Synchronize Items and Inventory

The Items in Business Central are equivalent to the products in Shopify and include physical goods, digital downloads, services, and gift cards that you may sell. There are two main reasons to synchronize the items:

1. Data management is primarily performed in Business Central. You need to export all or some data from there into Shopify and make it visible. You can export the item name, description, image, prices, availability, variants, vendor details, and barcode. Once exported, you can review the items or have them made visible immediately.
2. When an order from Shopify is imported, the information about items is vital to further document processing in Business Central.

The preceding two scenarios are always enabled.

A third scenario is to manage data in Shopify but import those items in bulk to Business Central. This scenario can be useful for data migration events, such as when you want to connect an existing online shop with a new Business Central environment.

Define item synchronizations

1. Choose the search icon and enter Shopify Shop. Open the shop for which you want to configure the item synchronization.

2. From the Sync item field, select the required option.

   The following table outlines the options.

Option	Description
Blank	Products are imported together with the importing of orders. Products are exported to Shopify if a user runs the Add Item action from the Shopify Products page. This option is the default process.
To Shopify	Select this option if, after the initial sync is triggered by the Add Item action, you plan to update products manually using the Sync Product action or using the job queue for recurring updates. Remember to enable the Can Update Shopify Product field. If it's not enabled, it equals the Blank (default process) option. Learn more in the Export items to Shopify section.
From Shopify	Choose this option if you plan to import products from Shopify in bulk, either manually using the Sync Product action or using the job queue for recurring updates. Learn more in the Import items from Shopify section.

Import items from Shopify

First, import items either in bulk from Shopify or together with orders to add them to the Shopify Product and Shopify Variant tables. Then map imported products and variants to items and variants in Business Central. Manage the process using the following settings:

Field	Description
Auto create unknown items	When Shopify products and variants are imported into Business Central, the Business Central function first tries to find the matching record in the item list. SKU Mapping impacts how the matching is performed and creates a new item and/or item variant. Enable this option if you want to create a new item or when a matching record doesn't exist. The new item is created using imported data and the Item Template Code. If this option isn't enabled, you'll need to create an item manually and use the Map Product action on the Shopify Products page.
Item Template Code	Use this field with the Auto create unknown items toggle. Choose the template you want to use for automatically created items.
SKU Mapping	Choose how you want to use the SKU value imported from Shopify during the item/variant mapping and creation. Learn more in the Effect of Shopify product SKUs and barcodes on mapping and creating items and variants in Business Central section.
SKU Field Separator	Use this field with SKU Mapping set to the Item. No + Variant Code option. Define a separator to be used to split the SKU. So, if in Shopify you create the variant with the SKU '1000/001', you'd type '/' in the SKU Field Separator field to make the item number in Business Central '1000' and the item variant code '001'.
Variant Prefix	Use together with SKU Mapping set to either the Variant Code or Item No. + Variant Code option as a fallback function when the SKU coming from Shopify is empty. If you want to create the item variant in Business Central automatically, you'll need to enter a value in Code. By default, the value defined in the SKU field imported from Shopify is used. However, if the SKU is empty, it will generate code starting with the defined variant prefix and "001".
Shopify Can Update Item	Choose this option if you want to update items and/or variants automatically.

Effect of Shopify product SKUs and barcodes on mapping and creating items and variants in Business Central

When products are imported from Shopify to Shopify Products and Shopify Variants tables, Business Central tries to find existing records.

The following table outlines the differences between options in the SKU Mapping field.

