When a Shopify order does not flow cleanly into Fishbowl, start with the records and business rules—not the assumption that the connector is broken. This checklist shows the order in which DataShip isolates the cause.
1. Record the exact symptom
Do not begin with a broad report that the integration is down. Capture the Shopify order number, timestamp, storefront, location, expected Fishbowl record and last known status. One precise example is more useful than a dozen screenshots without identifiers.
2. Validate the product identity
Trace the Shopify product, variant, SKU and UPC to the intended Fishbowl product and part. Confirm that the Fishbowl records are active and that units of measure, kits and variant logic match the selling channel.
- Is the Shopify variant SKU present and unique?
- Does it map to an active Fishbowl product and part?
- Are UPC or alternate identifiers pointing at legacy records?
- Are bundles or kits represented consistently?
3. Check location and inventory ownership
A correct SKU can still fail when the store, Fishbowl location group and fulfillment location do not agree. Confirm which system owns availability, whether safety stock is applied and how outside warehouses are represented.
4. Follow the transaction state
Determine whether Shopify produced the expected event, whether the connector received it, whether validation passed and whether Fishbowl accepted the resulting record. The missing transition identifies the system or rule that needs attention.
5. Correct, retry and document
Fix the underlying identifier or rule before retrying. Then validate the complete downstream path: Fishbowl order, allocation, pick, shipment, tracking and Shopify fulfillment status. Record the cause and correction so the next occurrence can be resolved faster.
When custom work is justified
If the standard connector handles the common path but cannot represent your location, wholesale, pre-order, kit or exception rules, a targeted integration layer may be more reliable than repeated manual intervention. Build only after the current failure mode is understood.