--- title: "System integration for SMEs – Riccardo Nentwich" description: "System integration for SMEs: connect CRM, ERP, email and documents so that data flows instead of being retyped. With data checks, error handling and monitoring." url: "https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/system-integration/" language: "en" translation: "https://riccardonentwich.com/leistungen/systemintegration/" --- [Services](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/)System Integration # System integration: data flows instead of being retyped. I connect the systems your business works with today: CRM, ERP, email, document management, databases, web applications and AI systems. Information is captured once and arrives, checked, wherever it is needed. Via an API where there is one. Via another stable route where there is not. [Arrange an initial call](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/initial-call/) Reply within 24 hours. Free of charge and without obligation. - Service Connecting existing software so that data flows between systems without manual work - Systems CRM, ERP, email, document management, databases, web applications and AI systems - Routes APIs, webhooks, import and export or database access – depending on what a system offers - Operation Data checks, error handling, monitoring and a log of every transfer - Goal Information is captured once and is correct everywhere it is needed 01Starting point ## The process stops at the system boundary. From there, a person carries the data on. Each system works well on its own. The problem lies in between: information is copied, retyped, passed on as a file or asked for by phone. Typical hand-overs from sales, order processing and administration: 1. ### Enquiries are retyped from emails into the CRM. Name, company and request are copied from the message, the attachment is filed by hand. When things get busy, it is put off until later. Between: Email and CRM 2. ### The order is won in the CRM and created again in the ERP. Customer, line items and terms are already in the quote and are still entered a second time, with the risk of typing errors. Between: CRM and ERP 3. ### An Excel list serves as a stopover. Data is exported from one system, reworked and imported into the next. Which version is current is often known only to the person who maintains it. Between: ERP, spreadsheet and accounting 4. ### Receipts are filed more than once. An invoice arrives by email, is saved in the document management system and assigned to the order again in the ERP. Between: Email, document management and ERP 5. ### Only one system knows the status. Sales asks the warehouse for the delivery date because it is not visible in the CRM. The customer waits for the answer. Between: ERP and CRM Every one of these hand-overs costs time, and at every one, typing errors, duplicates or outdated data can creep in. Which hand-over should go first depends on how often it happens and what is at stake. [Which process to automate first?](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/which-process-to-automate-first/) 02 Foundation ## What system integration is. And why so much builds on it. System integration means connecting existing software so that data moves from one system to another without manual work, checked and traceable. What does the work - ### Process automation An automated process has to be able to read data and enter results. Without access to the systems, it stops halfway. [More on process automation](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/process-automation/) - ### AI agents An agent that answers a customer’s question needs read access to the order and delivery date, and a clearly limited interface for every action. [More on AI agents](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/ai-agents/) - ### AI knowledge systems Data from the CRM and ERP is queried via interfaces at the moment the question is asked. That way the answer is current, and the system’s permissions continue to apply. [More on AI knowledge systems](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/ai-knowledge-systems/) What moves the data System integration Interfaces, data mapping, checks, error handling and monitoring. Invisible as long as everything runs. Where the data lives - CRM - ERP - Email - Document management - Databases - Web applications - Industry software Automation without integration just moves the retyping somewhere else. That is why many projects start with the same question: can we get at the data, and can we write results back reliably? 03 Connections ## What typically gets connected. Not everything with everything. Just the hand-overs where data is carried on by hand today. - ### Email to CRM Enquiries from the inbox are created as a contact and a case, attachments filed with the right record. - ### CRM and back to ERP Won orders arrive in the ERP with customer, line items and terms. Order status and delivery date are visible to sales. - ### ERP to Accounting Invoices and receipts go to accounting complete and checked, for example to DATEV. - ### Document management and back to ERP Receipts and documents are assigned to the right order. Filed once, found from both sides. - ### Website and forms to CRM Enquiries and orders arrive in the system in a structured way, instead of as an email someone retypes. - ### Web application and back to Database A dedicated application or customer portal works with the same data as your other systems, not with a copy. - ### Several systems to Reporting Figures from the CRM, ERP and spreadsheets come together in one report, without copying them every month. - ### External services and back to Your systems Shipment status, incoming payments or supplier catalogues arrive directly via the providers’ APIs. - ### AI system and back to CRM, ERP, filing An AI reads what it needs for a task and writes results back, for example the data from an invoice it has read into the ERP. Which connections are worth it follows from the process, not from the list of your systems. 