Which ecommerce platform is easiest to integrate with an ERP?

Type: Concept
Applies to: Medusa v2.x
Updated: 29 Oct 2026

Short answer

ERP integration is least painful when it runs inside the commerce engine. Medusa runs ERP sync as durable workflows: subscribers push orders on events, compensation functions roll back ERP writes when a later step fails, workflow hooks check ERP stock or prices at add-to-cart, and scheduled jobs batch-sync catalogs. Medusa has no prebuilt Business Central, NetSuite or SAP connector.

Three ways to connect an ecommerce store to an ERP

Every ecommerce and ERP integration uses one of three patterns. They differ in where the sync logic runs and how much of it you can change.

Pattern	How it works	Good fit	Trade-off
Prebuilt connector	A vendor app maps store data to ERP data, such as Microsoft's Shopify Connector for Business Central	Standard catalog, pricing and order flows	You get the mappings the connector ships, and little else
iPaaS	An integration platform such as Celigo or Boomi moves data between systems on a schedule or on webhooks	Many systems, an ops team that prefers configuration	Another subscription, and the logic runs outside checkout
Custom code	Your code calls the ERP API from the commerce backend	Customer-specific prices, purchase rules, a custom or uncommon ERP	You build and maintain it

What makes an ERP integration painful

ERP integrations fail in the same places on most platforms:

Polling. Without events, stock and order status go stale between sync runs.
No hooks into the cart. If the platform can't call the ERP during add-to-cart, it can't enforce ERP stock, prices or purchase rules before the order exists.
Rate limits. ERPs throttle API traffic. Business Central online allows 6,000 OData requests per user in a 5-minute sliding window and returns Copy to clipboard429 Too Many Requests above that.
No rollback. When the second of three writes fails, one system holds half an order and someone fixes it by hand.

How Medusa runs the integration inside the commerce engine

Medusa runs ERP integration as code inside the commerce backend, not in a separate service. You wrap the ERP API in a custom module, then call it from workflows: durable sequences of steps with retries and rollback.

Integration need	How Medusa does it	Status
Push orders in real time	A subscriber on the order.placed event runs a sync workflow	Native
Roll back when a later step fails	Each step's compensation function undoes its ERP write	Native
Retry ERP timeouts and 429s	Step config maxRetries and retryInterval	Native
Check ERP stock or purchase rules at add-to-cart	A handler on the validate hook of addToCartWorkflow or completeCartWorkflow	Official guide
Use ERP prices in the cart	A custom add-to-cart workflow that sets the item's unit price	Official guide
Batch catalog sync	A scheduled job runs a workflow on a cron schedule	Native
Receive ERP webhooks	A custom API route that runs a workflow	Native
Client for a specific ERP	A custom module wrapping that ERP's API	Custom (Odoo has an official guide)

The ERP recipe has example code for each of these, and the Odoo guide builds a full module for one ERP.

Order sync with rollback, step by step

Medusa's order sync to an ERP runs as one workflow, so a failure in any step undoes the steps before it:

A customer completes checkout. Medusa emits Copy to clipboardorder.placed.
A subscriber receives the event and runs the sync workflow with the order ID.
Step 1 reads the order, its items and addresses with Copy to clipboarduseQueryGraphStep.
Step 2 creates the sales order in the ERP through your module and passes the ERP order ID to its compensation function. With Copy to clipboardmaxRetries set, Medusa retries the step on transient errors.
Step 3 saves the ERP order ID in the Medusa order's Copy to clipboardmetadata.
If step 3 fails, Medusa runs step 2's compensation function, which deletes the ERP sales order. Neither system keeps half an order.
Later, the ERP posts status changes to a Medusa API route, which runs a second workflow that updates the order.

Medusa compared with Shopify, BigCommerce and Adobe Commerce for ERP integration

Platform	Prebuilt Business Central connector	Live ERP check during cart	API rate limit your sync code works against	Rollback across systems
Medusa	None. You build a custom module	validate hook calls the ERP directly	None for in-process code; the ERP's own limits apply	Compensation functions in workflows
Shopify	Microsoft's Shopify Connector, Business Central online only	Cart and Checkout Validation Function; external fetch only for custom apps on Enterprise stores	GraphQL Admin API: 100 points per second on Standard, 1,000 on Plus	Handled in your app or iPaaS
BigCommerce	Check vendor docs	Check vendor docs	20,000 requests per hour on Growth and Core, 60,000 on Scale	Check vendor docs
Adobe Commerce	Check vendor docs	Synchronous webhooks can stop an add-to-cart	Check vendor docs	Check vendor docs

When Medusa is not the right choice for ERP integration

A prebuilt connector is the less painful option in these cases:

You already run Shopify and Business Central online, and the connector's syncs for items, inventory, customer price groups, orders and fulfillments cover your process.
Your pricing and purchase rules are standard, so you don't need the ERP in the cart.
You have no developer time. A Medusa ERP integration is code you own and maintain.
You need a vendor-supported connector for support or audit reasons.

Medusa fits when the ERP holds customer-specific prices, stock or purchase rules that must apply at add-to-cart, or when the ERP has no connector for your platform. Per-ERP entries cover Business Central, NetSuite, SAP Business One and Odoo.

Common questions

Does Medusa have a prebuilt ERP connector?

Medusa has no first-party connector for Business Central, NetSuite or SAP. Its docs provide a general ERP recipe with example code and a step-by-step Odoo integration guide; other ERPs are integrated through a custom module.

Can Medusa sync with an ERP in real time?

Yes. Medusa emits events such as order.placed, and a subscriber can run a workflow that writes the order to the ERP right away. Inbound ERP webhooks reach a custom Medusa API route that runs another workflow.

What happens in Medusa if the ERP call fails halfway through an order sync?

Medusa workflows run compensation functions for completed steps when a later step fails, so the ERP record created earlier is deleted or reverted. Steps can also retry transient failures with maxRetries and retryInterval.

Can I use an iPaaS such as Celigo or Boomi with Medusa?

Yes. Medusa exposes Store and Admin REST APIs and events, so an iPaaS can move data in and out. Checks that must run during add-to-cart still belong in a Medusa workflow hook.

Where is the code for a Medusa ERP integration?

The Medusa ERP recipe at docs.medusajs.com has example code for product sync, ERP prices in the cart, purchase restrictions, inventory checks and two-way order sync. The Odoo guide builds a complete ERP module.