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Automatic Distributor as Source

Automatic Distributor is a US automotive parts distributor. The Flxpoint integration imports product catalog, real-time inventory and pricing, and exchanges orders, shipments, and invoices via Automatic Distributor's v2 API. Important: the legacy v1 API will be decommissioned on May 1, 2026 — Flxpoint is already on v2 and your credentials continue to work. This guide walks you through connecting Automatic Distributor, configuring product and order operations, and the v2 schema changes you may need to know about.

How to Connect

⚠️ API v2 Migration — Action Required by May 1, 2026

Automatic Distributor has launched a new version of their API. Your existing credentials continue to work — no credential changes required. The legacy API version will be fully decommissioned on May 1, 2026. Flxpoint has been updated to use the new API.

What's new in v2:

  • header.invoiceDate standardized to MM/DD/YY across all order lookup endpoints.
  • header.orderGenerationNumber is now a 2-digit format with leading zeros.
  • trackingNumber and proNumber are separate fields (except in range endpoints).
  • New fields: shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification.
  • Maximum lookup window: 365 days.
  • PO numbers: ASCII printable only, max 22 chars; required only with the appropriate account flag.
  • CARB restriction validations added (aligned with B2B logic).
  • header.ponumber key is now lowercase in /order/create responses (affects XML users).

Need help? Contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

Important update

The integration has been upgraded to support a new version of the Automatic Distributor API. Your existing credentials continue to work, and no action is required for migration. The previous API version will be decommissioned on May 1, 2026, so we strongly encourage early migration so you can take advantage of the new functionality (improved order lookup, additional ship-to fields, and the ability to revoke all orders associated with a PO number).

For vendor-side questions about the migration, contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

🧭 Phase 1: Launch the Source Wizard +
Open Sources and start the Wizard
Go to Sources (building icon) → + Add Source → Configure Single Source. This opens the Source Wizard.
Step 1 — Create Source
Enter a clear name (e.g., Automatic Distributor). Then choose the Source Type that best fits how this Source will be used.

Choose the right Source Type

For most Automatic Distributor setups, we recommend Vendor Warehouse. Use the other options only if they better match how you store and ship inventory.

  • Vendor Warehouse (Recommended): You send POs/FRs to Automatic Distributor so they ship directly to your customers.
  • Internal Warehouse: You stock items and ship from your own facility.
  • External Warehouse: A 3PL or external partner ships your owned inventory.
  • Product Data Source: Content-only source to enrich product details (no fulfillment).
For Automatic Distributor: select Vendor Warehouse. This enables sending Fulfillment Requests to Automatic Distributor and using their inventory for routing.
After selecting the Source Type, click Save & Next.
Step 2 — Vendor Set-Up
Choose Yes (Recommended) to Assign Vendor → Confirm. You'll enable Vendor reporting and optional portal.
Step 3 — Order Fulfillment
Decide if this source is eligible to fulfill orders:
  • Yes (Recommended): You can route orders here.
  • No: Routing/Shipping steps won't apply.
Click Confirm.
Step 4 — Order Fulfillment Settings
Use Defaults or No, Customize. You'll see:
  • Override: Auto Processing (Use Global / Auto Process / Do NOT Auto Process).
  • Commit Stock + Inventory Management Options.
  • Allow Backorders / Cancel Unacknowledged Items.
Click Save & Next.
Step 5 — Shipping Cost Estimations
Pick one:
  • Yes, Use Rate Shopping (Real-Time Estimates).
  • No, Set Up via Rules.
If using real-time, acknowledge you have valid dimensions, weight, and source address. Click Save & Next.
Step 6 — Order Routing Groups
Enable on all routing groups? Select Yes or No, Customize. Optionally mark Default Order Routing Group. Save & Next.
Reminder: Complete Step 1 — Shipping Methods and Step 2 — Source Location in Phase 2 below, then return (if needed) to finalize.
🚚 Phase 2: Shipping Methods & Source Location (Finish the Wizard) +
Goal

Finish the Source Wizard by confirming your Ship From location and reviewing shipping behavior for Automatic Distributor.

Step 1 — Shipping Methods
When the wizard opens the Shipping Methods step for this Source:
  • Skip if you do not need to configure shipping methods at this time.
  • Or Add Method to configure shipping methods if required for your setup.
Click Save & Next to continue.
Step 2 — Source Location (Ship From)
Enter the Ship From address:
  • Address, City, State/Code, Postal Code, Country/Code
  • Optional: Contact Name, Phone, Email
This address is used for routing logic, rate shopping (if enabled), and reporting.
Finish the Wizard
Review Steps 1–2, then click Save and Complete. The wizard is now finished.
Next: Proceed to Phase 3 to create your Automatic Distributor connection for inventory and order operations.
🔑 Phase 3: Create Your Automatic Distributor Connection +
Goal

Automatic Distributor uses an API connection for all operations (inventory, order creation, shipments, and invoices). The credentials are provided directly by Automatic Distributor.

