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The Working Capital System · four modules that build on each other
01Working Capital Designyour inventory strategy02Integration Accelerator™the ERP connection03Order Steering™ordering rules for your purchasing04Managed Operationsongoing operations
ToolWorking capital calculatoryour potential in numbersKnowledgeInsightshands-on knowledge on inventory and purchasingTechnologyEazyStockthe inventory-optimisation softwareTechnologyEazyERPthe middleware to your ERP
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Working Capital Designyour inventory strategyIntegration Accelerator™the ERP connectionOrder Steering™ordering rules for your purchasingManaged Operationsongoing operations
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Working capital calculatoryour potential in numbersInsightshands-on knowledge on inventory and purchasingEazyStockthe inventory-optimisation softwareEazyERPthe middleware to your ERPweclappEazyStock for weclappSelectLineEazyStock for SelectLineAlphaplanEazyStock for AlphaplanpixiEazyStock for pixiOpaccEazyStock for OpaccSAP Business OneEazyStock for SAP Business OneDynamics NAVEazyStock for Dynamics NAVBusiness CentralEazyStock for Business CentralAcumaticaEazyStock for AcumaticaComarchEazyStock for Comarch
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DEEN

EDI vs. API vs. interfaces: system integration in practice.

The key points

  • Interface is the umbrella term: any way two systems exchange data.
  • EDI transfers standardised business documents (orders, delivery notes, invoices) between companies, usually in batches.
  • APIs are programmatic interfaces for real-time exchange, typically within your own system landscape.
  • In practice you often need both. What matters isn't the technology, but that someone operates and monitors the paths.

What is what?

When EDI, when API?

EDI is the standard for recurring documents between business partners: large customers and suppliers expect orders, order confirmations and invoices as an EDI message, not as a PDF in the inbox. APIs play to their strengths within your own system landscape: when the ERP delivers data to the inventory optimisation nightly and order proposals come back in the morning, or when a web shop queries stock in real time. The rule of thumb: documents between companies speak EDI, systems in your own stack speak API.

And when the ERP has no API?

Then that's no exclusion criterion. Older systems export documents as files (e.g. IDocs as XML) and transfer them via SFTP, modern ones offer OData or REST interfaces, and read-only database access sits in between. More important than the technology is the operation: paths that are monitored, errors that someone notices, and a clear owner. How we solve that, including the paths for on-premises systems, is shown by the Integration Accelerator page.

For integration projects, don't ask first "EDI or API?", but "Who notices when the path fails at night?". The answer to the second question decides the data quality in day-to-day work.

Keep reading

ERP & Systems

ERP vs. inventory management: differences, pros, cons.

ERP & Systems

The SAP procurement process, explained briefly.

ERP & Systems

What is SAP (ERP) software? And is it only for large corporations?

Inventory & Purchasing

ABC/XYZ analysis: a steerable assortment in 4 steps.

In practice

Systempilot with a talk at the ADV conference "Trends in digitalisation".

Inventory & Purchasing

Never out of stock again: automatic demand forecasts in EazyStock.

How much liquidity is tied up in your warehouse?

30 minutes, your numbers, concrete answers. No pitch deck, no sales pressure.

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