QAD ERP Overview & Magento 2 Integration

In the following article, we shed light on QAD – a cloud ERP solution with simple installation, configuration, and management. The platform combines manufacturing and supply chain capabilities as well as offers a modern user experience. Below, we describe its core tools and industry-specific solutions. You will also discover the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration guide.

QAD ERP Overview

If you are looking for a secure, dependable, and global ERP solution available in the cloud, you’ve come to the right place. QAD ERP not only fits these parameters but also effectively responds to every industry change. And since the platform is easy to install and use, you can free up your IT department and let its team concentrate on other initiatives.

Launched in 2003, QAD ERP is proven by a global community of 37k+ users. It is secure and reliable, with a 99.5% guaranteed availability. Other features include:

• Industry-specific solutions;
• Cloud nature;
• Rapid implementation;
• Flexibility regarding upgrade and growth;
• Integrability with third-party apps;
• Global support.

Tools & Features

With the following tools and features, QAD ERP offers a complete solution for your entire enterprise. With the extension described further in this post, you can effortlessly connect the platform with your e-commerce website. The cloud-based enterprise resource planning solution designed for global manufacturing provides industry-specific business processes and flexible deployment options. And the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration lets you leverage the following solutions:

• Manufacturing. The manufacturing ERP software by QAD easily adapts to the ever-growing business needs providing best-in-class agility. In its turn, the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration enables you to be ready for changing processes, acquisitions, demanding customer requirements, the appearance of new products, and various regulations. Different manufacturing styles are not a problem as well. QAD can even work with multiple geographic locations. The manufacturing ERP tools provided by the platform are famous for their quality metrics, central model management, and automated data collection. They ensure accurate and complete information about products, materials, and inventory. Furthermore, you can streamline intuitive planning tools to synchronize production to changing demand.
• Supply Chain. The Magento 2 QAD integration also provides visibility into your global supply chain. Thus, you can easily streamline one of the most important predictors of manufacturing success. The platform offers real-time decision support as well as improved planning and forecasting. As a result, it is possible to manage your supply chain data most efficiently. Also, you can monitor and predict potential disruptions. Maintaining an effective supply chain is no longer a problem due to the sophisticated tools of QAD.  Now, it’s faster and easier to plan, manage, and control global supply chains, optimizing their performance and minimizing expenditures caused by all related processes.
• Customer Management. With the Magento 2 QAD integration, you will deliver more than just a product keeping customers coming back. The ERP system lets you reduce order cycle times, simplify order management, introduce self-service options, and implement fast delivery. Besides, you can provide clients with high quality, custom configurations, timely service, comprehensive support, as well as professionally-looking invoices customized according to your brand.
• Financials. Solutions for international and local finance management are also available with the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. Since the ERP platform is designed for global manufacturing companies of all sizes, everyone can leverage the corresponding financial tools. As a business owner, you can streamline such benefits as comprehensive controls, advanced budgeting, precise analysis, and customer-friendly reporting tools. Such features as built-in local languages and broad internationalization enable local business practices on a global scale. Also, note that IFRS and Multi-GAAP compliance are supported providing you with fast and accurate closing and reporting.
• Analytics. As for various Analytics tools, the potential of QAD is really immense. The Magento 2 QAD integration enables you to monitor business performance and metrics with built-in key performance indicators. The Business Intelligence tool lets you make better strategic decisions due to the unified data from multiple sources. And you can easily use your smartphone to get the most in-depth insights. And with various operational metrics, you will achieve more efficient operations. Also, note that the reporting interface incorporates drag-and-drop principles so that you can easily customize it. With workflow alerts, you will ensure that information flows to the responsible individuals. Various business process management features provide the ability to improve, document, automate and analyze your processes. And the Performance Monitoring Framework will help you react to different performance patterns and trends as fast as possible.
• Integration. QAD offers lots of tools designed to provide you with seamless integration processes within the platform and far beyond. As for the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration, it requires a more advanced approach, but we describe it below. Now, let’s take a look at industry-specific solutions offered by the platform.

Industry-Specific Solutions

Since each manufacturing company is unique, QAD offers several highly customizable industry-specific solutions. Below, we describe the essential markets the platform provides services for.

