Procore to Dropbox 2-way integration FAQs

This document addresses the variety of questions we encounter while helping clients. If you have a question that’s not addressed her please write to us at support@syncezy.com

About the Procore to Dropbox integration

Please also visit our Integration Menu Overview article to learn more about each and every menu of this integration.

Is this tool 100% web-based, or do we need to install an application on a desktop or server?

This is 100% web-based, we integrate the data directly into Dropbox or Dropbox Business via its API. Individual users do not have to install any SyncEzy apps to their local machines.

We’re going to be turning on multi-factor authentication in Dropbox. Will this cause any issues?

No, only the site admin has to authenticate Dropbox during the initial setup. Once set up the other users simply log in to their normal Dropbox account. The Two-factor auth on users has no effect on the integration.

Technical Details - Initial Setup

Where do I login to change settings / setup the integration?

Login link to the SyncEzy integrations portal: integrations.syncezy.com Only the admin user needs to login here. Individual users continue to use their separate dropbox accounts.
For connecting apps and authentication we recommend using service account. Please click here to know more about service account.

What access do I need in Procore to sync the Projects to Dropbox?

SyncEzy does not require you to have Admin permissions on the company level in Procore. We just need the user to have Admin access to those particular projects that will be added to SyncEzy integration.

So for all the projects that you will configure, you need to have Admin access to those projects in Procore. Your Admin access on those projects will ensure smooth syncing of files and folders between Procore to Dropbox and vice versa.

Can I choose which Procore projects to sync to Dropbox?

Yes. This step is completed in the SyncEzy integration portal. You will first need to create an new, empty project folder within the shared drive of choice in Dropbox to select in the configuration tab for each project in Procore you want to connect. Once this step is done within Dropbox for each project, you will go back to your SyncEzy integration dashboard and select Configuration. Click on Add New button and then you will select your Procore Company, Procore Project Name, Procore Tools and then the DropBox Parent Folder as well as newly created Dropbox Project Folder as the end destination by clicking, "Select this location". You will do this for each project you want to integrate to sync. See the image below as an example. We support Dropbox Business and Dropbox. For more details, ask your Solutions Consultant.

Can you support multiple companies in Procore?

Yes. We can connect Projects from multiple Procore companies to a single organization’s Dropbox Business Team folder.

What can be synced from Dropbox to Procore?

Currently we can sync three tools from Dropbox to Procore.

The Documents tool
The Photo tools

To set up a project, create an empty Project Folder in Dropbox with the same name as your Project you want to connect from Procore for ease of reference. You can put this empty folder inside a folder for your team to easily identify that these are Documents and Photos syncing with Procore such as “Procore Synced Company Projects” per below or just “Procore Sync” to keep your character count down.

Once you select your location of choice, the sync will begin to populate a Documents and Photos folder into the project folder you selected in Dropbox mirroring the exact folder structures you have in place in Procore for the project selected.

How long does it take for the sync to complete the initial configuration set-up on each project once I’ve added a project in the portal?

If you have recently connected the integration, it can take upto 10-15 minutes for the first folder to appear and then upto 24 to 48 hours or longer for the initial sync to complete (depending on the amount of data in your Procore Project). Roughly at the rate of 900 files per hour. If you have less than 5 GB of data in Procore, typically the initial sync should take less than 24 hours to complete.

For example a 50 GB Project can take upto 5 days for the initial sync to complete. This is due to throttling limits from Procore and Dropbox.

Can I add files to Dropbox in order to sync them to Procore right after adding the project to integration?

Once you have added a project to integration, you will need to wait for the initial sync to be completed. Initial sync can take a few minutes (Normally 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of folder structures in your Procore Project. If the project size is big it can take up to 24-48 hours).

Once the initial sync is completed then you can add the data to either side to sync across. You will receive an email notification once the initial sync is completed for that particular added project.

Is the one way integration available with Dropbox Business?

Not yet, currently the one way integration is only available for Dropbox Personal.

Can multiple people within the same company use the integration?

Yes, we do not restrict the number of users, once we sync the data into Dropbox all of your Dropbox users can have access to the data as long as they have access to the added projects/sites. You can control different levels of access within Dropbox. Only the administrator needs to login to SyncEzy. You can now also invite users with varying permission levels from within the My Account menu in your SyncEzy integration portal account. Please refer to the below point.

