Separate a proposed value from an operational record.
AI may interpret free text or propose a catalogue match. An ERP has its own rules for master data, states, units, price lists, warehouses and permissions. The integration must respect these constraints before writing anything. A successful API response does not establish that the business meaning of a field is correct.
Discovery starts with the actual product, version, licensed modules and access. An on-premises ERP may expose different integration options from its cloud edition. Involving its owner or vendor early avoids planning around unavailable APIs or unsupported changes to the operational system.
Worked scenario: transfer an approved materials request.
Illustrative scenario: an operations office prepares material requests for service jobs and transfers them to its ERP. The workflow validates item codes, creates a draft and checks the result before marking the request as transferred. Stock availability comes from its authoritative source, rather than being inferred from a product description.
Scroll the table to compare all columns.
| Check | Comparison | If they differ |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | External request ID and ERP document | Pause a new insertion and check for duplicates |
| Lines | Line count, item codes, quantities and units | Show the difference to the assigned owner |
| Status | Expected draft status and actual response | Do not trigger the next workflow step |
| Confirmation | Record existence after an uncertain response | Verify before retrying a write |
Write the integration contract field by field.
Name the authoritative system for each value. If the ERP owns price data, an email description must not overwrite it. Agree item identifiers, units and rounding; document missing fields, out-of-range dates and inactive accounts. For cross-border operations, include relevant currency and date conventions in examples.
Interface limitations are product-specific. Microsoft documents differences between Business Central APIs and pages exposed as OData services, including the lack of deep patching for nested updates. Actual operations must therefore be verified; do not assume that a complete business transaction can always be handled in one request.
Release in steps that can be checked.
Read and map
Inspect real examples, identifiers and states. Produce a field map and identify dependencies on the ERP owner or vendor before estimating a production integration.
Test in isolation
Use controlled records in an agreed environment, including rejected lines, duplicate requests and interrupted responses. Define the expected final state in both systems for every test.
Limit initial writes
Enable only approved operations for a bounded workload. Reconciliation produces a difference list and assigns responsibility for resolving each discrepancy.
Document recovery
Give operators instructions to pause the flow, distinguish transient failures from invalid data and resume without inserting records that already exist.
Check feasibility before committing to implementation.
A controlled export may be an appropriate first step where sustainable API access is unavailable. Interface automation, if considered, needs its own assessment of fragility and maintenance. It should not be assumed to provide the same operating characteristics as a supported integration.
- Authorised access through an integration method the ERP supports.
- A stable identifier connecting the source request to its outcome.
- A test environment or procedure that protects live operational records.
- The ability to read the result and compare it with the source.
- Named owners for master data, exceptions and ERP changes.
A template to work from.
System integration map
One connection record containing field mappings, permissions, duplicate handling and a reconciliation check.
Download the Markdown templateERP integration reconciliation
A repeatable source-to-destination check with classified differences, owners and evidence that cases have been resolved.
Download the Markdown templateAutomation handover worksheet
A handover record with accessible materials, accepted responsibilities, an operating exercise and assigned outstanding work.
Download the Markdown templatePractical questions
Do we need to replace our ERP?
Replacement is not a starting assumption. First inspect existing APIs, imports and native features. If required access is unavailable, discovery may recommend a smaller scope or a dependency to resolve with the ERP vendor.
What happens if the ERP stops responding?
The request remains in a defined state. Before retrying an uncertain write, check whether the record was already created. Recovery must be exercised during the pilot, including any manual decisions an operator needs to make.
References and method
Concrete example of ERP interface limitations to verify during discovery; not a claim of compatibility with every ERP.