In many companies people act as the courier between systems: they copy an order from the CRM into the ERP, a payment from the bank into the accounting system, a figure from the ERP into a spreadsheet. As long as this is done by hand, introducing AI means that the agent either waits for a person to bring it the data, or works with an outdated copy.
What automatic data exchange is
It is a set of rules and connections thanks to which data moves between systems on its own: from the place where it is created to the places where it is needed. A change in one system reaches the others without retyping and without delay that depends on someone's free time.
Why AI needs it twice
- To read. The agent can only work with what reaches it. If a contract is in a folder and its terms in a spreadsheet, the agent will see neither automatically.
- To write. The result of the agent's work, together with the decision of the person who confirmed it, must be recorded where it belongs. Otherwise a person copies it again, and the benefit disappears.
Three ways to exchange data, in plain words
- Directly between systems, through the interfaces that modern CRM and ERP systems provide. This is the fastest and the most reliable way, if the interface exists.
- On a schedule, for example every night: suitable for data that does not have to be current to the minute.
- Through files or a copy of the database, for older systems that have no convenient interface. It is more work, but it is a normal and common solution.
What separates good exchange from bad
- Conflicts are expected. Two systems will sometimes change the same record. Good exchange decides what it can by rules, and for everything else a person sees both versions side by side and chooses.
- A repeated run does no harm. If the exchange runs twice, no duplicate records appear.
- It is visible. A screen shows what is not in agreement right now and since when.
- It notices changes. When one of the systems changes its structure after an update, someone is told before the data are damaged.
What if a system has no convenient interface
This is common for older systems. There are usually several options: a copy of the database for reading, an agreed procedure for writing, or an exchange of files. The audit shows which option fits a given system and how much work it involves.
The order matters
Exchange comes after the audit and together with the creation of a single source of trusted data. Connecting systems that contain contradictory data only moves the contradictions faster. That is why we build the foundation in this order and connect the agents last.
Where to start
List the systems that one process touches and the places where data are retyped by hand. This is the map of the exchange you need. We do this in the audit of systems and processes, and the scale of the work can be assessed in advance in the configurator. The service itself is described on the page automated data exchange between systems.