Understanding Your First Data Sync

After connecting your store to PayHelm, the platform begins importing your data. This guide explains what happens during your first data sync and what to expect in the first 24 hours.

What Is a Data Sync?

A data sync is the process of PayHelm importing information from your connected stores and platforms. This includes:

• Order history
• Product catalog
• Customer data
• Inventory levels
• Shipping information
• Payment and transaction details

First 24 Hours Timeline

Here's what typically happens after you connect your first store:

First 15 Minutes: Immediate Import

What imports:
• Your most recent orders (last 7-30 days)
• Active product list
• Current inventory quantities
• Basic customer information

What you'll see:
• Your dashboard starts showing data
• Key metrics like total sales appear
• Recent order list populates
• Product count displays

First Hour: Recent History

What imports:
• Last 90 days of order history
• Complete product catalog with variants
• Customer purchase history
• Shipping and fulfillment data

What you'll see:
• More complete sales trends
• Product performance metrics
• Customer analytics
• Shipping cost analysis

First 6 Hours: Extended History

What imports:
• Historical data based on your plan:
- Free plan: 90 days - Pro & Business plans: 2 years - Enterprise plan: 5+ years
• Historical inventory changes
• Older customer records
• Past refunds and returns

What you'll see:
• Year-over-year comparisons
• Long-term trend analysis
• Complete customer lifetime values
• Historical product performance

First 24 Hours: Complete Import

What imports:
• All remaining historical data
• Custom fields and metadata
• Order notes and tags
• Complete shipping history

What you'll see:
• Fully populated analytics
• Accurate historical trends
• Complete data for all reports
• Ready to use all features

What Imports Immediately vs. Later

Imports Immediately (0-15 minutes)

✓ Recent orders (last 30 days) ✓ Active products ✓ Current inventory levels ✓ Customer list ✓ Store basic information ✓ Payment gateway connections

Imports Within 1 Hour

✓ Last 90 days of order history ✓ Product variants and options ✓ Customer purchase counts ✓ Shipping methods and costs ✓ Discount codes used ✓ Tax information

Imports Within 6 Hours

✓ Historical data (90 days to 2+ years depending on plan) ✓ Archived products ✓ Historical inventory levels ✓ Old customer records ✓ Past returns and refunds

Imports Within 24 Hours

✓ Complete order history based on your plan ✓ All custom order fields ✓ Order notes and internal comments ✓ Complete shipping and tracking history ✓ All product images and descriptions

Checking Your Sync Status

Via Integrations Page

1. Go to Integrations in the top navigation
2. Find your connected store
3. Look for the sync status indicator:
- Syncing: Import in progress - Connected: Sync complete, ongoing updates active - Error: Problem with sync, needs attention

Via Dashboard

You can also gauge sync progress by:

• Checking your total order count
• Looking at the date range of available data
• Viewing the oldest order in your reports
• Checking if specific products appear

Frequently Asked Questions

Does all data appear instantly?

Answer: While recent data imports quickly (15-60 minutes), complete historical data can take up to 24 hours depending on your order volume.

Does PayHelm change my store data?

Answer: PayHelm only reads data from your store. It cannot and does not modify, delete, or change any of your store information, orders, or customer data.

Do I need to manually trigger syncs?

Answer: After the initial connection, PayHelm automatically syncs new data in real-time. You don't need to do anything—new orders appear automatically within minutes.

Do all plans get all historical data?

Answer: Historical data limits depend on your plan:
• Free: 90 days
• Pro & Business: 2 years
• Enterprise: 5+ years

See How to Upgrade Your Account for plan details.

Does disconnecting delete my data?

Answer: If you disconnect a store, the data already imported remains in PayHelm. You just won't receive new updates. To delete data, you need to contact support.

Does sync happen once and then stop?

Answer: After the initial sync, PayHelm continuously monitors your store for new orders, product changes, and inventory updates in real-time.

What Determines Sync Speed

Factors That Affect Import Time

Your data volume:
• Stores with 100 orders sync faster than stores with 100,000 orders
• More products = longer product catalog import
• Large customer lists take longer to process

Your plan tier:
• Free plans import 90 days of history
• Paid plans import 2-5+ years, taking longer

Current server load:
• Peak times may have slightly slower syncs
• Off-peak hours often sync faster

Your platform:
• Some platforms have faster APIs than others
• API rate limits can affect speed

During the Sync Period

What You Can Do

While waiting for your full sync:

✓ Explore the PayHelm interface ✓ Set up your dashboard layout ✓ Connect additional integrations ✓ Invite team members ✓ Review available reports ✓ Start analyzing recent data that's already imported

What You Should Wait For

✗ Don't make major business decisions on incomplete data ✗ Don't export reports until sync completes ✗ Don't judge metrics accuracy until 24 hours pass ✗ Don't contact support unless sync stalls for over 24 hours

After Your First Sync Completes

Verify Your Data

Once the sync finishes:

1. Check order count: Compare total orders in PayHelm vs. your platform
2. Verify date range: Make sure the oldest order matches your plan's limit
3. Review products: Ensure all active products appear
4. Check customers: Verify customer count is accurate

Set Up Your Dashboard

With complete data:

1. Customize which metrics you want to see
2. Set your preferred date range
3. Choose which stores to display (if you have multiple)
4. Save your layout preferences

See Setting Up Your Default Dashboard Layout for details.

Start Using Reports

You can now:

• Run custom reports
• Analyze trends over time
• Segment by product, customer, or channel
• Export data for external analysis
• Schedule automated reports

Ongoing Syncing

Real-Time Updates

After your initial sync, PayHelm continuously monitors your store:

• New orders: Appear within 5-15 minutes
• Order updates: Refunds, cancellations sync immediately
• Product changes: Price or inventory updates sync within 15 minutes
• New customers: Added as they place orders

How Often PayHelm Checks for Updates

PayHelm checks for new data:

• Orders: Every 5-15 minutes
• Products: Every 30 minutes
• Inventory: Every 15-30 minutes
• Customers: With each new order

Manual Refresh

If you just made a change in your store and want to see it immediately:

1. Go to Integrations
2. Find your connected store
3. Click Sync Now or Refresh
4. Wait a few minutes for the update

Note: Manual refreshes are rarely needed as automatic syncing is very frequent.

Troubleshooting Sync Issues

Sync Appears Stuck

If your sync hasn't progressed in several hours:

1. Check your Integrations page for error messages
2. Ensure your store is still connected
3. Verify PayHelm still has permissions in your platform
4. Try disconnecting and reconnecting
5. Contact support if issues persist beyond 24 hours

Missing Orders

If specific orders don't appear:

• Check the order date—it may be outside your plan's historical range
• Verify the order is in your connected store
• Look for the order by order number in PayHelm's search
• Some test or draft orders may not sync

Incomplete Product Data

If products are missing details:

• Product images may take longer to import
• Custom fields might not sync immediately
• Wait 24 hours for complete product data
• Check if the product is archived in your store

Data Doesn't Match Store

If numbers don't match:

• PayHelm may be using a different date range
• Time zones might differ between platforms
• Returns/refunds might be counted differently
• Wait for the full 24-hour sync to complete

Getting Help

If you have questions about your data sync:

• Wait at least 24 hours before contacting support
• Check the Integrations page for error messages
• Note which specific data is missing when contacting support
• Be ready to share your store platform and approximate order volume

Your first data sync sets the foundation for all your PayHelm analytics. Once complete, you'll have access to powerful insights about your business performance.