Step 1 — Open an Operation and start
Inside your Automatic Distributor source, open Integrations → Get Inventory [Primary] (or any other operation) and click Start Creating Integrations. In the connector gallery, choose Automatic Distributor. If you don't see it, use Not Listed? → Request a custom integration.
Step 2 — Fill the Connection Form
In the New Automatic Distributor Connection form, enter the API credentials provided by Automatic Distributor:
  • Connection Name (required) — a friendly label for this connection.
  • API Username (required) — provided by Automatic Distributor.
  • API Password (required) — provided by Automatic Distributor.
  • Account Number (required) — your Automatic Distributor account identifier.
Click Test Connection, then Save Connection once successful.
Tip: Your existing Automatic Distributor credentials continue to work with the new API version. No new credentials need to be requested for migration.
Step 3 — About the API Version
Important: This integration has been upgraded to support a new version of the Automatic Distributor API. The previous API version will be decommissioned on May 1, 2026. The new version is live and your existing credentials work with it automatically. No action is required on your side.
The new API version provides expanded order data including separate tracking and pro number fields, additional ship-to fields (phone and classification), and the ability to revoke all orders associated with a PO number. See the individual operation pages for details about each change.
Vendor contact: For vendor-side migration questions, contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.
Step 4 — How Flxpoint uses this connection
A single Automatic Distributor connection powers all operations on this source:
  • Get Inventory (Primary) — imports the product catalog and quantities.
  • Get Inventory (Secondary) — refreshes variant-level data (cost, MSRP, MAP, quantity).
  • Send Fulfillment Requests — submits orders to Automatic Distributor.
  • Get Shipments — retrieves carrier, tracking, and pro number data for shipped orders.
  • Get Invoices — pulls invoice data for financial reconciliation.
Tip: You do not need to create a separate connection per operation. Reuse the same connection for every Automatic Distributor integration.
Next Configure Product & Order Operations 🚀
Now that your Automatic Distributor connection is saved, go to the Operations section of this doc to set up the Automatic Distributor integrations you need (Inventory, Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Invoices).

Product Operations

Get Inventory Primary imports the full automotive parts catalog (daily). Get Inventory Secondary refreshes stock + pricing (hourly).

Get Inventory (Primary)
Get Inventory (Secondary)
Supported
Introduction

Automatic Distributor — Get Inventory [Primary] imports your full Automatic Distributor catalog into Flxpoint over the (new) v2 API. You'll (1) confirm your saved API credentials, (2) choose import settings, and (3) select a mapping template.

Setup Steps
  • 1Connect Automatic Distributor: Select your saved API connection. Click Save and Proceed.
  • 2Choose Settings:
    • Catalog Scope — full catalog or a filtered subset.
    • Archive/Un-Archive Inventory — archive SKUs absent from the latest feed.
    Click Save and Proceed.
  • 3Select a Mapping Template: Choose Automatic Distributor Get Source Product 1 and click Save and Complete.

⚠️ API v2 Migration — Action Required by May 1, 2026

Automatic Distributor has launched a new version of their API. Your existing credentials continue to work — no credential changes are required. However, the legacy API version will be fully decommissioned on May 1, 2026. Flxpoint has been updated to use the new API.

What's new in v2:

  • header.invoiceDate is now in MM/DD/YY format across all order lookup endpoints (e.g., 03/31/26).
  • header.orderGenerationNumber is now a 2-digit format with leading zeros (00, 01, 12).
  • trackingNumber and proNumber are now separate fields (except in range endpoints).
  • New fields: shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification.
  • New endpoint to revoke all orders associated with a single PO number.
  • Maximum lookup window: 365 days — prevents conflicts with previously-used order numbers.
  • CARB restriction validations added (aligned with B2B logic).
  • PO numbers must contain only ASCII printable characters; max length 22; required only for customers with the appropriate flag enabled.
  • header.ponumber key is now lowercase in /order/create responses (was PONumber in v1) — this affects XML users only.

Need help? Contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

Field Mapping (Get Inventory Primary)
Automatic Distributor Field Flxpoint Field Notes
Part Number / SKU Product → SKU Primary identifier.
Title / Description Product → Title / Description Direct mapping.
Brand Attributes → Brand Manufacturer name.
Cost Pricing → Cost Your contract / dealer cost.
MSRP / List Price Pricing → MSRP Suggested retail.
Quantity Inventory → Quantity Current stock.
Categories Categories Multi-level where provided.
UPC / GTIN Identifiers → UPC Barcode where present.
Quick Checks
  • Connection passes Test Connection.
  • Mapping template is selected and saved.
  • Schedule is set (daily Primary is typical).
Troubleshooting
  • Authentication fails after v2 migration: Your credentials should still work, but if you see auth errors, contact Automatic Distributor at it@autodist.com to verify your account status on v2.
  • Some catalog fields are missing or empty: Check the field's source in Automatic Distributor — v2 introduced schema changes that may have moved or renamed fields.
  • Items missing after a run: If Archive is enabled, absent SKUs are archived (qty 0).

