The Problem with Removing dogId

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 110 views

Introduction

As a responsible and reliable service provider, it is essential to ensure that our interactions with external services, such as SavourLife, are seamless and efficient. However, in some cases, unforeseen issues can arise, leading to temporary disruptions in our services. In this article, we will discuss a specific scenario where a temporary DNS failure resulted in some listings not being removed from SavourLife, despite our best efforts.

Understanding the Issue

When interacting with SavourLife, our system follows a specific protocol to ensure that animal records are deleted successfully. However, as we have recently discovered, there is a critical step that is often overlooked: the removal of the dogId from the animal record before receiving confirmation from SavourLife. This step is crucial, as it ensures that the record is indeed deleted from our system, even if the external service fails to respond.

The Problem with Removing dogId

In our previous implementation, we would remove the dogId from the animal record only after receiving a 200 response from SavourLife, indicating that the deletion was successful. However, this approach has a significant flaw: if the external service fails to respond, the dogId will still be deleted from our system, but the record will not be removed from SavourLife. This can lead to a situation where the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.

The Temporary DNS Failure

Recently, we experienced a temporary DNS failure that resulted in some listings not being removed from SavourLife. Despite our best efforts to delete the records, they remained on the external service. However, since we had removed the dogId from our system, the records will never be removed from SavourLife. This highlights the importance of removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from the external service.

The Solution

To address this issue, we have modified our implementation to remove the dogId from the animal record before making the delete call to SavourLife. This ensures that the record is deleted from our system, regardless of the external service's response. By taking this proactive approach, we can prevent situations like the temporary DNS failure from occurring in the future.

Benefits of the New Approach

The new approach has several benefits, including:

Improved reliability: By removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife, we can ensure that the record is deleted from our system, even if the external service fails to respond.
Reduced risk of data loss: With the new approach, we can prevent situations where the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.
Enhanced user experience: By ensuring that records are deleted successfully, we can provide a better experience for our users, who can rely on our service to manage their animal records accurately.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the removal of the dogId from the animal record before receiving confirmation from SavourLife is a critical step in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of our service. By taking this proactive approach, we can prevent situations like the temporary DNS failure from occurring in the future and provide a better experience for our users. As we continue to evolve and improve our service, we will strive to ensure that our interactions with external services are seamless and efficient, providing the best possible experience for our users.

Recommendations

Based on our experience with the temporary DNS failure, we recommend that other service providers take the following steps to ensure the reliability and accuracy of their services:

Remove the dogId before receiving confirmation from the external service: This ensures that the record is deleted from the internal system, even if the external service fails to respond.
Implement a retry mechanism: This can help to ensure that the delete call is successful, even if the external service experiences temporary issues.
Monitor the external service's response: This can help to identify any issues with the external service and prevent situations like the temporary DNS failure from occurring in the future.

Q&A: Understanding the Removal of dogId before receiving OK to delete

Q: What is the purpose of removing the dogId from the animal record before receiving confirmation from SavourLife?

A: The purpose of removing the dogId from the animal record before receiving confirmation from SavourLife is to ensure that the record is deleted from our system, even if the external service fails to respond. This approach helps to prevent situations where the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.

Q: Why is it necessary to remove the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife?

A: It is necessary to remove the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife because it ensures that the record is deleted from our system, regardless of the external service's response. This approach helps to prevent data loss and ensures that our service is reliable and accurate.

Q: What are the benefits of removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife?

A: The benefits of removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife include:

Improved reliability: By removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife, we can ensure that the record is deleted from our system, even if the external service fails to respond.
Reduced risk of data loss: With the new approach, we can prevent situations where the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.
Enhanced user experience: By ensuring that records are deleted successfully, we can provide a better experience for our users, who can rely on our service to manage their animal records accurately.

Q: What are some common issues that can arise when interacting with external services like SavourLife?

A: Some common issues that can arise when interacting with external services like SavourLife include:

Temporary DNS failures: These can result in some listings not being removed from SavourLife, despite our best efforts to delete the records.
External service failures: These can result in some listings not being removed from SavourLife, despite our best efforts to delete the records.
Data loss: This can occur when the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.

Q: How can service providers like ourselves prevent these issues from arising in the future?

A: Service providers like ourselves can prevent these issues from arising in the future by:

Removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from the external service: This ensures that the record is deleted from the internal system, even if the external service fails to respond.
Implementing a retry mechanism: This can help to ensure that the delete call is successful, even if the external service experiences temporary issues.
Monitoring the external service's response: This can help to identify any issues with the external service and prevent situations like the temporary DNS failure from occurring in the future.

Q: What are some best practices for interacting with external services like SavourLife?

A: Some best practices for interacting with external services like SavourLife include:

Removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from the external service: This ensures that the record is deleted from the internal system, even if the external service fails to respond.
Implementing a retry mechanism: This can help to ensure that the delete call is successful, even if the external service experiences temporary issues.
Monitoring the external service's response: This can help to identify any issues with the external service and prevent situations like the temporary DNS failure from occurring in the future.

Q: How can users like our customers benefit from our new approach to removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife?

A: Users like our customers can benefit from our new approach to removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife by:

Ensuring that records are deleted successfully: This provides a better experience for our users, who can rely on our service to manage their animal records accurately.
Reducing the risk of data loss: With the new approach, we can prevent situations where the record is no longer accessible on our end, but it still exists on the external service.
Improving the reliability of our service: By removing the dogId before receiving confirmation from SavourLife, we can ensure that our service is reliable and accurate, providing a better experience for our users.