This article describes how you can import data when you have a programme sync integration and how you can lock items to prevent them from being overwritten when synced.
We are gradually updating all Floqs to a new version in which the data types, data editors, integrations and releases are completely revamped. In case your Floq is still on the old version, refer to the old article about channel import.
A programme data sync connects your data directly to our system. That means you only have to manage the data in one place. You can then decide to sync the data to our platform manually or set up a scheduled job to do so.
Set up the programme data sync
To set up the programme data sync, we need to develop a channel for you. Contact your Customer Success Manager for more info.
Add channel to studio
Once the backend is set up, you can add the channel to the studio on the Integrations page by clicking the purple Add a channel button.
Your channel can then be selected in the modat that opens:
After clicking Create, the channel settings are fetched. You might then want to check, adjust or add some settings, for example the URL where your data is located. After confirming the settings, the channel is added to the list.
Run a channel
Once a channel is set up, you can run it by pressing Run channels at the top right. This will import the data from the channel(s).
The results of the run can be found in the Runs table. In case a run has failed, a red icon with a cross is shown in the Status column. In the logs, more info about the reason why it failed can be found.
Schedule a job
If you want to schedule a data import and release for later, you can use the tab Scheduled jobs. The channel is then ran at the moment you schedule it, and a release is made right after.
Click Add job and select the date and time of the (first) occurrence. Please note that jobs are scheduled in the CET timezone, so take this into account when selecting a time.
If you choose to repeat a job, also select the last occurrence. Based on the selected option (Runs hourly, Runs daily), there are restrictions to the first and last date you can set in order to avoid planning too many channel runs. Click Add to save the job.
In the table, you can see the results of the job: its type, the start and end date and time. You can find the status of the import itself on the Programme data sync tab, below Runs, and of the release in the Releases page.
You can create as many recurring jobs as you want. You can for example set a daily update in the week before your event and an hourly update during the event, to make sure your users are up to date.
Lock objects, fields and references
When you import your data from a channel, the data within your 3rd party system should be the leading source. If changes need to be made to the data, we recommend doing it within that system, and then syncing those changes to the event data again.
For different reasons, it could however happen that you need to make your changes in our system instead. If you're making manual changes to this channel-imported data, they shouldn't be overwritten the next time your channel is run. To prevent this, fields and sections of data coming from a channel are automatically locked when you make manual changes to them. The channel does not overwrite these locked fields or references.
Objects
When you lock an entire object this, none of the fields or section data is updated anymore with a channel import. As most likely the channel contains the most up-to-date information, it is undesirable that none of this info is imported anymore. Instead, only the relevant fields or references within the object should be locked.
To lock a complete object, go to its detail page and click the Lock object icon at the top right.
Fields
When talking about fields, we refer to the input fields below General. As soon as you make changes to them, the fields are locked automatically. A lock icon appears on the right of the field. The status is updated to reflect that the item was imported from a channel and then updated.
To unlock a field, click the lock icon again. The field value will then be overwritten by the data coming from the channel the next time an import is run. Please note that fields that are not supported to be updated by a channel cannot be locked.
References
Besides the fields below the header General, you can also lock references to other objects in your event data. If you for example remove a person from a programme item, you don't want this person to be re-added the next time you run the channel.
You can click the cross to hide the reference from the app, for example a role for a person:
The role, tag name, session name, etc. is striked through to make clear it's no longer visible. Any new reference can then manually be added.
To allow the channel to update the reference again, click the Restore icon.