⚠️ API v2 Migration — Action Required by May 1, 2026

Automatic Distributor has launched a new version of their API. Your existing credentials continue to work — no credential changes are required. However, the legacy API version will be fully decommissioned on May 1, 2026. Flxpoint has been updated to use the new API.

What's new in v2:

  • header.invoiceDate is now in MM/DD/YY format across all order lookup endpoints (e.g., 03/31/26).
  • header.orderGenerationNumber is now a 2-digit format with leading zeros (00, 01, 12).
  • trackingNumber and proNumber are now separate fields (except in range endpoints).
  • New fields: shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification.
  • New endpoint to revoke all orders associated with a single PO number.
  • Maximum lookup window: 365 days — prevents conflicts with previously-used order numbers.
  • CARB restriction validations added (aligned with B2B logic).
  • PO numbers must contain only ASCII printable characters; max length 22; required only for customers with the appropriate flag enabled.
  • header.ponumber key is now lowercase in /order/create responses (was PONumber in v1) — this affects XML users only.

Need help? Contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

Lookup Window Limit

The new API enforces a maximum 365-day lookup window on order queries. This prevents conflicts with order numbers that have been reused after long intervals. If you need to query orders older than 365 days, contact Automatic Distributor for an archive export.

PO Number Constraints
  • ASCII printable only — no non-printing characters, no Unicode beyond ASCII.
  • Maximum length: 22 characters.
  • Required only for customers with the appropriate flag enabled — if your account doesn't have the flag, PO number is optional.
CARB Restriction Validations

The new API adds CARB (California Air Resources Board) restriction validations aligned with B2B logic. If you're shipping to California addresses, expect occasional rejections for products that aren't CARB-compliant for that destination.

Supported
Introduction

Automatic Distributor — Get Inventory [Secondary] is a quantity / pricing delta refresh that runs between full Primary catalog imports. Pair with Primary on an hourly schedule.

Setup Steps
  • 1Re-use your Primary API connection.
  • 2Match warehouse / scope settings to Primary.
  • 3Select the Secondary mapping template (SKU + Quantity + Cost + MSRP).

⚠️ API v2 Migration — Action Required by May 1, 2026

Automatic Distributor has launched a new version of their API. Your existing credentials continue to work — no credential changes are required. However, the legacy API version will be fully decommissioned on May 1, 2026. Flxpoint has been updated to use the new API.

What's new in v2:

  • header.invoiceDate is now in MM/DD/YY format across all order lookup endpoints (e.g., 03/31/26).
  • header.orderGenerationNumber is now a 2-digit format with leading zeros (00, 01, 12).
  • trackingNumber and proNumber are now separate fields (except in range endpoints).
  • New fields: shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification.
  • New endpoint to revoke all orders associated with a single PO number.
  • Maximum lookup window: 365 days — prevents conflicts with previously-used order numbers.
  • CARB restriction validations added (aligned with B2B logic).
  • PO numbers must contain only ASCII printable characters; max length 22; required only for customers with the appropriate flag enabled.
  • header.ponumber key is now lowercase in /order/create responses (was PONumber in v1) — this affects XML users only.

Need help? Contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

Field Mapping
Field Flxpoint Notes
SKU Variant → SKU Match key.
Quantity Inventory → Quantity Current stock.
Cost / MSRP Pricing Refreshed each run.
Troubleshooting
  • Cost not updating: Confirm v2 API is in use (check connection settings).
  • Quantity stale: Increase Secondary frequency or check schedule status.

Order Operations

Route orders to Automatic Distributor, pull shipment + tracking back, and import invoices for reconciliation. All operations use the v2 API; pay attention to PO number constraints (ASCII printable, max 22), MM/DD/YY date format, and separate trackingNumber/proNumber fields.

Send Fulfillment Requests
Get Shipments
Get Invoices
Supported
Introduction

Automatic Distributor — Send Fulfillment Requests submits orders to Automatic Distributor over the v2 API. PO numbers must follow v2's new constraints: ASCII printable only, max 22 chars.

Setup Steps
  • 1Re-use your saved API connection.
  • 2Configure shipping method mapping and default warehouse.
  • 3Select the Send FR mapping template.

