Summary
In this chapter, we have talked about the different challenges in implementing a CRM integration with ERP. The details of the solution will be different for every CRM and ERP application, but the high level challenges are always the same.
We broke the challenges into technical areas, to make it easier to explain, giving several solutions for each technical area, and weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each solution. The challenges were divided into discussions of how to:
Extract the data from ERP
Transport the data between ERP and CRM
Store the data in CRM database
Display the data in the CRM UI
In the Extract the data from ERP section, we covered the different methods that can be used to read data from the ERP. Direct database access may be the simplest, but there are drawbacks because it bypasses the business logic. Using the business API, if there is one available, is the preferred option. We also introduced the concept of screen pops, which will be an important tool in...
