Inventory-to-ERP Integration Planning Checklist

Before estimating an inventory integration, define which operational problem the data connection must solve. An inventory issue, a return, and a replenishment request are different events; each needs agreed rules before it can support an ERP workflow. Use this checklist to prepare a discovery discussion with operations, ERP, and inventory-platform owners. Vysix's verified inventory-source path is Arcturus, the AutoCrib inventory management platform. ERP interfaces, other inventory platforms, direction of data flow, and update frequency are evaluated for each project. This checklist describes planning decisions, not a promise that every feature or connector is available.

1. Define the workflow and success measure

Name the task that currently requires manual work: reconciling consumable issues, preparing replenishment, assigning usage to a cost center, or reporting across locations. Record the current handoff and its owner. Choose a measurable acceptance target, such as whether a defined sample of source transactions reconciles to the agreed destination records. Do not assume that every vending issue should create a purchase order.

2. Identify systems, interfaces, and owners

List the inventory platform, ERP product and version, sites, and relevant modules. Identify who can approve access and confirm available interfaces. Discovery should establish interface permissions, licensing or vendor dependencies, and support ownership. Share system descriptions first; do not send passwords, access tokens, or live personal data in an inquiry form. Learn more about how Vysix scopes these decisions through our inventory-to-ERP integration services.

3. Agree on master-data mapping

Use a representative, sanitized sample during technical discovery. A shared product name is not enough to establish that two item records are the same.

Item identity

Source item ID, ERP item ID, and handling of missing or obsolete items.

Units and packs

Issue unit, purchasing unit, pack conversion, and who approves the mapping.

Locations

Inventory location, ERP warehouse or bin, and site ownership.

Business context

Required job, department, or cost-center fields and permitted values.

Record ownership

Which system is authoritative for each field and how changes are approved.

4. Specify transaction rules

For each agreed event, define the source, destination, direction, required fields, and expected timing. Include returns, corrections, and reversals where relevant. Specify how an event is identified so repeat delivery can be distinguished from a new transaction. Decide how missing mappings and unavailable destination systems should be handled before normal processing resumes.

5. Define reconciliation and exception ownership

Agree how source totals and destination records will be compared, what constitutes a mismatch, and who reviews exceptions. Specify what information an operator needs to investigate a failed or incomplete handoff. Retention, access, and escalation requirements should be settled as part of scope rather than assumed from the connection alone.

6. Agree on acceptance and launch responsibilities

Build the acceptance list around the intended workflow: a normal issue, a return if in scope, an unknown item, an invalid location, a duplicate event, and an unavailable destination. State the expected result for each and who signs off. Confirm pilot scope, support contacts, reconciliation ownership, and the response if results differ from the agreed behavior. These are acceptance scenarios to evaluate, not claims about already-delivered functionality.

Illustrative AutoCrib and P21 planning example

Hypothetical planning example: Not a customer deployment or measured result.

Consider an aerospace operation using AutoCrib for consumable activity and Epicor Prophet 21 (P21) for ERP workflows. The discovery team would identify which AutoCrib records are available, how item and location IDs correspond to P21, and which P21 interface and business process are appropriate. An issue might support an agreed consumption record or reporting workflow; it should not automatically be treated as a purchasing instruction. The team would define timing, exception handling, and reconciliation for that specific scope. Vysix-hosted data and Vysix BI may support the agreed reporting requirement. Feasibility, fields, and delivery commitments must be confirmed before implementation. Integration by itself does not establish compliance or certification, and no savings or performance result is implied by this example. Review the verified Arcturus and AutoCrib data integration path for additional context.

Bring these five inputs to a discovery call

• Inventory platform and ERP names, versions, and owner contacts.
• Manual workflow or data gap to resolve.
• Sites, item volumes, and transaction types in the initial scope.
• Known mapping or data-quality problems, without confidential records in the public form.
• Required timing and the acceptance result your team needs to verify.

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