What's Happening
If you're seeing a "Connection not completed before timeout" error when orders try to sync to Fishbowl, here's what's going on and how to get it sorted. You might see an order in your list that's highlighted in red - when you open or edit it, there's a red message above the order with the error.
How Do I Know This is the Error I'm Encountering
The error message will look something like this:
Sync error: System.Exception: Connection not completed before timeout at WebNinja.Fishbowl.Handler.ProcessFbijsonTasks(FbijsonTask[] fbijsonTasks, String host, String key)
Why This Happens
This one comes from your end, not ours. The error pops up when your Fishbowl server is inaccessible for any number of reasons - it could be something affecting access to Fishbowl's database, or something happening in the Fishbowl server itself that's blocking access altogether.
It can show up either randomly when some orders sync fine and others don't, or it can hit every order placed since a specific time. If you're seeing the pattern repeat at the same time of day, that's a strong clue that something on your server (or network) is doing the same thing on a schedule.
How to Resolve It
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Resync the failed orders first. In our experience, this resolves the issue most of the time - the error is usually temporary unless every order has been failing for many hours or days. Follow the steps in How to Resync an Order That Failed to Sync.
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If resyncing doesn't fix it, dig into the pattern.
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Check when the errors started. If they appear random, look for a consistent time of day they happen.
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Restart your Fishbowl server, then resync the errored orders again.
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Loop in your Fishbowl partner. Ask if they see any activity or action happening in your Fishbowl consistently at the same time of day the errors hit.
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If Fishbowl doesn't find anything, check with your IT. Ask if anything on your network, servers, or internet is happening at those times that could affect connectivity to Fishbowl.
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After each step, resync the errored orders again using the same resync process.
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How to Prevent It Going Forward
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Keep an eye on the timing. If you notice the error tends to hit at the same time of day, that's the signal something scheduled on your server or network is interfering. Identifying and adjusting that schedule prevents future occurrences.
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Coordinate with your Fishbowl partner on server maintenance. Big database operations, backups, or maintenance windows can lock Fishbowl long enough to trigger the timeout. Schedule those for off-hours when orders aren't actively syncing.
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Monitor your local network reliability. Connectivity hiccups between your Kinein site and your Fishbowl server are the most common trigger. If you've had intermittent network issues, sorting those out will reduce these errors too.
Still Stuck?
If you've worked through all the steps above and you're still getting this error, shoot us an email at support@kinein.com and we'll dig in with you. Heads up: our support team will run through these same steps with you, so working through them first saves everyone time.