Microsoft Dynamics GP and IBM Sterling integration

What moves between them

Inbound EDI purchase orders and invoices from Sterling flow into Dynamics GP. ml-connector polls IBM Sterling's mailbox to detect new EDI documents, extracts the payload, translates EDI 850 purchase orders to GP purchase order documents and EDI 810 invoices to GP payables invoices, and posts them to GP's Payables module mapped to the correct vendor and GL account. The flow is one-way inbound: Sterling feeding trading partner documents into GP. GL journal entries created in Dynamics GP as a result of these payables can be extracted and routed outbound through Sterling for EDI transmission to partners if configured.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector stores credentials for both systems encrypted: Windows domain account credentials for Dynamics GP authentication via Negotiate or NTLM, and HTTP Basic or OAuth2 credentials for IBM Sterling. On the Dynamics GP side, it translates EDI format fields (trading partner name, line items, quantities, prices) into the Payload-wrapped SBA or SOAP request format that GP expects, respects the unposted-only constraint (EDI documents land in GP Work status and must be posted manually or via workflow before moving to Open), and validates that GL accounts and cost centers exist before writing. On the IBM Sterling side, it polls the mailbox endpoint every 2-5 minutes per your schedule, extracts document payloads, parses EDI ANSI X12 syntax, and handles both AS2 and SFTP-delivered documents via Sterling's unified message API. Because both systems are on-premises, ml-connector requires network access to both hosts (typically via VPN or intranet); it validates connectivity on setup and retries failed polls with exponential backoff. Every EDI document carries a full audit trail showing the raw EDI, the mapped GP document, any validation errors, and the timestamp of posting.

A real-world example

A mid-sized manufacturing company with multiple trading partners receives purchase orders and invoices via EDI through IBM Sterling. Before the integration, procurement staff exported EDI documents from Sterling, manually re-entered line items and amounts into Dynamics GP as payables invoices, and then manually matched them against received goods in inventory. With Sterling and Dynamics GP connected, inbound EDI invoices automatically post into GP's Payables module, matched to the correct vendors and GL accounts. Procurement staff now review the posted documents in GP instead of re-keying them, reducing invoice processing time by 60 percent and eliminating manual re-entry errors.

What you can do

• •Automatically translate inbound EDI 850 purchase orders and 810 invoices from IBM Sterling into Dynamics GP payables documents, mapped to the correct vendors and GL accounts.
• •Handle Windows domain authentication for Dynamics GP via Negotiate or NTLM and HTTP Basic or OAuth2 for IBM Sterling, with encrypted credential storage.
• •Poll both Dynamics GP and IBM Sterling on a schedule you define, with retries and exponential backoff when either system is temporarily unavailable.
• •Respect Dynamics GP's unposted-only constraint, posting EDI documents into the Work status where they await manual or workflow approval before moving to Open.
• •Track every EDI document with a full audit trail showing the raw EDI, mapped GL account and vendor, validation status, and posting timestamp for month-end reconciliation.

Questions

Can EDI documents flow both directions between Sterling and Dynamics GP?

The primary flow is inbound from Sterling into GP: EDI purchase orders and invoices posted to GP payables. Outbound GL journal entries created in GP as a result of those payables can be extracted and routed through Sterling for EDI transmission to trading partners if configured, but GL postings flow one-way.

Does the integration require the Dynamics GP Service Based Architecture (SBA) or can it use SOAP Web Services?

ml-connector supports both SBA (REST, GP 2015 and later) and SOAP Web Services (GP 2010 and later). The choice depends on your GP version and customer preference. Both require the same Windows domain authentication tied to Active Directory.

What happens if an EDI document fails to post into Dynamics GP?

The document is logged with a full audit trail showing the validation error (missing vendor, closed fiscal period, invalid GL account) and remains in Sterling. ml-connector surfaces the error in the exception queue so you can fix the root cause (create the vendor, open the period, or map a different GL account) and replay the document. The error does not cause the entire mailbox poll to fail.