Section 1-1
How Data Sync works and 100+ integrated apps list
Data Sync between HubSpot and external appsBidirectional/real-time data synchronizationIt is a function that performs Unlike event-triggered tools like Zapier or Make (which only work when something happens), Data SyncAlways-on bidirectional live sync——When a record is updated in either system, it is immediately reflected in the other system.
🔄 How Data Sync's two-way real-time synchronization works
☁️
Salesforce
Deep integration with Smart CRM and acceleration of CDP
⇄
🟡
Data Hub
HubSpot Smart CRM
⇄
📦
NetSuite
External source connection (Sheets/Snowflake)
⇄
⇄
Bidirectional real-time sync (default)
One-way synchronization (configurable)
Initial batch synchronization of historical data
Differences between Zapier and Make—Why is Data Sync better?
| Comparison items | Data Sync（HubSpot） | Zapier / Make |
|---|
| Synchronization direction |
✓ Bidirectional (default) |
✗ One-way in principle (additional settings required) |
| Real time |
✓ Constant connection/immediate reflection |
△ Polling type (minimum delay of 5 to 15 minutes) |
| historical data |
✓ Past data is also synchronized when connecting for the first time |
✗ Only new data after connection |
| Conflict resolution |
✓ Automatic resolution based on rules |
✗ Requires manual configuration (complicated) |
| cost structure |
✓ Included in Data Hub price |
△ Pay-as-you-go billing based on the number of tasks |
| Basic duplicate management (manual) |
△ 100+ apps (native compatible) |
✓ 5,000+ apps (wide range) |
💡 Principles of proper usage
Data Sync's specialty is "two-way synchronization with major business systems (CRM, ERP, support tools) that you want to always keep up to date." Zapier/Make is good at things like "one-way trigger integration with detailed tools that don't have native HubSpot integration, and sending notifications to spreadsheets."Data Sync for 5-10 major systems, supplemented with tools for othersThis combination is the correct answer for many organizations.
Main compatible app catalog (as of March 2026)
🏢 CRM/Sales management
☁️Salesforce
🪟Microsoft Dynamics 365
🔵Pipedrive
🟠Zoho CRM
⚫Monday.com
🟣Close CRM
🟤Insightly
Explain.
🐒Mailchimp
📬ActiveCampaign
🟡Klaviyo
🟢Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
🔷Campaign Monitor
📮Constant Contact
💼 ERP/Accounting/Billing
📦NetSuite
🟢Xero
🔵QuickBooks
💳Stripe
🔷Chargebee
🟠Sage
🎫 Customer Support
🎫Zendesk
🔵Freshdesk
🟠Intercom
⬛Help Scout
🟣Front
🛒 EC/Payment
🛒Shopify
🟠WooCommerce
🔵BigCommerce
🟢Magento
📊 Data/Analysis/Other
❄️Snowflake
📋Google Contacts
🗂️Airtable
💬Slack (partially)
🟣Calendly
🔶SurveyMonkey
Section 1-2
Salesforce integration design (bidirectional synchronization/conflict resolution rules)
The most commonly asked integration for Data Sync is with Salesforce. Many companies use Salesforce as the main battlefield for their sales team and HubSpot as the main battlefield for marketing, soWhat data to sync between the two CRMs and in which direction?design becomes the core of an organization's data governance.
🟦 HubSpot → Salesforce（Marketing → Sales）
▸Create MQL contacts as leads in Salesforce
▸Send web form input information, page viewing history, and scores to Salesforce
▸Record email engagement (opens/clicks) in Salesforce activity history
▸Reflect marketing campaign attribution data in deals
🟧 Salesforce → HubSpot (Sales → Marketing/CS)
▸Changes in deal stage, amount, and expected closing date are reflected in HubSpot.
▸Update your HubSpot Lifecycle Stage to "Customer" when you become a customer
▸Reflect sales rep changes to HubSpot contact owners
▸Record reasons for loss and competitor information in HubSpot properties and utilize segments
⚖️ Three important design decisions for Salesforce integration
Q1.
