Technical FAQ—leads and opportunities
Send and receive leads and opportunities
Q: Is there a file naming convention?
Each file name needs to be unique. We
recommend the file name
PartnerProvided FileName+{timestamp}.json.
Q: What's the structure of the results?
Sample files for the results (success and error) can be downloaded from the following locations:
Q: What's the naming convention of the results?
PartnerProvidedFileName_result.json
Q: What if I submit a second JSON file with the same name?
We won’t process the file, and the file is moved to the archive folder.
Q: What is the inbound file size limit?
The inbound file size limit is 1MB.
Q: Is there a maximum number of opportunities and leads that can be batched into one JSON file?
Given the 1MB limit, we recommend you have one opportunity or lead per file.
Q: I’m getting an access denied error message, so I’m not able to upload the files. What should I do?
Partners receive an Access denied message for two reasons.
-
You uploaded the file into the
outboundfolder instead of theinboundfolder. Upload the file into theinboundfolder. -
You need to provide a access control list (ACL). Use the following Amazon Web Services (AWS) CLI command for uploading the data file:
aws s3 cp example.json s3://awsexamplebucket --acl bucket-owner-full-control
Q: What happens if files with extensions
such as .pdf, .docx, or
anything other than .json are
uploaded?
We reject the files and generate a
*.error.json file with the reason details.
Q: What do I do after I receive a data issue error message in production?
-
If the data needs to be corrected in the partner’s customer relationship management (CRM) system, after you correct the data, send the revised file to Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).
-
If any clarifications are required for the data, reach out to your Partner Development Manager (PDM).
-
For any other technical support, raise an AWS Partner Network (APN) support case in the APN Portal.
Q: Where can I find the results files and how long are they available?
The results
files are in the lead-inbound-results
and opportunity-inbound-results folders. They're available until you delete them. You can
delete the files after successful pull.
Q: If I need to find a results file after I delete it, where can we find it?
You can find the results
files in the
lead-inbound-results-archive/YYYY/MM/DD and
opportunity-inbound-results-archive/YYYY/MM/DD
folders.
Q: If there is any failure in APN processing the file, how am I notified?
APN has alarms that automatically create Sev2 tickets to track the processing errors. We review, resolve, and communicate these to partners.
Q: What fields can be updated after the opportunity is launched?
The following fields can be updated only by Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Accelerate Partners:
-
isThisForMarketplace -
isNetNewBusinessForCompany -
deliveryModel -
awsFieldEngagement -
additionalComments
Q: I received a Record not editable error. What does it mean?
When a you send a new partner referred opportunity, it goes through the validation process and the APN Customer Engagement (ACE) team must approve or reject it. While the opportunity is in review and has not yet been validated, you can’t update the record, and you receive this error.
Q: What happens if there is no activity on the my side (example: I'm not processing the file or not sending any inbound opportunity)?
If you don't send any information or aren't processing the files we provide, we currently don’t have a mechanism in place to alert you. We encourage you to monitor your system to ensure the information is flowing to APN.
Q: How soon are the JSON results available in the results folder following the submission of a new/updated inbound opportunity/lead?
The processing is almost real time. You should receive the files in less than five minutes.
Q: If I send an inbound opportunity CRM that doesn’t comply with the format/length restriction of the APN standard, how does the system handle it? Does it generate the error report?
If the file isn't in the field definition format, the result file from APN calls out the file.
Q: I don’t have an AWS account ID at the time of launching. What do I do?
Per the ACE process,
Launched means workload completed and billing
started. This requires an AWS account ID. For more
information, refer to the ACE Program FAQs
Q: Following User Acceptance Testing (UAT), how should the historical data be handled during the move to production?
By default,
when any updates happen in ACE, we send those opportunities to the
Amazon S3 bucket. For historical data that you don’t want to
process, you need to provide the
partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier with dummy values such
as X0001, X0002….X000N in the extract for what
you don’t want to process in your system. You need to write code to
recognize these identifiers and process them accordingly. The rest
of the opportunities provide the correct
partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier value. This ensures
that you have full control on what to process and what not to
process in your system.
Q: Does the outbound file contain more than one record?
