The most basic aspects of integration (after choosing which data to integrate), are the direction of the integration, and the frequency with which the integration will occur. Making the decisions about these aspects of the project should help you and your integration partner craft a solution that optimizes data accuracy, fulfillment speed, and ultimately customer satisfaction. Let’s take a look at integration direction and frequency options, and potential impacts on your business.
One-way vs. two-way integration
As discussed previously, knowing the system of record that owns each piece of data is a critical aspect of the integration project planning process. As you build out a list of integration points and the data involved, you will probably find that some data needs to move in one direction only, while other data must flow in two directions. Most companies find that a combination of unidirectional and bidirectional data flow is needed.
For example, consider these possibilities for integration points and direction.
Example integration points and direction
Batching vs. Polling vs. Real-time
Various integration solutions approach the question of integration frequency differently. There may also be different methods employed within a particular integration solution for different data flows. And while it may be obvious, it seems important to mention that, generally speaking, real-time integration is most desirable for preventing the business and operational issues that arise when there are data transfer and data synchronization delays.
Batching
With some solutions and data flows, batch processing is used. Batch processing means that a certain threshold must be reached before the integration process is initiated. This threshold could be a certain volume of data, or it could be a certain amount of time that has passed since the last integration process. And while there are definitely applications in which batching is the best choice, the potential difficulty with batch processing for some eCommerce data flows is that it can create issues for customers. For example, gaps of time during which displayed inventory levels are inaccurate, or ordered product shipping delays.
Polling
Another method that improves on batch processing is called “polling”. With polling, the integration software regularly polls or checks the data source (either the eCommerce store or the ERP system) to see if there’s anything new there to integrate since the last time it checked. Polling tends to reduce the gaps between data events and the initiation of integration, but it doesn’t remove them completely, and the amount of reduction depends on the frequency of the polling. As a result, customers could still be negatively affected by systems that rely on this method.
Real-time
With real-time integration, the integration is initiated as soon as the data event occurs. There is no built-in lag or delay. When the data, let’s say a new eCommerce order, is generated by the website, the integration processing is immediately initiated and the order data is moved from the eCommerce system to the ERP system. This immediate transfer of data provides your business with the greatest opportunity to delight customers with speedy service.
As you can see, the frequency with which integration takes place can have a huge impact on the overall effectiveness of your solution. Recognizing the critical benefits of real-time integration, Kissinger Solutions built Web-Stor, our Sage 100 eCommerce integration solution, with real-time integration that’s triggered immediately when a customer account is created or linked, when a new order is placed, when the inventory level changes, when an order status update is available, etc. Real-time integration is just one of the features that makes Web-Stor a game-changing solution for businesses striving to compete in our global marketplace.
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