This DIY Developer Guide for Epicor offers a detailed approach to building secure, scalable custom integrations. Epicor ERP systems (like Epicor Kinetic and Epicor ERP 10) provide RESTful and SOAP-based APIs, ideal for integrating with eCommerce platforms, CRMs, inventory management systems, and financial applications.

Whether you’re syncing orders, updating inventory, or automating accounting entries, mastering Epicor integrations enhances operational workflows and business efficiency.

Prerequisites for Epicor Integrations

• Access to Epicor ERP system with API access enabled (Epicor REST Services)
• API keys, client credentials, and instance URL
• Familiarity with:
  • REST and SOAP APIs
  • OData queries (for REST services)
  • JSON and XML payload structures
• Tools: Postman, Epicor REST API Help Pages, Epicor Service Connect (for older versions)

Step 1: Authentication for Epicor Integrations

Epicor uses Basic Authentication or OAuth 2.0 depending on system configuration.

Authentication Example (Basic Auth):

Authorization: Basic base64(username:password)

Authentication Example (OAuth 2.0):

POST https://{epicor-server}/Token
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

grant_type=password&username=yourUsername&password=yourPassword

Step 2: Endpoint Discovery and Data Mapping for Epicor Integrations

Common API Resources:

• Customers and Suppliers
• Sales Orders and Purchase Orders
• Inventory Items
• Invoices and Payments
• Manufacturing Jobs and Work Orders

Process:

• Explore the Epicor REST API Help Pages or Epicor ICE tools.
• Map external system fields precisely to Epicor business objects.

Important considerations:

• Required vs. optional fields
• Handling relational links (e.g., Sales Orders linked to Customers)
• Proper formatting for numeric, date, and lookup fields

Step 3: Building Integration Flows for Epicor

Integration Patterns:

• Inbound (to Epicor): Use POST, PATCH, and PUT for data creation and updates
• Outbound (from Epicor): Use GET or OData queries for data retrieval

Example: Creating a Customer Record:

POST /api/v1/Erp.BO.CustomerSvc/Customers
{
  "Name": "Contoso Ltd",
  "Address1": "123 Main St",
  "City": "Seattle",
  "Country": "USA"
}

Example: Retrieving Open Sales Orders:

GET /api/v1/Erp.BO.SalesOrderSvc/SalesOrders?$filter=OrderHeld eq false

Step 4: Error Handling and Pagination for Epicor Integrations

Error Handling:

• Capture HTTP error codes and Epicor error responses.
• Implement retries for transient errors (429, 503 errors).

Pagination:

• Use $skip and $top parameters to handle large datasets.

Example:

GET /api/v1/Erp.BO.CustomerSvc/Customers?$top=50&$skip=50

Step 5: Testing and Validation for Epicor Integrations

• Test authentication and endpoint responses with Postman.
• Validate field mappings, object relationships, and record creation.
• Perform bulk and load testing to ensure scalability.

Step 6: Deployment and Security of Epicor Integrations

• Host integrations securely (AWS, Azure, private cloud)
• Store API credentials securely using Key Vaults
• Enforce HTTPS/TLS for secure data transfer
• Implement detailed logging and error tracking

Step 7: Maintenance and Monitoring for Epicor Integrations

• Monitor API versions and endpoint updates
• Enable system health checks and real-time error notifications
• Track API call volumes and performance metrics

Optional Enhancements for Epicor Integrations

• Middleware orchestration (e.g., MuleSoft, Dell Boomi)
• Admin dashboards for real-time monitoring
• Custom webhook listeners for event-driven updates
• Audit logging for compliance and transaction tracing

Summary

Building reliable Epicor integrations enables businesses to automate workflows, manage data more effectively, and scale operations. This DIY Developer Guide for Epicor provides a structured, actionable plan to build secure, efficient, and scalable integrations.

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