04 How it works ## How an order flows from the CRM into the ERP. The data is checked before it is transferred. Anything that does not fit stops and goes to a person. Example / Integrating CRM and ERP A sales opportunity is marked as won in the CRM. The integration checks the details, translates them into the ERP’s fields and creates the order there. The order number is written back to the CRM. If a required detail is missing, nothing is transferred, and sales receives a note saying what is missing. Data complete 1. CRM: order won (system) 2. Check (automated) 3. Translate into the ERP’s fields (automated) 4. ERP: order created (system) 5. CRM: order number written back (system) Detail missing 1. CRM: order won (system) 2. Check (automated) 3. Note to sales, nothing transferred (human, exception) Three terms every integration project settles - Leading system For every piece of information, it is defined where it is maintained, for example customer master data in the ERP, contacts in the CRM. The other systems adopt it instead of changing it themselves. - Trigger The event that starts a transfer: a new order, a changed address, an incoming email. Or a fixed time, if a system does not report anything. - Mapping The translation between the fields of two systems: what the CRM calls “company” may be “debtor” in the ERP. This is where it is decided whether the data arrives correctly on the other side. 05 Routes ## API, file or database: which route fits. An API (application programming interface) is a documented access point through which software makes data and functions available to other programs in a controlled way. It is the best route, but not the only one. | | How it works | Makes sense when | What matters | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | API | A program queries or writes data in a targeted way, with its own access and defined permissions. | the system offers a documented interface. This is the case for most current CRM, ERP and cloud systems. | Scope of the interface, the provider’s access limits, extra costs for API access. | | Webhook | The system reports by itself as soon as something happens, for example a new order. | changes should be passed on immediately, without constantly asking. | Notifications can go missing. A regular reconciliation catches that. | | Import and export | Data is output as a file, such as CSV or XML, and picked up and read in automatically. | there is no API, or a daily reconciliation is enough. | Fixed file formats, unique keys, handling files that are incomplete. | | Database access | Data is read directly from a system’s database. | older software only provides its data there. Usually read-only. | Agreement with the vendor. Writing past the software can damage data. | | User interface automation | A program operates the screens the way a person would (RPA). | there is no other route and the process is simple and stable. | Breaks when the interface changes. Last choice, not first. | The best connection is the one that still works after the next update. 06Without an API ## No modern API? There is usually still a way. I check in a fixed order, from the most stable route to the last resort. An older inventory management system, industry software without a cloud version, a home-grown database: many businesses run systems that were never meant to be connected. That is no reason to replace them straight away. 1. ### Ask and read up Often there is an interface that simply is not being used: as an add-on module, in a newer version or as an older XML-based interface. A look at the documentation and a question to the vendor clear that up. 2. ### Automate files Many systems can export and import data. Picking up, checking and reading in then run automatically, on a fixed schedule. 3. ### Read from the database Data is read directly from the database, agreed with the vendor. Writing still happens through the software itself, so that its checks apply. 4. ### Build an intermediate layer A small dedicated service translates between the legacy system and the other systems. They only talk to this layer. If the legacy system is replaced later, only one place changes. 5. ### Have the interface operated A program clicks through the screens the way a person would. Only for simple, stable processes and with monitoring, because any change to the interface can stop it. 6. ### Replace where it pays off If every connection becomes a major effort, a lean web application for exactly this part or a different system can be the more sensible solution. That belongs openly on the table, but it is not the first suggestion. Whether and how a system can be connected is something I clarify before anything is built. Not afterwards. 07 Operation ## A connection is only finished once it reports errors. Four things decide whether an integration holds up in everyday use. They are built in, not added on later. - ### Data quality Principle Only what is complete and unique is transferred. Otherwise an integration copies every error into all connected systems. In practice Required details and formats are checked before the transfer, duplicates are recognised via unique keys such as customer or item numbers. For every piece of information, it is defined which system leads. - ### Error handling Principle An error stops the case instead of transferring half of it. And it ends up with someone who can fix it. In practice If a system is briefly unavailable, the transfer is retried automatically. If a detail is missing, a clear note goes to the person responsible. That way no case gets lost unnoticed, and none is created twice. - ### Monitoring Principle You find out about a problem before a customer does. In practice Every transfer is logged: when, what, with which result. If transfers stop or errors pile up, an alert is sent. That way every case can be traced. - ### Security Principle Every connection only gets the permissions it needs, and no more. In practice Dedicated access instead of personal passwords, encrypted transfer, credentials stored securely. Which personal data flows, and via which service, is defined beforehand, with a data processing agreement where needed. An interface that fails silently is worse than none at all. Systems get updates, fields change, providers change their interfaces. Who keeps an eye on the connections afterwards is something we define before going live. If you like, I take care of it. [Ongoing Process Optimisation](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/#ongoing-process-optimisation) 08 Fit ## When an integration pays off. Not every system boundary has to disappear. What matters is how often data crosses it and what an error there costs. ### An integration makes sense when several things come together - The same data is regularly entered in more than one system. - Transfer errors have consequences: wrong deliveries, invoices, queries. - Information is needed before anyone has time to transfer it. - An automation, an AI agent or a knowledge system needs access to the data. ### Something simpler is enough and is then the better choice - The transfer is rare and only takes a few minutes. - An existing export or a ready-made connection from the vendor covers the need. - The system is about to be replaced anyway. Then the effort belongs in the switch. - The process itself is still unclear. Then it is clarified first, otherwise the mess just gets connected. Not the biggest solution. The most sensible one. Sometimes a setting in the existing system or a cleanly organised export is enough. If that will do, I will tell you. [When automation pays off](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/when-is-process-automation-worth-it/) 09 Approach ## The process first. Then the interface. One connection at a time, starting with the hand-over that costs the most manual work. With a defined result and an end. 1. 