What is Pricefx IntegrationManager?
How does IntegrationManager work?
Who would be using IntegrationManager?
What are the common uses of IntegrationManager?
What is IntegrationManager?
The main role of IntegrationManager (IM) within the Pricefx data integration strategy is to allow the uploading of data from external systems (ie. SAP, etc) into Pricefx and exporting data from Pricefx environment so that they can be further used in the external systems.
This two-way exchange (inbound and outbound processes) uses a data format that suits best the given scenario (CSV file, XML file, JMS message, calling a web service). The most prevalent data format tends to be CSV files.
How does IntegrationManager work?
Industry standard data integration utilizes a three-phased strategy known as Extract Transform and Load (better known as ETL). Seen from this viewpoint IntegrationManager is the core component of Pricefx’s ETL implementation. Its role can be viewed from an inbound perspective where it is used to import data as CSV files, map the data file to a Pricefx entity (Product, Customer, etc) and then upsert (either insert new records or update existing ones). Additionally, it can export specific data from Pricefx, like a price list, in a format accessible to a 3rd party system.
What are the benefits of using IntegrationManager?
IntegrationManager is a proven solution that uses industry-standard ETL design patterns that have been proven by many years of use in a wide variety of projects. Additionally, there is native integration with Pricefx environment that will allow IntegrationManager to access Pricefx-specific objects like price lists and approval workflows.
One of the prime advantages of this tool is the availability of Pricefx Integration Templates to provide a user-friendly process to generate the necessary behind-the-scenes code to facility the data migration process. With some training from the Pricefx team, it will allow both technical and non-technical individuals to develop, deploy and execute their data integration processes.
What is the intended Audience for IntegrationManager?
The long-term vision of data integration for Pricefx is to create the tools and training to allow our customers and partners to participate in this process. It is a well known principle that the data integration infrastructure and the processes that execute within it are quite technical in nature and to build integration from scratch would require considerable technical skills.
However, using IntegrationManager and the integration templates will allow subject matter experts (customers and partners) to build inbound and outboud data migrations. We are committed to the tools and strategy that will transform this highly technical black-box process into a learned series of tasks that will accelerate our projects and ensure data quality.