As part of the Connectors framework we have a concept called “Run Modes”. A Run Mode is a setting that determines if we should delete any entities during the run, and if so, which ones.
This is most relevant when creating Connectors with the Crawler or API as the source (and will not be relevant for Connectors using third-party apps, as those apps have built-in functionality and logic to support deletion of entities).
When configuring Connectors, there are three Run Modes you can choose from: Default, Comprehensive, and Deletion.
Default
If the Run Mode is Default, new entities present in the run will be created and existing entities will be updated. No entities will be deleted. This is the default behavior for all runs, as it is the least risky.
Comprehensive
If the Run Mode is Comprehensive, the Connector will treat each run as a comprehensive data set, so any entities that were created in a previous run but are not present in the current run will be deleted. This will work well for Pull Connectors that expect to fetch the entire data set each time it is run. Anything missing from that data set has presumably been deleted from the source system and should be deleted in Yext.
Deletion
If the Run Mode is Deletion, the Connector will delete every entity supplied in that run. This will work well for Push Connectors that need to delete specific entities when they are deleted in the source system. It is very unlikely that this would be used for a Pull Connector unless the desire was to delete all entities created by the Connector (e.g., if a mistake was made in the configuration and you wanted to start again).
Setting up a Run Mode
This gets set up when scheduling the cadence of a Connector. This can be done on the Summary page once the Connector runs, or by navigating to Knowledge Graph > Connectors then clicking View next to the relevant connector. Click on the Schedule field and select your desired Run Mode.
To learn more about Run Modes visit the Managing Connectors training unit.
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Hello! My client would like to use this feature, but I’m unable to enable it the admin account. I turned on the new connector features since spring '21 under Product Features in the admin account but don’t see that there’s a specific feature named for “Connector Run Modes”. Is this feature included in another product update that I can enable? Thank you!
Hi Lily,
The Connectors Run Modes feature should be turned on in everyone’s account now that we have passed the General Availability date for the Summer Release.
When you click into a Connector within the account in question - you should see a Schedule field - clicking on this will make the “Run Mode” field visible:
This is visible on the Connector Summary page, so you won’t see this option until you create a Connector.
Let me know if that helps - or if you still aren’t seeing it, there may be something else going on that we can dig into!
Hi Caroline,
Thank you so much for your reply! This is what I see when I click into the schedule field - I clicked around as well in the drop downs and am unable to see the frequency fields. I can see “Run Mode” but my first field is still “Schedule Setting”. Let me know if there’s anything else I should be doing or checking for. Thank you!
Hi Lily,
That’s normal that yours says “Schedule Setting”. The difference in that field in my screenshot vs. your screenshot has to do with the Data Source for the Connector.
Your Connector has a Crawler as the source, whereas mine has a Data Connector as the source.
For Crawler Connectors the Connector can either run on “Auto” - which ties it to the Crawler schedule, so everything the Crawler runs, the Connector will then run. Or “Manual” - where you trigger the Crawler to run whenever you want it to.
For Data Connectors as the Source, there are more options - such as running Daily, Weekly, etc. So that is why you see a slightly different field.
That said, the Run Mode is the same for both - so you should be able to select ‘Default’ or ‘Comprehensive’ depending on the option you prefer.
Let me know if that helps clarify - or if there is something specific you’re looking to do that I can add more detail on!
Hi Caroline,
Thank you! To clarify, the frequency options only apply to Data Connectors and not Crawlers. I think I got a bit confused by the documentation above with this line: “most relevant when creating Connectors with the Crawler or API as the source”. Is there a reason why we’re not able to schedule a time to run the connector if the data source is a crawler? Thank you!
Best,
Lily
Hey Lily,
That documentation is related specifically to the Run Mode setting for Connectors and not the frequency settings that are available for the different connector sources.
When you are using a crawler as the source, you choose between “Auto” and “Manual” for the scheduling. When you choose “Auto”, the Connector will run each time the source Crawler runs, so the frequency is really being controlled at the source.
Best,
DJ
