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Data integration

Connect data sources. Make data accessible.

Data integration means bringing together data from different systems, such as your ERP, CRM and online shop, so you can report on and analyse it as a whole. With ENABLE, this happens via a central data warehouse: sources are loaded and modelled there, and ENABLE makes the data available through dashboards, SQL with AI and a Data API.

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Data integration means bringing together data from separate systems so you can use it as a whole. Think of revenue from your ERP alongside the pipeline from your CRM, or hours from your planning system alongside invoices from your accounting software. For reporting and AI, this is best done in a central data warehouse.

There are two types of integration that are often confused. With analytical integration, you pull data from your systems into one place to report and analyse. With operational integration, systems send data directly to each other, for example an order from your online shop to your ERP.

ENABLE focuses on the first: making data accessible for insight, not automating processes between systems. If you are looking for a data integration company for reporting and AI, Data Analytics B.V. loads and models your sources in your own data warehouse; ENABLE then makes that data usable for everyone who is allowed to access it.

Key points

Data integration at a glance

One warehouse as the hub

Instead of connecting every system to every other system, all sources come together in one PostgreSQL data warehouse per organisation.

Loading via the source's API

Data is pulled from the source system, for example with a standard connector or a custom integration via the API, and stored in the warehouse.

Modelling into clear tables

Raw source data is transformed into tables such as customers, orders and revenue, with fixed definitions and shared keys between systems.

Access through dashboards

Power BI reports on the model are embedded in the ENABLE portal, with access by role and optional row-level security.

Ask questions with SQL and AI

In the SQL Explorer you ask a question in plain language. The AI writes the SQL and ENABLE runs it read-only on your warehouse.

Data API for reuse

A saved query becomes a REST endpoint with an API key, OpenAPI specification and rate limits, so other systems use the same data.

Analytical and operational data integration: the difference

People searching for system integration sometimes mean one thing and sometimes the other. The difference determines which tools you need. For reporting and AI, you want data from many sources in one place; for process automation, you want systems to keep each other up to date directly.

Analytical integrationOperational integration
GoalReporting, analysis, AIAutomating processes between systems
DirectionFrom sources to one central placeFrom system to system
ExampleERP revenue and CRM pipeline in one dashboardNew online shop order automatically in your ERP
FrequencyPeriodic, for example hourly or nightlyOften immediate, per event
Typical toolsData warehouse, loading tool, BI portalIntegration platform, middleware or custom build
ENABLEYes, as the usage layer on your data warehouseNo

Connecting data sources to your data warehouse

With analytical integration, you load each source into the data warehouse separately. During the intake we determine the best loading route per source: a standard connector if one exists, or a custom integration via the system's API. Data from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, for example, is already loaded this way and used in ENABLE.

Sources we often come across:

  • ERP and accounting, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Exact Online or AFAS Profit.
  • CRM, such as Salesforce or Pipedrive.
  • Online shop and point-of-sale systems.
  • Planning, time tracking and HR.
  • Excel lists with budgets, targets or manual classifications.

ERP integration and CRM integration for reporting

Most value is created when your ERP and CRM come together. Then you see the whole journey from lead to paid invoice. The biggest challenge is not technical but a matter of content: which customer in the CRM belongs to which debtor in the ERP? That is why we define shared keys in the model, such as a customer or item number.

  • Which deals from last quarter's pipeline have now been invoiced?
  • What is the margin per account manager or customer segment?
  • How does expected revenue compare with invoiced revenue?

Making data accessible after integration

Data that sits neatly in a warehouse is only valuable when people can get to it. ENABLE makes the same data accessible in three ways, each for a different audience.

  • Management and teams open Power BI dashboards in the portal, with access profiles and optional row-level security.
  • Analysts and controllers ask questions in the SQL Explorer, in SQL or in plain language. Queries run read-only, with a timeout of 45 seconds.
  • Systems and apps retrieve data via the Data API.

API integration: data from ENABLE to other systems

Sometimes another system needs the same figures, such as a planning tool, an intranet or a custom app. With the Data API, you publish a saved query as a REST endpoint. The system retrieves the data with an API key in the X-API-Key header, with an OpenAPI specification as its description and rate limits as protection.

The Data API is read-only. It delivers data from your warehouse, but writes nothing back to your source systems.

In ENABLE

How data integration works with ENABLE

  1. 01

    Intake

    We map your sources, the key questions and the desired refresh frequency, and choose the best loading route per source.

  2. 02

    Loading into your data warehouse

    Data is loaded from the source system's API or database into your own PostgreSQL warehouse, outside the ENABLE portal.

  3. 03

    Modelling and linking

    Sources are linked via shared keys, such as customer or item number, and transformed into a data model.

  4. 04

    Access in ENABLE

    ENABLE connects to the warehouse over an encrypted connection with read-only queries. You then use the data in dashboards, the SQL Explorer and the Data API.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is data integration?

Data integration means bringing together data from different systems so you can use it as a whole. For reporting and AI, this usually happens in a central data warehouse, into which data from, for example, your ERP, CRM and online shop is loaded and linked.

What is the difference between data integration and connecting systems?

When connecting systems, applications send data directly to each other, such as an order from the online shop to the ERP. With data integration for reporting, you bring data from multiple systems together in one place, usually a data warehouse, to analyse it. ENABLE focuses on the latter.

How do I connect data sources for Power BI?

Usually you first load the data from your source systems into a data warehouse and build a data model there. Power BI calculates on that model, so your reports come from one source instead of separate exports. In ENABLE you then share those reports with access by role.

Which data sources can you connect?

In principle, any source that makes data available via an API, database or export, such as an ERP, CRM, online shop or planning system. The data is loaded into your data warehouse; during the intake we determine the best loading route per source.

Can ENABLE write data back to my ERP or CRM?

No. ENABLE reads from your data warehouse in read-only mode and writes nothing back to source systems. For operational connections between systems, you need an integration platform or a custom integration.

Share securely, live fast, no headache

In an online demo we show you the portal: dashboards per role, row-level security, plain-language questions and how we set it up and manage it for you.

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