> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.azalt.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Preview and Apply Changes

> Review a three-way sync plan and apply selected configuration changes safely

**Preview sync** compares the source export with the current target and the last recorded state of both sides. The preview itself does not change the target.

## Preview Statuses

| Status              | Meaning                                                                                      | What happens                                                                       |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create**          | The entity is new in the source and has no target match.                                     | Pre-selected for creation.                                                         |
| **Update**          | The source changed since the last comparison point and the target did not.                   | Pre-selected for update.                                                           |
| **Unchanged**       | Neither side has a relevant difference.                                                      | Counted in the summary and omitted from the detailed change list.                  |
| **Target only**     | Only the target changed, or an entity exists only in the target.                             | Preserved; sync does not select or change it.                                      |
| **Conflict**        | Both sides changed, the earlier state is incomplete, or the match cannot be resolved safely. | Requires review. A resolution is offered only when the pair can be handled safely. |
| **Delete proposal** | A previously linked entity was removed from the source while the target remained unchanged.  | Not selected by default. Safe soft deletion may be offered.                        |
| **Needs adoption**  | One likely source-target pair exists but has no stored link.                                 | Use the adoption workflow before applying it.                                      |
| **Unsupported**     | The current sync version cannot apply this entity or change safely.                          | Left unchanged.                                                                    |

## Inspect Changed Fields

For an update or conflict, select **Show field details** to compare the **Source value** and **Target value** for each changed field. Long values, such as calculation or automation code, are abbreviated in the preview.

The **Data-affecting** badge highlights configuration changes that can influence future collection or calculation behavior. It does not mean collected records will be rewritten.

## Choose What to Apply

Creates and updates are selected automatically. Clear **Apply this change** for any item you do not want to include in this run.

Conflicts start as **Leave unresolved**. When the conflict is safely resolvable, choose one of these actions:

* **Take source (overwrite target)** replaces the target configuration with the source version.
* **Keep target (baseline only)** leaves the target unchanged and records the current source and target as the new comparison point. The same difference will not be flagged again unless either side changes.

If the target entity was deleted and the source later changed, sync cannot recreate it through conflict resolution. Taking the source is not offered because resurrection is unsupported.

### Delete Proposals

Delete proposals are always unchecked. Sync can soft-delete only these entity types:

* sites
* forms and form elements
* site groups
* source adapter definitions
* record table views

No dependent entity is deleted automatically. Review related proposals individually. Other entity types remain unchanged because applying their deletion would require a hard delete.

### Organization Settings

Transferable organization setting differences appear as manual-review conflicts and are never applied by sync. Change those settings separately after deciding which value is correct.

Environment-specific API keys and the email sender name override are excluded from the settings comparison and remain in the target.

## Apply Safely

1. Review every selected create and update.
2. Resolve only the conflicts for which you can choose a clear outcome.
3. Select any intended delete proposals explicitly.
4. Select **Apply selected** and review the confirmation counts.
5. Select **Confirm and apply**.

All selected changes are applied in one all-or-nothing transaction. Immediately before writing, Azalt recalculates the plan against the current target. If the plan or changed fields no longer match the preview, or a concurrent edit is detected, the apply is rejected and the preview runs again automatically. Review the refreshed plan and apply again.

After a successful apply, the preview also refreshes. A run record captures the source, administrator, time, and result summary for the applied operation.

## Cron Jobs During Sync

Cron jobs follow the same environment-safety rules as import:

* a newly created cron job is inactive and must be enabled manually
* an updated cron job keeps the target's active or inactive state and execution timestamps
* source encrypted variable values are skipped
* existing encrypted variables in the target are preserved

Review the cron job settings before enabling automation in the target environment.