Option	Effect on mapping	Effect on creation
Blank	The SKU field isn't used in the item-mapping routine.	No effect on the creation of the item. This option prevents the creation of variants. When in sales order, only the main item is used. A variant can still be mapped manually on the Shopify Product page.
Item No.	Choose if the SKU field contains the item number	No effect on the creation of an item without variants. For an item with variants, each variant is created as a separate item. If Shopify has a product with two variants and their SKUs are '1000' and '2000', Business Central will create two items numbered '1000' and '2000'.
Variant Code	The SKU field isn't used in the item-mapping routine.	No effect on creation of the item. When an item variant is created, the value of the SKU field is used as a code. If the SKU is empty, a code is generated using the Variant Prefix field.
Item No. + Variant Code	Select this option if the SKU field contains an item number and the item variant code is separated by the value defined in the SKU Field Separator field.	When an item is created, the first part of the value of the SKU field is designated No.. If the SKU field is empty, an item number is generated using the number series defined in the Item Template Code or Item Nos. field of the Inventory Setup page. When an item is created, the variant function uses the second part of the value of the SKU field as Code. If the SKU field is empty, a code is generated using the Variant Prefix field.
Vendor Item No.	Choose if the SKU field contains the vendor item number. In this case, the Item Vendor No. isn't used on the Item Card page; rather the Vendor Item No. from the Item Vendor Catalog is used. If the found Item Vendor Catalog record contains a variant code, that code is used to map the Shopify variant.	If a corresponding vendor exists in Business Central, the SKU value will be used as the Vendor Item No. on the Item Card page and as the Item Reference of the vendor type. Prevents the creation of variants. It's useful when you want to use only the main item in the sales order. You're still able to map a variant manually from the Shopify Product page.
Barcode	Choose if the SKU field contains a barcode. A search is performed among Item References of the barcode type. If the found item reference record contains a variant code, that variant code is used to map the Shopify variant.	No effect on the creation of the item. Prevents the creation of variants. It's useful when you want to use only the main item in the sales order. You're still able to map a variant manually from the Shopify Product page.

The following table outlines the effects of the Barcode field.

Effect on mapping	Effect on creation
A search is performed on the Item References containing a barcode type as the value in the Barcode field in Shopify. If the found item reference record contains a variant code, that variant code is used to map the Shopify variant.	The barcode is saved as Item Reference for the item and item variant.

Note

You can trigger mapping of the selected products/variants by choosing Try Find Product Mapping or of all the imported unmapped products by choosing Try Find Mappings.

Export items to Shopify

Choose the elements from your item list to be exported to Shopify. Use the Add Item action on the Shopify Products page to add items to the Shopify products list.

Important

The product will be added only to the Online Store sales channel. You need to publish products to other sales channels, like Shopify POS, from Shopify.

You manage the process of exporting items using these settings:

Field	Description
Customer Price Group	Determine the price for an item in Shopify. The sales price of this customer price group is taken. If no group is entered, the price on the item card is used.
Customer Discount Group	Determine the discount to be used for calculating the price of an item in Shopify. Discounted prices are stored in the Price field and full price is stored in the Compare at Price field.
Sync Item Extended Text	Select this field to sync the extended text of the item. As it will be added to the Description field, it can contain HTML code.
Sync Item Attributes	Select this field to sync the item attributes. Attributes are formatted as a table and included in the Description field in Shopify.
Language Code	Select this field if you want the translated versions used for title, attributes, and extended text.
SKU Mapping	Choose how you want to populate the SKU field in Shopify. Supported options are: - Item No. to use the item no. for both products and variants. - Item No.+ Variant Code to create an SKU by concatenating values of two fields. For items without variants, the item number only is used. - Item Vendor No. to use the item vendor number defined in the Item Card for both products and variants. - Barcode to use the barcode type of Item Reference. This option respects variants.
SKU Field Separator	Define a separator for the Item. No + Variant Code option.
Inventory Tracked	Choose how the system should populate the Track Inventory field for products exported to Shopify. You can update availability information from Business Central for products in Shopify whose track inventory is enabled. Learn more in the Inventory section.
Default Inventory Policy	Choose Deny to prevent negative stock on the Shopify side.
Can Update Shopify Products	Define this field if Business Central can only create items or can update items as well. Select this option if, after the initial sync is triggered by the Add Item action, you plan to update products manually using the Sync Product action or using the job queue for recurring updates. Remember to select To Shopify in the Item Sync field.
Customer Template Code	Choose the default template to be used during price calculation. Learn more at Set up Taxes.

Fields-mapping overview

Shopify	Source when exported from Business Central	Target when imported to Business Central
Status	According to the Status for Created Products field in the Shopify Shop Card. Learn more in the Ad hoc updates of Shopify products section.	Not used.
Title	Description. If the language code is defined and a corresponding item translation exists, the item translation will be used instead of the description.	Description
Description	Combines extended texts and attributes if the corresponding toggles on the Shopify shop card are enabled. Respects the language code.	Not used.
SEO page title	Fixed value: empty. Learn more in the Ad hoc updates of Shopify products section.	Not used.
SEO meta description	Fixed value: empty. Learn more in the Ad hoc updates of Shopify products section.	Not used.
Media	Image. Learn more in the Sync item images section	Image
Price	The calculation of the end-customer price includes the item price group, item discount group, currency code, and customer template code.	Unit Price
Compare at price	The calculation of the price without a discount includes the item price group, item discount group, currency code, and customer template code.	Not used.
Cost per item	Unit Cost	Unit Cost
SKU	Learn about SKUs under SKU Mapping in the Export items to Shopify section.	Learn about SKUs in the Effect of Shopify product SKUs and barcodes on mapping and creating items and variants in Business Central section.
Barcode	Item References of the barcode type.	Item References of the barcode type.
Track quantity	According to the Inventory Tracked field on the Shopify Shop Card page. Learn more in the Inventory section.	Not used.
Continue selling when out of stock	According to the Default Inventory Policy in the Shopify Shop Card. Not imported.	Not used.
Type	Description of Item Category Code. If the type isn't specified in Shopify, it is added as a custom type.	Item Category Code. Mapping by description.
Vendor	Name of vendor from Vendor No.	Vendor No. Mapping by name.
Weight	Gross Weight.	Not used.
Taxable	Fixed value: enabled.	Not used.
Tax codes	Tax Group Code. Only relevant for sales taxes. Learn more at Set up Taxes.	Not used.

Tags

Review the imported tags in the Tags FactBox on the Shopify Product page. On the same page, to edit tags, choose the Tags action. If the To Shopify option is selected in the Sync Item field, assigned tags are exported to Shopify at the next synchronization.

Run item synchronization

Full or partial item synchronization can be performed in many different ways.

Initial sync of items from Business Central to Shopify

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Products, and choose the related link.
2. Choose the Add Items action.
3. In the Shop Code field, enter the code. If you open the Shopify Product window from the Shop Card page, the shop code will be populated automatically.
4. If you configured image and inventory synch, you can include them into the same process. Including them in the same process is convenient for demo scenarios or when dealing with smaller amount of data.
5. Define filters on items as required. For example, you can filter by the item no. or item category code.
6. Choose OK.

The resulting items are automatically created in Shopify with prices. Depending on choices you made, images and inventory levels might be included. The operation might take some time if a large number of items are added.

Sync products from Shopify to Business Central

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Shop, and choose the related link.
2. Select the shop for which you want to synchronize items to open the Shopify Shop Card page.
3. Choose the Sync Products action.

Alternatively, use the Sync Products action on the Shopify Products page or search for the Sync Products batch job.

You can schedule the task to be performed in an automated manner. Learn more at Schedule recurring tasks.

Ad-hoc updates of Shopify products

When the records are updated in the Shopify Product table, the following changes are synchronized with Shopify.

Update:

• Status - You can choose between active, archived, or draft.
• SEO Title
• SEO Description

Deletion:

Based on the value in Action for Removed Products on the Shopify Shop Card page, the product gets updated in Shopify when the record is deleted from the Shopify Products page.