Which is the "master system"? → In many cases, Salesforce is the PoR (Record of Truth) for business deals and customer information, and HubSpot is the PoR for marketing and engagement data. Decide which is correct for each field.
Q2.
Do you want to sync all records in Salesforce? → Usually not required. Narrow down your targets using filter conditions (such as "Lead Status is MQL or higher" or "Account is a specific segment"). Synchronizing all items causes cost and noise.
Q3.
How do you handle duplicates? → Predefine processing rules when the same person exists with different email addresses in HubSpot and Salesforce. Decide whether to "prefer HubSpot's email" or "prioritize Salesforce's email" as a policy.
Designing conflict resolution rules
With two-way synchronization, a conflict occurs: ``If data is updated almost simultaneously in both HubSpot and an external app, which one is considered positive?'' Data SyncSet conflict resolution rules for each fieldcan.
Strategy A
HubSpot always comes first (HubSpot Wins)
If a conflict occurs, always overwrite the value on the HubSpot side to the external app as positive. The settings that HubSpot uses for the "Master System" field.
When to use: Fields managed by the Marketing team in HubSpot (lead scores, marketing segments, email subscription status, etc.)
Strategy B
Always give priority to external apps (App Wins)
If a conflict occurs, always overwrite the value from the external app (such as Salesforce) as positive in HubSpot. Settings that external apps use for fields in the "master system".
When to use: Fields managed by the Sales team in Salesforce (opportunity stage, contract amount, salesperson, reason for loss, etc.)
Strategy C
Most Recent Wins
merge now
When to use: Fields that users of either system may update, such as name, phone number, address, etc.
Strategy D
Do not update if it is not blank (Never Overwrite)
If the synchronization destination field already contains a value, it will not be overwritten, and only if it is blank, it will be synchronized. Use for fields where you want to protect existing data.
When to use: Fields that you do not want to disappear when external systems are updated, such as customer classifications and contact notes that are manually set in HubSpot.
⚠️ Most Common Design Mistake: Make Everything “Most Recent Wins”
The setting "I don't know which one is correct, so give priority to the latest" is,Extend your workflow withThis causes a problem. The correct approach is to decide ``which team will be responsible'' for each field and set the system used by that team as ``priority.''
Section 1-3
Designing custom field mappings
By default, Data Sync automatically maps fields with the same name between systems. But in actual integrationDifferent field names/different data types/conversion requiredMost of the cases are. Set these explicitly in custom field mapping.
📋 Contact/Lead mapping example
Salesforce — Lead
FirstName / LastName
Text (2 fields)
HubSpot — Contact
First name/last name
Text (2 properties)
Salesforce — Lead
LeadSource
Picklist
HubSpot — Contact
hs_analytics_source (lead source)
Dropdown (value conversion may be required)
Salesforce — Lead/Contact
Industry
Picklist
HubSpot — Company
industry
Dropdown
💰 Opportunity/Deal mapping example
Salesforce — Opportunity
StageName (opportunity stage)
Picklist (Salesforce unique value)
HubSpot — Deal
dealstage (negotiation stage)
Dropdown (map values)
Salesforce — Opportunity
CloseDate (scheduled close date)
Date
HubSpot — Deal
closeddate (planned closing date)
Date
Salesforce — Opportunity
Amount
Currency
HubSpot — Deal
amount
Number (match currency settings)
Three principles of field mapping design
① Organize correspondence at the object level——Salesforce's Lead, Contact, Account, and Opportunity correspond to HubSpot's Contact, Contact, Company, and Deal, respectively. First, decide what to synchronize for each object, and then decide on the fields.
② Predefine value conversion rules for Picklist (choices)——There are fields that require value mapping, such as converting LeadSource = "Web" in Salesforce to "Organic Search" in HubSpot. If you create a conversion table in advance in a spreadsheet and then set it up in HubSpot, there will be less backtracking.
