Integrazione PunchOut cXML e OCI, semplificata: il tuo ponte verso i sistemi di e-procurement
Entering the world of B2B supply for large corporations means speaking their language. In the digital context, this language is almost always one of two global standards: cXML (Commerce eXtensible Markup Language) or OCI (Open Catalog Interface). These are the protocols that allow your e-commerce store to communicate seamlessly and securely with your clients’ e-procurement systems, such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, Jaggaer, or Oracle.
However, implementing these integrations from scratch is a notoriously complex undertaking. It requires an in-depth study of dense technical documentation, management of rigid XML schemas, development of secure endpoints, and months of testing and debugging. It’s a significant investment of time and resources that diverts focus from your core business.
This is where PunchOut Rocket, backed by Weblink’s decade of experience integrating dozens of e-procurement systems, steps in as your expert translator. We have distilled this complexity into a plug-and-play solution that handles all the technical nuances of cXML and OCI, allowing you to connect your WooCommerce, Magento, or NopCommerce store in days, not months.
cXML: The Detailed Standard for Structured Integrations
cXML is a robust and highly descriptive XML-based protocol, favored by many of the world’s largest e-procurement platforms, including SAP Ariba. Its strength lies in its rigorous structure, which ensures that every communication is clear, complete, and traceable.
How Does a cXML PunchOut Work with PunchOut Rocket?
- Session Initialization (PunchOutSetupRequest): When a user from your client’s company clicks on your catalog link in their system (e.g., Ariba), they aren’t just redirected to your site. The client’s system sends a PunchOutSetupRequest to our endpoint. This request is an XML document containing a “digital passport” to identify who is initiating the session. The key credentials are:
- FromIdentity & SenderIdentity: These uniquely identify the client’s company.
- SharedSecret: A shared “password” that ensures the request is authentic and comes from a trusted source.
PunchOut Rocket receives this request, validates the credentials against what you’ve configured for that End Customer, and initiates a secure, personalized session on your e-commerce store.
- Shopping Cart Return (PunchOutOrderMessage): Once the user has filled their cart and clicks “Submit Order” (or a similar button), our plugin captures the cart’s contents and sends them to PunchOut Rocket. Our platform translates it into a perfectly formatted PunchOutOrderMessage cXML document, containing all product details, and sends it to the client’s specified return URL. The client’s system receives this data and uses it to create an internal Purchase Requisition, ready for approval.
Managing Custom Data: CXML Extrinsics
Often, a client needs you to return fixed, specific information in every transaction, such as a department code or a contract ID. cXML handles this through Extrinsic fields. Instead of forcing you to modify your e-commerce code, PunchOut Rocket provides a simple text field where you can input this information. We will automatically include it in every PunchOutOrderMessage, ensuring total compliance with zero development effort on your part.
OCI: The Fast and Direct Connection
OCI is a standard originally developed by SAP that is more direct and less verbose than cXML. It uses a key-value pair approach sent via an HTTP call, often making it quicker to implement for simple catalogs.
How Does an OCI PunchOut Work with PunchOut Rocket?
- Session Initialization: Authentication in OCI is more akin to a traditional login. When the user punches out, the client’s system sends a series of parameters to PunchOut Rocket, including:
- Username & Password: Unique credentials for each client company, which you have previously configured on our platform.
PunchOut Rocket validates these credentials and, just as with cXML, redirects the user to a personalized session on your site.
- Username & Password: Unique credentials for each client company, which you have previously configured on our platform.
- Shopping Cart Return: At the end of the shopping experience, the cart is sent to PunchOut Rocket. Our platform converts it into an OCI data string, where each product and its attributes (quantity, price, code) is a specific field (e.g., NEW_ITEM-DESCRIPTION[1], NEW_ITEM-QUANTITY[1]). This data is sent to the client’s return URL, instantly populating their purchase request.
Il vantaggio di PunchOut Rocket: la nostra esperienza, racchiusa in una soluzione
Senza PunchOut Rocket, il tuo team dovrebbe diventare esperto in entrambi gli standard, interpretare le lievi ma cruciali variazioni implementate da ogni sistema di e-procurement e mantenere queste complesse integrazioni nel tempo.
Abbiamo già svolto questo lavoro. La nostra piattaforma è il risultato di anni di integrazioni reali. Sappiamo esattamente quali dati si aspetta SAP Ariba, come Oracle gestisce le sessioni OCI e le specifiche peculiarità di Coupa. I nostri plugin per WooCommerce, Magento e NopCommerce (con Prestashop in arrivo) sono il punto di arrivo di questa conoscenza, gestendo la comunicazione trasparente con il tuo negozio.
Invece di studiare gli standard, con PunchOut Rocket devi solo inserire le credenziali del tuo cliente in campi di testo chiari e intuitivi. Gestiamo la traduzione, la sicurezza e l’affidabilità della comunicazione.
Libera le tue risorse e accelera il tuo time-to-market. Lascia che PunchOut Rocket gestisca la complessità di cXML e OCI e concentrati sulla crescita delle tue vendite B2B.