DriveWorks ERP integration

Base 10 Consultants connects DriveWorks to ERP, CRM, shipping, and payment systems so a configured order flows from the form to the business system without anyone typing it in again. Integrations shipped so far include SYSPRO, NetSuite, Acumatica, Infor XA, QuickBooks Online, HubSpot, FedEx, UPS, SAIA, and Stripe.

The problem this solves

DriveWorks works, the quote looks right, and then someone types the bill of materials into the ERP one line at a time. Every retype is a chance to ship the wrong part, and the engineers doing the typing are the most expensive data-entry clerks in the building.

If you own DriveWorks and only use it for design automation, integration is usually where the next big gain is. The modeling automation inside SOLIDWORKS is powerful, but data entered once and available everywhere is what moves the numbers.

What has shipped

System	Type
SYSPRO	ERP
NetSuite	ERP
Acumatica	ERP
Infor XA	ERP
QuickBooks Online	Accounting
HubSpot	CRM
FedEx (Ground and Freight), UPS Ground, SAIA Freight	Freight rating
Stripe	Payments
Supabase	Authentication

Results from that work:

Order entry in SYSPRO went from 15-20 seconds per line to 2 seconds, regardless of how many lines were on the order.
One manufacturer recovered 25-30% of engineering's time after an ERP integration ended the hand-managing of BOMs and routings.
A BOM upload straight from the SOLIDWORKS drawing took recurring daily upload errors to zero. The full write-up.

What a DriveWorks integration typically moves

Items and part numbers, created in the ERP at the moment the configurator needs them, instead of pulled from a "next number" spreadsheet.
Bills of materials and routings, uploaded with validation and a clear report of every error or warning.
Pricing and costs, read from the ERP so nobody maintains price tables by hand. One client was updating pricing tables manually every few months; material volatility turned that into a regular chore until the tables were read from the ERP instead.
Sales orders and manufacturing orders, entered once.
Freight rates, pulled from the carrier at quote time and added to the quote.
CRM records, so an opportunity reflects what was actually configured.
Two ERPs at once. After an acquisition, orders can be kept in sync between the acquired company's system and the parent's while the migration happens, instead of double entry in both.

How DriveWorks connects to other systems

DriveWorks Pro has several native routes, and most integrations use more than one:

SQL Server and ODBC. Rules can read live data from a database, and tasks can write to one. When the ERP's database is reachable and reading it directly is permitted, this is the simplest path.
Web services. The Send HTTP Request task calls a REST or SOAP API and hands the response back to your rules. This is the usual route to cloud ERPs. See calling web services from DriveWorks.
Autopilot connectors. Autopilot can watch a database table or a folder and start specifications on its own, which is how another system hands a job to DriveWorks. See handing jobs to DriveWorks Autopilot.
The DriveWorks API and SDK, for the cases the built-in tasks do not cover.

DriveWorks documents these routes in Integrating DriveWorks with Business Systems.

How I approach it

I have spent more than 25 years in engineering at manufacturing companies, a good part of it inside ERP systems: improving an existing one, moving to a new one, and moving an acquisition off its old one. So the work starts with how the business actually uses the system (which fields matter, who trusts which report) and not with the API reference.

The goal is always the same: zero double entry, zero copy-paste errors, and logic your own team can change later without calling the original developer.

Common questions

Which ERP systems can DriveWorks integrate with?

Any system that exposes a database, a web service API, or a file import. Base 10 has shipped DriveWorks integrations with SYSPRO, NetSuite, Acumatica, Infor XA, and QuickBooks Online, plus HubSpot, FedEx, UPS, SAIA, and Stripe.

Does DriveWorks ERP integration need custom code?

Often not. DriveWorks Pro can read and write SQL Server and ODBC data and call web services with built-in tasks, so many integrations are configuration and rules. Custom code through the DriveWorks API is for cases those tasks cannot reach.

How long does a DriveWorks to ERP integration take?

It depends on what moves and on how open the ERP is. A single flow, such as pushing a BOM or creating items, is a much smaller job than full order entry with routings. A 30-minute call is usually enough to size it.

Can DriveWorks create items and BOMs in the ERP automatically?

Yes. A released specification can create the item, upload the bill of materials and routings, and report every error or warning back to the person who released it. Autopilot can do this unattended.

Can DriveWorks pull prices from the ERP instead of a price table?

Yes. Rules can read prices and costs live from the ERP's database or API, which removes the periodic job of updating price tables by hand.