What Gets Integrated and How?
This article describes the five types of data transmission and the three interfaces through which the integration can be handled.
What Data is Transmitted?
The integration process involves ensuring that the supplier data captured and managed in PaymentWorks by the suppliers themselves can be migrated - after going through an approval process - to the ERP.
There are five different data transfers between PaymentWorks and an ERP, each with its own requirements and interface.
Data downloaded from PaymentWorks
New Vendor Registration
ERP (or other local process) retrieves new vendor requests from PaymentWorks and generates new vendor content within the ERP.
Vendor Updates
ERP (or other local process) retrieves vendor company and address updates from PaymentWorks and applies direct updates to ERP for address updates and other qualifying company update fields. Vendor updates also include updates related to vendor ACH account information and sanction list alerts.
Data uploaded to PaymentWorks
Supplier Upload
Supplier records as managed in the organization’s ERP are sent to PaymentWorks for reference. This usually involves a one-time upload of the full set of supplier records. Subsequently, only new or changed records need to be uploaded to PaymentWorks, at an interval convenient to the organization. For new registrations, the upload will include the newly created vendor ID, which will enable a PaymentWorks Connection. See below for information on Supplier upload format.
Invoice Upload
Source invoice records are uploaded to PaymentWorks for supplier self-service of invoice status, as well as providing reference data on new and updated suppliers. As with supplier uploads, this involves an initial one-time load of current status on all relevant invoices. After the initial upload, only new or changed invoices need to be regularly uploaded providing updates to Invoice status and payment details. See below for information on Invoice upload format.
Payments Upload
Payments to be indemnified against fraud are evaluated against the PaymentWorks Fraud Protection engine by regularly uploading the ERP’s standard Payment Instruction Files (PIFs) to PaymentWorks, where each transaction is reviewed, and if detected safe, automatically paid via your existing bank or payment processor.
Integration Interfaces
There are three primary means through which PaymentWorks data is available to enable the automation process:
User Interface: Supplier data can be imported to and exported from PaymentWorks manually through the UI. This is typically how customers begin their use of the platform. Supported formats include CSV and Excel (xls, xlsx).
Asynchronous flat file transfer: PaymentWorks provides a dedicated SFTP site, to which incoming registrations and updates are posted at regular intervals (typically 30-60 minutes). Conversely, files exported from the ERP that contain supplier confirmation data and invoice records can be uploaded to the SFTP site, where PaymentWorks will immediately pick them up and process the records.
REST API: All PaymentWorks data can be exchanged through a permissioned REST API, which enables all required integration endpoints and methods.
Integrating with API vs SFTP
A key decision when planning on developing the automated integration between PaymentWorks and your ERP is the interface through which the automation will retrieve from and deliver data to PaymentWorks.
Most PaymentWorks integrations are developed using the REST API, which provides more granular control over the process, including better capability for error handling and messaging. However, flat-file based integrations are also common: they are generally easier to implement and align well to some ERP and enterprise proficiencies.
Note: Some integrations are developed with a combination of API and flat-file approaches. For example, data can be retrieved from PaymentWorks via API, for easier parsing of data, while confirmation files can be uploaded back to PaymentWorks via CSV.
Flat-File via FTP
Automating integration through asynchronous flat-file data exchange is a common approach. It allows clear separation of tasks and sources and provides a more measured way to track the flow of data.
Every PaymentWorks customer is provisioned with a secure FTP account to manage the exchange of data. PaymentWorks outbound data is pushed to designated folders on the FTP server at regular configurable intervals. Data that is inbound to PaymentWorks is uploaded any time and will be picked up immediately and processed by the platform.
REST API
Automating integration using the PaymentWorks REST API provides more flexibility and more granular handling of data, which is useful when secondary calls are needed, or when managing error conditions.
The same five data transmissions are shown below with corresponding endpoints.
Making the Decision
As described in the Integration Project Outline article, the FTP-vs-API decision is a key early step in the integration project. For most organizations, the answer will be clear based on the area of expertise of the IT team and the capabilities of the ERP in question. Although the decision is strictly technical, there are minor ramifications to each path.
For example, a robust API-based integration will generally handle error reporting and messaging better, so the vendoring team will have some insight into how registrations are moving through the process.
Alternatively, flat-file integrations provide a more visible step-wise process, where FTP-savvy vendoring personnel can check to see which files and records have been processed. The SFTP server also provides a backup of all files uploaded from PaymentWorks.
Next Steps
To learn more about PaymentWorks integration options or to discuss your specific area of interest or concern, please reach out to set up a complimentary consultation. We’d be happy to connect!
You can fill out this form including an overview of your interest, or simply email us directly at bestpractices@nvrpartners.com.