③ Create a new custom property on the HubSpot side first——An error occurs when trying to sync to a property that does not exist in HubSpot. Before mapping custom fields on the Salesforce side to HubSpot, create a corresponding property from HubSpot's "Property Settings".
✅ How to create a mapping design template
Before designing the integration, create a mapping ledger with columns for "Salesforce field name / data type / HubSpot property name / data type / synchronization direction / conflict rule / value conversion necessity" in a spreadsheet. This dramatically eases later settings, debugging, and handover. It is worth spending more time creating the ledger than actually setting it up.
Section 1-4
Design of filters and synchronization conditions (what to synchronize, when to synchronize, and in which direction)
By default, Data Sync synchronizes all records from connected apps. butSynchronizing all items causes "inflow of noise data," "bloated CRM," "unnecessary duplication," and "decreased AI accuracy.". It is important to use filter design to synchronize only the necessary data, in the necessary direction, and at the necessary timing.
🎯 Synchronous filter design scenario collection
Scenario 1: Sync “Only Key Customers” from Salesforce to HubSpot
Salesforce side sending filter
Account Type = "Customer"
AND Annual Revenue >= 5000000
AND Account Status != "Churned"
Effect/reason
Only active customers with annual sales of 5 million yen or more are synced to HubSpot. Create an environment where CS and Marketing can focus on target customers without contaminating CRM with data on canceled or small business customers.
"Winner for the oldest record (the one created first)"
HubSpot-side send filters
Lifecycle Stage = "Marketing Qualified Lead"
OR Lifecycle Stage = "Sales Qualified Lead"
AND Email Status != "Hard Bounced"
Effect/reason
Data Engineer/Analyst/Python Experienced
Scenario 3: Sync “Only customers with purchases of JPY 30,000 or more” from Shopify to HubSpot
Shopify-side sending filters
Total Spent >= 30000
AND Orders Count >= 1
AND Customer State = "enabled"
Effect/reason
✓ Compatible
Scenario 4: One-way sync of billing and payment data from NetSuite to HubSpot
Setting the synchronization direction
Direction: NetSuite → HubSpot only (one way)
Target fields: Invoice Status, Payment Date,
Outstanding Balance
Effect/reason
Enable billing and receipt data from your accounting system to be referenced in HubSpot, while eliminating the risk of overwriting accounting data from HubSpot. NetSuite is the only PoR for financial data.
💡 Be careful when handling “Delete Sync”
With Data Sync's default settings, if you delete a record in the external app, it will also be deleted in HubSpot (and vice versa). Due to the risk of erroneous deletion being propagated,Basically, disable Delete Sync and enable it only when necessary.is the best practice. Safe design to convert to logical deletion in "Archive" or "Status = Inactive" field.
Section 1-5
Troubleshooting and monitoring Data Sync
After putting Data Sync into production, the most important thing to do is"Reduce the time it takes to notice that synchronization has stopped"thing. A monitoring design is needed to prevent situations where sales and marketing operations are operating with outdated data for several days without noticing a synchronization error.
Common sync errors and how to deal with them
-
🔴
Sync goes into “Paused” state and data stops
Main cause
External app password change/API key expiration
External app side API rate limit reached
Loss of API privileges due to external app plan downgrade
How to deal with it
Reauthorize your connection from HubSpot's Connected Apps
Check the API restriction status of external apps/consider changing to a higher plan
Set a calendar reminder to check the expiry date of your API key/credentials every quarter
-
Main cause
Filter conditions are not met (this may be what you intended)
Required mapping fields are blank (e.g. Email is blank)
The field type was changed on the external application side
How to deal with it
See which records were skipped and why in the Sync Log
Review the filter conditions and check if the target records meet the conditions.
Check whether the field definition on the external application side has been changed.
