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Data Accuracy & Cleanup

Verify, maintain, and fix your data to keep Synplex reliable and trustworthy.

Quick Answer​

Garbage in, garbage out. Synplex's alerts, reports, and recommendations are only as good as your data.

What it does:

├─ Identify common data problems
├─ Verify your data is correct
├─ Fix issues (duplicates, wrong stock, sync failures)
├─ Establish ongoing maintenance practices
└─ Troubleshoot sync issues

Why it matters:

  • ✅ Wrong data → Wrong alerts → Wrong decisions
  • ✅ Duplicates inflate inventory counts
  • ✅ Incorrect stock levels cause stockouts or overstock
  • ✅ Syncing failures break automation
  • ✅ Clean data = confident decisions

Why Data Accuracy Matters​

The Data Quality Cascade​

Bad data affects everything:

Bad Data
├─ Wrong stock levels
├─ Incorrect products
├─ Mismatched suppliers
└─ Duplicate entries

↓ Affects

Alert System
├─ "Running Low" fires at wrong time
├─ "Overstocked" misses real issues
├─ False urgency → wrong decisions
└─ Cry wolf → people ignore alerts

↓ Causes

Bad Decisions
├─ Order when you shouldn't
├─ Don't order when you should
├─ Overstock expensive items
├─ Stockout on critical items
└─ Waste capital, lose revenue

↓ Results In

Business Impact
├─ Higher costs
├─ Missed sales
├─ Unhappy customers
├─ Less cash flow
└─ Reduced profit

Clean data has opposite effect:

Clean Data
├─ Accurate stock levels
├─ Correct products & suppliers
├─ No duplicates
└─ Fresh syncs

↓ Enables

Accurate Alerts
├─ Right time: Running Low triggers correctly
├─ Right actions: Alerts guide real decisions
├─ Right people: Focus on real issues
└─ Trust: Team trusts system

↓ Leads To

Good Decisions
├─ Order at optimal time
├─ Avoid both stockouts and overstock
├─ Right inventory level
├─ Capital efficient
└─ Smooth operations

↓ Results In

Business Success
├─ Lower costs
├─ Reliable supply
├─ Happy customers
├─ Better cash flow
└─ Higher profit

Common Data Problems​

Problem 1: Duplicate Products​

What it looks like:

Inventory table shows:
├─ Nike Shoes (SKU: NIKE-001)
├─ Nike Shoes (SKU: blank)
├─ Nike Shoes (no SKU data)
└─ NIKE SHOES (capitalization variation)

Reality: These are all the SAME product
Problem: System counts as 4 different products
Effect: Stock levels are split across duplicates

Causes:

├─ Manual entry: Entered same product twice
├─ Different formats: "Nike" vs "NIKE" vs "nike"
├─ Sync issue: Product imported twice
├─ Integration: Different systems see product differently
└─ Typos: Small variations in name

How to spot:

1. Inventory table
   ├─ Sort by: Product name
   ├─ Look for: Variations of same name
   └─ Check: Similar SKUs or suppliers

2. Search
   ├─ Search for: "Nike"
   ├─ Look for: Multiple results that seem identical
   └─ Compare: Names, SKUs, suppliers

3. Supplier catalog
   ├─ Check: Products from one supplier
   ├─ Look for: Duplicates
   └─ Verify: Each listed only once

How to fix:

Method A: Manual (1-10 duplicates)
1. Find: Both duplicate entries
2. Decide: Which is authoritative (usually first created)
3. Merge: Combine stock levels
4. Delete: Remove duplicate
5. Verify: Check merged product

Method B: Bulk (10+ duplicates)
1. Export: Product list
2. Identify: Duplicates (maybe in spreadsheet)
3. Report to: Support team
4. They merge: Using bulk tools
5. Verify: Results

Pro tip: Fix as soon as found to prevent split stock levels.

Problem 2: Incorrect Stock Levels​

What it looks like:

Synplex shows: 100 units
Shopify shows: 50 units
Warehouse shows: 75 units

One number is wrong (or all are wrong!)
Alerts based on: Synplex number (wrong)
Decision: Based on false data
Result: Wrong order quantity

Causes:

├─ Manual count wrong: Someone miscounted
├─ Sync incomplete: Shopify update didn't reach Synplex
├─ Sync delay: Takes 15 min to sync, data stale
├─ Damaged goods: Removed from warehouse, not updated
├─ Inventory adjustment: Made in Shopify, not synced
├─ Rounding error: Fractional units handled differently
└─ Timestamp issue: Which system has latest data?

