Pre-Built Tooling
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Basic Auth (Username & Password) |
| Two-Way Sync | No |
| Events Supported | No |
| Realtime | Polling |
| Supports Rate Limiting | Yes |
| Authentication Scopes Supported | N/A (Basic Auth) |
Objects Supported
Alloy Automation supports syncing the following objects from IBM Sterling OMS:- Orders
Set Up Guide
Trial Access
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Offers free trial? | No. IBM Sterling OMS is an enterprise order management system. Contact IBM at https://www.ibm.com/products/order-management for information. |
| Requires paid sandbox | Yes. Access requires an enterprise license or sandbox environment from IBM. |
| Requires partnership to obtain authentication? | Yes. You must work with IBM or an IBM partner to provision your Sterling OMS instance. |
Authentication (Basic Auth)
IBM Sterling OMS uses Basic HTTP Authentication with a username and password.How to obtain credentials
- Provision your IBM Sterling OMS instance through IBM or an IBM partner.
- Access the Sterling Business Center or your OMS admin console.
- Create a service user with appropriate permissions for REST API access:
- Navigate to Users & Permissions management
- Create a new user with API access permissions
- Set read/write permissions for orders, inventory, and other required resources
- Obtain the REST API endpoint URL for your instance (e.g.,
https://your-sterling-instance.com/smcfs/restapi) - Configure Basic Auth credentials in Alloy Automation:
- Username: Your Sterling OMS API username
- Password: Your Sterling OMS API password
- Test the connection by calling the
getOrderListAPI to verify access.
REST API Documentation
- IBM Sterling OMS REST API Guide: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/order-management-sw
- REST API wrappers are typically used to interface with Sterling’s service APIs
Use Cases
1) Real-time order synchronization
Sync orders from IBM Sterling OMS to your internal systems, data warehouse, or analytics platform in near real-time, enabling unified order visibility across your technology stack.2) Order status updates and tracking
Automatically pull order status changes and shipment tracking information to update your customer-facing applications, CRM, or customer service platforms with the latest fulfillment data.3) Multi-channel order aggregation
Aggregate orders across multiple sales channels managed by Sterling OMS into a central system for reporting, analysis, and customer service operations.4) Automated order modifications
Build workflows that automatically modify orders in Sterling OMS based on business rules, inventory availability, or customer requests, reducing manual intervention.5) Order data enrichment
Enrich order data from Sterling OMS with customer information, product details, or external data sources to create comprehensive order records for downstream systems.API Gotchas
- XML vs JSON: Sterling OMS traditionally uses XML for API requests/responses, but REST wrappers typically support JSON. Verify your instance’s API format and ensure proper content-type headers.
- Complex data structures: Sterling OMS APIs often return deeply nested XML/JSON structures. The
OrderDetailsOutputresponse includes multiple nested objects for order lines, payments, shipments, and addresses - ensure your integration handles these hierarchical structures correctly. - OrderHeaderKey vs OrderNo: Sterling uses both
OrderHeaderKey(internal system key) andOrderNo(user-facing order number). Always store and useOrderHeaderKeyfor subsequent API calls as it’s the immutable identifier. - Status codes and descriptions: Orders and order lines have numeric status codes (e.g.,
1000,3700) with correspondingStatusDescriptionfields. Map these status codes to your system’s workflow states during integration. - Date formats: Sterling OMS uses ISO 8601 date-time format. Ensure your integration correctly parses and formats timestamps for query parameters like
FromOrderDateandToOrderDate. - API throttling: Enterprise instances may have API rate limits. Implement exponential backoff and respect any rate limiting headers returned by the API.
For questions or troubleshooting, contact support@runalloy.com.