Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Fishbowl integration

What moves between them

The main flow runs from Fishbowl into Dynamics NAV. Purchase orders created or updated in Fishbowl are read via polling and written into Dynamics NAV's purchase orders, assigned to matching vendors in both systems. Vendor master records are aligned bidirectionally so new vendors entered in either system propagate to the other. Part and inventory data flow from Fishbowl into Dynamics NAV items and dimensions. General ledger posting happens only in Dynamics NAV; Fishbowl has no GL exposure, so no financial entries flow backwards. The sync frequency is configurable and tied to your procurement and inventory review cycles.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector stores both credential sets encrypted: the OAuth 2.0 client credentials and tenant ID for Dynamics NAV, and the Fishbowl server URL, username, and password. For each sync cycle, it obtains a fresh Fishbowl session token by posting to the login endpoint, polls purchase orders and vendors using date-based filtering to catch changes since the last run, and presents each record to Dynamics NAV's OData v4 REST endpoints. Vendors are matched by code or ID to avoid duplicates; if a new vendor in Fishbowl has no match in Dynamics NAV, it is created before the purchase order is linked. Purchase order lines map Fishbowl parts to Dynamics NAV items by matching part numbers; if a part exists in Fishbowl but not yet in Dynamics NAV, the sync can either create a skeletal item or skip the line and flag it for manual review. Because Fishbowl is on-premise and behind a firewall, the customer must open the configured port and firewall rules to ml-connector's service. Retries handle transient failures on both sides, and every record is logged with timestamps and field-level change tracking so purchase order amendments can be replayed if a downstream call fails.

A real-world example

A mid-sized fabrication and assembly shop runs Microsoft Dynamics NAV for accounting and procurement, and Fishbowl Advanced on a dedicated server for job costing, shop-floor orders, and inventory tracking. Before the integration, purchase orders were entered in Fishbowl for shop orders and manufacturing, then re-entered manually in Dynamics NAV for vendor reconciliation and GL posting. The finance team and shop floor disagreed on which POs were live, and reconciliation at month-end required hours of cross-checking. With Fishbowl and Dynamics NAV connected, every PO created in Fishbowl syncs automatically into Dynamics NAV within minutes, matched to the same vendor and with line items tied to the correct GL accounts and cost centers. The finance team sees Fishbowl's intent immediately, and month-end reconciliation is complete as soon as the invoice arrives.

What you can do

• •Sync purchase orders from Fishbowl into Microsoft Dynamics NAV on a schedule you control, mapped to matching vendors.
• •Keep vendor master data aligned in both directions so new vendors entered in either system propagate to the other.
• •Match Fishbowl parts to Dynamics NAV items by part number and create new items when required.
• •Authenticate Fishbowl via session token and Dynamics NAV via OAuth 2.0, with encrypted storage and automatic token renewal.
• •Poll Fishbowl on your chosen schedule, with retries, a full audit trail on every record, and change replay if a downstream call fails.

Questions

Which direction does data move between Fishbowl and Microsoft Dynamics NAV?

The main flow is from Fishbowl into Dynamics NAV. Purchase orders, vendors, and parts created or updated in Fishbowl are read via polling and written into Dynamics NAV's purchase orders, vendors, and items. Vendor and part master data can align bidirectionally. General ledger posting happens only in Dynamics NAV; Fishbowl has no GL exposure, so no financial data flows backwards.

How does the integration handle Fishbowl being on-premise behind a firewall?

Fishbowl runs on a customer-hosted server at a configurable port, typically 2456. The customer must provide the full server URL and port, open firewall rules to allow ml-connector's service to reach that port, and manage network access. ml-connector stores the Fishbowl credentials encrypted and obtains a fresh session token on each sync cycle.

What happens if a Fishbowl purchase order references a part or vendor that does not exist in Dynamics NAV?

For vendors, ml-connector can create a new vendor record in Dynamics NAV before linking the purchase order. For parts, ml-connector matches by part number; if no match exists, it can either create a new item in Dynamics NAV or flag the line for manual review, depending on your configuration. Unmatched records are logged in the audit trail so no PO is silently dropped.