Configure Shopify as a data pipeline source ​

Set up Shopify as a data pipeline source to extract commerce data, such as orders, products, customers, and transactions, from your Shopify store into your destination using the Shopify GraphQL Admin API.

Use this guide to review supported features, complete the prerequisites, connect to Shopify, configure the pipeline, and understand supported objects, sync modes, schema handling, and limitations.

Features supported ​

The following features are supported when you use Shopify as a pipeline source:

• Full sync and incremental sync: Sync complete datasets or only new and updated records. Incremental sync uses each object's cursor field, such as updated_at.
• Object-level selection: Choose which Shopify objects to sync. All objects are available through a single connection per store.
• Field-level selection: Expand any object to include or exclude specific fields from extraction and schema replication.
• Soft delete tracking: Track state-based deletions, such as cancelled orders and archived products, through the _workato_is_deleted column for supported objects. Refer to Delete tracking for more information.
• Schema drift handling: Choose to auto-sync or block newly added fields in the source.
• Field-level data protection: Replicate field values as is or hash sensitive values before they reach your destination.
• Configurable sync frequency: Schedule syncs with time-based or cron-based schedules. The minimum interval is 15 minutes.

Prerequisites ​

Complete the following requirements before you configure Shopify as a data pipeline source:

• A Shopify store with permission to install and authorize apps.
• Credentials for your chosen authentication method. Data pipelines connect to one Shopify store per connection:
  • OAuth 2.0: Permission to authorize the connection in your Shopify store.
  • Access token: An Admin API access token from a custom app in your Shopify store. Refer to Shopify's Create and install a custom app documentation for more information.
• Protected Customer Data approval from Shopify, granted through the Shopify Partner Dashboard. Shopify requires this approval before an app can access customer personally identifiable information (PII), such as email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses, in customers and orders data. Refer to Shopify's Protected customer data documentation for more information.
• The read_all_orders scope approval if you plan to sync order history older than 60 days. Refer to Recommended permissions for more information.

Recommended permissions ​

Grant the following read-only scopes when you authorize the connection. Each scope determines which objects the pipeline can sync. Data pipelines require only read_* scopes and perform no write operations. The Shopify authorization screen may request write_* scopes as part of the shared Shopify connection app defaults. Data pipelines don't use them.

Workato doesn't validate scopes when you establish the connection. A missing scope surfaces as an error only when the pipeline syncs an object that requires it. Verify your granted scopes against the preceding table before you run the pipeline.

Supported connection types ​

Shopify data pipelines support the following authentication methods:

• OAuth 2.0: Authorize the connection through your Shopify store. Workato redirects you to Shopify to grant the requested scopes.
• Access token: Authenticate with an Admin API access token from a custom app created in your Shopify store. Custom apps receive the read_all_orders scope automatically.

Connection setup ​

Complete the following steps to connect to Shopify:

https://www.workato.com

https://www.workato.com/oauth/callback

https://www.workato.com

https://www.workato.com/oauth/callback

Configure the pipeline ​

Complete the following steps to configure Shopify as your data pipeline source:

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Supported objects ​

Shopify data pipelines sync data from the Shopify GraphQL Admin API. The following tables list the supported objects, grouped by category. Each object syncs as a separate table in your destination.

Core commerce ​

Inventory and fulfillment ​

Marketing and content ​

Extended ​

The gift_cards object requires a Shopify Plus plan. Shopify returns an error if you sync this object from a store that isn't on a Plus plan.

Metafields and metaobjects ​

Shopify stores support custom data through metafields and metaobjects. Shopify data pipelines sync both:

• Metafields: Workato discovers metafield definitions from your store and includes them as additional columns on the parent object's table. Metafield columns are supported on the orders, products, product_variants, customers, draft_orders, locations, and collections objects.
• Metaobjects: Each metaobject type defined in your store is available as a separately selectable object and syncs as its own table.

The schema for metafields and metaobjects depends on the definitions in your store. If an expected metafield column doesn't appear, verify that the metafield definition exists in your store.

Sync modes ​

Shopify data pipelines support full sync and incremental sync.

Full sync ​

Full sync syncs re-extract the complete dataset for an object from Shopify. The shop, locations, and gift_cards objects always use full sync. The deleted state for locations and gift_cards is re-derived on each full sync. Refer to Delete tracking for more information.

