Prerequisites

Business Central Requirements

Version Compatibility

BRC Connect requires:

• Minimum BC Version: 25.0.0.0
• Platform: Business Central Cloud (SaaS)
• Runtime Version: AL Runtime 12.0
• Target Environment: Cloud only (not supported for on-premises)

License Requirements

User Licenses:

• Full Business Central user licenses for administrators who configure BRC Connect
• Full licenses for users who need to view/process orders manually
• Device licenses sufficient for automated job queue processing

Feature Licensing:

• No additional Business Central features required beyond base BC Cloud
• Standard Sales and Inventory modules must be licensed

Permission Requirements

Users need appropriate permission sets:

Standard BC Permissions Also Required:

• Sales document creation and posting
• Customer master data management
• Item master data management
• Inventory posting
• Payment journal posting (if using payment automation)

External System Requirements

API Access

Your e-commerce platform or POS system must provide:

Required:

• RESTful JSON API with HTTP/HTTPS endpoints
• Authentication method (bearer token, API key, OAuth)
• GET endpoints for downloading orders, customers, items
• POST endpoints for sending inventory, shipments, invoices
• API documentation with JSON schema

Recommended:

• Webhook support for real-time notifications
• Batch/bulk API endpoints for initial data loads
• Pagination support for large datasets
• Test/sandbox environment for integration testing

Supported Platforms

BRC Connect has pre-built integrations for:

API Credentials

Before starting setup, gather:

1. API Endpoint URL

   • Base URL for API calls
   • Example: https://api.yourshop.com/bc/v1
   • Must be HTTPS (HTTP not supported)

2. Authentication Credentials

   • Bearer token, or
   • API key, or
   • OAuth client ID and secret

3. Source Identifier (if required)

   • Unique ID for this BC instance
   • Used by external system to route requests
   • Example: BC-PROD-001

4. API Documentation

   • JSON request/response examples
   • Field definitions and data types
   • Rate limits and throttling rules
   • Error code reference

Network Requirements

Outbound Connectivity

Business Central must reach external API endpoints:

• Protocol: HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or higher)
• Ports: 443 (standard HTTPS)
• DNS: Able to resolve external API hostnames
• Firewall: Allow outbound connections to API endpoints

IP Whitelisting

If external system requires IP whitelisting:

• Business Central Cloud uses dynamic outbound IP ranges
• Obtain current BC Cloud IP ranges from Microsoft documentation
• Configure external system to allow BC’s IP ranges
• Note: IP ranges may change; monitor Microsoft announcements

Latency Considerations

For optimal performance:

• API Response Time: < 2 seconds per request
• Network Latency: < 200ms between BC and external API
• Throughput: Sufficient for peak order volumes

Example Load Calculations:

• 1000 orders/day = ~42 orders/hour = ~1 order every 2 minutes
• At 5-minute job queue interval, process ~3 orders per run
• Higher volumes may need more frequent job runs or batch processing

Data Requirements

Master Data Preparation

Before enabling automation, prepare:

Customer Data:

• Existing customer records with email/phone for matching
• Customer templates for auto-creation
• Default values for required BC fields

Item Data:

• Items with references (cross-references) matching external SKUs
• Item variants configured if using product variations
• Unit of measure matching external system UOMs

Financial Data:

• G/L accounts for freight, discounts, duties
• Payment methods matching external payment types
• VAT posting groups for tax calculations

Initial Data Sync

Plan initial data synchronization:

1. Historical Orders

   • Decide historical order cutoff date
   • Plan bulk import strategy (may require manual load)
   • Consider starting fresh vs. importing history

2. Item Master Data

   • Export items from BC to external system, or
   • Import items from external system to BC, or
   • Manually reconcile item lists

3. Inventory Levels

   • Perform physical inventory before go-live
   • Ensure BC inventory accurate
   • Initial inventory sync to external system

Technical Environment

Development/Test Environment

Highly Recommended:

• BC Sandbox environment for testing
• Test/staging environment on external system
• Ability to reset test data between test runs

User Access

Assign responsibilities:

Knowledge Requirements

Business Central Expertise

Setup team should have:

• Essential: BC sales order processing, customer/item management
• Essential: BC user security and permission management
• Recommended: BC job queue configuration
• Recommended: AL development for customizations (if needed)

Integration Expertise

At least one team member should understand:

• RESTful API concepts
• JSON data structures
• HTTP status codes and error handling
• Authentication methods (bearer tokens, OAuth)

External System Expertise

Have access to someone who knows:

• External system’s data model
• Order/customer/item lifecycle in external system
• External system’s API capabilities and limitations
• External system’s configuration for BC integration

Timing Requirements

Project Timeline

Typical implementation timeline:

Total: 4-6 weeks from start to stable production

Availability Requirements

During setup and go-live:

• Integration administrator available full-time
• External system technical contact available for API questions
• BC functional users available for testing
• Decision-maker available for configuration choices

Optional Components

Enhanced Features

Consider these optional capabilities:

Payment Service Provider (PSP) Integration:

• Requires PSP API credentials
• Enables automatic payment capture
• Additional field mapping for payment details

Multi-Location Inventory:

• Requires BC location setup
• Configure location mapping to external warehouses
• Set up transfer order automation (if needed)

Advanced Pricing:

• BC price list configuration
• Customer price groups
• Campaign/promotion price handling

Dimension Integration:

• BC dimension setup (departments, projects, etc.)
• Map external categories/tags to BC dimensions
• Configure default dimension values

Pre-Installation Checklist

Before installing BRC Connect, verify:

Business Central:

• BC version 25.0 or later
• Cloud deployment (SaaS)
• Administrator access available
• Permission sets reviewed and understood
• Master data clean and accurate

External System:

• API credentials obtained
• API documentation reviewed
• Test environment available
• Technical contact identified

Network:

• Outbound HTTPS confirmed working
• IP whitelisting configured (if required)
• API endpoints reachable from BC

Team:

• Integration administrator assigned
• Training plan created
• Support process defined
• Go-live date agreed

Data:

• Field mapping design completed
• Initial data sync plan defined
• Test scenarios documented
• Acceptance criteria established

Support Resources

Before starting installation:

BrightCom Support:

• Contact: brightcom.se/kontakt
• Documentation: docs.brightcom.online/brcconnect
• License validation and support

Microsoft Resources:

• Business Central documentation
• BC Cloud IP ranges
• Azure status page for outage notifications

External System Support:

• API technical support contact
• API status page
• Developer documentation portal

Next Steps

After verifying all prerequisites:

1. Proceed to Installation guide
2. Gather API credentials and documentation
3. Schedule implementation kickoff with team
4. Prepare BC sandbox environment for testing

Common Gaps

Issues often discovered during setup:

Missing Prerequisites:

• ❌ API credentials not ready → Delays setup by days/weeks
• ❌ No test environment → Cannot safely test configuration
• ❌ Master data quality issues → Orders fail validation
• ❌ Insufficient BC permissions → Cannot complete configuration

Mitigation:

• Complete this prerequisites checklist thoroughly
• Don’t skip test environment (even if it costs extra)
• Clean master data before starting integration
• Assign proper administrator permissions upfront