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When it comes to big data, the general rule of thumb is "the more of it, the better." With more information at your fingertips, you'll be better equipped to run analytics workflows and uncover valuable insights for data-driven decision-making.

However, there's another rule of thumb that applies in situations like these: "sharing is caring." Even if you collect massive quantities of information, its benefit will be limited if other people and software in your organization don't have access to it. These concerns are especially relevant for applications like Oracle NetSuite, an ERP platform with extensive functionality.

As an industry-leading data integration platform, Integrate.io is pleased to announce that our new NetSuite connector is now available for our customers. But why do you need a data connector in the first place, and how does Integrate.io's NetSuite connector work? Keep reading for all the answers.

What is NetSuite?

NetSuite is a cloud-based business management system for enterprise resource planning (ERP) that is intended for small to medium-sized businesses with no more than 2,500 users. First launched in 1998, NetSuite is often called the "world's first cloud computing company." In 2016, NetSuite was acquired by Oracle and is now part of the Oracle enterprise software ecosystem.

Related Reading: What You Need to Know About NetSuite

Why has NetSuite survived all these years, and what has enabled it to become the world's "#1 cloud ERP" (in its own words)? ERP software like NetSuite is tremendously valuable because it provides a wide range of business functionality, from accounting and financial management to sales order management, inventory, and even CRM (customer relationship management). 

Most importantly, NetSuite can help businesses streamline their business processes and workflows by encapsulating all these features within a single platform. NetSuite also improves the visibility of your enterprise data across the organization, helping key decision-makers get the cutting-edge insights they need.

Why Do You Need a NetSuite ETL Connector?

NetSuite comes with more features than your business will likely need—so why would you want to transfer data out of it? For one, no software application is an island. Even if NetSuite can do a great many things for your organization, it can't do everything, and there are other solutions and systems that could benefit from the data inside NetSuite.

There are a variety of use cases for sharing or exporting your NetSuite data. For example, suppose your business is an e-commerce company and a NetSuite customer. The data inside your NetSuite software could be sent to any or all of the following third-party platforms:

  • CRM platforms like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics
  • E-commerce platforms like Magento, Shopify, and BigCommerce
  • ​Collaboration and communication tools like Slack
  • Online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy
  • SaaS computer service tools like ZenDesk
  • Cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure
  • Payment processors like Stripe
  • Accounting software like QuickBooks

Related Reading: NetSuite and Salesforce Integration: Everything You Need to Know

With such a dizzying array of possible third-party integrations, businesses can greatly benefit from exporting their NetSuite data. However, there's just one question: how can you actually share this data with other software and systems on a technical level?

The problem is that you may have dozens of third-party applications that you want to connect to, each with its own unique configuration. Certain platforms use an API (application programming interface) so that two software applications can easily communicate via each other's endpoints. Others, however, are more challenging and require developers with in-depth knowledge of both systems to integrate them.

The good news is that there are many different data integration solutions on the market, each with its own features, connectors, and advantages. The most robust of these platforms are called iPaaS (integration platform as a service). These cloud-based software tools provide a library of pre-built connectors and integrations that users can rely on when defining their own data pipelines. They allow users to define ETL (extract, transform, load) processes that import data from sources like NetSuite and load it into a centralized data warehouse.

Reverse ETL with NetSuite

In addition to exporting NetSuite data, you may also wish to import data into NetSuite from your data warehouse. This process is known as reverse ETL. 

Why would you want to move information out of the data warehouse and into a smaller platform like NetSuite? In reverse ETL, the data warehouse acts as a "single source of truth" for collecting data, leaving the task of analysis to specialized third-party applications such as NetSuite. This makes it easier for non-data analysts to access this information and glean useful insights.

Integrate.io's NetSuite ETL and Reverse ETL Connector

As an industry-leading iPaaS and data integration platform, Integrate.io understands the importance of offering the connectors that our customers need for their data pipelines. That's why we're pleased to announce that Integrate.io users can benefit from our pre-built NetSuite ETL and reverse ETL connector to import data into, and export data from, their NetSuite deployment.

You can use Integrate.io's NetSuite source component to ingest standard and custom records (tables) with the NetSuite JDBC drivers (SuiteAnalytics Connect). To get started, you'll first need to provide Integrate.io with your NetSuite credentials, including your username, password, and SuiteAnalytics Connect configuration.

Next, select the NetSuite tables and data that you want to consume. You can import an entire table or insert a SQL query to select only certain records.

Once Integrate.io has ingested the desired NetSuite data, you can start transforming this information to fit the target schema of your centralized data warehouse or data lake. For more information on how the NetSuite connector works, check out our article "Using components: NetSuite Source."

How Integrate.io Can Help with NetSuite ETL

Integrate.io is an industry-leading platform for ETL, reverse ETL, and data integration. One of the tool's greatest selling points is its more than 140 pre-built connectors and integrations, including Oracle NetSuite.

But Integrate.io's long list of connectors, such as our NetSuite integration, is just one of the data integration platform's benefits. The Integrate.io platform has been designed from the ground up to be as straightforward and user-friendly as possible. Thanks to our simple, visual, no-code, drag-and-drop interface, even non-technical users can automate the real-time data integration process by defining their own data flows.

What's more, Integrate.io has a clear-cut pricing model that is perfect for growing businesses. We charge based on the number of connectors that you use, not the amount of data you ingest during your integration flows. This means that your data integration costs will remain constant throughout the year, even with periods of rising and falling demand. It also means that costs will be stable as your business expands and consumes more data, as long as the architecture of your data pipelines remains the same.

Ready to get started integrating your NetSuite data? We're here to help. Get in touch with our team of data experts today for a chat about your business situation, or to start your 7-day pilot of the Integrate.io platform.