Frequently asked questions
General questions
- Can I try out for free first?
- I have a high custom integration quote, how is it possible that I only pay low-cost subscription with you?
- I am a novice in this field, is APIcenter right for me?
- Can I work with multiple users?
- Is APIcenter suitable for small and also large companies?
- Can I manage multiple links in 1 account?
- I am using an application that you do not currently support, what are the options?
- Is there a limit on the data that can be synced?
- Can I customize the integration to my needs?
- Can I map fields I use in both systems?
- What should I do if something goes wrong in the integration?
- I have integrated my applications, I want to synchronize data that is not currently supported, what can I do?
- Do you build custom integrations as well?
1. Can I try out for free first?
Yes, you can indeed. You can create an account for free and set up an integration. The moment your integration is set up you can try it out for free for 14 days. You don’t need to enter your payment information until you decide to purchase the subscription.
Do you like the integration? Then you pay a monthly subscription. Can’t manage to set up the integration? If so, we will be happy to help you with that.
2. I have a high custom integration quote, how is it possible that I only pay low-cost subscription with you?
We operate a different business model. We do not believe in high costs for a custom integration. It is not our business to sell a lot of consulting hours.
APIcenter has invested heavily in building this platform and extensively unlocking integration. This allows many users worldwide to immediately benefit from a comprehensive integration at a low monthly rate.
3. I am a novice in this field, is APIcenter right for me?
The APIcenter platform is built to set up integrations without knowledge of APIs and other technical matters; APIcenter is a no-code platform.
By using the simple APIcenter wizard, you can easily set up the basis of your integration yourself.
Are you, for whatever reason, not getting there? Then you can always request support from APIcenter or one of our partners.
4. Can I work with multiple users?
Within your account, you can create users. For each user, you can specify what permissions they have within the APIcenter dashboard. This makes it easy to collaborate with your team to set up integrations.
5. Is APIcenter suitable for small and also large companies?
Sure. Whether you are a one-person shop with a few orders, stock changes or customers. Or a multinational with thousands of mutations per day and extended teams; APIcenter is built for this.
6. Can I manage multiple integrations in 1 account?
You can connect an unlimited number of applications with APIcenter. For example, we have clients who have integrated dozens of systems with APIcenter.
For any application you integration with APIcenter, you can reuse that application for another integration. This way you set up integrations even faster.
7. I am using an application that you do not currently support, what are the options?
If you would like to integration an application that we do not currently support, please contact us. If it is an application that can be used on a larger scale, then we can discuss whether this is a integration that APIcenter wants to offer generically.
8. Is there a limit on the data that can be synchronized?
With APIcenter, you pay a monthly fee for the integration. This is based on a fair use policy. There is no limit to data going over the line. Should this be excessive, we will contact you first.
9. Can I customize the integration to my needs?
With APIcenter, you have a very comprehensive set of options to customize your integration to your preferences. These include changing settings on the integration, mapping fields, adding business rules (manipulating data) and much more. For this, check out APIcenter’s capabilities.
10. Can I map fields I use in both systems?
Yes definitely. Basically, the fields are already filled in for you in a way that most customers use them. So big chance, when setting up an integration, you don’t need to change anything.
Want to modify or expand the default mappings? Then you can easily do this through Data Mapping.
11. What should I do if something goes wrong in the integration? And how do I know that something is going wrong?
In an integratoin there are always things that can go wrong. Take as an example that you receive an order in your shop with a product that exists in your shop but not in your ERP system. Then your ERP system does not accept the order. You will get an error message back.
In APIcenter, you can set to receive an e-mail when such an error message occurs. Then in the Activity within your account, you can see exactly what goes wrong. In the example above, you can add the place name in your ERP or indicate that disabled place names may be accepted.
Then click the ‘again’ button. APIcenter now sends the order again.
If you can’t place the error message listed in APIcenter, you can ask APIcenter or your partner to help you with this.
I have integrated my applications, I want to synchronize data that is not currently supported, what can I do?
Please contact us for this. We will then look at options to possibly start supporting this.
13. Do you also build custom integrations?
Basically, the answer is, no we don’t build custom integrations. However, this term is used sometimes differently.
Do you have an application with specific requirements that you want to integrate? If so, please contact us. It may be that we do want to support this and we will add them to our integrations. In this case, it needs to be built by us but we do not consider it as custom.
Technical Questions
- What happens if in my integration 1 of the applications gets an API update from the software vendor?
- Can I see what is happening in the integration?
- What kind of data can I synchronize with APIcenter?
- What happens if 1 of the applications I use is temporarily down?
- Can APIcenter handle high traffic and lots of mutations?
- Is APIcenter scalable?
- Where are APIcenter’s servers located?
- Does APIcenter work with predefined data mappings?
- What authentication protocols does APIcenter work with?
- Can I also manipulate data with APIcenter?
- Are there any manuals available on how I integrate my applications with APIcenter?
- How can I tell that my integration is actually working?
- How often is data retrieved and send?
