Integrating the Magento e-commerce platform to the back-end ERP system - the SAP Business One, for example - requires a thorough review of goals of the project to make sure the maximum return from such a project. Refining the goals and getting these right will make everything later on so much easier.
Online integration example
A great example of an integration goal is Inventory Availability.
The first business decision to be made is whether or not the ecommerce site should expose inventory availability to the shoppers. There are pros and cons to both possible decisions here. Not every e-commerce site shows this information. There are a number different methods for sharing this information. You might show:
- The actual number of products available
- Share a red, yellow or green light to indicate availability
- Provide an ‘In Stock’ or ‘Out of Stock’ message on the site (some take this further with a length of time to restock time)
E-business strategy drives the project
This is a great example of the types of decision which needs to be made beforehand. It is very important to get these sorted out at the start of the project as changing the specification later can have ramifications that cannot be predicted. Business decisions such as these drive the type of integration required, and how timely the refresh needs to be.
Integrating Magento to an Enterprise Resource Planning system can be a particularly challenging project. There are many moving parts and the project will be complicated enough (and very quickly too). However, by defining the strategy up front and taking the guidance of external experts, the integration is made manageable.
It is now - and only now - that the integration work should be started.
What can I do now?
If you have a possible project like this then you should start it off by selecting a agency with the right skills and experience to complete this for you. You can start this with a no-obligation discussion with us if you think you would like to find out more.
If you liked this blog then you might also like this previous blog too: http://inbound.itqsolutions.net/blog/4-ways-to-tell-if-your-erp-system-is-now-overloaded