Integrating ERP and CRM: when a native connector is enough and when it is not

A salesperson closes an order in the CRM and someone types it again into the ERP. Billing invoices one price and sales quoted another. This guide explains what a connector shipped by the vendor can do, using the example documented by Microsoft, and what leadership must decide before connecting the two systems.

A note: the only case with an open source that we reviewed for this guide is Business Central with Dynamics 365 Sales, in Microsoft Learn (cited at the end). That page does not use the word middleware or compare other ways to integrate. For other combinations, such as an SAP ERP with a Salesforce or HubSpot CRM, we claim nothing: ask the vendor for its documentation. The decision criteria are Cyrrus's judgment.

What is a native connector?

It is an integration that the system's vendor ships and documents, rather than third-party integration software. In Microsoft's case, the documentation states that Business Central integrates with Dynamics 365 Sales through Dataverse, and that a first-time integration must be done that way. The connection is set up with an assisted setup guide inside Business Central.

Which data does it sync?

Microsoft's documentation lists a standard mapping between tables in the two systems:

Are your ERP and CRM talking?

We review which data they must share, which system is the master for each and whether a vendor connector is enough.

• Data map between ERP and CRM
• Criteria to choose a connector or a custom integration

See CRM selection

Microsoft also describes a scheduled job that updates item availability every 30 minutes and synchronization jobs with a default frequency of 30 minutes. In other words, information is not updated instantly: there is a frequency you must accept or adjust.

Which limits and conditions does the source state?

Among the conditions listed in the documentation:

There are two ways to synchronize sales orders, the legacy one (only from Sales to Business Central) and the bidirectional one, and they cannot be used at the same time.

Changes made by the integration user account are not synchronized, so Microsoft recommends not changing data with that account.

Choose ERP and CRM together

If you have not chosen them yet, we assess how they will connect before comparing products.

• Joint ERP and CRM assessment
• Total cost over several years

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If you reconnect through Dataverse, the default synchronization settings are applied and existing configurations are overwritten.

To sync items with different units of measure you must turn on a separate option, and Microsoft notes that Dynamics 365 Sales does not allow changing a product's unit group.

What should leadership decide, whatever the connector?

Five decisions, per Cyrrus's judgment. First, which system is the master for each piece of data: customer, price, inventory and invoice often have different owners. Second, in which direction each piece flows. Third, which update frequency the business needs: what the salesperson sees must be current when quoting. Fourth, who answers when synchronization fails. Fifth, what happens with duplicate or incomplete data before connecting: a connector does not fix it.

For the last point, see the guide on data governance and deduplication in the CRM.

When is it worth looking at another option?

When the vendor's connector does not cover your company's processes, when the systems come from different vendors with no documented integration, or when the business needs rules the connector does not allow. In those cases the alternative is a custom integration or integration software, with its own cost and upkeep. Ask each vendor for its documentation and its list of data and limits, and add them to the project's total cost.

How we can help

At Cyrrus we assess ERP and CRM together, including how to connect them, without selling a product of our own. Learn about CRM selection and ERP selection, and if you are still comparing products, see what a CRM is.

If you are unsure whether a connector is enough, request a free diagnostic session with our team.