Fundamentals
The concepts behind every ecommerce-ERP integration
Short, accurate explanations for decision-makers and a precise vocabulary for implementers. Start here if you are new to integration projects.
- ERP
What Is an ERP System?
What an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system does, which business processes it manages, and why ecommerce businesses connect their online store to one.
2 min read - Ecommerce ERP integration
What Is Ecommerce ERP Integration?
What ecommerce ERP integration means, which workflows it automates, how data flows between store and ERP, and the main approaches used to build it.
2 min read - Middleware
What Does Integration Middleware Do?
What integration middleware is, what it does between ecommerce platforms and ERPs, the common types — iPaaS, ESB, message brokers — and the trade-offs involved.
2 min read - API integration
What Is an API-Based Integration?
How API-based integrations work, the differences between REST, GraphQL, and SOAP, authentication basics, rate limits, and why APIs beat direct database access.
2 min read - Webhooks
What Are Webhooks?
What webhooks are, how they deliver change notifications between systems, how to verify them, and the delivery behaviors integrations must be designed around.
2 min read - Scheduled sync
What Is Scheduled Synchronization?
How scheduled, batch-based synchronization works in integrations, how to design checkpoints and windows, and where it fits alongside event-driven updates.
1 min read - Event-driven architecture
What Is Event-Driven Architecture in Integrations?
How event-driven architecture applies to ecommerce-ERP integrations — events, producers, consumers, queues, outbox patterns — and the trade-offs it introduces.
2 min read - Data mapping
What Is Data Mapping in Integrations?
What data mapping means in ecommerce-ERP integrations — field, value, and structural mapping — with examples, common pitfalls, and how to document and test mappings.
2 min read - Idempotency
What Is Idempotency?
What idempotency means, why it is essential for reliable integrations, which HTTP methods are idempotent, and the common ways to make create operations safe to retry.
2 min read - Retry strategies
What Are Retry Strategies?
How integrations retry failed operations — immediate, fixed, exponential backoff, jitter, Retry-After, attempt limits, and circuit breakers — and which errors to retry.
2 min read - Dead-letter queue
What Is a Dead-Letter Queue?
What a dead-letter queue is, why integrations need one, what to store with each failed message, and how to monitor, review, and safely replay dead-lettered jobs.
1 min read - Inventory reconciliation
What Is Inventory Reconciliation?
What inventory reconciliation is, why stock drifts between an online store and an ERP, how to compare and correct quantities safely, and how often to reconcile.
1 min read - Integration monitoring
What Is Integration Monitoring?
What integration monitoring covers, how it differs from application monitoring, the key metrics for ecommerce-ERP integrations, and how it prevents silent data loss.
1 min read