user account is saved and an email is sent to the given address, with a link for the user to set their password.

Step 6 The user roles tab is displayed and you'll see that the new account is created - by default, new accounts are created with a user role:

If required, you can assign an alternative role by clicking the appropriate button.

Step 7 Save changes. Once the user has set their password (via the link provided in an email triggered in step 6) they can access the Patchworks dashboard for their own company.

Introduction

Having built, enabled, and deployed a process flow, you can upload it to the process flows section of your private marketplace. This guide walks through the steps needed to achieve this.

Need to know

When you upload a process flow, any configured connectors, scripts, cross-reference lookups, caches and de-dupe pools will be included.

Preparation

Ensure that the process flow you want to upload is and .

The steps

Step 1 Login to the Patchworks dashboard and ensure you're switched to the correct company profile.

Step 2 From the left-hand navigation menu, select process flows | process flows options - all of your process flows are listed.

Step 3 Click the name of the process flow that you want to upload - the process flow is displayed.

Step 4 Click the settings option from the actions bar:

Move down to the versions panel and ensure that the deployed version is displayed - check that this is the version that you want to upload.

Step 5 Click the ellipses associated with the deployed version and select the upload to marketplace option:

Step 6 Click the upload button to upload this process flow to your private marketplace. The upload is queued for processing and will be completed as soon as possible.

Introduction

If your team needs to manage multiple companies and each of these companies has its own Patchworks dashboard and its own setup, how do you manage these efficiently?

This is achieved by adding required 'child' companies and then linking these to your own profile. When this is done, yours becomes a multi-company profile and your team members (with an appropriate Patchworks role) can be granted access to manage linked companies. This allows them to 'switch into' a company that they manage and perform required tasks.

In this section

Related information

Introduction

When you install blueprints or process flows from the marketplace, the installation 'job' is added to a queue for completion. When the job is completed, a notification is added to your notification centre. The number of unread notifications is shown on the notification centre icon - from here you can view messages, navigate to associated resources (where applicable), or clear notifications.

Accessing your notifications

The notifications icon is always available from the information bar at the top of the Patchworks dashboard, showing the number of unread notifications. Click this icon to view all pending notifications:

Accessing resources from notifications

Some notifications are clickable and can be used to navigate directly to the installed resource. For example, clicking the link for a process flow navigates to that process flow in edit mode, so you can complete any required:

Clearing notifications

To clear all notifications in the list, use the 'trash' icon at the very top - for example:

To clear a single notification, use the 'delete' icon associated with that entry - for example:

Overview

This document outlines the approval process for developers submitting public connectors for inclusion in the [Public Marketplace]. The [Public Marketplace] is a platform where users can discover, install, and use a range of pre-built connectors to accelerate the onboarding process. For in-depth guides on how to build a connector, please see our section. For a demonstration video of our connector builder, watch our CEO Jim Herbert build a connector in under 5 minutes:

Overview

This document outlines the approval process for developers submitting blueprints for inclusion in the Patchworks marketplace. The Patchworks marketplace is a platform where users can discover, install, and use various pre-built blueprints to accelerate the onboarding process.

Introduction

Flexible auto-scaling is a significant advantage for Patchworks users - it means you don't pay for a predetermined capacity that might only be required during peak periods, such as Black Friday.

Our flexible, auto-scaling architecture gives peace of mind by allowing you to start on your preferred plan, with the ability to exceed soft limits as needed. If you require more resources, you can transition to a higher tier seamlessly, or manage overages with ease.

Auto-scaling adjusts computing resources dynamically, based on demand - ensuring efficient, cost-effective resource management that's always aligned with real-time demand. The auto-scaling process breaks down into four stages:

Introduction

If you manage , it can be useful to share resources between them. With appropriate user , you can access a private marketplace for your company profile. Any , , , or that you build can be uploaded to your private marketplace to be viewed/installed by:

• Users associated with your own company profile

Introduction

A blueprint can include any number and combination of the following components:

Viewing the contents of a blueprint

Each blueprint in your marketplace is displayed with a visual summary of what's included - for example:

If you click on a blueprint tile, you can see a detailed breakdown of what's included:

From here you can:

Adding authentication credentials for connector instances

Any connectors included with the blueprint are installed as part of the install process. To use these connectors in process flows, you must add an of each - this is where you provide your authentication credentials for the associated third-party system.

If you have your credentials to hand, add them now using the add instances options provided - for example:

You are prompted to choose an authentication method and then enter your credentials - for example:

When you save instance details and then , these instances are created as part of the installation. As a result, all connector shapes in process flows will be configured with these instances automatically.

Excluding process flows from a blueprint installation

If a blueprint includes a process flow that you're sure you don't need, you can prevent it from being installed here - clicking the install button toggles to don't install:

Introduction

A Patchworks blueprint contains everything you need to perform a specific task - for example, to sync orders between Shopify and Virtualstock Supplier.

When you install a blueprint, all of its components (connectors, process flows, scripts, etc.) are installed and added to the relevant area of your Patchworks dashboard - connectors are added to your connectors page, process flows are added to your process flows list, custom scripts are added to your scripts list, etc.

