ERP integration patterns
An ERP integration changes business records that other teams depend on. Begin with field ownership, object lifecycle and approval responsibility before mapping an API request.
How should the data flow?
- 01
Resolve customer and product identifiers against the authoritative master data.
- 02
Validate units, required fields and approval conditions before submission.
- 03
Send a trackable operation through the approved ERP interface.
- 04
Reconcile the accepted business record and expose rejected or pending states to operators.
What business handoff does this integration support?
A B2B portal submits an order request and displays its acceptance state. The portal must not imply an accepted order merely because it successfully queued a message for the ERP.
How do authentication and permissions work?
Use a dedicated service identity with access limited to the required business objects and operations. Separate test and live environments and verify audit expectations with the ERP owner.
How are changes detected?
Change events, scheduled exports and polling may be available depending on the system. Retain a cursor or extraction boundary and make freshness visible when real-time events are unavailable.
What are the implementation options?
- A controlled API adapter when supported business operations and sandbox access are available.
- A staged file or batch interface with validation and reconciliation when the system does not expose suitable live APIs.
Systems involved
- A customer portal, operational application or order workflow requesting a business change.
- An ERP owning the agreed customer, product, inventory or financial record.
Sync direction
Master data commonly flows from ERP to the application, while requests travel back. Define direction per object and field instead of declaring the whole integration two-way.
Error handling and reconciliation
Preserve an external operation reference and reconcile before resubmitting uncertain writes. Rejected business rules need a review queue, while transient transport failures may permit bounded retry.
Limitations to verify
Historical data, custom fields, account permissions and supported write operations can constrain the design. A shared database connection is not a substitute for an approved integration contract.