Can I add users to my SyncEzy account?

The Owner account responsible for hosting integration has the ability to add and invite users, granting them different levels of permissions as needed. This allows for greater flexibility and control over user access within the integration.
To understand this better, please visit our SyncEzy Portal Overview guide.

I connected both of my accounts but I can’t see any files in Dropbox?

If you’ve just connected Procore it can take up to 24 hours for the initial sync to complete. You should start seeing data in the Procore folder within 15 minutes.

Going forward, ongoing syncs happen every 30 minutes.

Technical Details - Regular Sync

Can I rename file names when they are in my Dropbox account or Procore?

Yes, you can rename the file within your Dropbox account. When you rename it, it will update in Procore in the next 5 minutes.

How often does the sync run?

The sync runs every five minutes searching for latest updates and is triggered to make a full update when any changes are made within any of the connected parent folders in Procore or DropBox respectively syncing to mirror.

What if I already have a Dropbox folder for the project?

In order to maintain the integrity of the sync, we have to start the integration from scratch in a new top level folder in Dropbox. Once the initial sync is complete and the data structure is created in Dropbox, you can move your existing data from the existing folders into the syncezy.procore.com folders created by SyncEzy.

What if I want only certain folders or files synced from Dropbox or Procore?

This sort of custom integration is currently not possible in the standard product. We may be able to do some limited customisations to meet your requirements. This will be at an additional cost as it deviates from our standard integration product.

Can I see who modified or added the files in Procore or Dropbox?

When you authenticate/connect your Procore and Dropbox accounts, this will determine what name/details are shown in files/folders in each application.

So for example, if you authenticate Procore and Dropbox with your own account it will work as follows:

1) whoever adds a file/folder to Procore, it will show their username/details on that file or folder in Procore, however when it is synced to Dropbox, it will show with the details/username of whoever authenticated Dropbox (in this example, your account) in the SyncEzy portal.

2) It works the same in the other direction, whoever adds a file/folder to Dropbox it will show in Dropbox with that user's name/details however when it is synced back to Procore it will show the user’s name/details of the account who authenticated Procore in the SyncEzy portal.

We recommend you setup a service email account with a generic name if you wish to avoid using your name when the integration makes changes. You could setup an email called procore@yourcompany.com or another alias and use this account to connect Procore and Dropbox to easily identify what changes our integration has made.

Why use a service account to connect the integration?

Service accounts are usually created specifically for a particular service or application and are granted only the permissions necessary for that service to function properly. They are often used to access other resources such as databases, APIs, file systems, or other services that the application or service needs to interact with. Basically, we use a service account to differentiate the user activity.

We highly recommend you setup a service email account with a generic name if you wish to avoid using your name on folders/files when the integration syncs folder/file changes to the opposite application. You could setup an account in Procore with an email called procore@yourcompany.com for example and use this account to connect Procore and Dropbox to easily identify what synced changes our integration has made. Please ensure any new service accounts you setup have full admin permissions on the Documents and Photos tools for all projects you want to sync in Procore.

There are several reasons why you might want to use service accounts in your computing environment:

Security: By using service accounts, you can limit the permissions granted to individual applications or services, which helps to reduce the risk of security breaches. Because service accounts are typically used for automated processes, they do not require interactive login sessions or access to sensitive information that humans would normally need, such as passwords or other confidential data.

Accountability: When you use service accounts, you can track the actions of individual services or applications, making it easier to identify which system or service is responsible for particular actions or changes within your environment.

Centralization: By using service accounts, you can centralize the management of access and permissions across multiple applications or services, making it easier to ensure that each application has the appropriate level of access and reducing the complexity of managing permissions across your computing environment.

Are there any limits to how much data can be synced?

There are no technical limits to the amount of data that can be synced. We have synced individual projects with over 50,000 files each and over 50 GB of data per project. Our standard plan comes with some fair use limits detailed in your proposal which can be extended upon request and special pricing.

The only hard limit we have is for individual files to be less than 955 MB. Typically this would be data like large laser scans (point cloud) of buildings, large drone video captures and special purpose files. We do not have any file type restrictions. We can sync and support all file types and data types.

