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What ERP integration means in practice
Your ERP holds the numbers the business runs on: stock, pricing, customers, orders, invoices. Your website, dealer portal or mobile app needs some of that data too — and generates new orders the ERP needs to know about. Without integration, someone re-types data between the two. That manual step is slow and is where many data errors begin.
ERP integration removes the re-entry. Depending on your needs and what the ERP supports, data moves on a schedule, such as every fifteen minutes or nightly, or in near real time when an event happens.
Typical situations
- A manufacturer whose distributors place orders through a web portal that must land in the ERP as sales orders.
- An e-commerce store that needs live stock levels and prices from the ERP on the website.
- A wholesaler generating invoices in the ERP from orders taken by field staff on a mobile app.
- A clinic group or chain syncing billing and inventory data between branches and head office systems.
Warning signs: orders re-typed from email into the ERP, the website showing stock that has already sold, month-end reconciliation that takes days, or staff exporting spreadsheets from one system to import into another.
Working with whatever the ERP exposes
ERPs vary widely in how they can be integrated. Modern systems usually offer a REST or SOAP API. Others provide XML or file-based import and export, scheduled reports, or only direct database access. We work with all of these, choosing the safest route the ERP supports.
| ERP interface | How we typically integrate |
|---|---|
| REST or SOAP API | Direct API client with retries, logging and error alerts |
| File import/export (CSV, XML) | Scheduled file exchange with validation before import |
| Database-level access | Read replicas or carefully scoped views; writes only through supported paths |
| No external interface | A small middleware layer or connector running alongside the ERP, where feasible |
What’s included
- A documented mapping and transformation specification your own team can read.
- The integration service itself, scheduled or event-driven.
- Validation of data before it enters the ERP, with rejected records reported.
- Logging of every exchange, so you can trace any order or stock change.
- Alerts when a scheduled sync fails or data doesn’t balance.
- Handover notes covering how to pause, restart and troubleshoot the integration.
How we deliver it
- Understand the process. Which documents flow where, how often, and who relies on them.
- Assess the ERP interface with your ERP administrator or vendor, including access rights and test environments.
- Write the mapping — item codes, customer codes, tax fields, units — and get sign-off.
- Build and test against a test company or copy of the ERP wherever one is available.
- Run in parallel. For a period, the integration runs alongside the manual process so results can be compared before switching over.
What affects timeline and cost
- The type of interface the ERP offers, and the quality of its documentation.
- Whether a test environment exists, or everything must be tested carefully on live data.
- The number of document types — orders, invoices, stock, prices, customers.
- How consistent master data is, such as item codes and customer IDs across systems.
- Coordination with the ERP vendor or partner, where their involvement is required.
Common mistakes
- Writing directly into ERP database tables and bypassing the ERP’s own business rules.
- Skipping validation, so one bad record blocks or corrupts a whole batch.
- Mismatched master data — the same product with different codes in each system.
- No parallel run, so errors are found only after the manual process has stopped.
Another frequent issue is ownership. When an integration has no clear owner inside your business, small warnings go unread until a larger failure forces attention. We agree who receives alerts and who can approve changes to the mapping before go-live.
Frequently asked questions
Can you integrate an older ERP without an API?
Often, yes. Many older systems support file-based import and export or scheduled reports, which we can automate safely. Direct database access is a last resort and used carefully.
Real-time or scheduled — which is better?
It depends on the data. Stock and prices on a busy store may need near real-time updates, while invoices or reports may be fine hourly or nightly. Scheduled sync is simpler and more robust where it’s good enough.
Do we need our ERP vendor involved?
Sometimes. If access, licences or API modules have to be enabled, the vendor or partner may need to do that. We coordinate with them on the technical side.
What happens if a record fails to sync?
It’s logged and reported with the reason, while valid records continue. Your team can correct the source data and the record is retried.
Will the integration slow down our ERP?
It shouldn’t. We schedule heavier jobs outside busy hours where possible, fetch only changed records rather than everything, and agree load limits with whoever administers the ERP.
Talk to us about erp integration
Bridge your web systems with existing ERP data so nobody re-enters anything by hand.