Tag Archive for: Sales Orders Synchronization


This article highlights seamless integration of EDI orders (850) into NetSuite via Magic xpi, to streamline business operations for maximum enterprise efficiency.

Empowering Businesses with EDI2XML’s Magic xpi Expertise     

With EDI2XML‘s specialized knowledge and 24+ years of experience in e-commerce automation, businesses can tap into the full potential of Magic xpi for effortless integration and streamlined operations. Join us as we explore how EDI2XML‘s expertise combined with Magic xpi can transform your business processes, driving efficiency and success in today’s fast-paced market.

EDI Integration with NetSuite Using Magic xpi

Oracle NetSuite is an enterprise management software solution (ERP) that small and medium size companies use worldwide. Although a great system, it lacks built-in electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities. For that reason, companies need to build their own custom integration to push EDI orders received from their EDI partners, into NetSuite.

EDI at a Glance

EDI is a computer-to-computer exchange of information, particularly business documents, that eliminates manual intervention. It utilizes a standard electronic format between business partners, making it easy to share documents, regardless of the system used at each end.

An EDI solution essentially automates the process of document sharing. Businesses can send and receive documents without the tedious work of filling-in the information, changing the format, and sending the document.

Several EDI standards are used worldwide, and it’s important for business partners to agree on a standard. For instance, in the US, the ANSI.X12 standard is very commonly used. Similarly, EDIFACT is another global standard that provides formats for EDI orders, widely used in Europe and the rest of the world.

If a trading partner uses a different standard, the EDI solution or service provider must convert it into the destination format/standard to be able to translate the electronic information.


Learn more about EDI by reading this article: What is EDI


What is EDI Order 850?

Within the EDI standard, each transaction has a specific code. For example, a Purchase order is coded 850, a P/O Change is coded 860 and so on.

Basically, an EDI 850 Order is a formal request sent by the buyer (purchasing company) to the supplier (seller) for the demand of delivery of goods and/or services at an agreed price.

An EDI order 850, when transmitted via EDI, has a specific structure and syntax, that conforms to the ANSI X12 standard, and it is sent via EDI connectivity transport protocols adopted by the partners.

Whether the Order was in X12 or EDIFACT standard, both have similar structure, but different syntax. For illustration in this article, we are using EDI 850. Following is a diagram comparing the structure of the order between X12 and EDIFACT.

EDI X12  vs EDIFACT

For more information about the EDI 850 order, it is very important to read this article: All you need to know about EDI ANSI X12 Transaction Set 850 (Purchase Order)


Magic xpi at a Glance

Magic xpi is an advanced integration platform designed to connect various systems and automate business processes. It provides pre-built connectors and adaptors specifically designed for branded ERP and CRM systems. Thanks to the team at EDI2XML for adding an EDI connector to Magic xpi, to simplify NetSuite integration. These connectors enable seamless data exchange between the two systems, ensuring accurate and real-time order synchronization.

Unique Features and Benefits of Magic

Magic xpi offers several unique features and benefits that make it an ideal choice for integration.

Data mapping, transformation, and validation: Magic xpi provides a visual data mapper that enables users to easily map data between the EDI system and NetSuite, ensuring data integrity. This includes data transformation and validation, preventing the transfer of inaccurate or incomplete data.

Pre-built connectors and adaptors: Magic xpi comes with generic pre-built connectors and adaptors specifically designed to connect to branded and non-branded systems that are API ready, such as NetSuite. These connectors simplify the integration process, reducing development time and effort.

Flexibility and scalability: With Magic xpi, businesses have the flexibility to adapt the integration process to their specific needs. The platform supports various data formats and protocols, allowing businesses to seamlessly integrate with different systems. Additionally, Magic xpi is scalable, capable of supporting growing business needs and increasing transaction volumes.

Automation and workflow capabilities: Magic xpi enables businesses to automate order fulfillment processes (for example), by defining workflows and business rules. This eliminates the need for manual intervention and ensures consistent order processing, regardless of the order source or trading partner.

