Apostolos Kritikos - Challenges in integrating ERP systems with WooCommerce E-shops

As the volume of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mainly on the retail industry, continues to increase, the need to automate the logistics of these companies by integrating their back office (Enterprise Resource Planning Systems) with their e-shop becomes mandatory.

This past year at Social Mind we worked thoroughly in integrating two of the most widely used Greek ERPs with WooCommerce. This talk aims in sharing the challenges we faced and hopefully provide some good practices regarding software architecture for software houses.

Transcript

1. www.socialmind.gr
   @ WordCamp Athens 2017
   1
   Apostolos Kritikos
   Co-founder & CTO
   Challenges in integrating ERP systems
   with WooCommerce E-shops
   www.socialmind.gr
   

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   Enterprise Resource
   Planning Systems (ERPs)
   APIs
   Why they rule and why
   we using them…
   WordPress &
   WooCommerce
   Good Practices in
   Software Development
   Agenda
   Why they need to be
   integrated with e-shops…
   APIs APIs APIs APIs …
   APIs everywhere!
   Core decisions about the
   nature of our projects!
   

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   Why WordPress?
   #community #plugins
   #OpenSource #restAPI
   #scalable
   #extensibility
   #documentation #themes
   #support
   #future_proof
   Why WooCommerce?
   

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   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the integrated management of core
   business processes, often in real-time and mediated by software and
   technology. These business activities can include:
   • Product planning
   • Purchase
   • Production
   • Planning
   • Manufacturing or service delivery
   • Marketing and sales
   • Materials management
   • Inventory management
   • Retail
   • Shipping and payment
   • Finance
   (via Wikipedia)
   

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   Main reasons why retailers should want their ERP systems integrated
   with their WooCommerce store:
   Spare me the Wiki definition and tell me why!
   The product catalogue to the e-shop
   is automatically synchronized with
   the product catalogue of the ERP
   reducing the double data entry time
   for the retailer.
   One data entry to rule
   them all
   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   

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   Main reasons why retailers using ERP systems should want them
   integrated with their e-shop solution:
   Spare me the Wiki definition and tell me why!
   Stock sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   The product catalogue to the e-shop
   is automatically synchronized with
   the product catalogue of the ERP
   reducing the double data entry time
   for the retailer.
   One data entry to rule
   them all
   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   The fact that the e-shop and the
   ERP are in sync ensures reliability
   when it comes to product availability.
   

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   @ WordCamp Athens 2017
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   Main reasons why retailers using ERP systems should want them
   integrated with their e-shop solution:
   Spare me the Wiki definition and tell me why!
   Order sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   Stock sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   The product catalogue to the e-shop
   is automatically synchronized with
   the product catalogue of the ERP
   reducing the double data entry time
   for the retailer.
   One data entry to rule
   them all
   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   The fact that the e-shop and the
   ERP are in sync ensures reliability
   when it comes to product availability.
   Likewise, orders and customers
   coming from the e-shop are
   automatically being synced with the
   ERP. This way the retailer’s orders
   and customers lists are always up to
   date in both systems.
   

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   @ WordCamp Athens 2017
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   Overselling prevention
   Main reasons why retailers using ERP systems should want them
   integrated with their e-shop solution:
   Spare me the Wiki definition and tell me why!
   Order sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   Stock sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   The product catalogue to the e-shop
   is automatically synchronized with
   the product catalogue of the ERP
   reducing the double data entry time
   for the retailer.
   One data entry to rule
   them all
   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   The fact that e-shop and ERP are in
   sync ensures reliability when it
   comes to product availability.
   Likewise, orders and customers
   coming from the e-shop are
   automatically being synced with the
   ERP. This way the retailer’s orders
   and customers lists are always up to
   date in both systems.
   Prevents the retailer from accepting
   orders from the e-shop for products
   that are out of stock due to sales
   happening to the physical store.
   

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   @ WordCamp Athens 2017
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   Overselling prevention
   Main reasons why retailers using ERP systems should want them
   integrated with their e-shop solution:
   Spare me the Wiki definition and tell me why!
   Order sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   Stock sync automation
   between e-shop & ERP
   The product catalogue to the e-shop
   is automatically synchronized with
   the product catalogue of the ERP
   reducing the double data entry time
   for the retailer.
   One data entry to rule
   them all
   ERPs…
   …and why we need to integrate them with e-shops!
   The fact that the e-shop and the
   ERP are in sync ensures reliability
   when it comes to product availability.
   Likewise, orders and customers
   coming from the e-shop are
   automatically being synced with the
   ERP. This way the retailer’s orders
   and customers lists are always up to
   date in both systems.
   Prevents the retailer from accepting
   orders from the e-shop for products
   that are out of stock due to sales
   happening to the physical store.
   