How to spot:

1. Inventory audit
   ├─ Pick: Random products
   ├─ Count: Physically in warehouse
   ├─ Check: Against Synplex
   ├─ Check: Against Shopify
   └─ Compare: Which is right?

2. System reconciliation
   ├─ Export: Product list from Synplex
   ├─ Export: Same products from Shopify
   ├─ Compare: Side by side
   ├─ Look for: Discrepancies
   └─ Investigate: Why different?

3. Sync logs (if available)
   ├─ Check: Recent syncs completed
   ├─ Look for: Errors or failures
   ├─ Verify: Last sync was recent (not hours old)
   └─ Check: All syncs successful

4. Alert comparison
   ├─ Products showing "Running Low": Check stock
   ├─ Verify: Actually low?
   ├─ Or: False alarm (bad data)?
   └─ Investigate: Root cause

How to fix:

Option A: Find source of truth
├─ Decide: Which system is correct?
│  ├─ Shopify: Your source of truth?
│  ├─ Warehouse: Physical count most accurate?
│  ├─ ERP: Your accounting system?
│  └─ Synplex: None (calculate from other sources)
│
└─ Sync: Make Synplex match

Option B: Manual correction (temporary)
├─ If: One or two products wrong
├─ Go to: Product detail
├─ Update: Stock level manually
├─ Document: Why you corrected it
└─ Investigate: Why sync failed

Option C: Full re-sync (thorough)
├─ If: Many products affected
├─ Re-sync: Full inventory from Shopify
└─ Verify: Numbers match now

Rule: Trust the physical count (warehouse) if data conflicts.

Problem 3: Mismatched Supplier Mapping​

What it looks like:

Synplex shows:
├─ Product: Nike Shoes
├─ Supplier: Generic Company (wrong!)
└─ Lead time: 45 days (wrong for Nike!)

Reality:
├─ Nike shoes come from: Nike
├─ Lead time should be: 5 days
│
Problem: Ordering with wrong lead time
Result: Reorder too late, frequent stockouts

Causes:

├─ Wrong supplier selected: During product creation
├─ Supplier changed: But product not updated
├─ Multiple suppliers: System shows wrong one
├─ Mapping error: Integration mapped wrong supplier
└─ Manual entry: Made mistake during setup

How to spot:

1. Sample check
   ├─ Look at: 5–10 products
   ├─ Check: Supplier matches reality
   ├─ Verify: That's actually who you buy from
   └─ Note: Any mismatches

2. Supplier comparison
   ├─ List: All your suppliers
   ├─ Check: Each product's supplier in Synplex
   ├─ Cross-reference: Against purchase history
   └─ Find: Any mismatches

3. Lead time audit
   ├─ Compare: Synplex lead times
   ├─ Against: Actual supplier lead times
   ├─ Look for: Inconsistencies
   └─ Fix: Wrong values

4. PO history (if available)
   ├─ Look at: Last 10 POs created
   ├─ Check: Supplier used
   ├─ Compare: Against Synplex default supplier
   ├─ Find: Any discrepancies
   └─ Investigate: Why different?

How to fix:

1. Find: Product detail page
2. Check: Supplier field
3. Update: To correct supplier
4. Verify: Lead time matches
5. Save: Changes
6. Repeat: For each mismatched product

If many products need fixing:
├─ Contact: Support or your account team
├─ Use: Bulk update tools (if available)
└─ Timeline: Can fix many at once

Problem 4: Sync Failures or Delays​

What it looks like:

Shopify: Updated inventory 1 hour ago
Synplex: Still showing old number
Timeline: Should have synced 50 minutes ago
Problem: Stale data in Synplex
Effect: Alerts based on 1-hour-old data

Causes:

├─ Integration broken: API connection failed
├─ Temporary outage: Vendor's system down
├─ Rate limiting: Too many requests, queue backed up
├─ Data format: Changed on source, sync doesn't understand
├─ Credentials expired: API key no longer valid
├─ Connection dropped: Network issue
└─ Backlog: Too much data, taking time to process

How to spot:

1. Manual check
   ├─ Shopify: Check product stock
   ├─ Synplex: Check same product
   ├─ Compare: Numbers match?
   ├─ If different: Note the time difference
   └─ Repeat: For several products

2. Sync status (if available in UI)
   ├─ Look for: "Last sync" timestamp
   ├─ Check: Is it recent? (within 15 min is good)
   ├─ Look for: Any errors shown
   └─ Check: Sync frequency (hourly? daily?)

