Software updates

March - April 2025

SmartFeeds updates for March and April. This edition details enhancements to client management, data tracking, performance, and user experience.

✨ Enhanced Client & Contract Management

Significant improvements for clearer visibility and control over client contracts and usage:

• Contracts and associated clients are now viewable and manageable directly within SmartFeeds. Contract creation and editing are streamlined.
• License, add-on, pricing tier, and account limit information (flows, products, inventory lines, stores) is now managed at the contract level.
• Detailed insights into client consumption against set limits are now available. Data on active flows, product counts, inventory lines, and store usage per client for the last three months can be explored, offering greater transparency for account management. 

📊 Detailed Import History & Stats Introduced

Tracking product data evolution is now simplified:

• The new "History" dialogue is available for all imports, displaying the last fetches with content changes. 
• "Enable Detailed History" in import settings to track daily changes.

Detailed history → 

🚀 Performance Boosts

Key improvements for a faster SmartFeeds experience:

• Formula Editor Speed-Up: Significant visual editor refactoring results in much faster performance, especially when working with many rules (up to 5x response time improvement observed).
• Optimized Channel Data Loading: Improved retrieval of product counts (pre/post-filter) for Channel cards reduces flow loading times and ensures data persistence.

🎨 User Experience Upgrades

Enhancements for a smoother and more intuitive workflow:

• SQL Formula Validation: Validation now only displays the final query result, preventing misinterpretation of valid formulas.
• Product Flow Interface Enhancements:
  • Sorting: "Status" and "Alerts" columns in the Product Flow list are now sortable.
  • Layout: Breadcrumbs, active switch, and tools button are consistently aligned.
  • Sticky Buttons: "+ New data source" & "+ New channel" buttons remain visible during scrolling.
• General UX Tweaks:
  • Mapping: Restyled sorting arrows in the mapping interface.
  • Readability: Scroll shadows added to import and channel lists.
  • Filters: Pressing "Enter" now applies filters (no need to click "APPLY")..
  • User Rights: More intuitive client sorting in User rights modal (accessible clients first).
• Tag Display: Tags in Product Flows list now on a single line; excess tags grouped into a "+x" chip (names visible on hover).

➕ New Integrations & Editor Capabilities

• TikTok, TikTok Automotive Ads, and RTB House are now available as new channels in SmartFeeds.
• A new "NOT IN THE LAST" condition is available in the editor.

🔮 Teaser: AI Feed Enhancement Capabilities

A new "Feed Ai Data" button has appeared in the interface. Clicking it reveals how Generative AI can elevate feed content quality and boost media performance. Potential use cases include:

• Feed Audit: Assess data quality, identify inconsistencies, and ensure accuracy.
• Titles & Descriptions: Enhance product titles and descriptions with rich, unique content.
• Automatic Categorization: Find the most suitable categories for products.
• Attribute Extraction: Fill feed gaps by extracting attributes (color, material, dimensions) from descriptions.

To explore these AI-powered capabilities, click the button and contact the sales team. A detailed article on this feature may arrive soon.

February 2025

🧩 Multi-Rule Filtering

In addition to the inclusion-based and exclusion-based filtering modes, we have introduced multi-rule filtering.

• Structured blocks: Organize filters into separate rule blocks for clearer logic.
• Live preview: Instantly see the impact of each block on your feed.
• Audience clustering: Smoother experience when segmenting audiences.

✨ No-Code Ready

SmartFeeds is now 100% usable without SQL for standard feed management.

Learn more about filtering → or check out the Formula Editor guide → 

December 2024 - January 2025

🤖 Feed AI Scalability

• New Architecture: Significant improvements in scalability and performance, ensuring faster processing of feeds with larger datasets.