• Automotive. Under this label, you can find solutions built for automotive manufacturing. Nowadays, manufacturers are faced with continuously growing demand, ever-changing requirements, and new and new trends. Combined with the deep focus on customer satisfaction, such conditions cause many headaches. However, you can avoid them with the Magento 2 QAD integration. With automotive-specific processes and built-in industry best practices, the platform helps automotive suppliers reduce costs, increase profitability, mitigate supply chain risk and improve supply chain planning.
• Consumer Products. Solutions built for consumer products manufacturing are also a part of the ERP system. Designed to help manufacturers stay ahead of the constant changes, they let you streamline product development and replenishment life-cycles, increase the efficiency of supply chain management and avoid tightening margins. Thus, you can meet customer demand fully armed, managing margins and complying with ever-evolving regulations.
• Food & Beverage. With the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration, you can also leverage solutions built for food and beverage manufacturing. Associated with many different product lines and manufacturing processes, it forces business owners to face lots of challenges. However, all difficulties are successfully reduced with QAD. The platform offers advanced inventory and supply chain management features and lets you stay compliant with safety and environmental requirements.
• High Tech. Manufacturers in the electronics and high tech industry can also leverage the ERP system. Streamline innovations and the excellent flexibility of the platform. Avoid the constant pressure on margins and stay fluid to global supply chains. Even challenges with cross border shipments and strains on material availability are no longer a problem if you use QAD. All of these and other challenges are met and solved with the highest efficiency.
• Industrial. The Magento 2 QAD ERP integration lets you stay responsive and able to deliver any products with the highest quality and timeliness. Be ready to face the fluctuating demand and other significant challenges. Manage the internal supply chain, coordinate the vendor ecosystem, keep tabs on costs and track production, ensuring quality and optimizing inventory levels.
• Life Sciences. As a life sciences manufacturer, you must be dedicated to innovation, product quality, and patient safety. QAD lets you follow these standards remaining compliant with the regulatory environment. It also provides all the tools necessary to solve problems caused by increasing cost pressures and supply chain complexities. Even the complexity of life sciences manufacturing and distribution in the emerging global markets is no longer a problem if you use QAD.

QAD ERP Pricing

No pricing details are available online. However, we know that QAD Cloud ERP is offered on a quote basis. Please contact the vendor directly to get more information.

Magento 2 QAD ERP Integration

Now, when you know about significant benefits, products, and industries of QAD ERP, we’d like to draw your attention to another important topic – the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. Unfortunately, you cannot use the default tools to connect your e-commerce store to the ERP platform, but there is a solution that enables seamless integration. Meet the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension – a universal tool that allows numerous Magento 2 integrations with external systems and other Magento 2 websites.

The module is designed to help you connect your Magento 2 website to QAD ERP in a matter of minutes. And you can achieve this goal without a single line of code! It is only necessary to install the extension on your e-commerce website and let is automate data transfers between Magento 2 and QAD ERP. Improved Import & Export creates a bridge between the two platforms based on API connections.

Features

The Improved Import & Export extension lets you leverage the following enhancements to run the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration seamlessly:

• Automated invoices and revenue tracking;
• Data synchronization for:
  • Financial data;
  • Inventory;
  • Magento entities (all product types, orders, customers, and invoices);
  • QAD ERP entities;
• Synchronization history;
• Attributes mapping to improve the accuracy of Magento 2 data in QAD ERP;
• Automate data transfers via schedules or triggers.
• Support for multiple stores;
• Support for various currencies.

Let’s explore several use cases to illustrate the functionality of the plugin from the perspective of the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. Note that if QAD ERP does not support some of the following entities, you can still leverage the described processes for integration with other systems.

Product Data

When you add a new product, update an existing one, or apply changes to the inventory, the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension transfers all the corresponding data to QAD ERP updating the ERP platform.

Order Data

When a customer places an order on your Magento 2 website, and it is paid successfully, a financial update is sent to QAD ERP.

Customer Data

When a new customer registers on your Magento 2 storefront, Improved Import & Export can send the corresponding data to QAD ERP. When a registered customer applies changes to his/her existing account, the module can transfer the data to the ERP platform.

Income Tracking

Income tracking is another opportunity related to the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration based on Improved Import & Export. Our extension can quickly transfer income data from your e-commerce website to QAD ERP and back.

Payment Methods Mapping

Another opportunity related to the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration is related to payment methods mapping. To enable free data transfers between the platforms, you can map them within a few clicks.

Tax Rates Mapping

The same is about tax rates: the Improved Import & Export module provides the ability to map tax rates used in Magento 2 to QAD ERP, ensuring that tax calculations are correct.

