Integration5 min readBy Published

New ERP or better integrations: which does your business need?

Someone on the team says the ERP is the problem, and a replacement quote follows. Sometimes that's right. More often each system works fine on its own and nobody connected them, so people fill the gap by retyping data.

Short answer

You need a new ERP when the system can't model how your business works, is no longer supported, or can't be changed at a sensible cost. You need integrations when each system is fine but the same data is typed into several of them. Integration is usually cheaper and easier to undo, so rule it out before you sign anything.

Which problem do you actually have?

Ask where the pain shows up. If it shows up between systems (an order arrives in the shop, then someone retypes it into the ERP, then again into accounting), that's an integration problem. A new ERP would give you a new place to retype the same order.

If the pain is inside one system, the picture changes. The ERP can't handle your pricing rules, or your stock process, or a new product line, even after a specialist has tried every setting. That's worth a closer look.

What the symptom usually points to

  • Shop orders are retyped into the ERP

    Integration problem. Connect them.

  • CRM and accounting hold different customer details

    Integration problem. Choose one source and sync from it.

  • A weekly spreadsheet merges data from three tools

    Integration and reporting problem, not an ERP one.

  • The ERP can't model your pricing or process, even with a specialist

    Possibly a real ERP problem. Look closer.

  • The vendor has ended support or updates

    Plan a replacement, and connect the new one properly.

Replace or connect, side by side

A replacement changes everything at once: every screen, every report, every habit, plus years of records that have to move and be checked. Connecting what you have changes one flow at a time, and you can switch a flow off if it misbehaves.

That difference in risk matters more than the difference in price. A failed integration is an annoying week. A failed ERP cutover can stop invoicing and shipping.

Replacing the ERP and connecting your existing systems

Replace the ERP

Timeline
Many months, then a cutover
Risk
The whole business changes at once
Staff
Everyone relearns the system
Your records
Years of data to move and check
Fixes
A hard limit inside the system

Connect what you have

Timeline
Weeks for a first flow
Risk
One flow at a time, easy to roll back
Staff
People keep the tools they know
Your records
They stay where they are
Fixes
Data stuck between systems

What an integration project looks like

It starts small. We pick one flow that costs the most time, say a web order reaching the ERP and then accounting, and build only that. Most modern systems expose an API for this. Older ones may only offer file exports and imports, which still works.

Check the current terms of each system's API too. Some vendors limit or charge for access, and that belongs in the budget before the build starts.

A first integration, start to finish

  1. Pick one flow

    The one where people retype the most data today.

  2. Map the data

    Decide which system owns each field, such as the customer address or the price.

  3. Build and test

    Run it on real records, including the messy ones, before it goes live.

  4. Watch it run

    Add logs and an alert, so a failure is noticed the same day.

What can stay in a spreadsheet

A lot, honestly. A forecast, a one-off analysis, a price list only one person maintains, a planning sheet for a single team. Spreadsheets are a fine tool when one person owns the file and nothing else depends on it.

Move the data out when several people edit the same file, when it feeds decisions about money, or when somebody retypes it into another system. Even then you rarely need to ban the spreadsheet. Often the better fix is to let the system be the source and let the sheet read from it.

When a new ERP really is the answer

Replace the system when the vendor no longer supports it, when it can't run a process the business now depends on, or when every change needs an outside specialist and weeks of waiting. Also when it can't be connected at all: no API, no file export, no way in.

Even then, integration work isn't wasted. A new ERP still has to talk to your shop, CRM and bank, so the connections get rebuilt on the new system. We'd rather tell you honestly that a system is at the end of its life than build connectors around it.

Questions people also ask

Is it cheaper to integrate than to replace an ERP?

Usually, because you keep the systems and records you already pay for and change one flow at a time. It isn't always cheaper: if five systems each need many connections, or the old ERP can't be reached at all, a replacement can make more sense. A short review of your actual setup answers it.

How long does an integration take?

A first flow typically takes a few weeks, depending on how many systems it touches and how good their APIs are. We scope it after a short look at the process and the systems involved.

What if one of our systems has no API?

Often there is still a file export or import we can schedule and check. If the system offers no way in at all, that is a real argument for replacing it, and we'll say so.

Related service

Systems & ERP IntegrationERP integration that connects Odoo, SAP Business One, Zoho, Dynamics 365 and QuickBooks to your CRM and spreadsheets, so nobody has to retype data.See the service

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