🎨 Formula Editor Enhancements

• Smart Truncate (✂️): The truncate function now uses SMART_CUT, enabling intelligent text truncation.
• Improved Copy/Paste Handling: Copying and pasting from spreadsheets or values containing pipes (|) now preserves correct formatting while maintaining pipe recognition as a value.
  Learn more →

🛠️ Import & Data Processing Optimizations

• Import Deletion Transparency: The deletion interface now clearly displays where an import is being used before confirming its removal.
• Special Character Handling in XML Feeds: Special characters are now properly escaped in XML feeds, except when already wrapped in CDATA or previously escaped.

🚦 Product Flow Safety Measures

• Accidental Deactivation Prevention:
  • The deactivation button has been moved to the overview section to prevent unintended clicks.
  • A confirmation dialog now prompts users before deactivating a product flow.

👥 Audience Flow Enhancements

• Google Ads Match Rate Visibility: Users have now Match Rate performance within Audience Flow.

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• Filtered Product Count Display: The number of filtered products is now explicitly shown. 
• PSI Enhancements: New error alerts for feeds that have never been executed, ensuring better monitoring.
• Refined Product Queries: Shopify queries have been updated to exclude inactive and non-visible products, ensuring only relevant items are imported.

October - November 2024

🎨 Formula Editor Enhancements

• Expanded Text Conditions: Previously restricted to a single value, text conditions like "contains" now support multiple values. 
  Example: Set conditions for products containing "blue" or "green" without creating separate rules.
• Dynamic Rolling Periods: Introduced the "Last X Days" operator for date conditions, enabling sliding periods defined by users.
• HTML Escaping Guidance: Hovering over the "html" button now displays updated and clearer information.

🛠️ Formula and Mapping Optimizations

• Formula Requirements in Context: Access detailed documentation for formula fields directly within the editor, ensuring smoother and faster rule creation.
• Structured Descriptions for Google: Add structured product descriptions directly within the mapping interface to enhance catalog optimization.

🔔 Alerts and Import Enhancements

• Import Alerts: The import alert tab now displays a warning if no alerts are configured, ensuring proper monitoring.
• Enhanced Deletion Dialogue: The import deletion interface now highlights where the import is being used, with quick access to the "Use" tab in the edit mode. 
  Learn more → 

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• Looker Studio Channel: The Data Studio channel has been renamed to Looker Studio for improved clarity.
• Price Asset Channel Restriction: Now available exclusively for advanced licenses.
• Stability and Performance: Numerous bug fixes enhance product reliability and smoothness.
• OAuth Integration Updates: Add Google Merchant Center accounts via OAuth credentials.

September 2024

🔔 Product Flow Channel Alerts

• Channel execution alert: Alerts are now triggered if a channel hasn’t been updated in over 48 hours. This alert is enabled by default and can be turned off. An option is also available to trigger the alert if the channel has been updated, but the content remains unchanged.
• File size alert: A secondary alert, disabled by default, blocks channel updates if the file size varies beyond a set threshold.
  Learn more → 

🛠️ Deduplication Improvements

• Bug fixes and performance enhancements: The deduplication functionality has been improved, addressing bugs and enhancing its effectiveness.
  Learn more → 

🚦 Product Flow Activation/Deactivation

• Improved visual distinction: Deactivated Product Flow fields are now slightly grayed out. If the active Product Flow limit is reached, fields appear slightly red, making it easier to identify the status of each flow.
  Product Flow overview → 

👨‍🔧 CAI Filter

• Default MCID filtering: CAI data is now filtered by default to show only products with a non-null MCID (Merchant Center ID > 0), focusing on Shopping ads rather than Display or Video.

🔎 Explore Enhancements

• Advanced filtering: Ability to filter using multiple conditions.
• Filtered view export: Export filtered views.
• Clear all filters: Option to remove all filters at once.
• Column-specific filters: Enhanced control with the ability to apply filters on a per-column basis.

August 2024

👥 Audience Flow

• Dedicated user journey for audiences: Easily view data sources, audiences, and their associated destinations in a single glance. You can also track the number of exported customers and see whether the results are increasing or decreasing.