-
🟠
Data is overwritten with unexpected values after synchronization
Main cause
Conflict resolution rules are the opposite of what you intended
Old external data overwrites new value in HubSpot for 'Most Recent Wins'
Deletion sync is enabled and external app deletions are propagated to HubSpot
How to deal with it
Check and change the conflict resolution rules for the field in question
Track when and why the property was changed using the change history of the property.
Change important fields to "Never Overwrite (Updates only if HubSpot is blank)"
-
🔵
Sync generates a large number of duplicate records in HubSpot
Main cause
pre-installed
Email address notation is inconsistent on the external application side (mixed uppercase and lowercase letters, etc.)
One person has multiple email addresses and is treated as a different person
How to deal with it
Data cleansing (email normalization/blank completion) on the external application side is performed before synchronization starts.
Duplicate detection and merging with HubSpot's data quality tools (detailed in Chapter 2)
From then on, create a mechanism to prevent new duplication using the format automatic correction WF in Chapter 2.
Data Sync continuous monitoring design
| Monitored items | How to check | Recommended frequency | Alert settings |
|---|
| sync status |
Settings → Integrations → Connected apps → Sync tab for each app |
once a week |
HubSpot sends email notifications when Paused |
| Number of sync errors |
"Error" filter in synchronization log → Check number trend |
once a week |
Investigation begins when error rate exceeds 5% |
| Number of skip records |
"Skip" filter for synchronization log → aggregation by reason |
Once a month |
If you notice a sudden increase in skips, check your filter settings |
| Number of duplicate records generated |
Data Quality → Duplicate Tab (detailed in Chapter 2) |
once a week |
Surveyed when the number of duplicates is +20% or more compared to the previous week |
| Engineering knowledge required |
Rules: Unified to title case. If the field is blank, fill in from the email domain (confirmation required). |
quarter |
Calendar reminder 30 days before deadline |
When to use: Large project alerts, contact creation notifications with specific conditions, daily summary sending
Data Sync is “always on, two-way live synchronization”—fundamentally different from Zapier
Unlike Zapier and Make's event-triggered type (works only when an occurrence occurs, is unidirectional, and has a delay), Data Sync supports constant connection, bidirectional, immediate reflection, and initial synchronization of historical data. Data Sync is the best solution for integrating with major business systems (Salesforce, NetSuite, Zendesk, etc.).
The principle of Salesforce integration is to “determine the master system for each field”
Whether HubSpot or Salesforce is "correct" is determined on a field-by-field basis, rather than overall. Marketing managed fields are based on HubSpot Wins, and Sales managed fields are based on Salesforce Wins. Unintended overwriting occurs when "latest priority" is applied to everything.
Create a field mapping ledger first and then configure it.
Create a mapping ledger in advance that records "Salesforce fields / HubSpot properties / sync direction / conflict rules / necessity of value conversion" line by line. Debugging and handover after configuration becomes dramatically easier. It is especially important to identify the value conversion rules for Picklist in advance.
Synchronize “only the necessary data” with filter design
Synchronizing all items causes an influx of noise data, an enlarged CRM, and a decrease in AI accuracy. The quality of CRM is protected by designing filters that focus on targets that are actually used by marketing and CS, such as "only leads with MQL or above" and "only customers with annual sales of 5 million yen or more". It is safe to disable synchronization of deletions by default.
Make weekly monitoring a habit and prevent it from being stopped for several days before you realize it.
Make it a habit to check the synchronization status, number of errors, number of skips, and number of duplicates generated weekly. HubSpot's Paused notifications arrive automatically, but slow increases in error rates can be missed without manual review. Also set the calendar to check the API certification expiration date every quarter.
Data cleansing before synchronization directly leads to prevention of duplication afterward.
Starting Data Sync with dirty data in an external app will generate a large number of duplicate records in HubSpot. Before the first synchronization, perform email normalization, fill in blanks, and delete duplicates on the external application side before connecting. "Remove dirt before synchronization" is better than "delete duplicates after synchronization".
Next Chapter
Chapter 2: Data Quality Management—Maintaining a Clean CRM →