Other Use Cases

The Magento 2 QAD ERP integration based on the Improved Import & Export extension provides the ability to:

• choose what entities to move between the platforms: products, orders, customers, invoices, etc;
• use schedules or events to enable automated data transfers;
• synchronize the two systems by mapping Magento 2 attributes to ones used in QAD ERP.

Get Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension

QAD ERP API

Now, let’s say a few words about the QAD ERP API. QAD has offered APIs for its business functions under the banner of a service-oriented architecture. More recently, the platform switched to REST APIs to service the new UX and create a better, highly open system. Thus, it provides more wast opportunities for integration, application extension, and innovation. The new approach also simplifies cloud application integration, achieved through a partnership with Dell Boomi.

Despite the worst practices for REST API design and security, QAD views this standard as the best one regarding interoperability, which significantly reduces the volume of customizations required for an ERP implementation. At the same time, it lets you lower the hurdle for future ERP upgrades. But you still have to be an experienced coder to enable the integration manually. Luckily, we offer a better way to achieve this goal.

With the Improved Import & Export extension, the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration is seamless, easy, and unlimited! The module uses the REST API to connect your e-commerce website to the external system and can also leverage SOAP and other standards to create any connection. To enable the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration, the plugin generates multiple API connections, exchanging all entities between the two systems. You only have to install and configure it or ask our team to do that.

Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension Features

We’ve already explored the ERP platform as well as some essential nuances of the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. Therefore, let’s take a look at the Improved Import & Export features that simplify the data synchronization between the two systems. Since our extension completely revamps the default import and export functionality of the platform, you get an absolutely new way of data transfers, which helps you avoid many issues associated with the built-in tools.

The default instruments don’t let you do the following things:

• Establish API connections;
• Automate data transfers;
• Map attributes;
• Leverage import/export of all entities.

As a result, it is necessary to repeat numerous processes every time a data transfer between Magento 2 and QAD ERP is required. Usually, you have to recreate changes applied to your e-commerce store in an ERP system manually. Since the integration requires multiple updates per day, it turns into a complete waste of time. But the problem can be easily solved with the help of a more reliable solution.

The Improved Import & Export extension allows transferring all information from Magento 2 to QAD ERP and back. Note that all processes are automated: relax while the plugin transfers data, matches different external attributes and their values from one system to another, leverages multiple API connections in the integration working with all entities. The Magento 2 QAD ERP integration becomes a breeze with our module.

Automated Import & Export

The QAD ERP Magento 2 integration is a continuous process that requires advanced automation. And Improved Import & Export provides the ability to avoid daily duties related to data transfers via schedules and event-based triggers, which entirely automate them.

Schedules

Schedules represent the most intuitive and straightforward way of automation in different data transfers, including the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. The flow of information between the two systems is based on cron. You specify a time interval and the extension imports/exports updates according to it letting you create fully independent import and export jobs with several different options:

• custom intervals,
• customizable, predefined update schemes,
• profiles with no schedules (which are suitable for maintaining such tasks as migration to Magento 2),
• and asynchronous data transfers (launch every scheduled profile manually whenever you want).

Events

Event-based triggers are another huge improvement provided by the Improved Import & Export extension. They introduce a more flexible approach to the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration exchanging data in real time. Use the following algorithm to automate data transfers between the two systems:

1. Create a trigger;
2. Connect it to an event;
3. Link an action to a trigger to launch it automatically.

Thus, transferring data to QAD ERP with the help of a trigger dramatically simplifies the integration. When something happens in Magento 2, the plugin transfers the corresponding data to the ERP platform.

For instance, a customer creates an account on your website; the extension rapidly provides the corresponding data to QAD ERP. The Magento 2 QAD ERP Integration Add-On for Improved Import & Export will help you forget about creating similar schemes manually! Follow the link below for more information regarding triggers: How to Run Magento 2 Import or Export After Specific System Event or Process.

Advanced Mapping Features

Map QAD ERP attributes to ones used in Magento 2 and vice versa to enable automated data transfers between the two systems. The Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension radically simplifies the QAD ERP Magento 2 integration in terms of attributes and their values with the help of the following features:

Mapping Presets

Use our module to solve the problem of different attribute standards without headaches and enable the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration in the most intuitive way with mapping presets – predefined mapping schemes that eliminate manual attributes matching.

