Data Sync - Getting Started

Updated by Devinder Singh

Introduction

Byteline allows users to synchronize data of two different databases or CMS systems with ease. Whether you want to keep the data of two CMS systems synchronized or want to ensure your databases are synchronized, the platform lets you do it effortlessly. 

How to Sync Data between two applications

In this guide, we have uncovered a few simple steps to help you synchronize data between two applications, namely Airtable and Webflow, using Byteline. These instructions are applicable for any two CMS systems or databases.

We have divided this article into four sections to make it easy for you to understand the process of data synchronization on Byteline, as illustrated below:

  1. Configuring Data Sync
  2. Preview
  3. Start Sync
  4. View Records Sync History

Let’s begin. 

Configuring Data Sync

In this section, you will learn how to configure two applications, Airtable and Webflow, for data synchronization between them with Byteline. 

Select Apps

To configure data synchronization, you first need to select two different applications, which can be done by following the steps mentioned below. 

Step 1: On the New Sync page, click on the Add New button next to the My Syncs in the sidebar menu. 

Step 2: Click on the Pick an app to sync field and select the Airtable from the dropdown list. 

Step 3: Sign in to Airtable by clicking on the Sign in button next to the dropdown. 

Step 4: Once you have signed into Airtable, select the desired base from the Airtable base dropdown list. 

Step 5: Click on the Pick an app to sync field and select Webflow from the dropdown list. 

Step 6: Sign in to Webflow by clicking on the Sign in button next to the dropdown. 

Step 7: Once you have signed into Webflow, select the desired site from the Site dropdown list. 

Step 8: Click on the Next button.

Select Table(s)

Step 1: Once you select the Airtable base and Webflow site, you can view available tables for both. Choose the desired table from Airtable and Webflow dropdown list. Byteline performs mapping automatically based on the table names.

Note: Users can manually add a table mapping if their names differ. All they need to do is click the Add Table button and choose the desired tables from the drop-down list.

Step 2: After selecting the desired table from Airtable and Webflow, delete all other tables displayed on the screen by clicking on the Trash Bin button. 

Note: Users can synchronize the data either two-way or one-way. By default, the sync is set to two-way. You can set the sync one way, either left to right or right to left.     

  • Two-way sync: In this type of sync, the data is synchronized bidirectionally whether you create, update, or delete in the Airtable or Webflow. 
  • One-way sync: In this type of sync, the data is synchronized only in one direction, right-to-left or left-to-right. 

                                              

Step 3:  Click on the Next button.

Filters

In the table mapping screen, you can add filter(s) on one or both sides of the sync. The filter only affects the data consumed from the side of the sync where it's configured. For example, if you add a filter on Airtable (above sync) to filter out the records with the empty "Name" field, then it will only sync the Airtable records with some value in the "name" field. It will not have any effect on the records read or created/updated on the Webflow.

Below is a sample filter on the Airtable "Name" field.

Configure Field Mapping

Once you select the tables, you need to configure the field mapping for both applications in the Byteline console by following the below steps. Byteline performs mapping automatically based on the field names.

Note: Users can manually add a field mapping if their names differ. All they need to do is click the Add Field button and choose the desired fields from the drop-down list.
Unique Keys

Step 1: Set the unique keys from the fields on your screen. 

Note: Unique keys are used to find the matching records from the selected tables for the historical sync, and also to resume sync after a stop. Once you configure these key(s) and run the sync for the first time, Byteline will match the records for the selected tables based on it. 

Step 2: Once you click on the unique key, a warning model window will appear on the screen. Click on the Confirm option. 

Step 3: Click on the Save button.

Note: If no last modified column exists for either application, users will get an error message on the screen saying, No last modified column exists. You must have a last modified time column in both apps. Some apps have it by default, but others, e.g., Airtable, require it to be manually added.

Generated or Read-only Fields

Every cloud app has read-only fields that can't be changed but can be read; these include record IDs, formulas, etc. These fields can only be the source of the sync. In other words, you can't update the value of a read-only field by taking value from the other app.

When you select a read-only field for the mapping and then select the mapped field from the other app, the icon in the center will change to indicate a one-way sync with the source being the chosen read-only field.

Below is an example of the "ID" field from Notion mapped to a "Notion ID" field in Airtable. When a new record is created in Notion (left), its ID will be sent to Airtable's "Notion ID" field. But if you manually change the "Notion ID" in Airtable, the change will not be synced.

Preview

Once you configure field mapping, a message will appear on the screen saying Sync created successfully! In addition, you will find the preview details and see the summary of chosen data syncs. In the preview page, you can see the number of records created, updated, and deleted for the chosen CMS systems. 

Start Sync

Click on the Start Sync button. 

Once the synchronization is complete, a message will appear on the screen saying, Historical data sync completed successfully! and Sync successfully turned live! Changes will actively sync. After a few seconds, you will be automatically redirected to the Change History page. 

View Records Sync History

Byteline allows the users to view the record-level history of all the data synchronization made between CMS systems with ease. 

On the Change History page, you can view the history of any of the changes made in both Airtable or Webflow. For example, if you make any change in one of the CMS systems, it will be automatically reflected on the other system that you have connected for data synchronization.

In this case, whether you make any changes in Airtable or Webflow, it automatically changes in the other one. You do not need to make changes in both tables manually. 


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