Real-time monitoring and alerts: Magic xpi provides real-time monitoring of order synchronization processes. Users can set up alerts and notifications to be immediately informed of any errors or issues, enabling quick resolution, and preventing any potential disruptions to the order fulfillment process.

NetSuite and EDI Integration

Oracle NetSuite offers various modules for human resource management, accounting, finance, customer relations and analytics. As a cloud-based solution, it offers the flexibility and convenience of managing different operations and departments in a business. 

As previously stated, NetSuite does not offer EDI integration out of the box, hence why users of NetSuite will have no choice other than building some kind of integrations. Following are the different methods allowing integration with, asp per their own website:

  1. Csv import: NetSuite allows integration through comma separated files import mostly used to bulk load data into NetSuite.
  2. SuiteTalk SOAP and REST web services:  this is another programmatical access provided by NetSuite, to allow integration using both SOAP and REST API.
  3. RESTLets: scripting using custom REST-based scripts is another method provided by NetSuite out-of-the box to allow integration.

To be able to integrate with NetSuite, using one of the above methods, requires certain level of expertise with NetSuite; mostly, companies use the services of NetSuite consultants with integration expertise, to accomplish such objectives, which can be long, hard, and costly, due to the fact it requires lots of coding and testing.

What if there is a solution that does not require such an effort, time, and resources, where results can be observed within a short period of time, fraction of the time of coding and doing it yourself, without installing anything on the customer premises?

This is where our expertise at EDI2XML comes into play and can show the difference.

Useful reading: NetSuite SuiteCloud Platform Integration

Understanding the Importance of Orders Synchronization

Managing EDI orders (850) manually can be a complex and time-consuming task; it is almost humanly impossible, especially when it involves handling large volumes of data, ensuring data integrity, and coordinating with multiple trading partners. These manual processes increase the chances of errors and delays, leading to dissatisfied customers and potential revenue loss.

Real-time orders synchronization is the key to enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction. By automating the order process, businesses can eliminate manual tasks, reduce human errors, and expedite order fulfillment. Customers receive faster updates on order status, ensuring a seamless buying experience. Additionally, real-time synchronization enables businesses to make informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date order information.

Streamlined order processing has a significant impact on overall business operations and profitability. With accurate and timely order synchronization, businesses can improve inventory management, optimize production schedules, and enhance supply chain efficiency. This leads to cost savings, reduced lead times, and improved overall business performance.

How Does the Integration Happen?

Here is the flow described in very simple terms:

  • The EDI2XML platform will sit in the middle between the company and its trading partner.
  • Once the EDI trading partner submits a purchase order (850) to his supplier, EDI2XML will receive that EDI 850 on behalf of the receiving party.
  • Upon receiving the Order in its X12 format or EDIFACT format, EDI2XML will right away go through several data format transformation to an xml format.
  • That xml format of the 850, will then be mapped to the NetSuite Schema of the order and pushed to NetSuite.

The following diagram illustrates a high level visual of how EDI2XML works and how the transformation and integration happen.

You can also notice that Magic xpi integration platform is also featured in the middle of the process and plays the orle of the maestro who synchronize the actions and the one who publish the data to NetSuite (or another ERP system).

EDI Fully Managed Services

The following image describes how Magic xpi allows the discovery and visual mapping from a source to a destination, making it easy and quick to map data from one side to another.

how Magic xpi allows the discovery and visual mapping

The screenshot above illustrates the mapping process facilitated by EDI2XML, acting as the intermediary between an order received via EDI and NetSuite. With our expertise, businesses enjoy a hassle-free integration experience, eliminating the need for server installations and saving valuable time and costs in the process. This is a screenshot taken from a real project and being shared with our audience for education and information purposes.

