This article gives you more information about the "Allow Partial Update" feature flag we can enable for you.
The types of updating explained
When an Amazon API updates, there are 3 possible ways a product is updated on Amazon. These are related to an update type sent along the product or feed itself. There are 3 possible update types:
- If you use "Update", all information you provide in the API overwrites any existing product information on Amazon. Any unspecified information is erased. By default, this tag is set. With "Update", if you send an empty value, the corresponding field will be cleared on Amazon.
- If you use "Delete", all information is removed. If you clear the API or exclude a product from the API, this type is used, but you can’t set “Delete” as an update type yourself.
- If you use "Partial update", all specified information overwrites any existing information, but unspecified information is unaffected. This means Amazon only updates the values that are provided. Empty fields are ignored. It can be used for updating offer data, like price and stock, without having to fill in the rest of the build- or attributes step.
In conclusion, the "Allow Partial Update" feature flag allows you to set the third update type for your products.
Where can I change the Update type?
After we enable the Partial update feature, the API will still be on the normal Update setting, To switch to the Partial Update feature for your Amazon API, follow these simple steps:
- Navigate to the build step in your Amazon API.
- Scroll down to find the 'Update Type' field located at the bottom.
- Select 'Partial Update' from the available options, and click Save.
Is It Possible to Apply Partial Updates to Specific Items?
Yes, you can also leverage a dynamic field in combination with the Partial Update feature more effectively. This approach allows you to specify which items should undergo a partial update and which should receive a full update by the API.
Here's how you can set it up:
1. Navigate to the Build step of your Amazon API.
2. Click on either 'Update' or 'Partial Update' then click on 'Project fields'
3. Then you can select the project field that contains the value 'Partial Update' or 'Update' for each of your items.
If you lack a field that includes either of those specific values, you have the option to create a new project field. Following that, you can create a rule in the API, to assign the appropriate value to this newly created field.
Below is an example of how you can set up a rule that will assign the 'Partial Update' value for selected items.
This method ensures a more selective update process, providing flexibility in how updates are applied to different items.
If you would like us to set this feature flag for your Amazon API, you can contact our Technical Customer support team.