Why are datashuttle workflows randomly failing?

Matthewrh

I have a datashuttle workflow that is taking data from an excel spreadsheet attached to a smartsheet that is created by an automated process every hour with exactly the same data and columns etc but I keep getting error messages from datashuttle that the workflow maps columns that no longer exist.

This will happen randomly through the day, many of the attempts will work just fine but others will fail with the column error, I have had an occasional parse error but that at least tells me where the issue is.

Why suddenly has datashuttle become so unreliable?

Isaac A.

Hi @Matthewrh!

Thank you for sharing your query with us. After carefully reviewing our records and the status page, I couldn't find any reports of other users encountering the same intermittent problem.

However, I did identify potential causes for the issue you're facing. The error you're encountering typically occurs when columns removed in Smartsheet are not updated within Data Shuttle.

To rectify this, navigate to the mapping tab in Data Shuttle and locate the refresh button. Click on it to ensure that any columns removed from Smartsheet are also removed from Data Shuttle's mappings. See Map columns between source and target.

Additionally, it's advisable to double-check the source sheet's columns to ensure they match the Data Shuttle mappings accurately. I recommend reviewing the column properties of each column to verify there are no extra spaces at the end or misspelled words, as these could contribute to the problem. You can edit column names by right-clicking on the column header and selecting "Edit Column Properties".

If the issue persists after these checks, I encourage you to reach out to our support team for live assistance via a private channel. Please provide as many details as possible, including screenshots of your workflow, a copy of the source file, and screenshots of your columns in the target sheet. This will help our support team diagnose and resolve the issue more effectively.

I hope this information helps!

Cheers, 

Isaac.

Matthewrh

Yeah I tried all those steps already and it still randomly works and doesnt, the workflow is Data Shuttle > Data Table, I have verified all the data table entries, I have checked my column names they are generated by a script and are the same everytime it runs to gather the data.

The weird thing is that it will run for 8 or 9 times and the fail repeated for 3 or 4 and then start working again fine for another 5 runs then start failing again.