ERP integration with WMS, TMS and your trading partners
ERP integration means that data flows automatically between the systems your business runs on: orders from the web shop to ERP, stock figures from WMS to customer service, shipments from TMS to the customer, and documents to and from trading partners. Key it in once, troubleshoot it in one place.
SublimTech builds and runs integrations as a single, combined layer on Lobster Data Platform for companies in the Nordics and the UK, so you do not have to maintain lots of separate connections. This page gives you an overview of what ERP and data integration cover, when API, files or EDI is the right route, and how we approach an integration project.
ERP integration connects your ERP system with the other systems and partners around it, so they exchange data automatically and in an agreed format, in real time or at fixed intervals. Data integration is the wider term for the same discipline, system integration looks at it from the systems’ side, and API integration is one of the methods.
The hard part is rarely the individual connection. It is that every system has its own data model. Item numbers, units, customers and prices are called different things, and the rules for what may be created where often exist only in people’s heads.
An integration platform brings translation, validation and error handling together in one place. We use Lobster Data Platform, which handles APIs, files, databases and EDI in the same tool, with visual mapping and traceability on every message.
Who needs it?
When your systems grow faster than the people holding them together
The need arises when the number of systems grows faster than the number of people who can hold them together. It is typical of companies with ERP, WMS, a web shop, PIM, CRM and a finance system that were bought separately and now have to work as one.
We see it especially in companies growing through acquisitions, where every new company brings its own systems, and in companies changing ERP system that discover how many integrations relied on the old one. If you recognise several of these signs, it is worth looking at ERP integration:
Data is keyed in or copied by hand from one system to another
Stock figures, prices or customer data differ from system to system
The integrations are scripts and custom code that only one person understands
An acquired company runs its own systems in a silo
You are changing ERP system, and the old integrations have to be rebuilt
Management lacks consolidated figures because the data sits in five different systems
Every new sales channel or partner needs a new connection of its own
The problem
Why does the problem grow with every new system?
With five systems that each need to talk to the others, there are ten connections. With ten systems there are 45. Each connection has its own code, its own error handling and its own owner, and when one system is upgraded, all of its connections have to be tested again.
It is the model most companies end up with without ever choosing it, because each integration was built as a small project when the need arose. Drag the handle and see the difference:
BeforeAfter
The same systems and partners. On the left, how it often looks today: point-to-point connections, several of them manual. On the right, the same landscape with Lobster as a single integration layer. Drag the handle to compare.
With an integration layer, each system talks only to the layer. New systems are connected in one place, changes are made in one place, and the monitoring covers every flow rather than just the ones somebody happens to remember to check.
Methods
API, files, database or EDI: which route?
The choice depends on what the systems can do and how quickly the data needs to arrive. In practice most companies use several methods at once, and that is exactly why they should be brought together in one layer rather than each having a solution of its own.
Method
Best for
Typical use
REST and SOAP APIs
Modern systems with open interfaces that need real-time data
Orders from the web shop, customer data to CRM, stock status to customer service
File transfer (SFTP, OFTP2)
Older systems, 3PL warehouses and batch runs
Price lists, pick orders, stock reconciliation
Database
Internal systems without an API
Extracts for BI, synchronising master data
EDI (EDIFACT, X12, Peppol)
Trading partners that require standard formats
Orders, invoices, delivery notes
Webhooks and message queues
Event-driven flows where something has to happen straight away
Order status, payments, stock events
That is also the difference between integration in general and pure EDI integration: EDI is one of the methods, not the whole job. Your trading partners’ documents and your internal flows should run on the same platform, so an order from a retail chain and an order from the web shop end up in the same place.
Systems
What can be connected?
Lobster provides connectors for most common systems, and for the rest we build the connection using files, databases or web services. Typical systems include:
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations
Dynamics NAV and AX
Visma
SAP
WMS and 3PL warehouses
TMS and carriers
Web shop and marketplaces
PIM and DAM
CRM platforms
BI and data warehouse
IoT and machine data
Legacy systems and databases
More important than the list is that no system ever becomes a dead end. If it cannot speak API, it speaks files or database, and then it is the integration layer’s job to translate.
