Create an Import Integration Between ERP System and E-Commerce

In a previous blog post, we introduced ACME Metal Stairs. The company uses our Business Integration Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013. Today we show you how ACME Metal Stairs uses Connectivity Studio to realize the import of data from its web shop. We will also describe how ACME handles the importing of sales orders which are created on its website.

Web Shop Import Integration Needs

ACME has built an e-commerce resource to sell its metal stairs to existing resellers over the web. In this web shop, the product catalog is filled and updated with items from the Microsoft Dynamics NAV database. For website visitors, it is very easy to select desired items and order them. When a reseller posts a sales order on the website, an XML file with all the required information is automatically generated and stored on the website’s FTP server. Because the administrator of Business Integration Solutions and Microsoft Dynamics NAV is responsible for the successful e-commerce integration, the administrator needs a solution which can import the XML file from the FTP server into the Microsoft Dynamics NAV database.

Creating and Monitoring Connections

The administrator uses the Role Center in Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Business Integration Solutions. Using the Role Center makes it easy to create and monitor connections. To set up an import integration, the administrator starts by defining the document definitions to be used in the integration. First, the administrator defines an external document definition, which indicates how the external data is delivered in terms of nodes, hierarchy, and data types. For defining this external document, the administrator uses the ‘Create Document from Sample File’ button, which saves much time. After this external document definition, the administrator defines the internal document, which is a representation of the Microsoft Dynamics NAV table structure. It includes tables, fields, and relationships. This internal document defines how the external data is to be processed into the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Database.

After defining the documents, it’s time to add elements to the connections and configure the elements. Once the elements are configured, the administrator can define the pipeline.

The administrator enables the ‘Trace Log’ functionality on the Record Generator properties card, so it is now possible to see in detail which records are generated or modified by Business Integration Solutions.

All sales orders posted on the FTP server are now imported properly. The original files are deleted from the FTP server, so it will never run out of space. Once the sales orders are imported into the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Database, a sales associate takes over responsibility and makes sure that the reseller receives the ordered products in time.

Next week, we’ll round out our series on Connectivity Studio, and show how ACME Metal Stairs can send sales order confirmations to customers by email. If you’d like to learn more about Connectivity Studio, send me a message here.

This blog post is based on real-life customer experiences. 'ACME Metal Stairs' is a fictional name that we use for the sake of privacy and simplicity in story-telling.