3. Patterns
   ├─ Is: Specific supplier syncing slowly?
   ├─ Is: Specific product type affected?
   ├─ Is: Affecting all products equally?
   └─ Pattern helps identify cause

4. Alerts inconsistency
   ├─ Product shows "Running Low" in Synplex
   ├─ But: Shopify shows plenty in stock
   ├─ Red flag: Data is stale
   └─ Investigate: Why not synced

How to fix:

Option A: Wait (temporary delays)
├─ Typical: Syncs take 5–15 minutes
├─ If: Just 10 minutes delayed
├─ Action: Wait another 5 minutes
└─ Check: Did it sync now?

Option B: Manual trigger (if available)
├─ If: Your UI has "Sync now" button
├─ Use: To trigger immediate sync
├─ Check: Results after 2–3 minutes
└─ Verify: Data now matches

Option C: Check integration status
├─ Go to: Integrations section (Folder 07)
├─ Check: Status of sync connection
├─ Look for: Errors or failed attempts
├─ Verify: API credentials still valid
└─ Re-authenticate: If needed

Option D: Contact support
├─ If: Sync broken for 30+ minutes
├─ Provide: Which products affected
├─ Provide: Screenshots showing discrepancy
├─ They can: Debug and fix connection
└─ Timeline: Usually resolved in 1–2 hours

Problem 5: Bad Historical Data​

What it looks like:

Trends report shows:
├─ Product: Sells 100/day
├─ But: Actually sells 10/day

Reality:
├─ Old historical data: Inflated numbers
├─ From when: Product was more popular
├─ Affects: Forecasting accuracy
└─ Problem: Trends are wrong

Causes:

├─ Data from before: Product was popular
├─ Bulk import: Wrong historical data loaded
├─ Incorrect dates: Historical data misdated
├─ Test data: Not deleted before going live
├─ Data conversion: When migrating systems
└─ Inventory adjustments: Made incorrectly in past

How to spot:

1. Reports review
   ├─ Check: Trends and forecasts
   ├─ Compare: Against reality
   ├─ Ask: Does this make sense?
   ├─ Check: Daily sales rates
   └─ Verify: Match your business

2. Time range filtering
   ├─ Check: Last 90 days trends
   ├─ Compare: Against last 30 days
   ├─ If: Very different
   ├─ Question: Why?
   └─ Investigate: Historical anomalies

3. Manual spot check
   ├─ Pick: A product you know well
   ├─ Check: Reported daily sales
   ├─ Compare: Against your memory
   ├─ Ask: Does that sound right?
   └─ Verify: Before trusting reports

How to fix:

Option A: Adjust date ranges
├─ If: Only recent data is accurate
├─ Use: Last 30–60 days for forecasting
├─ Avoid: Including old, inaccurate data
└─ Result: More accurate trends

Option B: Archive old data (if available)
├─ If: Data older than certain date is bad
├─ Archive: Move it out of calculations
├─ Keep: But don't include in trends
└─ Effect: Only uses good recent data

Option C: Correct historical records
├─ If: Specific entries are wrong
├─ Fix: Individual records
├─ Document: What was wrong, why fixed
└─ Verify: Affects calculations

Option D: Reset and re-import (nuclear option)
├─ If: Historical data severely corrupted
├─ Contact: Support team
├─ They can: Reset to clean state
├─ Timeline: Requires planning
└─ Note: Destructive, but fixes root problem

How to Verify Your Data: Weekly Spot Check​

5-Minute Weekly Audit​

Every week, do this quick check:

Step 1: Pick 5 random products
├─ Use: Inventory table
├─ Filter: By something (category, supplier)
├─ Click: Every 5th or 10th product
└─ Goal: Random sample

Step 2: For each product, check:
├─ Name: Correct spelling?
├─ SKU: Matches Shopify/supplier?
├─ Supplier: Right company?
├─ Stock level: Seems reasonable?
├─ Lead time: Matches supplier?
└─ Grade: Makes sense for this product?