How EDI2XML Enables EDI Orders Synchronization with NetSuite

Integrating EDI transactions (i.e., Orders 850) with NetSuite can be complex and time-consuming without the right tools.

The team at EDI2XML have over 24 years of proven experience on how to leverage technology to deliver efficient integration in a relatively short time, and the most efficient manner while staying on budget. One of the technologies we use is Magic xpi, a comprehensive integration platform meant to bridge the gap between systems.

Streamlining integration with Magic xpi is crucial for optimizing business operations and enhancing customer satisfaction. Leveraging our extensive expertise in integration processes, we offer proven strategies to maximize the efficiency of your online trading endeavors.

If you’re ready to transform your business operations, start by scheduling a free consultation with our integration expert today. Discover how our expertise in seamless integration and efficient data exchange can empower your business to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

Frre Consultation

 


E-commerce businesses have grown exponentially over the past few years, and consumer demand and expectations are rising as well, so now more than ever, it is essential for online businesses to ensure fast and accurate order fulfillment. Thus, providing customers with a seamless order fulfillment experience is a key competency for e-commerce businesses to stay competitive in the market.

Automation plays a very important role in streamlining all your e-commerce fulfillment processes, right from receiving orders from the customers, arranging for the ordered products, and finally delivering them to the customers.

E-commerce Automation: A Way to Save Time and Money

According to Deloitte research, it is better to focus on improvements that can fundamentally change how your business operates rather than making incremental changes.

E-commerce automation is exactly what can change the way your online business functions.

Online stores of all sizes, from small boutiques and startups to huge corporate e-commerce websites from Fortune 500 companies, are using e-commerce automation to improve their e-commerce business.

online store automation

No matter what platform your online e-commerce store is running on, Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, or any other, automation can give you a significant advantage over your competitors and help you gain customer loyalty.

What is the Process of Order Management in E-Commerce?

Companies that can organize their main online business processes effectively win in the highly competitive e-commerce market.

It is already known that the speed of order fulfillment affects the volume of sales. Fast order fulfillment encourages the customer to make repeat purchases from this particular online store.

Order management includes the following processes:

  • Warehousing of goods (can be both in the company’s own warehouse, and in the warehouse of suppliers, or a drop shipper).
  • Receiving and processing orders in the online store, which includes reconciliation with current stocks in the warehouse and confirmation of purchase order.
  • Picking and packing orders.
  • Transfer of the order to transport companies for delivery/ or delivery of orders.
  • Informing the buyer about the current status of the order.
  • Updating inventory stock information.
  • Receiving payment from buyers (B2B or B2C).
  • Work with returns.

The main objective of order management is to provide accurate and fast execution at all stages of the sales cycle, which helps increase customer loyalty, and the profitability of the company, and maintain a positive reputation.

Currently, a large number of online businesses outsource the fulfillment function. However, keep in mind that when order fulfillment is transferred to a 3PL provider as a fulfillment center, the set of specific fulfillment operations may vary. For example, a company can deal with returns on its own.

Fulfillment Meaning in E-Commerce

E-commerce fulfillment is a complex set of business operations that start from the moment the customer places an order in an e-commerce online store until the moment he receives the purchased products or goods.

An e-commerce company can complete the order fulfillment process internally or outsource it to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider.

In e-commerce, the term order fulfillment refers to two main types of order fulfillment:

1. Business-to-business (B2B) where orders are shipped to a company or big retailers (Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, etc.) Normally, B2B orders include large quantities of many items.

2. Business-to-Consumer (B2C) where individual shoppers are provided with products directly at home. In general, these are not large orders consisting of an extremely high count of products, although the frequency of purchase can be greater.

E-commerce Order Management: Order Fulfillment Automation

In e-commerce, order management is one of the most important processes, which directly impacts profit. That’s why automating the order fulfillment process is crucial to creating a successful online business.

