If you already had Facebook feeds created by other applications, then it is important to choose the correct catalog and data source when you create a new one using our app. In this article, we will list the possible scenarios that can lead to data duplication or overlapping data. We will also guide you how to avoid these scenarios.

Table of Contents

What is a Catalog?
What is a Data Source?
Choose a Data Source
Method 1: Creating a New Data Source
Method 2: Selecting an Existing Data Source

1. What is a catalog?

A catalog is a container that stores product information for advertising or selling on Facebook and Instagram. You can upload product feeds to your catalog and link them to various ads and sales channels to promote your items.
The Commerce Manager platform is where you can create and manage catalogs efficiently.

2. What is a data source?

A data source refers to the uploaded product feed within your catalog. You can view and manage your data source under the Data Sources tab in Commerce Manager. Here, you can check the latest upload status, view included products, update the feed, and configure settings.

3. Choose a data source

When creating a feed using Facebook Business Extension (FBE) or Facebook Catalog, you must select a catalog to upload your feed.

If your catalog does not have an existing data source, you can proceed without any warnings.
If your catalog already contains a data source, you will receive a warning and must choose between two options:

Create a new data source
Select an existing data source



Method 1. Create a new data source

If the product is already submitted by another data source, choosing to create a new data source might lead to product duplication. This is because the same product will be submitted twice through different applications.



Although Facebook still recognizes the same products as two different products as they have different content IDs, they advise against this. Each individual product should only appear in one feed. Moreover, when you run ads for your items, it is surely more costly to advertise the same product twice.

To prevent data duplication, you should delete the existing data source. To delete the existing data source, simply go to Catalog Manager > Choose your catalog > Go to Data Sources > Click on the duplicated catalog > Go to Settings > Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Delete.





Method 2. Select an existing data source

When you choosing an existing data source, it might lead to overlapping data since product data will be submitted by different applications simultaneously.

Let's assume you use our app along with Shopify's Facebook channel. Our app will submit data based on the submit schedule, and when it comes to Shopify's submit schedule, this app will also push data to the catalog, replacing the data submitted earlier. In short, the catalog will have the data submitted by both applications, each one keeps replacing the other one.




Need Help?

Selecting the correct catalog and data source ensures that your Facebook product feed functions correctly without data duplication or overlaps. Follow the appropriate method based on your catalog’s existing setup to maintain data integrity and avoid unnecessary advertising costs.

If you have any question, don't hesitate to contact us via live chat or email us at support@socialhead.io

Updated on: 21/03/2025