From here you can complete the required setup (as documented for each blueprint) and get started!

Browsing & purchasing blueprints

Blueprints can be purchased from the . Having purchased a blueprint, it will be available to install from the blueprints tab in the marketplace:

Once a blueprint becomes available in your marketplace, you'll see it displayed as a tile which includes a visual summary of component parts - for example:

Here you can see which connectors are included in the blueprint, the blueprint title and creator, and a summary of contents. Summary icons are:

Blueprint contents

For a detailed view of what's included in a blueprint, click anywhere on the tile. This displays full details for the blueprint - from here, you can view all components and if required, you can choose to .

Related information

For all information about working with blueprints, please see our section.

Introduction

There are two possible paths for new clients to get up and running with Patchworks:

• Custom integrations, with help from the Patchworks team

• Self-serve integrations, via the Patchworks dashboard

If yours is a custom integration, you're in safe hands! Our teams will work with you to gather requirements and implement a tailor-made solution to meet your exact needs. However, with the launch of the new Patchworks dashboard, self-serve onboarding is now possible.

In this guide, we summarise the key steps required to get up and running, with links to relevant articles to help you complete each one.

Where to start?

Key steps from initial registration through to putting process flows live are summarised in the illustration below:

Step 1: Registration

To register your company for a Patchworks account so you can access the Patchworks dashboard, use our registration link below:

You can register with a Google sign-in, or with a username and password. For details, please see: .

Step 2: Company setup

If your company is standalone and you don't need to manage other (linked) companies, you won't need to complete any further company setup.

If your company DOES need to manage other companies in Patchworks and the is enabled for your account, you can .

Step 3: User setup

Having registered for a Patchworks account, a user account is created with the credentials you provided. By default, this is an admin account.

As an admin user, you can choose to create additional user accounts so other members of your team can access the Patchworks dashboard. When you create a user account, you can choose whether that person will have admin privileges (so they can create and manage process flows in Patchworks), or simple user permissions, (so they largely have view-only access). For details, please see .

Step 4: Flow setup

With your Patchworks company profile in place and users created, you're ready to start creating process flows. There are two approaches for this - , or .

Auto setup via blueprints

A includes everything you need to sync data between two systems - i.e. , , , , . Having purchased and installed a blueprint from the (following installation instructions provided) - process flows are then ready to test and subsequently put live.

Manual setup

Here, you add/install/build all required resources - i.e. , , , , , and any other resources needed to perform given tasks. Note that the Patchworks marketplace includes a library of connectors, process flows, scripts and cross-reference lookups that you can install and use as-is, or edit to meet specific requirements. If we don't have a prebuilt for an application you need to sync and you have some technical expertise in-house, you can use the to build your own.

Step 5: Day-to-day-management

Once a process flow is activated, it runs automatically as per any defined settings. if required, you can also choose to , with instant feedback and real-time logging.

As a process flow runs, you can see real-time progress from the , with detailed logs generated throughout the run. can also be viewed retrospectively, so you always have full oversight of what's happened with your data.

Introduction

Having registered from a Patchworks account - or having been added to a company profile as a user - a user account is created for you. If required, you can access your account settings and:

• Update your name and/or email address

Accessing your account settings

To access your account settings, click your login name in the top, right-hand corner of the dashboard, then select the account settings option:

Changing your account name or email address

Step 1 Access your page.

Step 2 Update information in the general panel as needed:

Step 3 Click the save button.

Enabling/disabling two-factor authentication

If you want to enable/disable two-factor authentication for your account, move down to the extra panel and select the multi-factor authentication tab:

For more information please see our .

Changing your password

Step 1 Click your login name in the top, right-hand corner of the dashboard, then select the change password option:

Step 2 Complete the change password form by entering your existing password, followed by the new required and confirmation of this:

Step 3 Click the submit button to save changes.

Overview

The Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier blueprint includes everything you need to sync orders, fulfillments, and inventory between Virtualstock Supplier and Shopify. The high-level architecture is illustrated below:

Orders are pulled from Virtualstock Supplier and created in Shopify with a paid and unfulfilled status. When a fulfilment partner ships an order in Shopify, Patchworks pulls shipment information and sends this (together with a tracking number) to Virtualstock Supplier. Finally, inventory is synced from Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier.

Prerequisites

Operations summary

In Patchworks, an is counted whenever a request is made to send or receive a payload to/from an endpoint. The operations count for installed process flows is shown below:

* You can change the frequency at which process flows run - please see our for details.

Blueprint installation & setup

Please see our .

Available process flows

Please see our section.

Out of Scope

• Cancellations both from Virtualstock Supplier and From Shopify

• Returns/Refunds

• Product Creation

• Lead Time updates to Virtualstock Supplier

Overview

The Shopify & NetSuite blueprint includes everything you need to sync customer details and orders from Shopify to NetSuite.

Installed process flows

Introduction

Sales orders are pulled from Virtualstock Supplier and created in Shopify with a paid and unfulfilled status. Finally, an acknowledgement is sent back to Virtualstock Supplier.

Any orders with an ORDER status are pulled from Virtualstock Supplier