External database downtime

Flinn retrieves regulatory, safety and literature information from a number of external databases. If one of these upstream sources is temporarily unreachable, slow to respond or returns incomplete data, the information shown in Flinn for that source may be delayed or incomplete until the external system is fully restored. In a regulated environment this could lead to evaluations being based on a partial dataset.

Hazardous situation: Regulatory reports are produced from incomplete or delayed data because an upstream database is unreachable.

• Automated retries and active monitoring. Flinn's integration layer retries failed requests, and our support team monitors the status of every connected database.
• No silent filtering of results. Flinn never alters or filters the original data. When a synchronization issue affects what you see, the Synchronization issues with external database guide describes the user-facing workflow and what to do next.
• Cross-check against the source. For critical evaluations, verify results directly on the official database. Background on how Flinn integrates with each source — and on the differences you may see — is available in Why do I find different results when I compare the official database and Flinn? and in From Manual to Automated: Flinn's Search Advantage Explained.
• Refresh and re-execute the search. Once the upstream source is restored, simply run the affected search again to retrieve the complete dataset.
• Contact support if the issue persists. If you cannot complete a critical activity because of an outage, reach out via the in-app chat — see What is the web chat? — so we can confirm the source status and provide an ETA.

By combining automated retries, transparent reporting in the UI and active support engagement, the residual risk of acting on incomplete data due to an upstream outage is kept low.