How ERP integration platforms can help untangle errors in data exchange

A recent SAPinsider report highlighted that a significant number of workloads have already moved to the cloud with more than three quarters (78%) of respondents reporting they need to support cloud-to-on-premise integration scenarios. Some of the issues arising in this instance include data compatibility, implementation and maintenance costs, outdated legacy systems, security, and more. Navigating this at a time when stability is crucial for quick turnaround and production can be challenging, which is why opting for a third-party vendor’s solution may be the best course of action for SAP Insiders.

This was the predicament that Emmelibri, one of the largest supply chain and logistics coordinators for a major Italian publishing group, Messaggerie Italiane, found itself in. The group distributes books via wholesale, traditional and online bookstores, alongside large-scale retail outlets.

Since it was founded in 2007, Emmelibri has operated across multiple departments and inherited the centralization of part of the logistics functions and all staff functions of the group’s operating subsidiaries. The centralization of logistics for Messaggerie Libri transformed the facility into a leading and modern automated supply chain logistics site.

This kind of centralisation and expansion naturally leads to the complications of business processes. Since that point, Emmelibri has been at the center of a network of players, including wholesalers, distributors, warehouses, large-scale retailers, and bookstores. Consequently, it developed a stack of more than 300 data streams that flow from its SAP system to internal and external systems, including warehouse logistics systems, e-commerce systems, and libraries, both inside the group and to its external partners.

Ensuring that the data streams are monitored, correctly connected, and arrive at the destination on time, in the right order, and without errors is vital for Emmelibri and the Messaggeri Libri group’s success. This is why, as soon as the company realised that its SAP integration software was at the end of its lifecycle, it embarked on the journey to find a complementary integration solution for its non-SAP applications.

The key criteria that the publishing group was looking for required the solution to cater to its need to correctly transmit data from its internal ERP to all internal and external systems of its partners. After assessing the available options, Emmelibri discovered Boomi. According to the publishing vendor, the requirement that separated Boomi from competitors was its hybrid capabilities: specifically, its ability to manage new applications in the cloud while being deployed on-premise, which matched Emmelibri’s needs and expectations.

Additionally, the company appreciated that with Boomi, it was possible to make simple and user-friendly visual data flows with low code. Thus, the integration project took around three months to complete. Despite the initial challenges with data flow migration, Emmelibri and Boomi finished the project according to plan.

The solution now includes connectors for approximately 50 systems, plus EDI connectors for trading partners. More than 180 processes and data flows rely on these connectors, with a 40 percent reduction in time to market for the company’s implementations, which better satisfies business requests.

Finding the right ERP integration solution that can provide the required flexibility and agility to allow both correct and automated data exchange—plus scalable integration to all stakeholders in the supply chain—is crucial for large and continuously growing companies. As can be seen in the story of Emmelibri and Boomi, it is possible to utilise automation and integration platforms, allowing workers and business leaders to focus on crucial tasks at hand, rather than having to untangle the errors in the logistical chaos of manual data exchange.