NetSuite WMS Integration
What are the things to consider and do to integrate NetSuite WMS using middleware software? Client is planning to develop and integrate into NS WMS instead of taking full advantage of native NS WMS functionality in order to avoid licensing cost that they will have to incur for their Warehouse Operators.
What are the record touchpoints for this kind of integration? Does somebody have any experience for this that they can share?
Uh well it will depend on what features exactly the “WMS” is integration. Not all WMS are alike. Broadly speaking, you will want to:
- Perform functional analysis of features to implement. How do they work? What NS record must they affect, and how?
- Perform field-level mapping between identified WMS and NS objects
- Perform technical design – what integration technology will you use? Design the whole thing, especially considering all error scenarios
- Build designed integrations
- Perform end-to-end testing
- Go live
- Support & stabilization work
For a small-business project (i.e. not enterprise scale), a rule of thumb is roughly 40 hours of work per integration point. So if it’s a typical WMS and it connect to a few records, you’ll be hitting several hundred hours pretty quickly. That’s for seasoned consultants – if you haven’t done this before I’d easily quadruple that estimate. There are many pitfalls. I’d more recommend outsourcing to a development partner than can do this.
I would say it is likely NS licenses are cheaper than custom integration project from scratch, unless we’re talking A LOT of users. Perhaps the WMS has existing connector to NS? If so, that might make things easier.
Hi Olivier,
Thanks for this insight! The problem I am having is our client was sold NetSuite WMS SuiteApp, however when they calculate potential user license cost (about 30 warehouse users), the client decided to go the route of using third party integrator app instead. The integrator app sold to them was MuleSoft. Based on their agreement with the provider, they will connect the data captured through custom barcoding solution (i.e not the standard mobile functionality that comes with NS WMS) they developed internally to NS instead..
With regards to this statement below:
- Perform functional analysis of features to implement. How do they work? What NS record must they affect, and how?
- Perform field-level mapping between identified WMS and NS objects
To be honest I am quite new in implementing WMS. My impression based on my experience and limited testing is NetSuite WMS records (WMS Tasks) trigger the creation of NS standard records. With the setup they envision above should I focus on designing the integration touchpoints based on WMS records or the NS standard records instead? Or just scrap the idea of using NetSuite WMS entirely and focus on integration based on standard NS records/objects?
Hi Olivier,
Thanks for this insight! The problem I am having is our client was sold NetSuite WMS SuiteApp, however when they calculate potential user license cost (about 30 warehouse users), the client decided to go the route of using third party integrator app instead. The integrator app sold to them was MuleSoft. Based on their agreement with the provider, they will connect the data captured through custom barcoding solution (i.e not the standard mobile functionality that comes with NS WMS) they developed internally to NS instead..
With regards to this statement below:
- Perform functional analysis of features to implement. How do they work? What NS record must they affect, and how?
- Perform field-level mapping between identified WMS and NS objects
To be honest I am quite new in implementing WMS. My impression based on my experience and limited testing is NetSuite WMS records (WMS Tasks) trigger the creation of NS standard records. With the setup they envision above should I focus on designing the integration touchpoints based on WMS records or the NS standard records instead? Or just scrap the idea of using NetSuite WMS entirely and focus on integration based on standard NS records/objects?
Alright so a Custom Barcode Capture software will be integrated to Netsuite via MuleSoft.
So what does the Custom Barcode Capture software do, what is the scope? JUST barcode scanning of incoming orders? Again, this can mean a wide variety of functionality. Are we doing fulfillment? receipts? inventory transfers? Builds? What are all the use cases where you’ll be scanning stuff?
This will really dictate what records in NS you’ll be integrating to. You first job is to sit down and document everything the Barcode software does, and then highlight a) what data from NS it needs to read do its job and B) what data it needs to write to NS to meet the project requirements.
I will say though, this projects sounds extremely ill-advised. We are talking expert-level complexity and technical challenges. Barcoding software, like Descartes, do good business selling their NS-integrated products because building your own takes hundreds of hours.
My advice is that you should bring the client back to the table and discuss options armed with more information, and do a better cost analysis of NS licenses vs Existing Integrated product (Descartes, RF Smart, etc) vs custom build (get a quote from a NS Partner).
My bet is the custom design is the most expensive option, especially if you factor time-to-readiness (it must be built, you’re looking at months) and cost of failures when live (it won’t work well on day 1, you will face a lot of business interruption).
I’d see if you can integrate with the WMS via EDI using custom Suitescripts vs. another connector. A good document and diagram will save you quite a bit of time.
