Solution
Connectors between your systems
Between two systems that don’t talk to each other there’s almost always somebody retyping. No-code tools manage for a while, then fail silently the day a source changes format.
The end of double entry
A failure is visible
A connector that stops sends an alert to a named person. That’s the difference between a contained incident and a silent hole in the data.
A retry rather than a loss
An unavailable source erases nothing. The message waits, the retry happens, and nothing goes through twice.
When the format changes, you hear about it
Every exchange is validated against what was expected. A column disappearing at the partner’s end produces an alert, not an empty row in the database.
The history stays readable
The log says what went out, when, and with what answer. A dispute is settled on the record rather than on recollection.
In practice
- One connector per exchange, with its input format declared and validated
- Automatic retry on a transient error, and a clean stop on a data error
- Idempotence: a replayed message does not create a duplicate
- A readable exchange log, with the payload kept for the agreed period
- An alert routed to a named person, with what they are expected to do
- Transformations written as versioned, tested code rather than in a drag-and-drop interface
Systems involved
- Swiss accounting packages and ERPs
- CRM and sales tools
- Online shops and marketplaces
- Files dropped on SFTP, shared drop folders and mailboxes
- APIs of the services you already use, where they exist
Service lineApplications and integration →
Which systems
The same work, against each sector’s own constraints. Every card opens the full sector.
Energy and utilities
Exchanges with market partners
Meter readings, supplier switches and billing data exchanged between your systems and the sector’s portals, with retries and a log.
Manufacturing
ERP and shop floor in sync
Production orders flow down to the shop floor and confirmations flow back into the ERP, with no retyping in between.
Retail and e-commerce
Online shop and till in sync
Stock and prices aligned between the till, the online shop and the ERP, with a log of what went through and what failed.
How it runs
Mapping
What is retyped by hand at present, between which systems, how often, and by whom.
First link
The most expensive exchange comes first, read-only at the start, to check what actually arrives.
Writing back
The connector writes into the target system, with idempotence and retry in place before the first real volume.
Watch
Alerts routed, log readable, and a one-page procedure for each foreseeable failure.
Dependencies and next steps
Test the fit: Connectors between your systems
Describe the context, constraints and decision you need to make. The first conversation qualifies scope, boundaries and the next useful step.
Describe the situation