Typical integrations
How ERP integration is used in practice
Web shop to ERP
Orders, payments and customer data from the web shop are created in ERP, and order status, stock and prices go the other way, so the customer sees the right figures.
ERP and WMS in sync
Pick orders go to the warehouse, and stock movements and shipments come back. The stock figure in ERP matches what is on the shelf.
PIM to every channel
Product data is maintained in one place and published to the web shop, marketplaces, catalogues and partners in their own formats.
CRM and ERP
Customers, contacts, prices and order history are kept consistent, so sales and finance see the same customer.
Data for BI and the data warehouse
Sales, stock and finance data are brought together in a single, automatically updated data foundation, so reports are not built on last week’s extracts.
Machine data and IoT
Production and sensor data are read in via OPC UA and linked to orders, quality and maintenance.
Have you got a flow that runs on extracts, spreadsheets or patience today? That is usually where we start.
We use Lobster Data Platform as the core of our solutions: drag-and-drop mapping, built-in validation and transformation, separate test and production environments, and dashboards that show every single message. The platform runs in the cloud or on your own servers.
The advantage is not only technical. When the integrations are documented and visible in one place, your own people can take them over, and a new colleague can read a flow without reading code.
Operating model
In-house or managed?
Integration is not a project with an end date. Systems are upgraded, partners change formats and new flows come along. Someone has to keep an eye on things, and that can be you or us.
We work with both models, and you own the platform, data and documentation either way. That also means the model can be changed later.
In-house
You run the platform yourselves. We implement it, train your team and are on hand as specialists when needed.
Managed
SublimTech monitors, fixes and develops your integrations as your dedicated partner. You get the integrations as a service.
We do not start with the whole landscape. We start with the flow where the manual work is greatest, take it live and use what we learn for the next ones.
We map systems, partners and document types and agree which flows to build first.
Phase 2 of 5
Flow design and mapping
Each flow is modelled visually in Lobster, with validation, transformation and error handling built in from the start.
Phase 3 of 5
Configuration and connections
ERP, WMS, TMS and partners are connected with the protocols and certificates each party requires.
Phase 4 of 5
Testing and partner onboarding
Each flow is tested end to end with real documents and signed off with each trading partner.
Phase 5 of 5
Go-live, training and operations
Flows go into production partner by partner, your people are trained, and operations are monitored closely from day one.
For each phase, it is clear what we do, what you provide and where Lobster comes in.
Along the way we document flows, mappings and business rules, so the integration layer does not become a new dependency on a single supplier. An integration layer that only the supplier understands is not a solution.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ERP integration
What is the difference between ERP integration, data integration and system integration?
In practice the terms cover the same thing: getting systems to exchange data automatically. ERP integration puts the ERP system at the centre, system integration emphasises the link between the systems, and data integration emphasises what flows between them. All three are about making sure data only has to be keyed in once.
What is the difference between ERP integration and EDI?
EDI is standardised document exchange with external trading partners. ERP integration also covers the internal flows between ERP, WMS, web shop, CRM and BI. Most companies need both, and they should sit on the same platform.
Should we choose an API or file transfer?
That depends on the systems and on how quickly the data needs to arrive. APIs give you real-time data and better error messages, while files are robust for large batch runs and older systems. An integration platform lets you use both without building two different solutions.
Can old systems be integrated?
Yes. Older systems without an API can usually be integrated via the database, files or a small adapter. Lobster Bridge makes it possible to reach systems behind your firewall from a cloud installation.
What does ERP integration cost?
It depends on the number of systems and flows and on how much business logic has to be built in. We give you an estimate after a discovery phase in which we map and prioritise the flows. The first flow typically costs the most, because the platform is set up at the same time.
What is an integration platform, and what does iPaaS mean?
An integration platform brings all connections, mappings and monitoring together in one tool, instead of every integration being a program of its own. iPaaS is the term used when the platform is delivered as a cloud service. Lobster Data Platform can run both in the cloud and on your own servers.
Shall we take a look at your system landscape?
Tell us which systems need to talk to each other and where data is keyed in by hand today. We will get back to you with a suggestion for where best to start.