We do not stop syncing the files just because the limit has been reached, this will only ever be done after consultation with you. You do not have to worry about the sync stopping once the limits are reached.

What if I need to change the Dropbox Account?

We currently do not support that for a live sync. You will need to reset or delete the configuration and start from scratch again.

How quickly does the data sync? What is your sync speed?

We sync data every 30 minutes after edits or changes in Dropbox. The time to move the files can depend on the size of the file and number of files edited. In 98% of cases, this happens within a few minutes.

We do not throttle data transfer speeds from our end, we are only limited by Dropbox or Procore limits. In most cases this is done every 5 minutes for hundreds of files at once. Initially, once the projects are connected, the first download can take from 4 to 48 hours depending on the amount of data in Procore. Once the initial sync is complete every future sync happens automatically, every five minutes, whenever a file change is detected in either system.

Can I rename my files in Dropbox?

Yes, you can rename the files or folders within Documents or Photos folders that are automatically populated from the sync. Any renaming of the parent folders connected in the Configuration section of our integration portal will break your sync.

Service account - Introduction and benefits

Why use a service account to connect the integration applications?

We highly recommend you setup a service email account with a generic name if you wish to avoid using your name on folders/files when the integration syncs folder/file changes to the opposite application. You could setup an account in Procore with an email called procore@yourcompany.com for example and use this account to connect Procore and Dropbox in your integration. This will ensure you can easily identify what synced changes our integration has made. Please ensure any new service accounts you setup have full admin permissions on the Document and Photos tools for all projects you want to sync in Procore and also full read/write permissions on the applicable Dropbox account.

There are several reasons why you might want to use service accounts in your computing environment:

Version control and updates:

Both Dropbox and Procore platforms offer full version history available in the file history, ensuring comprehensive tracking and management of file revisions.

Adding a new project in Dropbox:

The initial sync time for a new project to Procore can vary from 10 minutes to a few hours, depending on the data volume.

Adding a new project in Procore:

When adding a new project in Procore, syncing to Dropbox typically takes 10-30 minutes for initial connection. Subsequent syncs for new projects in Procore usually complete within 1-2 minutes.

File Size Limitations in Dropbox or Procore?

While there are no technical limits to the amount of data that can be synced, individual files must be under 955 MB. This limit is primarily to accommodate large data types like laser scans or drone video captures. Syncing continues even after reaching these limits, with options for extension upon consultation.

File Path Character Limitations in Dropbox:

If a Procore project has a file path exceeding Dropbox's character limit, shortening the file path is necessary to ensure successful syncing.

What happens when a sync fails?

Sync failures typically occur if a single file exceeds 955 MB in size, often seen with large videos or 3D models. In such cases, the integration skips the oversized file and continues syncing others to maintain performance for the majority of users.

What if a file is corrupted?

File corruption is rare in our system. Any edits made on one side are synced to the other, ensuring file integrity. Throughout our operation, we have never encountered file corruption.

Can sync be scheduled to take place outside of normal business hours?

Our sync process operates continuously, running every minute without disrupting user experience. It functions seamlessly in the background via API, ensuring that users remain unaffected. Sync operations are imperceptible to users, with data becoming available in both locations seamlessly.

Deleting a file from Procore:

Impact on Dropbox: The deleted file is moved to the recycle bin in Dropbox, unless the delete limit within a 24-hour period has been reached. If the limit is exceeded, an email notification is sent, listing the files that couldn't be deleted.

Deleting a file from Dropbox:

Impact on Procore: The deleted file is moved to the recycle bin in Procore, unless the delete limit within a 24-hour period has been reached. If the limit is exceeded, an email notification is sent, listing the files that couldn't be deleted.

Use of special characters:

In Dropbox: Dropbox supports file or folder names that are 255 characters or less. It does not support names containing non-printable ASCII characters, "/", "", leading or trailing spaces, or the special names “.” and “..”. Additionally, Dropbox only supports Unicode Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) characters in file and folder names. Paths on Windows machines should adhere to the 255-character limitation, with longer paths possibly truncating content names before uploading to Dropbox.

In Procore: Procore does not have restrictions on file names, allowing the use of special characters without limitations.