Step 3: Cross-reference with Shopify
├─ Go to: Shopify admin
├─ Find: Same product
├─ Check: Stock level matches?
├─ Check: Name matches?
└─ Note: Any discrepancies

Step 4: Document findings
├─ Found issues? Write down
├─ Note: Which products, what's wrong
├─ Save: For weekly review meeting
└─ Create: Action items to fix

Step 5: Follow up
├─ Fix: Any issues found
├─ Update: Product details
├─ Re-check: Next week
└─ Monitor: For patterns

Time investment: 5 minutes/week = 4 hours/year
Payoff: Catches 80% of data problems early

How to Verify Your Data: Monthly Audit​

30-Minute Monthly Deep Dive​

Once a month, do thorough check:

Step 1: Full inventory export (10 min)
├─ Export: All products
├─ Save: As CSV or Excel
├─ Include: All important fields
└─ Keep: For comparison

Step 2: Shopify export (5 min)
├─ Export: All products from Shopify
├─ Save: As CSV or Excel
├─ Include: Stock levels, names, SKUs
└─ Keep: For comparison

Step 3: Compare the two (10 min)
├─ Use: Spreadsheet app
├─ Compare: Side by side
├─ Look for: Rows that don't match
│  ├─ Different stock levels
│  ├─ Different names
│  ├─ Different SKUs
│  └─ Products in one but not other
│
└─ Note: All discrepancies

Step 4: Investigate discrepancies (10 min)
├─ For each mismatch:
│  ├─ Determine: Which is correct?
│  ├─ Check: When was sync?
│  ├─ Check: Any errors in logs?
│  └─ Note: Root cause if identifiable
│
└─ Categorize: How to fix

Step 5: Plan fixes
├─ Decide: Priority (fix immediately vs. monitor)
├─ Assign: Owner (who will fix)
├─ Timeline: When to fix by
└─ Document: Why it happened

Step 6: Execute fixes
├─ Update: Products as identified
├─ Re-sync: If sync issue
├─ Verify: Problems resolved
└─ Log: What was fixed

Time investment: 30 minutes/month = 6 hours/year
Payoff: Comprehensive view of data health

Best Practices for Data Hygiene​

1. Prevent Problems: Establish Rules​

When creating products:

✅ Use consistent naming: "Nike Shoes" not "nike shoes"
✅ Use standard SKU format: All same pattern
✅ Always select correct supplier: Before saving
✅ Verify quantities: Match physical inventory
✅ Add descriptions: So others understand
└─ Take 1 extra minute per product

When syncing:

✅ Monitor first sync: Check results closely
✅ Set up alerts: For sync failures
✅ Verify credentials: Before turning on
✅ Test with small set: Before full rollout
✅ Document: Your sync mapping rules
└─ Prevention is easier than fixing

When making updates:

✅ Communicate: If changing supplier for product
✅ Document: In product notes (why changed)
✅ Verify: New settings are correct
✅ Test: Before trusting new data
└─ One person's change affects everyone's data

2. Maintain: Regular Reviews​

Weekly (5 min):
├─ Spot check: 5 random products
├─ Quick verification: Do they look right?
└─ Flag: Any obvious issues

Monthly (30 min):
├─ Full audit: Compare Synplex vs. Shopify
├─ Deep dive: Investigate discrepancies
└─ Fix: Issues found

Quarterly (1–2 hours):
├─ Review: All suppliers and their products
├─ Check: Any supplier not used recently?
├─ Cleanup: Obsolete suppliers or products
└─ Optimize: Fix systemic issues

3. Communicate: Team Alignment​

Document decisions:
├─ Why this product discontinued?
├─ Why supplier changed?
├─ Why stock level adjusted?
└─ Prevents duplicate/conflicting changes

Share with team:
├─ What counts as "good data"
├─ How to recognize bad data
├─ When to question numbers
└─ Everyone's responsible for quality

Create runbook:
├─ How to add new product correctly
├─ How to update supplier
├─ How to fix common issues
└─ New team members have reference

Troubleshooting Sync Issues​

Sync not happening at all​

Check these things:

1. Is integration enabled?
   ├─ Go to: Integrations section (Folder 07)
   ├─ Check: Shopify integration shows "Connected"
   └─ Fix: Re-authenticate if disconnected

2. Are credentials still valid?
   ├─ Check: When API key was last used
   ├─ Check: If key has expiration date
   ├─ Renew: If expired
   └─ Verify: Permissions are correct

