`operations/store-and-data-truth.md`

36 lines
---
id: store-and-data-truth
type: operations
tags: [hard-rule, shopify, dw_unified, gmc, shipping, gotcha]
aliases: ["sandbox is live", "unified-first", "which store is live"]
sources: [sources/store-truth.md, sources/hard-catalog-rules.md]
updated: 2026-07-17
---
# Store & data truth

**Summary:** designer-laboratory-sandbox.myshopify.com IS the LIVE production store; canonical writes go dw_unified first then Shopify; variant weight = customer shipping cost; GMC has a fixed price policy.

## Store / data
- `designer-laboratory-sandbox.myshopify.com` IS the real, LIVE, PRODUCTION DW
  Shopify store — legacy misnomer, NOT staging. Every write is customer-facing;
  gate as full production. <!-- src: store-truth -->
- Canonical catalog writes go dw_unified (PostgreSQL) FIRST, then Shopify. The
  Shopify write is the authoritative customer-facing one; the mirror re-syncs
  from it. <!-- src: store-truth -->
- dw_unified is the Kamatera canonical DB; a local mirror is read via the /tmp
  socket. <!-- src: store-truth -->
- UNIFIED-FIRST: answer "what/collections recently added" from
  dw_sku_registry.created_at grouped by vendor_prefix, NOT live Shopify (the
  mirror has no created_at). <!-- src: hard-catalog-rules -->

## Gotchas that touch money
- **WEIGHT = CHECKOUT SHIPPING:** the DW store is weight-based checkout shipping
  (lb), so variant grams change what customers PAY. NEVER set grams to fix a GMC
  missing_shipping_weight error — use a feed-only weight override. <!-- src: hard-catalog-rules -->
- **GMC POLICY:** all active products on Google at the HIGHEST price; sample-only
  at $4.25. A $4.25 price leaking as the sellable price risks GMC disapproval.
  <!-- src: hard-catalog-rules -->

## Related
- [[catalog-gates]] · [[pricing-rules]] · [[settlement-gate]].