How does ml-connector handle Exact Online's OAuth token expiry?

Exact Online access tokens expire every 10 minutes and refresh tokens rotate on each refresh. ml-connector caches the access token and refreshes it automatically before expiry, storing both tokens encrypted. If a refresh token has not been used within 30 days, re-authorization is required.

What EDI standards and documents does this integration support?

ml-connector transforms Exact Online purchase orders into ANSI X12 850 format and invoices into 810 format for IBM Sterling. Inbound acknowledgements (855) and despatch notices (856) are polled from IBM Sterling and posted to Exact Online as GL transactions. Other EDI standards supported by your IBM Sterling instance are available upon request.

Does ml-connector work with IBM Sterling running on premises?

Yes. IBM Sterling B2B Integrator runs on customer premises or hybrid cloud, and ml-connector authenticates to the on-premises host and port you provide via HTTP Basic credentials or OAuth 2.0. Network access (VPN or DMZ exposure) to your B2Bi instance is required. Each customer runs their own instance; no shared public SaaS endpoint is used.

Exact OnlineIBM Sterling

Exact Online and IBM Sterling integration

Exact Online is your ERP and accounting platform. IBM Sterling B2B Integrator is your EDI backbone for trading partner communication. Connecting the two moves purchase orders and invoices from Exact Online into EDI format and routes them through IBM Sterling to your suppliers, and brings inbound despatch notices and acknowledgements from trading partners back into Exact Online's audit trail without re-entry. ml-connector maps the data across the very different API and storage models on each side and keeps the two systems in step.

How Exact Online works

Exact Online is a cloud-based ERP and accounting platform accessible through a region-specific REST API with OData v3 query syntax. Authentication uses OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code Grant with a 10-minute access token lifetime and 30-day rotating refresh token. All API calls require a division ID, fetched from the /current/Me endpoint first. Key entities for purchasing include Purchase Orders, Purchase Invoice Lines, Accounts (suppliers identified by IsSupplier flag), GL Accounts, and Cost Centers. Exact Online publishes webhooks (push model with HMAC-SHA256 verification) for PurchaseOrders, PurchaseOrderLines, and other topics, but related entities must be fetched via separate REST calls since the $expand operator is not supported.

How IBM Sterling works

IBM Sterling B2B Integrator is an on-premises or customer-managed hybrid-cloud B2B platform that translates, validates, and routes EDI documents and file transfers. It runs a local REST API (via embedded IBM WebSphere Liberty Profile) on a customer-configured host and port. Authentication uses HTTP Basic credentials (username and password) or OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials with a token endpoint local to the instance. The platform exposes Trading Partners, Workflows, Schedules, and Mailbox Messages via REST, but financial documents (POs, invoices, despatch notices) flow as EDI payloads inside mailbox messages, accessed via /mailboxMessages/{id}/extract. IBM Sterling does not support outbound webhooks; integration relies on polling the mailbox API on a regular schedule.

What moves between them

Exact Online purchase orders and invoice lines flow into IBM Sterling on a schedule tied to your procurement cycle. ml-connector polls Exact Online for new POs and invoices, extracts line-item detail with supplier and GL account mappings, and transforms the data into ANSI X12 EDI 850 (purchase order) and 810 (invoice) format. The EDI documents are posted to IBM Sterling's mailbox for onward routing to suppliers. Inbound EDI documents from IBM Sterling (855 purchase order acknowledgements, 856 advance ship notices) are polled from IBM Sterling's mailbox, transformed back to Exact Online's journal format, and posted to the GL for reconciliation. The flow is bidirectional; cost allocations and supplier mappings from Exact Online are preserved in the EDI transmission.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector stores Exact Online credentials encrypted and uses OAuth 2.0 to obtain a 10-minute access token for each customer's division; the token is refreshed automatically before expiry and the refresh token is rotated on each refresh call. Separately, it stores the IBM Sterling host, port, and HTTP Basic credentials encrypted, and authenticates each call with the on-premises instance you provide. On each poll cycle, ml-connector calls Exact Online's /PurchaseOrders and /PurchaseInvoices endpoints with OData filters to fetch new or updated records since the last run, then joins each PO with its line items and supplier account to build complete EDI payloads. Supplier and cost center mappings from Exact Online are preserved as EDI segment data. The transformed EDI documents are posted to IBM Sterling's mailbox REST endpoint. On the return side, ml-connector polls IBM Sterling's /mailboxMessages endpoint for new inbound EDI (855 and 856 messages), extracts the payload, maps trading partner identities back to Exact Online supplier accounts, and posts journal entries to Exact Online's GL for audit. Every record is tracked with an idempotency key to prevent duplicate posting if a network call is retried.

A real-world example

A mid-sized distributor runs Exact Online for accounting and procurement across two regional hubs, and uses IBM Sterling B2B Integrator on premises to manage EDI with two dozen critical suppliers. Before the integration, the procurement team exported purchase orders from Exact Online as CSV, manually entered them into IBM Sterling (or emailed them for manual re-entry), and then manually logged inbound acknowledgements and despatch notices back into Exact Online's transaction trail. Month-end close required chasing down missing acknowledgements and manually reconciling despatch notices against expected receipts. With Exact Online and IBM Sterling connected, each purchase order flows from Exact Online as an EDI 850 immediately, routed through IBM Sterling to the supplier, and inbound acknowledgements (855) and advance ship notices (856) are automatically posted to Exact Online's GL. The procurement team sees a unified view across all suppliers, and month-end close starts with all orders and receipts already recorded.

What you can do

Poll Exact Online purchase orders and invoices on a schedule and transform them into ANSI X12 EDI 850 and 810 format for IBM Sterling.
Post EDI documents to IBM Sterling's mailbox for routing to trading partners, preserving supplier and cost center mappings from Exact Online.
Poll IBM Sterling for inbound EDI acknowledgements (855) and advance ship notices (856) and post them back to Exact Online's GL for audit and reconciliation.
Handle Exact Online's per-division OAuth 2.0 tokens with 10-minute expiry and automatic refresh-token rotation.
Authenticate IBM Sterling via HTTP Basic or OAuth 2.0 against a customer-provided on-premises instance with automatic retry on network transients.

Questions

How does ml-connector handle Exact Online's OAuth token expiry?: Exact Online access tokens expire every 10 minutes and refresh tokens rotate on each refresh. ml-connector caches the access token and refreshes it automatically before expiry, storing both tokens encrypted. If a refresh token has not been used within 30 days, re-authorization is required.
What EDI standards and documents does this integration support?: ml-connector transforms Exact Online purchase orders into ANSI X12 850 format and invoices into 810 format for IBM Sterling. Inbound acknowledgements (855) and despatch notices (856) are polled from IBM Sterling and posted to Exact Online as GL transactions. Other EDI standards supported by your IBM Sterling instance are available upon request.
Does ml-connector work with IBM Sterling running on premises?: Yes. IBM Sterling B2B Integrator runs on customer premises or hybrid cloud, and ml-connector authenticates to the on-premises host and port you provide via HTTP Basic credentials or OAuth 2.0. Network access (VPN or DMZ exposure) to your B2Bi instance is required. Each customer runs their own instance; no shared public SaaS endpoint is used.

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