magnus-tenk
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5/3/2013 7:57:28 AM
RE:Connecting e-commerce module to an existing ERP system
I just want to pitch in with a word of advice from someone that have done ERP-integration with Kentico. The specifics in my comments refer to version 6, I do not know what have changed in version 7.
Set up a Kentico Ecommerce solution without integration and go though all your use-cases. Kentico is a quality product, but is very (version 6) limited in terms of features compared to my Enterprise ERP (Jeeves).
The solution I opted for was a quite labor intensive one, but flexible. I replicate out the relevant portions of my ERP to a separate ERP-Kentico database on the webserver and access using an Entity Framework repository built upon a regular context. Easy as pie.
I do virtually everything, calculating prices, stock levels, campain price lists, customer specific prices and discounts using the data from my (replicated) ERP... I still use the existing Kentico Skus, but only as a presentation layer, and as "placeholders" for my own Skus, so that I still can benefit from using the Kentico administrative interface.
As an example of small frustrations. I still use the Kentico shopping cart implementation but now I have problems with selling fractional amounts as the item count in the shopping cart is implemented as an integer in the database, so I have not found a way to sell 3.5 meters of something.
I realize that I may come across as negative against Kentico but that is not my intention. Kentico is a solid product on what it delivers. It's just not enough for my specific needs.
Had I known what I know now I would have used Kentico where it shines, as a CMS, and written the entire Ecommerce part on top of my replicated ERP data instead of trying to shoehorn two different implementations into submission.
/Magnus
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