Integrations explained
Lesson 8 of 15 8 min read
What an Integration is, what each card on the Integration panel controls, and how Configurations tell it which document types to handle.
An Integration is the first building block of every data flow: a connection between Supply Lens and one other application, such as an e-commerce platform, an ERP or accounting system, a 3PL, or an EDI or PEPPOL relationship. Once it is connected, Supply Lens can send and receive data with that application according to your settings.
In this lesson you will learn what each part of an Integration controls, so that when you open one you know what you are looking at and what is safe to change.
One Integration per system
You can have as many Integrations active at once as you need. Each one handles one system, and Supply Lens acts as the central hub between them. Some businesses have more than one Integration for the same kind of system, for example a live Unleashed account and an Unleashed sandbox (a test copy of the account) for trying things out safely.
You will find all of yours under Settings → Integration setup → Integrations. The list shows, for each one, an Enabled badge if it is switched on, whether it runs on a schedule and when it next runs, and whether it has webhooks set up.
The Integration panel
Click an Integration to expand its panel. Each card controls one aspect of its behaviour.
| Activation | Whether the Integration can run at all. When set to Disabled, no data is sent or received on it. |
|---|---|
| State | Whether it transmits data as Live or Test. This usually only matters for EDI Integrations and can be left unset otherwise. |
| Configurations | Which document types this Integration sends and receives. See below. |
| Schedule | When the Integration runs automatically. With no schedule, you run it by hand. |
| Default Unit of Measure | Forces every quantity sent or received on this Integration into one unit. Leave it unset to use each product's own default units. |
| Manual Operation | Buttons to run the Integration now: Run send and receive, Run send, or Run receive. |
| Credentials | View, add, edit and remove the credentials the Integration uses. If a password is wrong you can correct it here without reconnecting. |
| Remove | Permanently removes the Integration and its stored credentials. Documents that came through it are kept. |
| Key and Id | Set automatically by the system. Quote the Id when you contact Support about this Integration. |
You can rename an Integration by clicking the pencil next to its name.
Remove is permanent
Removing an Integration deletes its credentials, and you would have to connect it again from scratch. To pause an Integration, set Activation to Disabled instead.
Configurations: what the Integration handles
Connecting an Integration does not, by itself, move any data. You also add a Configuration for each document type you want it to work with: one for Orders, one for Inventory, one for Shipments, and so on. Each Configuration says:
- which document type it covers
- which direction: Send, Receive or both
- any settings for that type, which start from a default you can generate with Create Default JSON
Send and Receive are from Supply Lens's point of view
Directions are always described from Supply Lens's side. Orders that come from Shopify are received by Supply Lens; orders that go into Unleashed are sent by Supply Lens. If you think "what does Supply Lens do with it?", you will pick the right one.
Getting data in and out: schedules, webhooks and manual runs
An Integration exchanges data with its system in three ways:
- On a schedule. The Integration runs at a regular interval, such as every 30 minutes or every few hours. Integrations can also have several jobs, each with its own schedules, which can run at regular intervals or on a cron expression (a precise timetable such as "07:00 on weekdays").
- By webhook. Some systems, Shopify for example, can notify Supply Lens the moment something happens, such as a new order, so you do not wait for the next scheduled run.
- By hand. The Manual Operation buttons run it now. Useful while testing, or if you have chosen not to use a schedule.
Hilltop's two Integrations
Hilltop Coffee's Integrations list shows two entries:
| Integration | Configurations | How it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Orders (Receive), Inventory (Send) | Webhooks for new orders |
| Unleashed | Orders (Send), Inventory (Receive) | On a schedule |
Read across Shopify's row: Supply Lens receives orders from it and sends stock levels to it. Unleashed is the mirror image. Notice that neither row says where the data goes next. That is the job of Mappings, in the next lesson.
Recap
- An Integration is one connection between Supply Lens and one application; find them under Settings → Integration setup → Integrations.
- Activation switches an Integration on or off; Remove deletes it and its credentials permanently.
- Add one Configuration per document type, choosing Send, Receive or both from Supply Lens's point of view.
- Data moves on a schedule, by webhook, or when you run the Integration by hand.
- Quote the Integration's Id when you contact Support.
Quick guides for this topic
Your progress is saved in this browser. Create a free account to keep it everywhere, take quizzes and earn certificates.