• Blank - Nothing will happen. If necessary, you'll need to perform the required action from the Shopify admin.
• Status to Draft - The status of the product in Shopify is set to Draft.
• Status to Archived - The product is archived in Shopify.

Sync item images

Synchronization of images can be configured for synchronized items. Choose from the following options:

• Disabled - Image synchronization is deactivated.
• To Shopify - Pictures of items are exported to Shopify.
• From Shopify - Images from Shopify are imported to Business Central.

Image synchronization can be initialized in the two ways described below.

Sync product images from the Shopify shop page

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Shops, and choose the related link.
2. Select the shop for which you want to synchronize images to open the Shopify Shop Card page.
3. Choose the Sync Product Images action.

Sync product images from the Shopify products page

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Products, and choose the related link.
2. Choose the Sync Product Images action.

Image synchronization remarks

• When exporting images from Business Central to Shopify, the new images are added to Shopify, keeping old images intact. If an image is updated in Business Central, you'll need to delete the old images in the Shopify Admin.
• Images exported to Shopify that don't comply with requirements defined by Shopify won't be imported. Learn more about product media types on help.shopify.com.

Sync prices with Shopify

Prices for synchronized items can be exported in the two ways described below.

Sync prices from the Shopify products page

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Products, and choose the related link.
2. Choose the Sync Prices to Shopify action.

Price calculation remarks

• For price calculation, it's important to have a value in the Default Customer Template field. Learn more at Set up Taxes.
• Enter a currency code only if your online shop uses a different currency than the local currency (LCY). The specified currency must have exchange rates configured. If your online shop uses the same currency as Business Central, leave the field empty.
• When determining a price, Business Central uses the "lowest price" logic. The lowest price logic means that if the unit price defined on the item card is lower than what is defined in the price group, the unit price from the item card price is used.

Sync inventory to Shopify

Inventory synchronization can be configured for already synchronized items. There are two conditions that must be met:

1. Inventory tracking must be enabled for a product in Shopify. If items are exported to Shopify, consider enabling the Inventory Tracked toggle on the Shopify Shop page. Learn more in the Export items to Shopify section.
2. Inventory sync must be enabled for Shopify Locations.

To enable inventory sync

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Shop, and choose the related link.
2. Select the shop for which you want to synchronize inventory to open the Shopify Shop Card page.
3. Choose the Locations action to open Shopify Shop Locations.
4. Choose the Get Shopify Locations action to import all the locations defined in Shopify. You can find them in the Locations settings in your Shopify Admin.
5. In the Location Filter field, add locations if you want to include inventory from specific locations only. So, you could enter EAST|WEST to make the inventory from only these two locations available for sales via the online shop.
6. Deselect the Disabled toggle to enable inventory sync for selected Shopify locations.

You can initialize inventory synchronization in the two ways described below.

Sync inventory from the Shopify shop page

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Shops, and choose the related link.
2. Select the shop for which you want to synchronize inventory to open the Shopify Shop Card page.
3. Choose the Sync inventory action.

Sync inventory from the Shopify products page

1. Go to the search icon, enter Shopify Products, and choose the related link.
2. Choose the Sync inventory action.

Inventory remarks

• The connector calculates the Projected Available Balance at current date and exports it to Shopify.
• You can inspect the stock information received from Shopify on the Shopify Inventory FactBox page. In this FactBox, you get an overview of the Shopify stock and the last calculated inventory in Business Central. There's one record per location.
• If the stock information in Shopify is different than the Projected Available Balance in Business Central, then the stock will be updated in Shopify.

Example of calculation of projected available balance

There are 10 pieces of item A available on hand and two outstanding sales orders. One for Monday with quantity One and one for Thursday with quantity Two. Depending on when you sync inventory, the system will update stock level in Shopify with different quantities:

When sync inventory is run	Value used to update stock level	Comment
Tuesday	9	Inventory 10 minus sales order set to ship on Monday
Friday	7	Inventory 10 minus both sales orders

See also

Get Started with the Connector for Shopify