Ecomm Bridge API Contact Object and the Contact API

[jaselanguasco]

I'm implementing the ecomm bridge api and we have been using the contacts and company api. I will be associating my deals to the contacts and was assuming that I could associate to the contacts already in Hubspot that we imported with the contact api, but I've been told that's not the case. 

I need to know the best way to move forward. If I can't associate with contacts already synced by the contacts api, then what happens to those contacts when I begin syncing with the ecomm bridge? Also, we are currently using the company api right now and the ecomm bridge does not have a company object, so I can't associate a contact with a company via the bridge and we have been and will continue to rely on that functionality.

[Derek_Gervais]

Hey @jaselanguasco ,

So there isn't necessarily an explicit barrier to syncing existing contacts with the Ecommerce Bridge API. I think the confusion here comes from the fact that the Ecommerce Bridge API makes associations using the externalObjectId of the objects. Because your contacts were not created via the Ecommerce Bridge API, they do not have externalObjectIds. This means that you cannot rely on the Ecommerce Bridge API to automatically associate new deals to existing (non-ecomm) contacts.

If you send a sync message to create a contact, including an externalObjectId, and a contact with that email address already exists, then the sync message will update the existing contact record (and associate the externalObjectId with that record). This means that if you were to send an ecomm sync message for the contact, then send a sync message for a deal & include the externalObjectId for the contact, you should successfully sync an existing contact with a new ecomm deal using the Ecommerce Bridge API.

[jaselanguasco]

Thanks Derek. Can you confirm that our current work flows will not be impacted by syncing all ready existing contacts through the bridge api? Currently we are using the company and contact api. Will anything happen to that relationship when syncing with the bridge api?

Another question, Let's say that I want to do multiple syncs in the same process. I'm going to sync the contact, then the deal, then the product that is on that deal, and then line item. Does hubspot manage the requests in order or do I need to process those request in a paricular fashion?

[himanshurauthan]

Hello @jaselanguasco 

There will be no impact on your contact/company based workflows. Syncing an existing HubSpot Contact will not create a new contact with same email. It will associate that object with your ecomm request and will return you a external system ID that you can use for further API calls like deals and contact association.

For multiple syncs you need to follow this:
Contact -> Deal ( contacts association ) -> Line Item ( products and deal association)

Make sure, you sync your products to HubSpot product library before you start to sync these objects. This will help you to avoid un-necessary API calls for product sync every time on new deal. Its better to sync products and save a flag for products on your end which are succesfully uploaded to HubSpot.

In case if you have more doubts, please let me know as we have succesfully implemented this full process of Ecommerce Bridge.

Thanks