1. System Integration – What are my options?
So youmay have accountssoftware,timesheetsoftware,andsalesforce software. Purchasinganew
ERP systemisa dauntingandexpensive experience. Sowhatdo youdo? Integrate.
There are manywaysto integrate applications. The worse Ihave evercome acrosswas a very
convolutedprocessof sendingandreadingemailstothe supplychain. Itwasan absolute nightmare. In
the age of webservices,some brightsparkhada Eurekamomentand said“I know, let’sdoitusing
emails”. The sendingof emailshasitsplace,butthatwasnot the place!
Here are some integrationroutestoconsider:
 Workflow. UnlimITedhassome greatworkflowsoftwarethatenablesustofollow yourbusiness
processesasit flowsthroughoutyourbusiness.
 Webservices. The sustainabilityof webservices(aslongasthe vendorhasa sustainable
developmentmodel)makesforagreat choice.
 ETL – Extract Transform Load. UnlimITedusesagreatETL tool namedTM Exporter. Usingthe
tool we can extract data fromthe firstapplication,transformitaccordingtothe second
application,andloaditintothe secondapplication. Thiscanbe eventdriven. E.g.Whena LPO
arrivesinyour accountssystem,we can take the stock fromyourstores managementsystem
and allocate itto the account. We can thenupdate yoursalesforce systemwiththe order
informationtokeepthe accountmanagerupdated.
 Data Injection. Datacan be directlyinsertedfromone database toanother. Thiscan cause
issueswhenthe logicof the applicationchanges. Some software vendorshave objectedtothis
inthe past. Theyget all protective about“mydatabase”. Rememberthe database isyour
database.
 SSIS– SQL ServerIntegrationServices(notjustforMicrosoftdatabases). Thisisa handytool
that can utilize all of the above.
What isthe mainthingto rememberwhenintegrating?
 Integrate whatneedstobe done. Do not doit for the sake of doingit.
 Scalability. Will the solutionbe scalable withthe growthof yourbusiness?
 Sustainability. Isthe solutionsustainable,orwill Ineedtochange the integrationeverytime
one of the vendorsreleasesanew versionof theirsoftware.
 Communication. If youor your IntegrationPartnercanengage withall software vendors,and
gettheirsupport,thenyouare on the rightpath.
 Support. Whenintegrationoccurs,itisimportantthat nothingisdone toinvalidate asupport
agreementwithanexistingvendor.
Integrationreallyisnotone size fitsall. Youhave toadapt to the software thatthe clienthas. Youhave
to adapt to the requirementsof the client.
At UnlimITedwe have extensive experienceasan IntegrationPartner. HavinganIntegrationPartner
enablesyoutohave people whoare biasedtowardsyourbusiness, andnottowardsanyspecificvendor
or method.