> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.entegrata.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Syncing a Single Entity > Copy one entity’s mapping configuration into another pipeline without moving the whole pipeline ## Overview You don't have to move a whole pipeline. Single-entity sync copies just one entity's mapping configuration into another pipeline — useful when you want a surgical change and you know the entity isn't entangled with others. Single-entity sync uses the same target picker, the same three strategies, the same required reason, and the same publish checkbox as a whole-pipeline sync. It's the pipeline dialog narrowed to one entity. ## Syncing an Entity Open the pipeline you're syncing **from**, then open a layer — for example **Silver**. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the entity row. You'll see: * **Sync** — copy just this entity into another pipeline. * **Diff** — compare just this entity against another pipeline, changing nothing. Click **Sync** to open the dialog. Choose where the entity is going. The source pipeline is never offered as its own target. The same three strategies apply, scoped to this one entity. The Overwrite warning reads: > "Mappings on this entity in the target pipeline will be replaced with the source's." **Reason for Sync** is required for Overwrite and Overlay. It's saved to the entity's change history in the target. The publish checkbox is off by default. Until the target is published, it keeps running the mappings it had before the sync — see [Publishing After a Sync](/data/pipeline/sync-overview#publishing-after-a-sync). Click **Sync**. The result reports the outcome for this entity, and the target's change history records a new version. ## What Single-Entity Sync Can and Can't Do **Merge requires the entity to exist in both pipelines.** To add a brand-new entity to the target, or to remove one, use Overwrite or Overlay — or use the pipeline-wide [Merge wizard](/data/pipeline/reviewing-sync-changes), which handles whole-entity add and remove as explicit choices. * **Overwrite never deletes the entity itself.** It replaces that entity's fields and sources. Other entities in the target are untouched. * **Entities can depend on each other.** If the entity you're syncing is referenced by others through relationships, syncing it alone can leave those references pointing at something that changed. Sync does not check this at the entity scope. * **Only the entity you picked moves.** Nothing else in the target is added, updated, or removed. **When in Doubt, Sync the Whole Pipeline** Whole-pipeline sync moves related entities together, so relationships stay consistent. Reach for single-entity sync when you're confident about the entity's isolation. ## After Syncing an Entity 1. **Check the entities that reference it.** Open the target pipeline and review any entity with a relationship to the one you just synced. 2. **Publish the target** if you didn't tick the checkbox, otherwise the target keeps running its previous configuration. 3. **Review the change history** on the entity in the target to confirm the new version landed with your reason attached. ## Best Practices **Diff the Entity First** The entity-level **Diff** action is read-only and shows exactly what a sync would change. Use it before an Overwrite into production. **Prefer Overlay for Additive Changes** If you added fields to an entity on test and want them in production, Overlay brings them across without touching anything else on that entity. ## Troubleshooting ### The Entity Doesn't Exist in the Target **Problem:** You want to add a new entity to the target and Merge won't let you. **Solution:** Merge requires the entity on both sides. Use Overwrite or Overlay to create it, or use the pipeline-wide Merge wizard, which offers whole-entity additions as an explicit choice. ### Related Entities Broke After Syncing **Problem:** After syncing one entity, entities that reference it behave unexpectedly. **Solution:** * Single-entity sync doesn't check dependent entities. Open each entity that references the synced one and verify its relationships and sources. * If several entities are entangled, re-sync at the pipeline scope so they move together. ### The Target Still Runs the Old Mappings **Problem:** The sync succeeded but reports and scheduled runs still reflect the old configuration. **Solution:** The target hasn't been published. See [Publishing After a Sync](/data/pipeline/sync-overview#publishing-after-a-sync). ## Related Topics Overwrite, Overlay, and Merge compared Move every entity at once Diff an entity without changing it See which entities depend on each other