ERP Integration 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ERP integration topology creates the highest number of point-to-point connections as the number of systems grows?
- Hub-and-spoke
- Message bus (ESB)
- Full mesh (spaghetti integration) (Correct answer)
- Event-driven microservices
Correct answer: Full mesh (spaghetti integration)
In a full mesh, every system connects directly to every other system, creating N×(N-1)/2 connections that become unmanageable at scale.
Question 2: A warehouse management system (WMS) and the ERP must stay in sync on inventory levels. Which consistency model is most appropriate?
- Strong consistency with two-phase commit across both systems
- Eventual consistency with near-real-time event streaming (Correct answer)
- No synchronization; manual reconciliation monthly
- Synchronization only during scheduled maintenance windows
Correct answer: Eventual consistency with near-real-time event streaming
Eventual consistency via event streaming gives near-real-time accuracy without the performance overhead and complexity of distributed two-phase commits across separate systems.
Question 3: What is the primary function of a data transformation layer in an ERP integration pipeline?
- Encrypt data before it leaves the firewall
- Convert data structures and formats between incompatible systems (Correct answer)
- Store integration logs for compliance audits
- Manage user authentication tokens
Correct answer: Convert data structures and formats between incompatible systems
The transformation layer converts source data (e.g., XML, legacy codes) into the structure and format the target ERP system expects.
Question 4: An ERP vendor provides a pre-built connector to Salesforce CRM. What is the main advantage of using this over a custom-built integration?
- Custom integrations are always more secure
- Pre-built connectors are vendor-supported, faster to deploy, and handle version updates (Correct answer)
- Pre-built connectors require no configuration
- Custom integrations cannot support real-time data sync
Correct answer: Pre-built connectors are vendor-supported, faster to deploy, and handle version updates
Vendor-certified connectors are tested, documented, and updated with product releases, reducing implementation time and long-term maintenance burden.
Question 5: During ERP integration, a 'heartbeat' or 'ping' mechanism is used to:
- Measure data throughput between systems
- Detect when a connected system or endpoint has become unavailable (Correct answer)
- Synchronize clocks across distributed ERP nodes
- Throttle message volume during peak load
Correct answer: Detect when a connected system or endpoint has become unavailable
A heartbeat sends periodic lightweight signals to confirm a connected system is alive, enabling fast failure detection before real messages are lost.
Question 6: What risk does token-based OAuth 2.0 authentication mitigate in ERP API integrations?
- SQL injection into ERP database tables
- Passing static usernames and passwords in API calls that could be intercepted or reused (Correct answer)
- Denial-of-service attacks on the integration layer
- Incorrect data mapping between systems
Correct answer: Passing static usernames and passwords in API calls that could be intercepted or reused
OAuth 2.0 tokens are short-lived and scoped, so even if intercepted they expire quickly and cannot be used to access the full system like a stolen password.
Question 7: A company's ERP finance module and its e-commerce platform must post orders in real time. After go-live, orders occasionally appear duplicated in the ERP. What is the most likely root cause?
- The ERP database is missing an index
- The integration lacks idempotency keys, causing retried messages to create duplicate records (Correct answer)
- OAuth tokens are expiring too quickly
- The e-commerce platform uses a different time zone
Correct answer: The integration lacks idempotency keys, causing retried messages to create duplicate records
Without idempotency keys, network retries after a timeout can send the same order message twice, each creating a separate ERP sales order.
ERP Integration 4
Which ERP integration topology creates the highest number of point-to-point connections as the number of systems grows?