3. Is there an obvious error?
   ├─ Go to: Integration logs (if available)
   ├─ Look for: Error messages
   ├─ Common errors:
   │  ├─ "Invalid API key" → Re-authenticate
   │  ├─ "Connection timeout" → Check network
   │  ├─ "Rate limit exceeded" → Wait, they'll retry
   │  └─ "Field mismatch" → Check sync mapping
   │
   └─ Fix: Based on error message

4. Last resort: Contact support
   ├─ Provide: Screenshots of error
   ├─ Provide: When it stopped working
   ├─ Provide: Any changes you made recently
   └─ They can: Debug deeper

Some products sync, others don't​

Likely: Bad data on specific products

1. Identify the pattern
   ├─ Which products aren't syncing?
   ├─ Do they have anything in common?
   │  ├─ Same supplier?
   │  ├─ Same category?
   │  ├─ Missing field (like SKU)?
   │  └─ Special characters in name?
   │
   └─ Find: Root cause

2. Check the specific product
   ├─ Go to: Product detail
   ├─ Look for: Missing or wrong data
   │  ├─ SKU: Is it blank or weird?
   │  ├─ Name: Special characters?
   │  ├─ Supplier: Is it valid?
   │  └─ Category: Does it exist?
   │
   └─ Fix: The problem field

3. Re-sync
   ├─ Save: Your changes
   ├─ Trigger: Manual sync (if available)
   ├─ Wait: 2–3 minutes
   └─ Check: Did product sync now?

Data is stale (sync delay)​

Synplex shows old number, Shopify shows new number

1. How old is "stale"?
   ├─ 5 minutes old? → Probably normal
   ├─ 1 hour old? → Getting concerning
   ├─ 24 hours old? → Definitely broken
   └─ Context: Your sync frequency matters

2. Check sync frequency
   ├─ What's your sync frequency?
   │  ├─ Real-time (minute by minute)?
   │  ├─ Hourly?
   │  ├─ Daily?
   │  └─ Manual (only when you trigger)?
   │
   ├─ Is it matching your frequency?
   └─ If not: Contact support

3. Check last sync time
   ├─ Look for: "Last synced" timestamp
   ├─ Should be: Within your sync frequency
   ├─ If not: Sync broken or delayed
   └─ Fix: Re-sync or check connection

4. Is it in any reported issues?
   ├─ Check: Status page (vendor's website)
   ├─ Look for: Known outages
   ├─ Wait: If they're experiencing issues
   └─ Contact: If not listed as issue

5. Worst case: Full re-sync
   ├─ If: Delay is very long (hours)
   ├─ Request: Full data re-import
   ├─ Timeline: Takes time but fixes staleness
   └─ Contact support for this

Summary​

Data accuracy:
├─ Foundation of everything
├─ Prevents bad decisions
├─ Keeps reports trustworthy
└─ Makes alerts meaningful

Common problems:
├─ Duplicates (same product twice)
├─ Wrong stock levels
├─ Bad supplier mappings
├─ Sync failures/delays
└─ Bad historical data

How to maintain:
├─ Weekly: 5-minute spot check
├─ Monthly: 30-minute audit
├─ Quarterly: Deep review
└─ Ongoing: Prevention and documentation

When issues appear:
├─ Identify: What's wrong
├─ Isolate: Which products affected
├─ Fix: Correct the data
├─ Document: Why it happened
└─ Prevent: From recurring

Checklist: Data Hygiene​

Setup (Week 1)​

  • Read this guide (Data Accuracy & Cleanup)
  • Run initial data audit
  • Identify obvious issues (duplicates, blanks)
  • Fix critical problems
  • Document findings

Ongoing (Weekly)​

  • Spot check: 5 random products
  • Verify against Shopify
  • Note any issues
  • Quick fixes if obvious

Monthly​

  • Full audit: Export both systems
  • Compare: Side by side
  • Investigate discrepancies
  • Create action items
  • Fix identified issues
  • Document what was fixed

Quarterly​

  • Deep review: All suppliers
  • Check: Unused suppliers/products
  • Cleanup: Remove obsolete data
  • Review processes: Prevent future issues
  • Team training: Reinforce best practices

Next Steps​

  1. This week: Run initial data audit (spot check)
  2. This month: Do full monthly audit (export/compare)
  3. This quarter: Review and optimize processes
  4. Ongoing: Weekly maintenance + fix as issues arise