You no longer need to look for unsupported attributes and fix them. Our extension performs all the necessary improvements automatically. It analyzes the input data file transferred from QAD ERP, discovers third-party attributes, and matches them to the ones used in Magento. As for export processes, Magento 2 QAD ERP Integration Add-One for Improved Import & Export knows what attributes are required by the ERP system and modifies ones utilized in Magento according to the rules of the external platform. You only need to select a matching scheme suitable for your migration:

Matching Interface

Importing/exporting data between QAD ERP and Magento 2 can also be based on manual attributes mapping right in the Magento admin! The Improved Import & Export module provides a unique matching interface which offers full control over the process: you specify external (internal) attributes and link them to the corresponding internal (external) ones in a particular grid enabling the data transfer. Here is how everything works:

Attribute Values Mapping

The Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension offers a separate interface for attribute values mapping that provides the ability to simplify the Magento 2 QAD ERP synchronization and automate it entirely. With our plugin, third-party designations will no longer interrupt transfers from QAD ERP to Magento 2 since you can choose an external value and specify its replacement. Repeat the procedure until all third-party designations are mapped to ones utilized in Magento 2. Note that the created schemes are saved and applied for further updates. For more details, read this article: Attribute Values Mapping.

Attribute Values Editing

If attribute values mapping is not enough, you can rely on attribute values editing. Transferring data from QAD ERP or other systems to Magento 2 can be automated with the ability to modify attribute values in bulk. Use the following rules:

• Add a prefix to multiple attribute values;
• Add a suffix to numerous attribute values;
• Split various attribute values;
• Merge many attribute values.

Note that you can combine them and create conditions increasing the efficiency of the applied changes. You can find more information in this article: How to Modify Attribute Values During Import and Export in Magento 2.

Category Mapping

You won’t use category mapping in the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration. However, it dramatically simplifies other connection. You can match external categories to ones used internally, reducing the number of difficulties that usually occur when products are transferred from other platforms to Magento 2. The Improved Import & Export module allows mapping external product categories to ones used in your catalog as follows:

To create new categories right in the import job, choose a parent category, and specify a new one that will be generated automatically. Thus, the extension will link products to it during the import process. If your Magento 2 website doesn’t include a category from an imported file, it’s no longer a problem. You can find more information about this feature here: Category Mapping.

Attributes On The Fly

And if a data file provided from an external system lacks attributes, the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension lets you create them on the fly via the following general form:

Attribute|attribute_property_name:attribute_property_value|…

The feature is described here in more detail: Product attributes import.

Extended Connectivity Options

The fundamental aspect of the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension that enables the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration, as well as multiple other connections, is support for additional connectivity options. Designed to improve all data transfers and make the seamless Magento 2 QAD ERP integration possible, they include numerous file formats and two alternative ways of transferring data between your e-commerce store and external systems. As for QAD ERP, the REST API standard is utilized as a first way of the integration.

Multiple File Standards

Although the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration cannot be based on data files, you can leverage them in other integrations. The Improved Import & Export extension supports CSV, XML, JSON, ODS, and Excel as well as unpacks file archives automatically while the default tools work with uncompressed CSV files only!

Multiple File Sources

The following file sources can be leveraged to import and export data files between Magento 2 and external systems:

• FTP/SFTP. Transfer data files using a local or remote server.
• Dropbox. Use a Dropbox account to establish a connection between the two systems. Alternatively, you can rely on Box, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, and Amazon Drive.
• URL. A direct URL can be used to import a data file as well.

Alternative Ways of Import & Export

Note that the alternative ways of import and export are not represented in Magento 2 by default. However, direct API connections are the only way to enable the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration.

As we’ve mentioned above, the Improved Import & Export extension provides the ability to leverage REST for the Magento 2 QAD ERP synchronization as well as other APIs if necessary. For instance, our module also works with SOAP (which is deprecated in the case of QAD ERP) and GraphQL.

Note that all API connections support other extension’s features so that you can leverage mapping, schedules, and attributes on the fly while transferring data from Magento 2 to QAD ERP via REST API.

As for the intermediary services, you can rely on Google Sheets, Office 365 Excel, and Zoho Sheettransferring data to your e-commerce store. Although it is impossible to utilize them for the Magento 2 QAD ERP integration, other connections can be established with the help of various online sheets. The following image shows how to use Google Sheets to move data to Magento 2:

The video below displays other details of our extension:

Final Words

QAD ERP is a powerful tool for manufacturers that can be easily connected to an e-commerce website. Choose your industry-specific solution and specific tools required for your business management, get the subscription, install the Improved Import & Export extension, and seamlessly integrate your Magento 2 store with QAD ERP. Follow the link below and contact our support for more details:

Get Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension