Definition
Full definition of upsert
Without upsert, you'd need two steps: search → if found, update; if not, create. Upsert combines both into one atomic operation. Most modern APIs support it (Salesforce Upsert by external_id, HubSpot Find or Create, Airtable Update with key). Critical for any data-sync workflow to avoid duplicates.
In practice
Upsert examples
Upsert by email
If a contact with email=alice@example.com exists, update name. Otherwise create new contact with email + name.
Used by
Apps that exemplify upsert
See upsert in action across real integrations.
FAQ
Common questions about upsert
What key should I use for upsert?
Whatever uniquely identifies the entity in your system. Email for contacts. order_id for orders. external_id custom fields where the natural key isn't unique.
What if upsert is unsupported?
Use a Search action first, branch on found/not-found, then Update or Create. Tiny Command has if/else nodes that make this trivial.
