Customized Interface To ERP Program Module


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Individual interface between Stolcad Professional and ERP
Many window and door manufacturers use two independent programs for their daily work: Stolcad® Professional aimed to handle activities related to the production and quotation of constructions, and an ERP program aimed to monitor the company's inventory and financial statuses. Due to the fact that these two tools are separate, they do not share a common database, which could result in differences between the information in each of them. The ideal solution to address this challenge is to implement an individually adapted interface between the production program (Stolcad® Professional) and the warehouse and accounting program (ERP program).At the beginning of work on the integration, several important aspects should be established, which include, among others:



Data transfer between Stolcad and ERP

the data to be transferred between the programs

Directionality of communication

the direction of the communication (one or two-way)

Data transfer format

the format of the transferred data

Operations triggering data exchange

when and what operations should trigger the data exchange

The data to be transferred between the programs should be understood as the information determined by the manufacturer regarding orders, prices or specific recipients which should be automatically transferred.

In the case of the data transfer format, it is important to choose a method that will optimally transport information between the programs. The most popular choices are the use of SQL language or the choice of a traditional file form e.g.: XML or TXT.
The factor called direction of the communication determines how the data exchange should be proceed (one or two-way) and how many information flows should to be implemented.

The work on the interface is also greatly influenced by determing the moments or specific activities which should cause the data exchange, e.g. by manually clicking on a specific button in the program or automatically, after changing the established state or status.



The stages of the implementation of a customized interface between the programs

The implementation of the interface between Stolcad® Professional and the ERP program involves the following steps:

I. In this step, the joinery producer describes the goal which they would like to achieve by implementing a customized interface. It is you the manufacturer who defines what the integration should look like, what data should be transferred and whether the information should be transferred only from the production program to ERP or maybe the communication should be two-way, etc.

II. The second step is a tripartite online meeting (your representative, our representative and the representative of the ERP company). This stage is aimed to discuss user's needs in detail, having in mind the comparison of the possibilities of the two programs.

III. In this step, a two-sided online meeting is conducted (our representative and the representative of the ERP company). Usually, it is a technically-oriented meeting, during which both parties try to develop the best IT solution to suit your needs.
IV. Preparation of the interface. During this stage, our technicians and ERP representatives develop an interface in accordance with the previous agreements. At the end of the IT works, we provide you with a preliminary solution for testing.

V. Tests of the preliminary interface. This step allows you to check if the work we have done performs the tasks in the way you expect. If there are any inaccuracies, the corrections are carried out by us or ERP representatives.

VI. Installing the final interface. This is the last step of the interface implementation. From this moment on, Stolcad® Professional and the ERP program automatically transfer information to each other in accordance with your individual needs.

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