PIPELINEGuide
Checklist: preparing API integrations
What you should clarify before requesting quotes on API integrations. The more of this is settled beforehand, the more reliable the quotes will be.
Before deciding on an API integration, a quick assessment is worthwhile: which workflow costs the most time, who will maintain the system later, and whether the necessary content is available at all. The complete checklist is further down.
01 — Checklist
Clarify before the first quote
- What should improve? In one sentence, no jargon.
- How will you know? One number that should change.
- Who decides? One person, not a committee.
- What budget is available? A range is enough — it makes quotes comparable instead of arbitrary.
- By when? And what the deadline depends on.
- Which systems are involved? And who has access to them.
- What do you already have? Content, data, preliminary work — this reduces the cost.
02 — Participation
What we need from you
- A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
- Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
- Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
- Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
- An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.
03 — Questions
Questions you should ask
- What happens if the project becomes more expensive than estimated — who bears that?
- Who owns data, access, and, if developed, the source code?
- What does operation cost in the second and third year?
- What does the documentation we receive at the end look like?
- How would you measure whether the project was successful?
- Is there a case in which you would advise us against this?
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
How often is data synchronized?
From immediately to nightly — depending on what's technically necessary. Immediate synchronization isn't always better: for systems with post-processing, a nightly run is often the more stable choice.
Is an interface more secure than a manual export?
Significantly, because human errors during export and import are eliminated and every exchange is logged. A manual export leaves no trace if something was overlooked.
Who maintains it later?
You receive code and documentation. We deliberately build with widely used technologies so that switching is possible.
What happens during an outage?
The connection remembers what hasn't been transferred yet, tries again, and reports after multiple failed attempts. Data isn't lost, it arrives delayed.
What does maintenance cost during operation?
As long as none of the connected systems changes fundamentally, ongoing effort is low — monitoring reports itself when something doesn't fit.
Can multiple systems be connected simultaneously?
Yes, that's actually the more common case — for example, shop, inventory management, and accounting together. Each connection is planned and tested individually, even if everything works together in the end.
What if our legacy system has no interface?
Then there are usually workarounds: database access, automated file exchange, in exceptional cases surface automation. All are more fragile than a real interface. We'll honestly tell you how stable such a solution will be before you decide.
05 — Next
Related pages
Next step
We'll look at your starting position.
Tell us what's eating up time today. That becomes an assessment with effort and benefit — and only then an offer.