01 ### Initial call 30 minutes by phone or video, free of charge. You describe where data is transferred by hand today. You do not need to know which technology might be right for it. 2. 02 ### Map the process and data flow Which information is created where, who needs it when, which system leads? You can describe the process in advance with the [Process Profile](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/process-profile/). If it is still open whether a change is worth it, a [Process Check](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/services/process-check/) will clarify that. 3. 03 ### Clarify access For every system involved: is there an API, an export, another stable route? What does access cost, which permissions are needed, what does the vendor say? This is settled before anything is built. 4. 04 ### Build and test I build the connection with checks, error handling and a log and test it with real cases, including the incomplete ones and the special cases. You can record how much manual work there was beforehand with the [“Measure First” tracking sheet](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/measure-first-tracking-sheet/), for example. 5. 05 ### Go live First alongside the previous way, then on its own. Your team knows where notes arrive and what to do when an alert comes in. 6. 06 ### Hand over Data flow, access and responsibilities are documented, monitoring is running. Further connections are only added once the first one is working well. [Arrange an initial call](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/initial-call/) 10 Questions ## Frequently asked questions. On definitions, APIs, ERP and CRM, systems without an interface, failures, security and costs. What is system integration? System integration means connecting existing software so that data flows between the systems without manual work. An order won in the CRM is then created automatically in the ERP, an enquiry from the inbox arrives in the CRM as a case. It includes the connection itself, usually via interfaces (APIs), the mapping of fields between the systems, checking the data, error handling and monitoring in operation. What is an API? An API (application programming interface) is a documented access point through which software makes data and functions available to other programs. Another program can use it, for example, to look up customers or create an order, with its own access and defined permissions. API integration accordingly means connecting systems via their APIs. This is usually the most stable route, because the vendor provides and maintains the interface for exactly this purpose. What is the difference between system integration and process automation? System integration makes sure that data flows between systems. Process automation makes sure that the steps of a process are carried out without manual work: checking, assigning, reminding, getting approvals. The two are closely linked. Many automations need an integration as their foundation, because they have to read data from one system and write results to another. Conversely, a plain data transfer is often already a simple automation. Can we connect our ERP and CRM? In most cases, yes. Typically, customer master data is maintained in the ERP and adopted by the CRM, won orders from the CRM are created in the ERP, and order status, delivery dates or open invoices become visible in the CRM. What matters beforehand is which system leads for which information. Otherwise two systems change the same data, and nobody knows which version applies. What happens if our software has no API? There is usually still a way. First, it is worth asking the vendor, because there is often an interface as an add-on module or in a newer version. After that come automated import and export, read access to the database agreed with the vendor, or a small intermediate layer that translates between the legacy system and the other systems. Having a program operate the user interface is the last choice, because it breaks whenever the screens change. If every connection becomes a major effort, switching systems or a lean dedicated application can also be the more sensible solution. Do we need additional software for this? Not necessarily. Some connections are already offered by the vendors, others can be implemented directly between two systems. With several connections, an integration platform that controls and monitors transfers centrally can make sense. Which route fits depends on your systems, the number of connections and who will look after them later. Running costs for platforms or API access belong in the calculation from the start. What happens if a connection fails? A good integration expects it. If a system is briefly unavailable, the transfer is retried automatically. If details are missing or data does not fit, the case stops instead of being half transferred, and the person responsible receives a clear note. Every transfer is logged. If transfers stop or errors pile up, an alert is sent, so that the problem is noticed before customers or colleagues notice it. How secure is a system integration? Every connection gets its own access with only the permissions it needs, instead of personal passwords. Data is transferred encrypted, credentials are stored securely. Which personal data flows between which systems, and whether an external service is involved, is defined before implementation. Where needed, a data processing agreement is part of it. What does a system integration cost? That depends on the number of systems, the interfaces available, the volume of data and the requirements for checks and monitoring, which is why there is no price list. Before implementation, we define the scope, the goal and a fixed end to the project, and you receive a quote for it. Running costs can include vendors’ API access and an integration platform. These are quantified before implementation. Support is optional and starts at 250 euros a month. What happens if one of the systems changes? Updates, new fields or changed interfaces can affect a connection. That is why data flow, access and responsibilities are documented, and monitoring reports when something no longer fits. Who keeps an eye on the connections after the project is something we define before going live: your team, your IT service provider or me as part of ongoing process optimisation. Get in touch ## Where does your team retype data from one system into another today? Describe the process to me in the initial call. You do not need to know the solution, or which interfaces your software has. I will find that out. [Arrange an initial call](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/initial-call/) Reply within 24 hours. Free of charge and without obligation.