July 2024

🚀 Mapping Page Revamp

• Focus on formula errors: Navigate and correct formula errors in a flash.
• Seamless transition between visual and SQL rule modes: Switch effortlessly between modes for increased efficiency.
• All formulas at a glance: View all formulas directly within the mapping interface without needing to hover.
• Improved UX: Redesigned mapping buttons for more intuitive navigation.
• Bug fixes: Enjoy a more stable and reliable experience.
• Hover for formula preview: The hover function now displays a preview of the formula, whether it's in visual or SQL mode.
• Customizable columns: Show/Hide columns and choose which ones to display.
  Note: Hidden columns remain active across Product Flow.
  Learn more → 

📈 Platform Usage Tracking

• Mandatory flow type indication: Ensure the correct flow type (product, store inventory, conversions) is always selected.
• Channel restrictions by flow type: Prevent certain channels from being added based on the flow type.
• Proactive alerts: Receive notifications before and after exceeding thresholds.

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• Chip standardization: Uniform chips across the platform.
• Notification system: Standardized notifications for both imports and channels.

May 2024

🔍 Explore Imports and Channels

• Customizable columns: Show/Hide columns and choose which ones to explore.
  Note: Hidden columns remain active in mapping and across Product Flow.

🔗 JOIN Enhancements

• Multiple Join Keys: Reduce errors and duplicates by joining two files using multiple keys. Verify your joined files with the new "Explore" button after each join.
• Duplicate Management: After specifying your unique key (e.g., unique ID) at the end of the join screen, SmartFeeds can flag duplicates and help you keep the relevant rows by sorting them according to your chosen column.
  Learn more → 

📊 Catalog Activation Insights

• New reporting tool: Available to all users, regardless of license level, in the Insights section. Configurable in just three clicks, this tool provides an initial analysis and performance review of the product catalog, independent of segmentation.
  Bonus: Data is retroactive to January of the previous year.
  Learn more → 

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• Catalog Activation Insights: Now available to all users in the Insights section!

April 2024

🌟 Visual Filter Editor

• Easy mode switching: Seamless toggle between advanced and standard modes, similar to the formula editor. Create and modify filters without needing advanced SQL knowledge.

February 2024

🔔 Notifications

• Email subscription: Emails will only be sent if you subscribe, for four specific reasons:
  • Import errors
  • Unchanged imports
  • Blocked imports
  • Channel errors
    Learn more → 

🏷️ Price Assets

• Automated price assets creation: Easily create and update price assets using your product feed, now supporting asset creation at the campaign level.

📊 Catalog Insights

• Strategic insights: Assess the effectiveness of your activation strategy with adjustable thresholds, year-on-year comparisons, and easy access via SmartFeeds' Insights section.

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• DMA Compliance: Google API upgraded to support Consent Mode.
• Smartdata period customization: Retrieve last year’s data by customizing the date/period.
• JSON to CSV: New file format support added.
• Terms & Conditions: Now accessible on our website.

November 2023

🕰️ Action History

• Track rule changes: Formula editors now display the latest revision date and the author’s name. Review all previous versions to track rule evolution.
  Note: This feature is unavailable for versions created before its introduction.

🗃️ Variable Usage

• Variable management in SQL editor: Review the usage of your variables and perform bulk checks in case of errors. Identify and remove unused variables with ease.

December 2023

🎨 Interface Evolution

• Simplified navigation: All key features are now accessible from the left sidebar, including client access parameters.
• Enhanced search: The client search functionality has been redesigned for improved efficiency.
• Filtered Product Flow list: Easily filter Product Flow items for better organization.

✨ Enhancements & Tweaks – Small Adjustments, Big Impact!

• Shopify multilingual support: Import product data from Shopify websites with multiple languages. SmartFeeds retrieves and sends data separately for each language. 
• Real-time results: Explore optimization results directly in the new editor with the "See results" button.
• Variable editing in advanced mode: A new tab simplifies the creation and editing of variables in SQL mode.
• Variable optimization review: Check your variable optimizations in the results tab.