SYSPRO and IBM Sterling integration

What moves between them

Purchase orders, invoices, and advanced shipment notices flow from SYSPRO into IBM Sterling. ml-connector reads SYSPRO OData for PorMasterHdr/PorMasterDetail (purchase orders) and ArInvoice (customer invoices), polls every 5 to 15 minutes depending on financial criticality, translates matching records into ANSI X12 EDI 850 (PO), 810 (invoice), and 856 (ASN) documents, then posts them to IBM Sterling's mailbox message API for routing to trading partners. Supplier master data (ApSupplier, ApSupplierAddr) is synced bidirectionally so IBM Sterling's trading partner library stays aligned with SYSPRO vendors. The flow is unidirectional for transactional documents; IBM Sterling does not write back into SYSPRO.

How ml-connector handles it

ml-connector obtains a SYSPRO session token by calling Utilities/Logon with operator credentials, then polls OData tables with $filter expressions on PostDate and InvoiceDate to capture new records since the last poll. For each purchase order or invoice, it extracts the SYSPRO record, maps line items and amounts to X12 segments, and generates a complete EDI 850 or 810 document. It then authenticates to IBM Sterling using HTTP Basic Auth (username and password passed as Authorization header over HTTPS), posts the generated EDI document to the mailbox message endpoint, and tags it with the IBM Sterling routing rule that directs it to the intended trading partner based on the SYSPRO supplier or customer code. Because SYSPRO session tokens expire on logoff, ml-connector refreshes the token before each polling cycle. Because IBM Sterling is polling-only, ml-connector does not wait for push notifications; instead it detects new mailbox messages on the same schedule as the SYSPRO poll. Every transaction carries the original SYSPRO document ID (PO or invoice number) so ml-connector can deduplicate retries and build a full audit trail linking SYSPRO record to EDI document to IBM Sterling mailbox entry.

A real-world example

A mid-sized discrete manufacturer runs SYSPRO for procurement and order management across three distribution centers and uses IBM Sterling to manage its B2B network of 50+ suppliers and customers. Before the integration, the procurement team exported purchase orders from SYSPRO, manually converted them to X12 850 format, and uploaded them to IBM Sterling's web interface, a process taking 30 to 60 minutes per day and prone to keying errors. With SYSPRO and IBM Sterling connected, each new purchase order in SYSPRO automatically translates to an 850 and routes to the supplier via IBM Sterling on the next poll cycle. Suppliers receive the same clean EDI format they expect, and the finance team has a complete audit trail from PO creation to trading partner receipt.

What you can do

• •Read purchase orders, invoices, and shipment data from SYSPRO OData and e.net Business Objects and translate them into ANSI X12 EDI 850, 810, and 856 documents.
• •Post EDI documents to IBM Sterling via REST API and route them to trading partners using IBM Sterling routing rules based on SYSPRO supplier and customer codes.
• •Authenticate SYSPRO using session tokens and IBM Sterling using HTTP Basic Auth, with automatic token refresh and SSL/TLS verification.
• •Poll SYSPRO and IBM Sterling on a schedule (5 to 15 minutes) so procurement documents flow without manual intervention.
• •Track every EDI document from SYSPRO source to IBM Sterling mailbox entry with full audit trail and retry deduplication using original SYSPRO document IDs.

Questions

Which direction does data move between SYSPRO and IBM Sterling?

Purchase orders, invoices, and ASNs move from SYSPRO into IBM Sterling as EDI 850, 810, and 856 documents. Supplier and customer master data is synced bidirectionally so IBM Sterling trading partner records stay aligned with SYSPRO vendor and customer codes. Transactional documents flow one way; IBM Sterling does not write back into SYSPRO.

How does the integration handle SYSPRO session tokens and IBM Sterling authentication?

ml-connector calls SYSPRO Utilities/Logon with operator credentials to obtain a session token, then passes that token on all subsequent OData and e.net calls. When the token expires, ml-connector obtains a fresh one before the next polling cycle. For IBM Sterling, it authenticates using HTTP Basic Auth with username and password, passed as an Authorization header over HTTPS on every REST call.

Why does the integration poll rather than rely on webhooks?

SYSPRO does not support outbound webhooks; it exposes OData tables and e.net endpoints that must be polled. IBM Sterling also does not push webhooks, so ml-connector detects new EDI documents by polling the mailbox message endpoint on the same schedule as the SYSPRO poll. This design simplifies network setup and avoids complex firewall rules for inbound callbacks.