Learn Data Synchronization: Warehouse Inventory Audit Tutorial

How it works

This template is a hands-on tutorial for one of n8n's most powerful data tools: the Compare Datasets node. It's the perfect next step after learning basic logic, showing you how to build robust data synchronization workflows.

We use a simple Warehouse Audit analogy to make the concept crystal clear:

• Warehouse A: Our main, "source of truth" database. This is the master list of what our inventory should be.
• Warehouse B: A second, remote database (like a Notion page or Google Sheet) that we need to keep in sync.
• The Compare Datasets Node: This is our Auditor. It takes both inventory lists and meticulously compares them to find any discrepancies.

The Auditor then sorts every item into one of four categories, which correspond to the node's four outputs:

1. In A only: New products found in our main warehouse that need to be added to Warehouse B.
2. Same: Products that match perfectly in both warehouses. No action needed!
3. Different: Products that exist in both places but have different details (e.g., stock count). These need to be updated in Warehouse B.
4. In B only: Extra products found in Warehouse B that aren't in our master list. These need to be deleted.

This pattern is the foundation for any two-way data sync you'll ever need to build.

Set up steps

Setup time: 0 minutes!

This workflow is a self-contained tutorial and requires no setup or credentials.

1. Click "Execute Workflow" to start the audit.
2. Explore the two Set nodes ("Warehouse A" and "Warehouse B") to see the initial data we are comparing.
3. Click on "The Auditor" (Compare Datasets node) to see how it's configured to use product_id as the matching key.
4. Follow the outputs to the four NoOp nodes to see which products were sorted into each category.
5. Read the sticky notes next to each output—they explain exactly why each item ended up there.