Deltek and ShipStation integration

What moves between them

The main flow runs from ShipStation into Deltek. When an order ships, ml-connector reads the order, its line items, and the shipment tracking, then records the revenue in Deltek Vantagepoint as an AR invoice or project transaction against the matching client firm and project. Customer records from ShipStation are reconciled to Deltek firms. In the other direction, client firms and active projects from Deltek are pushed to ShipStation so orders carry the correct reference data. ShipStation holds no accounting data, so ml-connector never writes GL entries or vendor invoices back into it.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector stores both credential sets encrypted, sends the ShipStation HTTP Basic header built from the apiKey and apiSecret on V1 calls, and attaches the Deltek bearer token on every Vantagepoint request, re-running the OAuth2 password grant when a call returns 401. Because ShipStation webhook payloads are only a pointer, each ORDER_NOTIFY and SHIP_NOTIFY is followed by an authenticated GET to the resource_url to pull the full records. Since there is no order-update webhook, it also polls orders by modifyDate on a schedule and converts ShipStation PST or PDT timestamps to your time zone on ingest. The stable orderKey is carried as the external reference, so re-posting an order updates the same Deltek transaction instead of duplicating it, which matters because Vantagepoint has no idempotency header and expects callers to check before writing. ShipStation V1 rate limits at 40 requests per minute and returns 429, so the connector backs off and retries, and only open-status orders are read for changes because shipped and cancelled orders are immutable. Client firms and projects are mapped first so every recorded invoice lands on a valid Deltek project and client.

A real-world example

A mid-sized engineering products firm with about 120 staff runs Deltek Vantagepoint for projects, billing, and accounting, and uses ShipStation to ship hardware kits tied to client engagements. Before the integration, an accounting clerk exported shipped orders from ShipStation each day and hand-keyed the billable amounts into Vantagepoint against the right project and client, and shipments often posted late or against the wrong project. With Deltek Vantagepoint and ShipStation connected, every shipped order becomes an AR invoice or project transaction on the correct project automatically, and client and project data stays aligned across both systems. The daily re-keying disappears and revenue is recognized against the right engagement as it ships.

What you can do

• •Turn shipped ShipStation orders into AR invoices or project transactions in Deltek Vantagepoint against the matching client and project.
• •Reconcile ShipStation customers to Deltek firms and push Deltek client firms and active projects back to ShipStation.
• •Follow each ShipStation webhook pointer to fetch the full order or shipment before recording it in Deltek.
• •Poll ShipStation orders by modify date to catch the edits its webhooks do not send, with time zone correction on ingest.
• •Bridge ShipStation HTTP Basic auth and the Deltek OAuth2 bearer token, with retries and a full audit trail on every record.

Questions

Which direction does data move between Deltek and ShipStation?

The main flow is ShipStation into Deltek. Shipped orders, line items, and tracking move into Deltek Vantagepoint as AR invoices and project transactions, and ShipStation customers are matched to Deltek firms. Client firms and active projects flow the other way so ShipStation orders carry the right reference data. ShipStation has no accounting records, so ml-connector never writes GL entries or invoices back into it.

How does the integration handle ShipStation webhooks and the missing order-update event?

ShipStation webhook payloads are only a pointer, so each ORDER_NOTIFY and SHIP_NOTIFY is followed by an authenticated GET to the resource_url to pull the real records. Because ShipStation has no order-update webhook, ml-connector also polls orders by modifyDate on a schedule to catch edits, and converts the PST or PDT timestamps to your time zone.

Can ShipStation post invoices or GL entries into Deltek?

No. ShipStation is a shipping and order platform with no GL accounts, journal entries, or vendor invoices. What it provides is order, customer, product, and shipment data, and ml-connector maps that into Deltek Vantagepoint as AR invoices or project transactions rather than as accounting documents pushed from ShipStation.