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    “A tale of two integrations”
    

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    NO API
    INTEGRATION #1
    

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    Database Database
    Intermediate
    Tables
    Intermediate
    Tables
    ERP WooCommerce
    t1 t2 t3
    

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    Pros?
    

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    Two sets of mediation tables need to be maintained in
    order for the solution to work. This cannot be avoided
    since the mediation table at the e-shop’s side, is being
    unavoidably updated from the ERP.
    WASTE OF RESOURCES
    Due to the mediation tables, each transaction is a
    three part process and therefore the time needed
    increases!
    DELAY
    Since there is no API, the programmer needs to learn
    the ERPs infrastructure and, in part, its customization
    software.
    LONG LEARNING CURVE
    Since the ERP updates the mediation tables to the e-
    shop’s side, the programmer needs to create and
    maintain those syncing scenarios.
    CRON JOBS BECOME SYNC SCENARIOS
    Cons
    

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    When a bug occurs, in order to reproduce it, the
    programmer might need to check the ERP platform
    itself. If the bug is due to a malfunction of the platform,
    then we end up doing support to the ERP solution.
    END UP DOING SUPPORT FOR THE ERP SOLUTION
    Since there is no API the database on the side of the
    ERP and the e-shop can be different (e.g. MS SQL for
    the ERP and MySQL for WooCommerce). This might
    lead to encoding or other “side effects”.
    SOLUTION IS NOT INFRASTRUCTURE AGNOSTIC
    In order to make the integration of the platforms more
    effective, some of the ERP scenarios need to break
    down to simpler ones. Then they need to be
    orchestrated (execution time management) in order
    for the flow of data to be accurate.
    CRON JOB ORCHESTRATION NEEDED
    Cons
    

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    API
    INTEGRATION #2
    

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    Database Database
    ERP WooCommerce
    t
    ERP API
    WC Rest API
    

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    No API
    Integration
    Cons
    API
    Integration
    Pros
    

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    “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions”
    

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    #1
    Who is going to use my code?
    

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    OPEN / INNER / CLOSED
    

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    Open Source
    Inner Source
    Closed Source
    Open-source software (OSS) is computer software
    with its source code made available with a license
    in which the copyright holder provides the rights to
    study, change, and distribute the software to
    anyone and for any purpose.
    Proprietary software is computer software for
    which the software's publisher or another person
    retains intellectual property rights—usually
    copyright of the source code, but sometimes
    patent rights.
    Inner source is the use of open source software
    development best practices and the establishment
    of an open source-like culture within
    organizations. The organization may still develop
    proprietary software, but internally opens up its
    development. The term was coined by Tim
    O'Reilly in 2000.
    

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    #2
    Legacy code /
    legacy code dependent
    

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    Documentation
    Bugfix Roadmap
    New Features Roadmap
    Integration / Adaptability
    • Usually not very thorough.
    • Usually not maintained / extended.
    • Usually its marketing / business based.
    • End-users rarely have a say or the power to be
    part of the decision making process.
    • Usually most critical first.
    • Usually not connected with infrastructure
    improvement in mind.
    • Usually serves specific purposes and it was
    originally designed to do so.
    • When integration is needed, the software cannot
    be easily extended.
    

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    #3
    Proprietary Software
    

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    Code is a black box
    No community
    Support is paid and on demand
    Contract precedes integration
    (slide thanks to logicroom.co)
    • Don’t have access to the code.
    • Don’t have access to the architecture.
    • Might take long (really long in some cases).
    • I have a limited group’s view re the proposed
    solution (corporate tech team of the software).
    • The software is being extended based on the
    decisions and dev capacity of the company.
    • Maintenance is also based on a specific group of
    people (that might change regularly).
    • If we want to know how stuff work (e.g. to integrate
    a proprietary system with WooCommerce) we have
    to sign a contract to gain full developer access to
    the system’s platform, API, whatever.
    • If it turns out the capabilities are less than
    advertised, the client has already been charged
    and, therefore, locked!
    

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    QUEUE
    CAMEL
    

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    One more “integration”!
    

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    FILE BASED SYNC VIA FTP
    INTEGRATION #3
    

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    Database
    Database
    Excel Files (!)
    ERP WooCommerce
    t1 t2
    

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    THANK YOU
    && QUESTIONS
    APOSTOLOS KRITIKOS
    E-mail:
    kritikos@socialmind.gr
    Athens:
    0030 210 72 432 76
    Thessaloniki:
    0030 2310 551 107
    Visit:
    www.socialmind.gr
    Follow us:
    SocialMindMedia @ Facebook, Twitter
    SocialMindGR @ Instagram
    #WeAreSocialMind
    

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