Incremental sync ​

Incremental syncs extract only records created or updated after the previous sync, using each object's cursor field. Standalone objects use the updated_at field, except the tender_transactions object, which uses processed_at.

Child objects sync with their parent object and use the parent's cursor rather than their own fields. The order_line_items, transactions, refunds, and fulfillments objects sync when their parent order syncs, the product_variants object syncs when its parent product syncs, and the collection_products object syncs when its parent collection syncs.

Delete tracking ​

Shopify data pipelines track soft deletes for supported objects using each object's state field. When a record enters a deleted state in Shopify, the pipeline sets the _workato_is_deleted column to true in the destination on the next sync.

The following objects support soft delete tracking:

All other objects, including customers and all child objects, don't include the _workato_is_deleted column.

Hard deletes aren't tracked for any object. Refer to Hard deletes aren't tracked for more information.

Schema and data type handling ​

Shopify data pipelines flatten nested GraphQL structures into relational columns.

Monetary amounts ​

Money fields expand into four columns per field, covering the shop currency and presentment currency: {field}_set_shop_amount, {field}_set_shop_currency_code, {field}_set_presentment_amount, and {field}_set_presentment_currency_code. For example, an order's total price syncs as total_price_set_shop_amount, total_price_set_shop_currency_code, total_price_set_presentment_amount, and total_price_set_presentment_currency_code.

Addresses ​

Address objects flatten into individual component columns, such as billing_address_address_1, billing_address_city, and billing_address_country_code. Shipping addresses flatten into the same components with the shipping_address_ prefix.

Tags ​

Tag lists sync as a single comma-separated string column.

Record IDs ​

Record IDs sync as numeric IDs rather than Shopify GraphQL global IDs. For example, a product syncs with the ID 123456789 instead of gid://shopify/Product/123456789.

Synthetic columns ​

Workato adds the following synthetic column to destination tables for specific objects:

Refer to Delete tracking for the state changes that set this column.

Sensitive data handling ​

Shopify objects can contain customer personally identifiable information (PII). The following objects commonly contain sensitive fields:

Shopify gates access to customer PII behind Protected Customer Data approval. Refer to Prerequisites for more information.

Use the Hash option in field-level data protection during pipeline configuration to protect PII before it reaches your destination. Refer to the Configure the pipeline steps for more information.

Limitations ​

The following limitations apply when you use Shopify as a data pipeline source:

Hard deletes aren't tracked ​

Shopify removes hard-deleted records from the API without a deletion marker. When a record is hard deleted in the Shopify admin, the pipeline receives no signal, and the record remains in your destination indefinitely. This applies to every object type.

Child records of a hard-deleted parent, such as variants of a deleted product, also remain in the destination and are never marked as deleted.

Plan a periodic reconciliation process in your destination if stale records affect your downstream use cases. Soft deletes, such as cancelled orders and archived products, are tracked for supported objects. Refer to Delete tracking for more information.

Orders object excludes draft orders and abandoned checkouts ​

The orders object syncs only completed customer orders. Draft orders and abandoned checkouts aren't included in the orders object, even though the Shopify admin may display draft orders alongside complete orders. Sync the draft_orders and abandoned_checkouts objects separately if you plan to include this data.

Order history requires the read_all_orders scope ​

Shopify limits order data to the last 60 days unless your app is approved for the read_all_orders scope. Request approval through the Shopify Partner Dashboard before your initial sync if you plan to sync full order history. Approval typically takes two to four weeks. Custom apps created directly in the Shopify admin receive this scope automatically.

Child record updates depend on parent updates ​

All child objects sync when their parent record's cursor field changes. This applies to the order_line_items, transactions, refunds, and fulfillments objects (children of orders), the product_variants object (child of products), and the collection_products object (child of collections). A change to a child record that doesn't update the parent's updated_at timestamp isn't picked up by incremental syncs until the parent changes. Run a full sync if you need to capture child-only changes immediately.

Customer data redaction ​

Shopify may redact customer PII to comply with GDPR requests. Redacted customer records can remain in Shopify as record shells with scrubbed fields, and these shells sync to your destination. Customer records that Shopify removes entirely aren't detected as deleted. Refer to Hard deletes aren't tracked for more information.

Minimum sync frequency ​

The minimum supported sync interval is 15 minutes. You can't trigger syncs more frequently than this.