How CRM Field Sync Moves Values (Beta)

Last updated: September 29, 2026

How CRM Field Sync Moves Values

Category: Integrations

This article explains exactly what happens to a value at each stage: when you first add a mapping, when a new record is linked, and as records change in either system. Everything here applies only to fields you've mapped, and only in the direction each mapping allows. Unmapped fields are never touched.

1. When You First Add a Mapping

Records that were already linked before the mapping existed are brought into step in the background. OnRamp calls this filling in. Until it finishes, the mapping's Health column shows Filling in. It works through records in batches with each sync, and Sync now starts the next batch immediately.

For each existing record:

  • If both sides already match, nothing changes.

  • If one side is blank, it's filled from the other side, if the mapping's direction allows that. A blank value never clears a value that's already there.

  • If both sides have different values, the winner depends on the direction:

    • To OnRamp: the CRM value replaces the OnRamp value.

    • To CRM: the OnRamp value is sent to the CRM.

    • Two-way: the Existing records choice you made decides it (CRM wins, OnRamp wins, or most recent change wins).

  • If someone edited the OnRamp value after the mapping was added, that record is left to the ongoing sync (described below) rather than overwritten by the fill-in.

2. When a New Record Is Linked

When a project is created from a workflow, or any record is newly linked to a CRM record, OnRamp reads the linked CRM record right away and fills every field mapped To OnRamp, Two-way or Once, at record creation. The CRM wins on this first read. Without this step, a new project would show blank mapped fields until someone next edited the CRM record. Fields mapped To CRM aren't filled from the CRM. Their OnRamp values are sent out as usual.

Mappings set to Once, at record creation stop for that record after this first read. Records created later still get their own first read.

3. As Records Change

When someone edits a field in OnRamp (To CRM or Two-way):

  • The change is queued with the save and usually sent to the CRM within seconds. A background check every 5 minutes picks up anything that was missed.

  • Rapid edits are combined, so the CRM gets the latest value rather than every step in between.

  • If the CRM rejects a write, OnRamp retries it with backoff. If it still fails, the failure shows in the mapping's Health column.

When someone edits a field in the CRM (To OnRamp or Two-way), OnRamp picks up the change through any of these:

  • Right away, for CRM objects a workflow trigger already watches.

  • A regular check every 15 minutes for anything that changed.

  • When someone opens the record in OnRamp. It's read again if it hasn't been checked in the last couple of minutes.

  • When someone clicks Sync with CRM on the record, or Sync now on the mappings page.

Formula and rollup fields don't register as "changed" in the CRM when their inputs change. If you map one To OnRamp or Two-way, OnRamp re-reads it on every linked record once a night. That means it updates at most once a day unless you open the record or click Sync.

When Both Sides Change: Conflicts

For a Two-way mapping, the more recent change wins. OnRamp compares when the CRM value changed with when the OnRamp value was last edited. It compares each field on its own, so an unrelated edit elsewhere on the CRM record doesn't outrank a newer OnRamp edit.

  • If the CRM doesn't report when a value changed, OnRamp keeps its own value rather than guess.

  • If an OnRamp change is still on its way to the CRM, OnRamp ignores incoming CRM values for that field until the send finishes, so your edit isn't reverted.

  • When the CRM reports back a value OnRamp itself just wrote, it's recognized and ignored, so values don't loop between the systems.

Clearing a Value

After a record is in step, clearing a field counts as a change like any other. Clearing it on the sending side clears it on the receiving side, as long as the mapping's direction carries values that way. The "a blank never clears" rule applies only to the first fill-in.

What You See on a Record

  • Mapped fields carry a small tag: From CRM, To CRM, Two-way, or Not syncing (once the record is finished). Hover over the tag to see what it means for that field.

  • If you edit a From CRM field, OnRamp warns you that the next change in the CRM will replace your edit. Choose Save anyway to keep it for now.

  • Sync with CRM sends every OnRamp change waiting for the CRM, then reads the record. A summary tells you what happened, for example "2 updated from the CRM, 1 already in step." If the read takes longer than a few seconds, it keeps going in the background and the values appear when it finishes.

When Syncing Stops

Nothing syncs, in either direction, for a project or task that's completed, archived or deleted, an account that's archived or deleted, or a user who's disabled or deleted. The values stay as they were when the record was finished. Deleting a mapping also stops syncing, and it leaves values as they are in both systems.