Quick Fix: Solving Zapier's 'Error Hydrating File' Between Harness and Bloomerang
When a Uganda-based NGO needed to sync donations between Harness and their new Bloomerang CRM, they encountered a puzzling error message. Despite successful test runs, their Zapier integration kept reporting "Error hydrating file." The solution turned out to be simpler than expected - the error was a red herring.
The Technical Insight
The "Error hydrating file" message appeared because Harness's webhook trigger was being misinterpreted as a file input. But here's the catch: no files were actually being transferred. This explained why test transactions still appeared in Bloomerang despite the error messages.
The Smart Solution
Instead of rebuilding their integration or upgrading to a paid plan, the team:
- Verified their test transactions were appearing correctly in Bloomerang
- Kept their automation simple to stay within free Zapier account limits
- Had a backup plan ready using email notifications if needed
The result? A working donation sync system that didn't break the bank. As their team noted, "If we need to upgrade to get it to work the proper way, then we definitely can do that. But if we can avoid it, then that's preferred."
Key Takeaway: When automating integrations, don't let error messages spook you. Test with real data, and sometimes the simplest solution is the right one.
Additional Notes
- This issue specifically appears with the official Harness app in Zapier
- The error doesn't affect actual data transmission in most cases
- Free Zapier accounts can still handle this integration effectively
