Every second counts when you're processing large product catalogs. Yet, some of the biggest performance improvements don't require rebuilding your dataflow; they come from small configuration changes.
That was one of the key takeaways from our recent customer webinar, Productsup platform best practices: Faster processing and smarter setups, where our feed experts shared practical ways to optimize imports, transformations, and exports across the Productsup platform.
One live demonstration stood out in particular → By changing a single rule box match setting, processing speed on a test feed increased from around 4,000 products per second to approximately 10,000. The feed stayed the same. The business logic stayed the same. Only one configuration changed.
While every dataflow is different, the demo highlighted why it's worth reviewing whether your rule boxes are using the most appropriate match setting for the job.
Why match settings matter
Rule boxes are one of the most powerful tools on the Productsup platform, but some of the most commonly used ones support different matching options, such as Broad match and Exact match, or Contains and Equals.
| Match setting | Best used when… | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Broad match | You need to find a search term within a larger value. | Matches when the value contains the search term. Case-insensitive. |
| Exact match | You want to compare the complete value. | Matches only when the search term exactly matches the entire value. Case-sensitive. |
💡 Tip: If you're comparing complete values, such as IDs, brands, categories, or SKUs, Exact match is often the more appropriate choice. Use Broad match when you need to search within longer text values.
Choosing the right option helps ensure the rule box performs only the work that's actually needed. The webinar also highlighted other factors that can make rule boxes more processing-intensive, including sensitive searches and large comparison lists. The key is choosing the simplest matching method that still achieves the desired outcome.
Broad match vs. Exact match in practice
To illustrate the impact, our FeedFighters demonstrated the Set value if value in rule box using the same feed and the same business logic with two different match settings.
With Broad match enabled:
- Processing speed was around 4,000 products per second
- The rule box accounted for approximately 63% of total processing time
After changing the same rule box to Exact match:
- Processing speed increased to around 10,000 products per second
- The rule box's share of total processing time dropped to just 13%
Same feed. Same rule box. Same business logic. One setting.
This was a controlled demonstration in the webinar, so results will vary depending on your setup. However, it clearly illustrated how selecting the appropriate match setting can reduce unnecessary processing.
What to review in your own setup
If you're looking for a quick optimization opportunity, review rule boxes that support different match settings, including:
- Set value if column contains
- Set value if value in
- Map-replace
- Replacement sensitive
Ask yourself one question: Am I matching the entire value, or searching within it?
The takeaway here isn’t to switch everything to Exact match. It’s to make sure each rule box uses the match setting that best fits its purpose. Choosing the right option can improve processing efficiency without changing the business outcome.
Watch back the webinar for more optimization tips!
Beyond the rule box demo, the webinar also covered:
- When to use lists vs. additional data sources
- How to keep Data Services lean and efficient
- Which export methods work best for different catalog sizes and update frequencies
Each topic includes practical examples and recommendations from Productsup feed experts. It’s too much to cover in one recap, so watch the full session to see the complete walkthrough. 😉
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