Data flows
This page is for administrators: the operations described require access to the administration area.
A data flow is an operation that openlane performs on catalogue data on a schedule or on demand: for example, generating a feed for a website, importing Google Search Console data or assessing text quality. Each data flow has a type, which determines what it does, and a configuration specific to that type.
Data flow types
You choose the type when you create the data flow and cannot change it later. It appears in the interface under its technical name.
| Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| GenericExportConnector | Generates a product feed in CSV, XLSX, JSON or XML format, with the columns defined in the configuration. The feed is published at a web address, where the receiving system reads it |
| SeoDataConnector | Imports Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 data and calculates SEO scores in product attributes |
| ContentHealthCheckConnector | Uses AI features to assess the quality of product text and saves the result in Product Health |
| ProductHealthSnapshotConnector | Saves a snapshot of Product Health indicators each time it runs, so you can track trends over time |
Types that use external services or AI features require these to be enabled and configured in your installation, and products must have the attributes needed to store the results.
Anyone who knows the feed address of a GenericExportConnector can download it.
Scheduling and suspension
The schedule determines when the data flow starts, for example every day at 6 am or every hour. Times follow the openlane server's time zone. You can also start a data flow immediately with Run Now, provided it has a schedule.
A suspended data flow does not start, either on schedule or on demand. Suspending a data flow does not delete its schedule: when you resume it, it runs at the same times as before.
The same data flow cannot run twice simultaneously: if a run is still in progress, the next one waits for it to finish.
Runs, logs and emails
Each run is recorded with its status: Completed, Completed with errors or, while it is in progress, Running. The log contains the messages and errors from the run and is retained for 30 days.
When a run has errors, openlane sends an email to the addresses specified in the data flow's Error Recipients (emails) field. After the first successful run following an error, it sends another email to confirm recovery.
Who manages data flows
Data flows are not governed by administration areas, but by two user permissions:
- Data Flow admin: allows you to create, edit, configure, start, suspend and delete data flows;
- Data flow Viewer: allows you to view the list, runs and logs.
If you have either permission, the Data flow entry appears in the administration area.
For instructions, see How to create and schedule a data flow, How to start, suspend and resume a data flow and How to check the outcome of a data flow.