Establish a shared item/SKU master between the ERP and warehouse/3PL using a common identifier (e.g., ERP item number = 3PL SKU); resolve any mismatches in a mapping table before enabling live sync.
Decide on sync direction and frequency: typically the 3PL or WMS is the system of record for physical on-hand quantities, pushing updates to the ERP on transaction events (receipts, shipments, adjustments) or on a scheduled interval.
Consume the 3PL's inventory update feed (webhook, SFTP flat file, EDI 846, or REST API); transform quantities and location data to the ERP's expected format (warehouse code, storage location, unit of measure).
Post inventory adjustments to the ERP using the appropriate API or interface: SAP uses Material Document postings (movement type 701 for adjustment) via BAPI_GOODSMVT_CREATE or the Inventory API; Oracle Fusion uses the Inventory REST API for on-hand updates; D365 uses the Inventory Adjustment journal entity.
Reconcile periodically by comparing ERP on-hand totals to 3PL reports; log discrepancies and alert if the delta exceeds a configurable threshold.
Known gotchas
Unit of measure mismatches (e.g., ERP stores in 'each', 3PL stores in 'case') silently multiply or divide quantities; always include UOM conversion validation in the transformation layer.
Inventory adjustments posted to the ERP during an open fiscal period may affect cost accounting; coordinate with finance on timing of bulk adjustments, especially near period-end.
Real-time sync via webhooks can produce duplicate events if the 3PL retries failed deliveries; implement idempotent processing using the transaction reference ID from the 3PL payload.
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