Andreas AhoniemiHead of Digital, Gullström & Co
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API integrations

An API integration connects two systems so data moves automatically rather than being exported and imported by hand. I build integrations between ERP, e-commerce, CRM, warehouse and messaging tools, usually as a small service layer with a queue and retries, so a temporarily unavailable receiver does not mean the data is gone.

Queues rather than direct calls

A direct call between two systems works until one of them is down, at which point the transaction is lost. With a queue in between the event is stored, retried with increasing backoff and moved to a dead letter queue if it ultimately fails. That is the difference between an integration that needs watching and one that does not.

Idempotency, meaning no duplicates

Retrying means the same message can arrive twice. Every operation is therefore built to produce the same result however many times it runs, normally by having the receiver identify the event on a key. Without that, each replay creates a duplicate order, which is the most common defect in integrations built in a hurry.

Field mapping you can read

The real difficulty in an integration is rarely the technology but that the same field means different things in the two systems. The mapping is documented as a table the business can read and argue with before it becomes code. Correcting it there is cheaper than correcting it in production.

Common questions about this service

Our ERP has no API. Is it still possible?

Often yes, but at a lower level. Without an API you can work against the database directly, against file or SFTP exports, or against an import routine in the system. It is slower and more brittle than a real API, and that brittleness should be stated up front so expectations match.

How often does data synchronise?

It depends on the source. If the system supports webhooks, synchronisation happens within seconds of a change. If not it becomes scheduled polling, typically every five to sixty minutes. True real time in both directions is rarely worth the complexity, and is usually specified when "same day" would have been enough.

Start with an hour

Bring a process that grates. We walk it together and you get a straight assessment of whether automating it is worth doing.

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