When designing ERP integrations (for AR/AP document flows), Business/System Analysts often face a range of “gotcha” questions — technical, architectural, and sometimes unexpected.
Here are some of the real-world questions I ask clients during the API and ERP connector discovery phase:
- What’s the minimum required ERP version to support all AR/AP endpoints?
- Could upgrading the ERP version change the API behavior (fields, formats)?
- Are there any heavy or slow API methods under load? Recommended workarounds?
- Does the ERP provider charge for API calls, or is usage unlimited?
- Can we get a list of possible API error codes?
- Any record count limits per request? (e.g., max 1000 records in GET)
- What type of authentication is used — Basic Auth, OAuth2, or token-based?
- What’s the average response time of the API?
- Are there any debug/logging tools if something goes wrong with the call?
- Any breaking changes in recent patches that could affect us?
- Does the API support batch insert/update or only record-by-record?
- In what format are dates returned? Full datetime or date-only?
- How are balances returned (positive/negative for credit memos)?
- Can documents be posted without updating the "last modified" date?
- Can an account include multiple subsidiaries? How to filter by them in the API?
- Are any API methods planned for deprecation? What will replace them?
- Are some API endpoints available only with paid ERP modules or add-ons?
- Are some fields or features hidden unless specific ERP configuration settings are enabled?
- Does the ERP API return full relational data (e.g., linked documents, GL splits), or do we need extra queries?
- How can we detect deleted records if the API doesn’t expose a deleted flag or status?
These questions aren't just technical — they help avoid costly mistakes, failed syncs, or misunderstood logic.
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