> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.saletides.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Your First Import

> What happens during the initial data import and what to expect when it completes.

## What the import does

When you first connect your WooCommerce store, SaleTides imports your entire order history along with all related data: customers, products, coupons, refunds, and subscriptions. This gives every report access to your full historical dataset from day one.

The import runs as a series of background jobs and processes data in batches so your store's performance is never affected.

## What gets imported

The import runs in this order:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Orders">
    All WooCommerce orders are fetched first, including their status, payment method, line items, billing address, shipping address, and metadata.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customers">
    Customer records are imported and linked to their orders. Billing and shipping attributes are indexed for segmentation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Products & Variations">
    All products (simple, variable, grouped) and their variations are imported with pricing and category data.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Coupons">
    All coupon codes and their usage history are imported.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refunds">
    Refund records linked to their original orders are imported.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Subscriptions">
    If WooCommerce Subscriptions is active on your store, all subscription records are imported.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Post-processing">
    After the main import, SaleTides runs background calculations: cohort stats, customer metrics, product sales totals, source attribution, and daily summaries.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tracking import progress

You can watch the import progress from your dashboard. Each entity (orders, customers, products, etc.) has its own progress indicator showing how many records have been processed.

Reports become available as data comes in — you don't need to wait for the full import before exploring your analytics.

## Import status indicators

| Status        | Meaning                                                                                     |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Running**   | Import is actively fetching and processing data                                             |
| **Completed** | All data for this entity has been imported                                                  |
| **Paused**    | Import paused (usually due to a network or API issue — it will resume automatically)        |
| **Failed**    | Import encountered an error — see [Troubleshooting imports](/troubleshooting/import-issues) |

## Data accuracy

SaleTides imports data directly from WooCommerce's REST API, so the numbers you see will match what is in your WooCommerce admin. If you notice a discrepancy, see [Data discrepancies](/troubleshooting/data-discrepancies).

## After the import

Once the import completes:

* All historical reports are fully populated
* Cohort analysis is calculated from your first order date
* Webhooks are live, so new orders and events update automatically
* You can start creating [Custom Segments](/advanced/segments/overview)

<Note>
  Post-processing jobs (cohort calculations, customer stats, source attribution) run after the main import completes. These may take additional time for large stores. This is normal — all reports will be fully accurate once they finish.
</Note>

## Re-running an import

If you need to re-sync data (for example, after a large historical data correction on your WooCommerce store), you can trigger a manual re-import from **Settings → Data Management**. See [Manual import](/integrations/manual-import) for details.