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How to Integrate Shopify With Business Central: A Step by Step Guide

Shopify

Integrating Shopify with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central allows businesses to streamline order processing, manage inventory more efficiently, and ensure accurate financial tracking.

By connecting these two platforms, businesses can automate data synchronisation, reduce manual data entry, and improve operational efficiency.

This is a quick walk through of the process to integrate Shopify with Business Central, including the benefits, prerequisites, and step-by-step instructions for a seamless connection.

Why Integrate Shopify with Business Central?

1. Real-Time Inventory Management

Keeping Shopify and Business Central in sync ensures accurate stock levels, reducing overselling and stock shortages.

Example: If a business sells out of a product in-store, the Shopify site is updated automatically to prevent customers from placing orders for out-of-stock items.

2. Automated Order Processing

Orders placed on Shopify are automatically sent to Business Central for fulfilment, reducing the need for manual data entry.

Example: When a customer places an order, Business Central creates a sales order, updates inventory, and generates an invoice automatically.

3. Accurate Financial Data Synchronisation

Sales transactions, taxes, and refunds are synced between Shopify and Business Central, ensuring accurate financial reporting.

Example: Instead of manually entering Shopify sales into Business Central, transactions are recorded in real-time, reducing errors and saving time.

Prerequisites for Integration

Before integrating Shopify with Business Central, ensure you have the following:

  • A Shopify store with admin access.
  • A Business Central account with permissions to manage integrations.
  • The Shopify Connector enabled in Business Central (available as an embedded app from Microsoft).
  • A clear understanding of how your products, inventory, and financials should map between the two platforms.

Step 1: Enable the Shopify Connector in Business Central

  1. Log into Business Central and navigate to Extensions.
  2. Search for Shopify Connector and install it if it’s not already installed.
  3. Open the Shopify Connector setup page and click Get Started.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your Shopify store.

Step 2: Authenticate and Connect Shopify to Business Central

  1. In Business Central, click Set Up Connection.
  2. Log into your Shopify account when prompted.
  3. Grant Business Central permission to access your Shopify store data.
  4. Business Central will now fetch your Shopify store details and display them in the connector.

Step 3: Configure Data Synchronisation Settings

  1. Product Mapping:
    • Decide whether you want Business Central to be the source of truth for product data.
    • Map Shopify product SKUs to Business Central item numbers.
  2. Inventory Sync:
    • Enable real-time inventory updates.
    • Set rules for backorders and out-of-stock notifications.
  3. Order Processing:
    • Choose whether to create sales orders or invoices for Shopify transactions.
    • Define tax and payment settings.
  4. Financial Data Sync:
    • Map Shopify payment methods to Business Central financial accounts.
    • Set up VAT and tax settings to align with your financial reporting.

Step 4: Test the Integration

  1. Place a test order in Shopify.
  2. Verify that the order appears in Business Central as a sales order.
  3. Check if stock levels update correctly in both platforms.
  4. Ensure financial transactions sync accurately.

Example: If you sell 10 units of a product on Shopify, Business Central should reduce stock levels accordingly and update financial records.

Step 5: Go Live and Monitor the Integration

  1. Enable live sync once testing is successful.
  2. Regularly check for errors or discrepancies.
  3. Train your team on how to manage integrated data.
  4. Use Business Central’s reporting tools to monitor sales, inventory, and financials.

Example: Set up automated reports to track daily sales from Shopify within Business Central to monitor business performance.

Common Issues and How to Resolve Them

1. Products Not Syncing

  • Ensure product SKUs match exactly in both systems.
  • Check if products are marked as Active in Business Central.

2. Orders Not Appearing in Business Central

  • Verify that the order sync setting is enabled.
  • Ensure payment methods in Shopify are mapped correctly to Business Central accounts.

3. Inventory Discrepancies

  • Run a manual sync to update inventory.
  • Check for any unsynced transactions that may have caused mismatches.

Summary

Integrating Shopify with Business Central streamlines e-commerce operations, reduces manual work, and ensures accurate data across sales, inventory, and financials.

By following these steps, businesses can create a seamless connection between their online store and ERP system, boosting efficiency and accuracy.

 

Next Steps:

Need help setting up the integration? Or perhaps you need help with an existing Shopify implementation which isn;t working as well as it should.

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