Too often, companies underestimate the cost and complexity of integrating operational and financial software into a cohesive technology stack. In many cases, what seems like a simple ERP integration ends up being too costly to build and too expensive to maintain. You can avoid all these headaches by choosing a solution like Acumatica, which includes the building blocks for rapid integrations and data transfer. Here are more specifics on how to save time and avoid a bad solution.
The concept of integrating the diverse systems that run a business is not new. What’s changing the game now is the ability to rapidly and easily interconnect your various systems. With Acumatica’s easy-to-use and flexible integration services that are built right in, organizations can efficiently exchange data without programming.
Your teams will be able to incorporate a new or legacy system into your centralized tech stack. The Acumatica platform offers easy ERP integrations, enabling connections to third-party applications, industry-specific systems, as well as hardware such as printers, scanners, and robotics, without requiring extensive coding.
For those of you that are more technically involved with your systems, you’ll be happy to know that Acumatica’s open-source standards allow you to build interfaces and transfer data with web-based systems. Use REST or SOAP APIs to connect people, information, processes, equipment, and ideas with modern technologies, such as cloud computing, big data, robotics, artificial intelligence with machine learning, and the Internet of Things.
The modern REST and SOAP APIs enable you to build integrations with external systems that are more straightforward than antiquated XML-based interfaces. Acumatica also supports industry standards, including OAuth 2.0, for authorizing external applications.
Since Acumatica deploys contract-based default APIs, it ensures upgrades (minor or major) will not affect the integration. Each web service API is fixed and does not change during system customizations, localizations, or enhancements. That means no more broken integrations the day after any software updates. Also, users can extend default APIs to include various data elements, like custom fields, to support specific needs. Web services APIs and webhooks facilitate real-time data connectivity and bi-directional data exchange with web-based systems.
Acumatica utilizes two primary mechanisms to facilitate data transfer. Data transfer strategies include Web Services Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Data Exchange Services. Both techniques use common Acumatica business logic to ensure data consistency no matter how data is entered or transferred from external applications.
Unlike manual imports, Acumatica’s Data Exchange Services maintain data integrity by intelligently consolidating and validating information while removing redundant data and error-prone processes. They also enforce the same business logic when users manually enter data through a browser-based interface.
Data Exchange Services support batch data migrations. Import and export scenarios perform one-time or scheduled migrations. By transferring large batches, these services efficiently insert new acquisitions into the centralized platform without coding. Data Exchange Services can also perform periodic data imports, such as when you receive updated vendor catalogs.
Acumatica made it even easier to integrate your third-party and industry-specific systems by offering more than 80 native integrations, including e-commerce and shopping cart software. Acumatica is constantly adding, maintaining, improving, and testing these native integrations so you can have confidence in your connections and know that they won’t break after an update.
We have Acumatica experts ready to help guide you on your digital transformation journey and ensure your interconnectivity supports your company’s growth. Nothing replaces a live presentation, so please reach out to us to schedule a demonstration for your business. Please call us at 800.331.8382, or send us an email at info@cfbs-us.com today.