Yes. The outbound file can contain more than one record.
Q: Why does the data send Accept to view for some fields?
For an AWS referred opportunity or lead, all PII fields are masked with the label Accept to view until the opportunity or lead is accepted by you. Once accepted, you receive all data fields in the next sync cycle.
Q: What do I do when a new AWS referred opportunity or lead is synced for the first time?
When a new opportunity or lead is synced for the first time, you need to accept or reject it to get additional data (example: customer contacts).
Creating and updating opportunities/leads
Q: How do I ingest new Partner Referred (Originated) opportunities into ACE through the integration?
To create new opportunities in ACE
through the integration, you need to ingest the required opportunity
information in the defined JSON format into the
opportunity-inbound folder. AWS processes this
information, creates a new opportunity in ACE, and shares results of
a successful/failed create operation in the
opportunity-inbound-processed-results folder.
Q: How does the integration differentiate between new opportunity submissions and updates?
The field PartnerCrmUniqueIdentifier on each
opportunity is a required unique identifier required. This
identifier must be defined in the your system source CRM. AWS
uses this to determine if an opportunity already exists in ACE. If
it's available in ACE, we use the
information shared to update the opportunity, but if
it's not available in ACE, we use the
information shared to create a new opportunity.
Q: If I’ve already implemented the update functionality through the integration, what do I need to do to use the integration to submit (create) new opportunities?
You need to make the following changes to the existing integration:
-
Start ingesting new opportunities for creation in the
opportunity-inboundfolder. Provide updates in the same folder. -
Ensure that the mandatory fields required to create are available in the Opportunity JSON shared.
-
Verify each new opportunity has a unique
PartnerCrmUniqueIdentifierthat doesn’t exist in ACE/Partner Central. An important go-live best practice is to map and update the existing data in ACE to eachPartnerCrmUniqueIdentifierin your CRM so we don’t create duplicates when we receive updates. For assistance, contact ACE.
Q: As part of the
go-live process, how do I update existing
opportunities in ACE with my
PartnerCrmUniqueIdentifier?
The ACE team supplies you with a list of all open
opportunities to aid in preparation for the production launch. You must map these existing opportunities in ACE to their
respective PartnerCrmUniqueIdentifier, and return
the updated file to ACE for integration into AWS’s CRM.
If you choose to sync only a subset of the opportunities AWS
provides, you must develop logic to bypass AWS updates for any
opportunities you don’t want to process. This approach should also
be applied to future opportunities, post-onboarding. You must
supply the associated partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier
for opportunities that need alignment across both CRMs.
Additionally, you should indicate which opportunities you won’t be
updating (example: Marking closed-lost or closed-won opportunities)
to exclude them from updates. It’s important that all open/active
opportunities that AWS shares, and you accept, are assigned a
partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier.
Q: Can I update only specific fields in the opportunity or lead?
Yes. You can provide only the fields that require updates, along with the necessary identifiers.
Q: Is it possible to change the ApnCrmUniqueIdentifier?
No. This identifier remains constant for AWS and uniquely identifies each opportunity.
Q: What if I provide an incorrect partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier?
If you provide an incorrect identifier, a new opportunity is created. Ensure accuracy to avoid data duplication.
Q: Can I update opportunities that AWS submitted?
Yes. You can update opportunities AWS
submitted using the correct partnerCrmUniqueIdentifier.
Q: How soon can I expect results for submitted opportunities?
The processing is almost
real time, and results are usually available within a few minutes in
the opportunity-inbound-processed-results folder.
Q: What should I do if there are processing errors for opportunities submitted?
Review error details in the results files, address issues, and seek further assistance from the ACE support team.
Q: Can I delete an opportunity through the integration?
No. Direct deletion is not supported. You can update an opportunity to reflect a Closed status.
Q: What does the Record not editable error mean?
This error occurs if you try to update an opportunity in ACE review. These opportunities can’t be edited until validated.
Q: What if don't send updates or new opportunities?
No new data is received and processed if you don't send updates or new opportunities through the integration.
Q: How long are the results files available?
Results files are available for a reasonable duration. You should retrieve and manage them promptly.