- How does APIcenter handle security?
- My application does not support API, can I still connect?
1. What happens if in my integration 1 of the applications gets an API update from the software vendor?
The APIs of the integrations are regularly updated by APIcenter. As a result, you don’t have to worry about updates.
2. Can I see what is happening in the integration?
Every transaction performed in APIcenter can be found under Activity.
So your integration is no longer a black box; everything that happens in the integration is visible.
3. What kind of data can I synchronize with APIcenter?
With APIcenter, you can synchronize various types of data including orders, customers, products, inventory, invoices, shipping information and more. Check out the different flows or see exactly what is possible in your integration.
4. What happens if 1 of the applications I use is temporarily down?
There may be times when an application you are using is temporarily unavailable. When APIcenter tries to retrieve or send in data and the application is not available at that time, APIcenter automatically tries again when the application is available again.
5. Can APIcenter handle high traffic and many mutations?
Sure, we have clients with thousands of mutations a day.
6. Is APIcenter scalable?
Yes absolutely. APIcenter was built for more than 2.5 years with a team of 20 people. From day 1, everything was built so that APIcenter is a highly scalable platform. Both the architecture of our software and the servers are designed to be scalable.
7. Where are APIcenter's servers located?
APIcenter’s servers are located in the Benelux. In time, we will also offer support to host data in the United States and other countries.
8. Does APIcenter work with predefined data mappings?
When you set up an integration, the data mapping is already set up for you. This is based on how most customers use this. APIcenter has its own centralized data model. This allows you to integrate any supported application to any other supported application.
9. What authentication protocols does APIcenter work with?
For the techies: Behind the scenes, we integrate via Oauth2, API key, Basic authentication (different setups), FTP & SFTP and Custom POST requests.
10. Can I also manipulate data with APIcenter?
You can manipulate data on many fields in the integration. This can be done through the Business Rules. For example, do you have a product in your ERP system for 100 euros and want to sell it on your webshop for 110 euros and on a marketplace for 120 euros? Then you can set this up with Business Rules.
11. Are there any manuals available on how I integrate my applications with APIcenter?
Manuals are indeed available!
12. How can I tell that my integratoin is actually working?
To do this, go to the Activity menu item within a flow. Here you can see every transaction performed by APIcenter neatly listed. You can click on each transaction to see what went over the line.
13. How often is data retrieved and submitted?
The default setting is to retrieve and submit data every 5 minutes. If webhooks are supported on your application within APIcenter, it will be send immediately.
Just want to slow down the time interval? For example, perform a product synchronization only at night? Then set this under the settings of the product integration.
14. How does APIcenter handle security?
Because it’s your data that goes over the line, APIcenter is very strict when it comes to security.
External parties are hired on a regular basis to test security. Want to know more about APIcenter security? Then check out this page.
15. My application does not support API, can I still connect?
If the application you want to integrate does not support an API, it may still be possible to integrate with APIcenter. In fact, CSV and XML files are also supported. These include supplier integrations or products, stock updates and retrieving and entering orders from an FTP server. For options, check out the API integrations or contact us.
Questions about finance
- What happens if my payment fails?
- What payment methods does APIcenter support?
- Am I stuck with a one-year contract? Or is a monthly subscription possible?
- Where do I pay the monthly fee for?
- Are there any hidden costs?
- How can I change my payment information?
- How does APIcenter charge for the integrations?
- I bought some support hours and have hours left over, what can I do with this?
1. What happens if my payment fails?
Don’t panic, your integration will continue to work for a while. You will receive several reminders. You have 14 days to get this sorted.
Should payment not be received after 14 days, we will stop the flows automatically. 2 weeks later, everything is also removed.
If you can’t figure it out, you can always contact Finance.
2. What payment methods does APIcenter support?
You can pay automatically via credit card, iDeal and KBC.
3. Am I stuck with a one-year contract? Or is a monthly subscription possible?
All subscriptions are cancelable monthly.
4. Where do I pay the monthly fee for?
You pay for the use of APIcenter’s online tool, all the data that passes over the lines and for the updates we perform on the applications. A clear monthly amount, with no surprises.
5. Are there any hidden costs?
No. There are no hidden fees.
You pay the monthly fee for the integration. If you need brief help setting up the integration, we will do it for free for the first 30 minutes. If you need extensive support, we recommend that you purchase some support within your account or we refer you to a partner when it comes to application specific needs.
6. How can I change my payment information?
Within your account, go to My Account. Here you will find the option to update your payment information.
7. How does APIcenter charge for the integrations?
This is a fairly technical story, but the bottom line is that we charge a rate to retrieve data from an application and a rate to send in to an application. If you use a simple application that is widely used in the world then the rate is lower than if you use an application that is very extensive and/or less used.
8. I bought some support hours and have hours left over, what can I do with this?
Suppose you bought 4-hours of support at your APIcenter dashboard and the team of APIcenter helped you 3 hours on the integration. Then that one hour that is will still be valid. You can use those for support in the future. The hours are valid for 6 months.