Integration Support

One of the critical factors in the success of any business information system is the accurate and reliable exchange of data between platforms. Whether the systems are internal, inside partner companies or at a third party such as a shipping tracking website, the mission is the same: seamless integration.

PageDNA brings a wealth of experience and tools to the table to handle integration requirements ranging from the common to the completely custom. Following is a broad overview of common integrations supported by PageDNA. If you have an integration need not covered below, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Vendor Order Delivery

Once an End User has placed an order and that order is approved, PageDNA's software routes orders to fulfillment based on a mapping of products to Vendors maintained within each site. Each vendor can have their own independent method for order delivery and vendors only view items for which they are responsible. A site can have as many vendors as it has products, as necessary.

The most common order delivery method for orders is email or File Transfer Protocol (FTP). For FTP, files can either be "pulled" from the PageDNA server or "pushed" to an external FTP server. In either case, order data and press-ready graphics files in EPS (Encapsulated PostScript(R)) or PDF format are delivered to vendors for production along with job ticket information such as shipping and billing information. Order data can optionally be sent in a delimited format tuned to match the needs of each vendor's own internal billing and production systems.

Other standardized delivery methods of sending orders range from batching (imposition) to create gangs of orders ready for press, to sending PGP encrypted files for security-sensitive applications, to support for the latest in XML protocols.

Intelligent Order Receipt Confirmation

Any vendor with experience knows that even a single lost order can make or break a relationship with a valued customer. At PageDNA, we take order delivery as a top priority and have developed tools over the years to see that orders reach their intended destination without fail.

Once vendors receive orders, the production team must confirm them using a method linked to the type of delivery used. For example, on email orders, vendors click a link or reply to the email to confirm receipt. On FTP delivery the vendor deletes files and order data to indicate receipt. Orders that are not confirmed within 48 business hours trigger an alert email sent to both the customer as well as PageDNA's internal support team. This system ensures that no orders fall through the cracks.

Automated Shipment Data Import

Any ordering site can be optionally linked to the PageDNA Shipping System (described elsewhere in this literature) so as to provide end user customers with automated, up to the minute order status information, including door-to-door shipping status where available. Each vendor involved in distribution of products on such a site needs to provide shipment data back to the PageDNA system to keep customers appraised as to the status of their order. To assist with the import of this data, PageDNA provides tools to allow vendor data to be synchronized with the system either manually or through automated updates.

Ariba and other cXML Integrations

PageDNA was one of the first companies - in any software vertical - to integrate with Ariba when enterprise software began its march into the procurement space several years ago. Our experience with the cXML protocol started with Ariba but has subsequently expanded into a variety of cXML conversant platforms as the standard has taken hold across the industry.

Print MIS Systems

Most print manufacturers and distributors run some sort of MIS system and most of our customers wish to have our system interface directly with regard to order data, artwork and order status. Simply put, our system can send a stream of order data directly into most MIS systems so they do not have to be keyed in manually. The vendor can then track each order through their shop using their familiar shop floor MIS tools.

PageDNA has integrated with multiple Print Management systems by request of our customers. Our latest integrations with Kramer-Smilko and e-QUANTUM have been very popular with our customers, adding our variable imprint, direct mail and mailing list capabilities as an available option to these already powerful systems.

PageDNA also has working integrations with the EFI's Logic/Covalent and the TopForm platforms, as well as numerous legacy and proprietary platforms specific to our customers and their vendors.

Final Thoughts

We believe that our integration tools, methods and programming staff give us a distinct advantage in the marketplace. In the long run, our customers who have gone the extra mile to integrate our systems enjoy a distinct advantage over those who fail to "connect all the dots" in the order processing lifecycle. Contact us with your integration needs.