Magento WISO: Take Over Orders, Invoices and Customers From the Shop Into WISO

WISO is a brand name of the vendor Buhl under which several programs run, for example WISO MeinBüro for invoices and accounting of small businesses and further solutions for tax and accounting. For Magento WISO the decisive question is which product you use, whether as a desktop program or as an online variant, and in which version.

According to the vendor information available to us WISO MeinBüro offers a connection to online shops through which orders, products and invoices are taken over. For well-known shop systems the vendor provides guides and extensions. A publicly documented programming interface for own applications we did not find in our research. That is not a statement that it does not exist but a reason to clarify with the vendor before the project which ways are open.

For you that means: before a quote is made, we check which handover your WISO product provides for shops and whether it fits Magento. Magento WISO therefore always begins with three questions: which product do you use, in which version, and which data should arrive in WISO from the shop?

The division of labor is also important: who creates the invoices at your company, and who checks them? Some businesses let invoices arise directly, others check them before shipping. We set up the integration as your accounting works instead of adapting your processes to the interface.

Which data flows in Magento WISO you define with us in the inventory. Typically there are five areas.

Not every Magento WISO project needs all five areas. Often it begins with customers, orders and payment status and later grows by credit notes. This way you see results quickly and can use the budget in stages.

The table shows a typical pattern. In your business it may differ, and that is exactly what we clarify in the inventory.

With Magento WISO a clear rule on data ownership prevents most disputes. Especially with documents this applies: an invoice arises in one place and is not maintained in two systems. Which accounts and tax keys belong to which type of order comes from your accounting or tax advice, we implement the requirements technically and document them.

For Magento WISO the vendor names connections for online shops in which orders from the shop are taken over into WISO MeinBüro. The takeover runs through a connection to the shop that the vendor describes, and in some cases through an extension in the shop. These notes come from vendor documents and forums and can differ depending on the version.

We did not find a publicly documented programming interface, and we therefore do not assume one. Instead we clarify before the quote with you and, if necessary, with the vendor which ways your version supports: a shop connection described by the vendor, a file exchange in a format that WISO reads, or an extension after consultation.

That is an honest part of our approach. We do not build a solution on assumptions but on what the vendor provides for your version. If a way sets limits, for example with shipping costs or certain payment methods, we tell you before the project and not afterwards.

If the vendor describes a shop connection for your version, it is the first candidate, and we check whether it works together with Magento. There are also add-on products from third-party vendors. If an existing way covers your requirements, it is often the more economical choice, and we will tell you so. With every way pay attention to how it handles shipping costs, tax rates and credit notes.

An individual development for Magento WISO pays off if your processes deviate from the standard: mixed tax rates, purchase on invoice with a payment term per customer, several payment providers or special document texts. It is more expensive at the start but fits exactly. Include the care as well, because an individual development needs someone who looks after it.

If your tax adviser uses DATEV, read the page on Magento DATEV. The decision aid on the technical ways is in the guide to ERP integration.

On the Magento side we build the integration as its own module according to the standards of the system, without interventions in the core. The module uses the interfaces and queues of Magento so that transfers run in the background and the shop does not become slower for visitors. Orders are placed in a queue on arrival and processed there until the ERP has confirmed them.

Magento maps invoices, credit notes, shipping costs and payments with its own functions, and these are exactly the data we pass on to accounting. Where possible we use the standard functions of Magento instead of inventing our own tables. That keeps the shop update-capable and lets other developers join in later.

In the admin you see what was transferred: a log shows date, record and result, with a filter for errors. For the peculiarities of WISO we add settings in the admin, for example assignments of payment methods, shipping methods and tax classes, so that changes need no development.

With WISO you should clarify early which handover the vendor provides for shops. Magento WISO then delivers the data in exactly the format and rhythm that WISO can process instead of forcing an interface of its own.

We see these points again and again in projects. They can be planned if they are known early.

• Unclear interface

  A programming interface is assumed that is not provided for the version in use.

