Microsoft Dynamics NAV and TrueCommerce integration

What moves between them

Purchase orders created in Microsoft Dynamics NAV flow outbound to TrueCommerce as X12 850 EDI documents on a schedule you set (typically daily). Inbound EDI documents arrive via TrueCommerce SFTP in the agreed format: purchase order acknowledgments (855) and advance ship notices (856). ml-connector maps the 855 and 856 back into Dynamics NAV as posted item receipts on the matching purchase order line, with quantities and dates from the EDI. Vendor master records in NAV sync to TrueCommerce on change so trading partner routing stays current. The flow is primarily one-way for orders (NAV to TC) and one-way for receipts (TC to NAV), with bidirectional vendor alignment.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector uses OAuth 2.0 client credentials to pull purchase orders from Microsoft Dynamics NAV via OData REST on a schedule you define, typically daily. Each order is transformed to X12 850 EDI format and written to the TrueCommerce SFTP server using the provisioned SFTP username and password. It polls the inbound directory on the same SFTP server for 855 and 856 documents, typically on an hourly or daily cadence matching your order volume. When an 855 or 856 arrives, ml-connector parses the EDI, matches it to the corresponding purchase order in NAV by order number and supplier ID, and posts an item receipt in NAV with the line quantities and expected delivery date. Each transformation carries the ISA control number from the EDI so duplicate arrivals do not re-post. Vendor master changes in NAV trigger a refresh to TrueCommerce so routing to the correct supplier always works. ml-connector validates that NAV items and vendors exist before writing an EDI file, and it retries failed SFTP writes and NAV postings with exponential backoff.

A real-world example

A small manufacturing company runs Dynamics NAV on-premises for purchasing and inventory, and uses TrueCommerce to distribute purchase orders to a dozen regional suppliers via EDI. Before the integration, the procurement team created purchase orders in NAV, printed them, and manually typed them into TrueCommerce (or emailed suppliers directly). When shipments arrived, they received EDI 856 documents from TrueCommerce in a batch file, manually parsed them in a spreadsheet, and typed line-by-line receipt quantities into NAV. Reconciling the two was error-prone and the team could not start a physical count until all receipts were posted. With Dynamics NAV and TrueCommerce connected, each purchase order automatically flows to TrueCommerce and reaches suppliers, inbound EDI documents post to NAV as item receipts on the same day they arrive, and the inventory and procurement records stay in sync without re-keying.

What you can do

• •Automatically push purchase orders from Dynamics NAV to TrueCommerce as X12 850 EDI documents on a daily or custom schedule.
• •Map inbound EDI purchase order acknowledgments (855) and advance ship notices (856) from TrueCommerce back into NAV as posted item receipts with quantities and delivery dates.
• •Keep vendor master records in sync between NAV and TrueCommerce so purchase orders route to the correct trading partners.
• •Authenticate Dynamics NAV via OAuth 2.0 and TrueCommerce via provisioned SFTP credentials, with full credential encryption and audit logging.
• •Deduplicate inbound EDI using ISA control numbers and retry failed SFTP and NAV posting operations with exponential backoff.

Questions

Can ml-connector push a Dynamics NAV sales invoice to TrueCommerce as an 810 EDI invoice?

Not in the standard pattern. This integration focuses on procurement: NAV purchase orders outbound as 850, and TrueCommerce inbound receipts and acknowledgments (856, 855) mapping back to NAV item receipts. Sales invoice (810) flow would require a separate integration tailored to your customer distribution network. The same credential set and SFTP path can be extended to sales orders and shipments if TrueCommerce and your suppliers support that scope.

What happens if a purchase order acknowledgment (855) arrives in TrueCommerce before the matching purchase order is created in Dynamics NAV?

ml-connector queues the EDI message and retries matching it against NAV orders on a standard interval (typically every few minutes). Once the purchase order is created in NAV, the 855 will match and post. This handles the real-world case where suppliers send acknowledgments within minutes but NAV orders may be batched and created on a schedule. If a 855 never matches (supplier acknowledged an order that was never created in NAV), it is logged with full context so the procurement team can investigate.

Do I need the local TrueCommerce Windows Integration Service if I run Dynamics NAV online (Business Central)?

No. If you run Dynamics NAV as Business Central online, you connect directly to the TrueCommerce SFTP server and optional Exchange API using provisioned credentials. The local Windows Integration Service is only required if you run NAV on-premises and need managed integration routing through TrueCommerce. For cloud NAV, ml-connector pulls via OData REST and writes to TrueCommerce SFTP over the internet without any local agent.