Hi there, it’s Mark Presnell from Convergence Limited also known as Mr Integration.
At the outset of any integration project it’s important to map out the flow of any business processes you’re planning to automate through the integration.
What we do to make that easier and to visualise it is we draw flow charts. We draw charts that show which data exactly needs to flow from A to B and back. We do this to clarify and get everyone on the same page about what data will be integrated and needed.
One of our clients recently for example sells their products on their own website – which happens to be a Shopify site -, they also sell on marketplace applications and websites such as Amazon, Etsy and Houze. Now all of the source data comes from their inventory management software which is Unleashed. Unleashed doesn’t have a lot of the data in it that is needed for the specific marketplaces. The process to enter a product on Amazon and Etsy and on Houze is different for each marketplace. What we did is that we mapped that all out so we knew exactly what data needs to go where, how variants are generated on Houze versus how they are generated on Etsy and on Amazon – variants being the same product in different color, size combinations and so forth. We then added a CODI ancillary database into the mix to house all of the additional data that’s needed. When we synchronize the data out to the website, to Amazon, to Etsy and to Houze the appropriate data is synchronized together and sent out to the appropriate target which can then be displayed as desired. That type of mapping takes a lot of upfront planning and we think this type of planning is absolutely critical to be done correctly in the beginning so that the result works best for your business and your systems.
If you’re interested in how that might be done for your business request a free integration assessment at convergence.co.nz and let’s talk further.
Mark Presnell
Managing Director
Convergence Limited
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