Data import

There are overall two sources of information that is relevant to feed into Qarma

Purchase order information that lets the inspector know which products to check, quantities, supplier information, ETD etc.
Product data that enables the inspector to check that the product lives up to the specifications. Examples are barcode information, size, color, style, packaging as well as file attachments such as technical specifications, user manuals, assembly instructions etc.

Data can be updated a few times a day to make sure the information in Qarma is always up-to-date.

Data formats

We support the following file formats:

CSV
Excel
XML
JSON
And many more

For data processing, we use Babelway, which has a comprehensive list of file formats.

Import is that we we can identify each order line in the data. So e.g. Excel or CSV formats should have one row per order line. XML and JSON should have one level for the order and then the individual order lines on the level below.

An example file is attached here. The yellow highlights are the basic and mandatory information - the rest will depend on the data fields of the source system and will be mapped accordingly in Qarma.

Transfer methods

The transfer methods are very flexible, including:

Dedicated email
FTP
SFTP
HTTP (webservice)
HTTPS (webservice)
Dropbox
And many more.

For data processing, we use Babelway, which has a comprehensive list of options for transferring data.

Duplicate orders

If an order already exists in Qarma, it will be updated if there is any new information (e.g. change of qty, date etc). It will match on Order number and Item number and optionally an Order line id. It will only update the information if the inspection has not yet started.

If one order has several times the same item number, there needs to be an order line id to identify the individual order line.

Multiple data sources

The file-based integration can handle multiple data sources. This could be any of the following information that needs to be processed together with the order list

List of suppliers (with address, contact information, sourcing responsible etc) that should be used for providing details about the supplier to the inspector.
Additional order files (labels, package instructions, user manuals, product specifications etc) that should be part of the "inspection package" for the inspector
List of users and their responsibilities (this allows Qarma to set automated notification and approval flows for inspection reports)
Mapping between product categories in the order list and corresponding checklists in Qarma.

How to

Integration will be handled by your dedicated Qarma product specialist who will work with you to set up the integration. In most cases, this will involve only very limited amount of work on your side.

Attachments and files

If you order or product data includes references to attachments, these can be retrieved and served out with the Qarma APP. We support HTTP/HTTPS and FTP/SFTP protocols for this purpose.

An example could be that attachments are linked to the order in the ERP system (e.g. Navision), and made available for download on an SFTP server. The PO information sent to Qarma will then have the path to the folder on the SFTP server where the file can be found, and it is automatically collected and shown to the inspector in the Qarma app.