• Shipping costs

  Shipping costs are not taken over or end up on the wrong account and have to be added by hand.

• Tax rates and abroad

  Different tax rates and deliveries abroad are not considered in the concept.

• Two invoice numbers

  Shop and WISO both assign numbers, and nobody knows which one applies.

• Corrections to documents

  An invoice is changed instead of creating a credit note.

• Missing monitoring

  A failed transfer is noticed only at the month-end closing.

An integration connects two systems with business data, so clear rules apply. The exchange runs encrypted, credentials do not lie in the source code but in the protected configuration, and the integration receives only the rights it needs. Access belongs to a separate service account, never to a private account of a person.

When testing we work with test data or anonymized data as far as possible. As soon as developers get access to personal data, for example customer accounts or orders from WISO, an agreement on commissioned data processing is needed. We clarify that before the start so that you are legally well set up.

The log of the integration contains what is necessary for operation but no credentials and no unnecessary personal data. Retention periods are defined with you. These notes are not legal advice, the concrete arrangement depends on your company.

We keep the start deliberately short so that you quickly know whether and how the integration is feasible.

The following constellations are examples from the practice of Magento WISO projects, not statements about particular customers. The first is a self-employed person with a small shop who has so far copied orders and invoices from the shop. Here the Magento WISO integration follows the simplest way: customer, order and payment status arrive in WISO automatically, and accounting only checks the log.

The second constellation is a merchant with company customers who buy on invoice. Payment terms and VAT identification numbers come into play, and the invoice is to arise only after delivery. We define with you at which moment the document is created.

The third constellation is a growing business for which WISO is no longer enough and that later switches to a larger system. The integration is then built so that the target can be exchanged without touching the shop. That saves money later because only the connection to the new system has to be built anew.

In all three cases a small trial pays off: before the integration runs productively, a few typical orders are transferred, including one with shipping costs, one with several tax rates and one with a refund. Your accounting checks the result, and only then does operation start. This way assignment errors show up early and cost little.

An interface is not a one-off project but ongoing operation. After the start a log monitors every transfer: what was transferred when, what failed, what is repeated? Errors that cannot be fixed automatically are reported visibly so that nobody learns of them only through a customer complaint.

Updates change the situation. A Magento update, a new state at WISO or a change of the vendor interface can affect the integration. Therefore the planning includes an agreement on how updates are tested and who approves them. Ongoing care can be regulated through a maintenance contract that covers monitoring, updates and error fixing.

Documentation is part of the delivery. You receive a description of the data flows, the assignments and the rules for special cases so that your team or another provider understands the integration and can continue it. Source code and access stay with you.

A flat figure for Magento WISO would be unreliable because the effort depends on your constellation. It is determined by the number of data flows, the quality of the data in WISO, the number of special cases with shipping costs, tax rates and credit notes and the required timeliness. A data flow in one direction is built much faster than a synchronization in both directions with conflict rules.

We work with an open hourly rate of 30 euros net, without emergency surcharge. After the inventory you receive a written estimate that lists the data flows individually so that you can control scope and order yourself. For clearly defined packages a fixed price is also possible. All prices are on the page pricing.

Besides the development, include the running items: hosting, maintenance and, where applicable, licenses or fees for WISO and for additional services. We show these items separately in the estimate so that you can compare quotes over several years.

An honest offer includes naming the limits. We do not sell a ready-made connector off the shelf but develop Magento WISO project by project according to your processes. That means: we implement exactly what you need, but not in a day and not for a flat price that cannot be calculated beforehand.

We are a web agency in which fixed freelancers work together, all from home offices. We are not a large agency with a hundred employees and cannot take on every project at every time. We tell you early whether and when we have capacity. We name customers only with their consent, and in the first conversation we gladly talk about comparable constellations.

We give no legal advice. Questions about commissioned data processing, data protection and the license terms of WISO you clarify with your legal adviser and the vendor. What is technically possible depends on version, operation and license of your system and is checked in the inventory.