When an online store, a logistics provider and an ERP all hold some of the same information, keeping them in agreement becomes a project of its own. These questions help to shape an integration that holds up over time.
Which system owns each piece of data?
Decide where product details, prices, stock levels and customer records are maintained. When two systems can both change the same value, discrepancies are only a matter of time.
How fresh does the information need to be?
Stock on a busy online store may need to update almost immediately, while a nightly transfer may be perfectly adequate for other data. Being honest about what is required keeps the design simpler.
What happens when something fails?
Connections go down and records get rejected. A dependable integration records the failure, tells someone and allows the record to be retried, so that errors do not quietly become stock or accounting differences.
Who looks after it?
Platforms change their interfaces over time. Agree who will monitor the integration and who will respond when a provider announces a change.