Prepare data for the user journey while keeping its authoritative source.
Your enterprise resource planning system, or ERP, holds customer information, commercial terms and the documents that follow an order. You want to make that information available through a website or application without adding work for your teams or slowing every interaction.
At Progymédia, we separate two needs: moving the right data and letting people use it efficiently. The connector, data preparation and interface each have a role. Understanding that separation makes it easier to set expectations and identify what still needs to be defined.
Keep an authoritative source.
The ERP can remain the authoritative source for a price, account or invoice even when people view that information elsewhere. We prepare a copy of the data needed by the website or application. That copy serves a defined purpose; it does not take over the responsibilities of the original system.
We therefore identify which information to send, the identifiers connecting records and the permissions to enforce. A customer and a representative will not necessarily see the same documents. Permission to access information matters as much as having it available.
Prepare data before people need it.
In Boutik’s architecture, a connector detects changes in the ERP and sends the relevant information to cloud infrastructure. The data can then be organized and indexed for the searches and pages that use it.
An index helps find matching items without examining every record for each request. That can be useful when someone searches for a product among many references. Browsing can use prepared data rather than making a direct ERP request for every interaction.
From the source to the screen
01ERPThe authoritative source and its relevant data.
02ConnectorDetect changes and send the agreed information.
03Prepared and indexed dataOrganize information for browsing and search.
04Website or applicationDisplay the information the user is allowed to access.
Conceptual flow. Update frequency depends on the agreed exchange. Orders and other actions sent to the ERP have their own flows, validation and statuses; this diagram does not imply an automatic real-time return.
Define what up to date means.
A descriptive catalogue, inventory availability and an order status do not always need the same update frequency. We define synchronization around the intended use, available interfaces and ERP constraints. A newer connection and an older system may call for different approaches.
Being connected does not, by itself, mean real time. We need to understand what happens between exchanges, how changes are detected and how an interrupted process resumes. For sensitive information, the workflow may also need a check before confirming an action.
Measure search and page loading separately.
Finding a reference quickly in an index does not measure how long a full page takes to load. The browser still needs to receive the required elements, display content and enable interaction. Images, interface design, network conditions and the user’s device all affect that experience.
We keep these measures separate to avoid vague promises. A slow search calls for a look at its query and index. A page that takes too long to become usable may have a different problem. A clear diagnosis directs effort toward the part that is actually getting in the user’s way.
Validate a representative workflow together.
Before expanding the project, we can follow a concrete case: change information in the ERP, observe its transfer, find it on the website and check what the appropriate user sees. We also examine an interrupted exchange or a missing piece of information.
Orders and other actions need a separately defined return path: required data, validation, duplicate prevention and confirmation of processing. Boutik can provide a foundation for these exchanges with different tools; the scope depends on your environment. A well-understood first flow gives you a basis for deciding what comes next.
Questions to ask before connecting
✓ Which information do people need to view, and who needs access?
✓ Which system is authoritative for each type of data?
✓ What update delay is appropriate for each use?
✓ How will search response and page loading be measured?
✓ How do actions return to the ERP, and how does the process recover from errors?
