❗️

New integrations

As of May 2021, all new integrations are required to use [API based catalog feed management](🔗) to send data and perform index updates.

## Do I need a delta feed? Or is the full product feed enough?

If your product catalog needs frequent updates, such as fluctuations in price and inventory, then it's important to send Bloomreach updates throughout the day.

You can supplement your daily full product feed delivery with delta feeds. These feeds are only supplemental to full feeds: regardless of whether or not you send a delta feed, you must always send your full product feed everyday.

You should use the same delivery mechanism as you do for your full product feed for delta feeds.

## Format and Delivery

### Format

Your delta feed should be formatted in either a full feed or a partial feed format. You cannot send Delta feeds in both formats (you have to pick a specific format). This format will be defined at time of feed configuration setup.

If you choose to send delta feeds in a full feed format, include:

• A subset of products from your full product feed.

• All fields, regardless of whether or not they have updates.

• This format is useful if you are launching new products throughout the day between full product feed deliveries.

If you choose to send delta feeds in a partial feed format, include:

• Updated products from your full product feed

• Key fields that frequently change, such as price and availability. You can include as many fields as you would like.

• This format is useful if your prices fluctuate a lot throughout the day, if you have products that go in and out stock frequently, or have any other field that changes frequently for your products.

### Frequency

The frequency for generating your delta feed depends on your own assessment of how many new products you launched or how much your inventory has changed since your previous full feed generation. In general, we recommend that you send delta feeds hourly. Your Bloomreach TPM or DXM can help you determine the frequency that's most appropriate for your specific needs.

Regardless of how frequently you generate a delta feed, you must always generate your product feed daily. The delta feed is supplemental.

### Requirements

• Use TSV or XML format.

• Use [UTF-8 encoding](🔗).

• Use [gzip](🔗) compression.

• Name the file Delta_YYMMDD_hhmmss.xml.gz or Delta_YYMMDD_hhmmss.tsv.gz.

• Update the value of YYMMDD_hhmmss in the filename.

• Deliver the feed to ftp.Bloomreach.com or through another pre-arranged delivery mechanism.

• Must include <availability> and <pid> fields.

• For multiview feeds:

  • Must also include <view_id> field.

  • For each product included, all fields must be included.

  • Fields with view specific values must be reported with all view values.

  • For multiview feeds with variants, all variant information must be reported in full, including all values for all view IDs

📘

Multiview feeds cannot have partial deltas

Multiview feeds must be sent with all product or variant data.

## Which feeds do you recommend that I deliver?

You must always deliver your full product feed everyday. To supplement that full feed, you can choose to deliver a delta feed. If you decide to deliver a delta feed, then we recommend that you send it hourly. Your Bloomreach TPM can help you determine the frequency most appropriate for your specific needs.