Best practices around the integration

Do not have any trailing spaces at the end of folders or project names

Dropbox (Windows) does not handle Document library names well with spaces at the end of the name. Procore allows trailing spaces at the end of Album names in their Photos tool. We also have a setting to turn on automatic rename of certain special characters.

Make sure your team does not change the first three levels of folders in the Dropbox Folders.

Level 1: The parent folder in Procore and SharePoint/Teams/OneDrive

Level 2: The project folder

Level 3: The name of the tool, for example, Documents, Photos etc.

Make sure your team does not change any of the parent folder names in either Procore or DropBox once selected and configured in your integration portal

This will break the sync as the storage of these exact folder names is an integral part of how we create and maintain your integration for each project.

Note: if you need to delete a large number of files

If you need to delete a large number of files from both systems, do it manually from both systems. This is because as a safety mechanism, SyncEzy has a delete limit for the maximum number of files that can be deleted through the sync in any 24-hour period.

Once the limit is hit, the sync will not delete any more files and the sync will email the administrator with the path of the files not deleted. The Sync deletes limit will reset after 24 hours. (Please note that the 24-hour deletion limit reset is based on the file deletion time, which means the 24-hour starts from the time you have deleted the file).

Can I buy additional space? I’m getting an out of space error?

Yes this will be based on your Dropbox account. Please contact your organization's Dropbox account admin for details. We do not have space restrictions for the integration.

Some of my folders look different or have not been synced?

This can occasionally happen when the delete limit has been reached, due to somebody manually deleting a large number of files or a top level folder from one of the systems, and the corresponding data isn’t deleted from the second system. In these cases, reach out to support and we will assist you.

Pricing / Accounts / SyncEzy-related questions

How does your pricing work?

Please contact us for pricing. Pricing is based on theAnnual Construction Volume.

Does SyncEzy keep a copy of my data stored?

Your data is only stored on your Procore account and in your Dropbox account. SyncEzy is only the conduit and does not store any of your organisation's project data files. We only store relevant metadata (file names, folder names and folder paths, sync time, modified time etc) as required for us to manage the integration and syncing the files.

Your files are transferred through our servers for only as long as it takes to pass them from one system to the other. Once the transfer is complete the actual files are automatically deleted. We only store the metadata and the file paths.

This is why if you have any technical issues our support team may ask you to add support@syncezy.com to the project documents folder so we can review the data. We do not have access to any of your tools or login to your Procore.

Where is SyncEzy hosted?

Our application and the metadata that we store is hosted securely with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This is the same back end infrastructure system that Procore uses.

Do the files transferred into cloud storage count towards my cloud storage account storage limits?

Yes, all files & folders synced across will count towards your file storage limits.

How long does it take to transfer my files across?

The integration syncs every 30 minutes as long as the Dropbox file or folder has been edited and saved.

What triggers the files being transferred?

Any changes made to the files or folders will trigger a sync. For example, renaming the file, opening the Word document and saving it, revising it in Procore, editing a document in Dropbox, deleting the document in either system. All of these changes will trigger the sync, and the older file in either system will be replaced with the current / latest version of the file.

Where do I go to check the settings and billing details on my cloud storage integration?

You can view your settings configurations and any billing details by going to the SyncEzy Portal here. In the Portal, navigate to Plan Details to see billing details. Contact support to make changes or cancel your service.

Is there a limit on how many files can be synced in an hour?

There are no limits from our side. On the Procore end, there is a hard limit of 3600 API calls per hour. On average, every single file takes about 4 API calls. Based on this, and depending on the speed of the data connection, we have a hard limit of 900 files that can be synced in one hour.

Most of the time we are only running an incremental sync of what has been changed in the last five minutes, which is far fewer files than 900. So on a day-to-day basis you should see all of your interactions sync automatically every five minutes.

What tools can be integrated from Procore to Dropbox?

Currently we can sync Procore Project Documents, Photos & Daily Log / Site Diary. We also plan to add additional modules to the sync like Drawings, Models, RFI and more. If you have any specific requirements regarding data extraction or having to sync specific tools from Procore, please reach out to our support team and we will do our best to help.

Procore to Dropbox 2-way integration FAQ