Order fulfillment automation can be successfully implemented under any of the following scenarios:

  • Delivery of goods from the company’s own warehouse
  • Delivery of goods from the supplier’s warehouse
  • Dropshipping
  • 3PL warehouse

Based on our many years of experience in integration and e-commerce automation, we can guarantee that automation of order fulfillment will allow your online business to run much more efficiently.

Benefits of Order Fulfillment Automation

The best solution for optimizing order fulfillment is to automate this process. It gives the online businesses a lot of opportunities:

  • the speed of receiving and processing the order.
  • Manage orders coming from different sales channels (e.g. Shopify store, Amazon seller, etc.)
  • Ensure high speed, transparency, and continuity of processes.
  • Minimize errors that occur during manual order processing.
  • Improve customer service and increase profits.

Order Fulfillment Automation – Behind the Scene

Let’s take a look behind the scenes when we talk about automating the online order fulfillment process.

In fact, e-commerce automation is the integration of an enterprise business system such as CRM or ERP and an e-commerce platform to synchronize the exchange of data in both directions incoming and outgoing.

The goal of e-commerce automation is to configure and deploy a cloud-based, integration process (not a widget) that will be running 24/7/365 to synchronize business data between the e-commerce online store and the ERP /CRM system of the company.

Of course, depending on the specifics of the business, there are a variety of e-commerce integration scenarios. Usually, it is the integration of an online store running on Shopify, BigCommerce, Magneto, and WooCommerce with back-end management systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, NetSuite, Salesforce, HubSpot, and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange).

Automation e-commerce

Based on our many years of experience in integrating e-commerce, the following is the most common integration scenario:

Shopify Salesforce Integration

Shopify and Salesforce integration is one of the most common integrations for automating an online store.

This type of integration is very common due to the fact that both platforms are very popular and used by hundreds of thousands of users around the world.

Shopify is one of the most popular platforms for creating and running an e-commerce website. It powers over 800,000 businesses.

Salesforce is a leading cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform for businesses of all sizes.

By integrating Shopify with Salesforce, you can sync all your data and streamline processes across the two platforms.

Shopify Salesforce Integration with EDI2XML

Shopify integration

Let’s take a look at how we, in EDI2XML, automate e-commerce using the example of Shopify and Salesforce integration.

EDI2XML typically acts as an intermediary between a customer’s e-commerce instances and their trading partner (shipper, supplier, 3PL) or customer’s internal business systems.

Shopify Sales Orders Synchronization

Here are the steps of one-way synchronization from Shopify to Salesforce:

1. Our EDI2XML integration flow will start every pre-defined period (recommended every 15 minutes).

2. The integration flow will connect to a Shopify instance to read and extract the list of Orders created since the last call, that are not yet transferred to Salesforce.

3. It will bring those orders with their corresponding details

4. Our EDI2XML flow will than transform these orders into a format ready to be pushed to Salesforce

5. The orders will be submitted to Salesforce.

6. An email will be triggered for a mailing list to advise about a new order(s) sent to the Salesforce

Shopify Order Fulfillment Synchronization

Here are the steps of one-way synchronization from Salesforce to Shopify:

1. Upon fulfilling the order and shipping the goods of an order in Salesforce, the status of the order will change.

2. Our EDI2XML integration flow will start every pre-defined period (recommended every 15 minutes).

3. When it wakes up, it will do the following:

a) Extract the list of Orders that are originating from Salesforce that are not yet fulfilled

b) For each not fulfilled Order, it will check its status in Salesforce

c) If the orders status in Salesforce is now fulfilled, it will extract the fulfillment necessary information and it will update the Shopify instance.

d) It will also send an email to a mailing list, to advise about the fulfillment of the order in question.

Conclusion: Why is It Crucial to Automate the E-Commerce Order Fulfillment Process?

Can automation of online business boost your income? Definitely yes! Automation is designed to reduce the routine, and to get the maximum income from customers, as well as attracting a new target audience.

Contact us for your first free consultation with one of our experts and find out how you can automate your online business.