⚠️ API v2 Migration — Action Required by May 1, 2026

Automatic Distributor has launched a new version of their API. Your existing credentials continue to work — no credential changes are required. However, the legacy API version will be fully decommissioned on May 1, 2026. Flxpoint has been updated to use the new API.

What's new in v2:

  • header.invoiceDate is now in MM/DD/YY format across all order lookup endpoints (e.g., 03/31/26).
  • header.orderGenerationNumber is now a 2-digit format with leading zeros (00, 01, 12).
  • trackingNumber and proNumber are now separate fields (except in range endpoints).
  • New fields: shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification.
  • New endpoint to revoke all orders associated with a single PO number.
  • Maximum lookup window: 365 days — prevents conflicts with previously-used order numbers.
  • CARB restriction validations added (aligned with B2B logic).
  • PO numbers must contain only ASCII printable characters; max length 22; required only for customers with the appropriate flag enabled.
  • header.ponumber key is now lowercase in /order/create responses (was PONumber in v1) — this affects XML users only.

Need help? Contact Automatic Distributor's IT team at it@autodist.com.

Field Mapping
Field Flxpoint v2 Notes
PO Number Order → FR Number ASCII printable, max 22 chars. Required only if your account has the flag enabled.
Ship-to Address (with Phone, Classification) Order → Shipping Address v2 adds shipToAddress.phone and shipToAddress.classification fields.
Line Items (SKU + Qty) Order → Line Items Standard mapping.
XML users: the header.ponumber key in /order/create responses is now lowercase (was PONumber in v1). Update any XML response parsers accordingly.
Troubleshooting
  • Order rejected (PO number invalid): Check your PO format — ASCII printable only, max 22 chars. If your account doesn't have the PO-required flag, the field is optional.
  • CARB validation failure: the destination is in California and the product isn't CARB-compliant for that shipment. Choose a different SKU or skip the destination.
  • Order revoke endpoint: v2 added a new endpoint to cancel all orders associated with a single PO number; contact Flxpoint support if you need to use this flow.
Supported
Introduction

Automatic Distributor — Get Shipments retrieves shipment + tracking data via the v2 API. trackingNumber and proNumber are now separate fields (except in range endpoints).

Setup Steps
  • 1Re-use API connection.
  • 2Set lookback window (max 365 days per v2).
  • 3Select shipment mapping template.
Field Mapping (v2 schema)
Field Flxpoint v2 Notes
trackingNumber Shipment → Tracking Number v2: separate field (split from proNumber).
proNumber Shipment → Pro Number v2: separate field (used by LTL carriers).
invoiceDate Shipment → Date v2 format: MM/DD/YY (e.g., 03/31/26).
orderGenerationNumber Shipment → Order Generation v2 format: 2-digit with leading zero (00, 01, 12).
Range endpoints exception: The /order/find/range and /order/find/range/details endpoints still combine trackingNumber + proNumber into a single field for backwards compatibility.
Troubleshooting
  • Tracking field is empty but proNumber is populated: Some shipments use only proNumber (LTL carriers). Check both fields.
  • Date parse error: v2 changed invoiceDate format to MM/DD/YY. Confirm your downstream sync is using the v2 schema.
Supported
Introduction

Automatic Distributor — Get Invoices retrieves invoice data from the v2 API for reconciliation. Date format is now MM/DD/YY across all invoice endpoints.

Setup Steps
  • 1Re-use API connection.
  • 2Set lookback window (max 365 days).
  • 3Select invoice mapping template.
Field Mapping
Field Flxpoint v2 Notes
invoiceDate Invoice → Date v2: MM/DD/YY.
Invoice Number Invoice → Number Standard.
Order Reference Invoice → Order Ref Links back to FR.
Total / Line Items Invoice → Line Items Standard.
Troubleshooting
  • Invoices older than 365 days missing: v2 enforces a 365-day max lookup. Contact Automatic Distributor for an archive export.
  • Invoice date parse error: v2 format is MM/DD/YY; if your downstream tooling expects YYYY-MM-DD, transform before consuming.

Troubleshooting

!v2 API Migration (deadline: May 1, 2026)

What's happening

Automatic Distributor's legacy API will be decommissioned May 1, 2026. Flxpoint already targets the new v2 API.

How to fix it

  • No action required for typical customers — existing credentials continue to work.
  • If you have custom XML integrations downstream, update parsers for the new lowercase header.ponumber key and the MM/DD/YY date format.
  • Contact it@autodist.com for vendor-side support.
!PO number rejected as invalid

What's happening

v2 enforces stricter PO validation: ASCII printable only, max 22 chars.

How to fix it

  • Strip non-ASCII characters from your PO number generation.
  • Shorten the PO number if it exceeds 22 chars.
  • If your account doesn't have the PO-required flag, you can omit the field entirely.
!Tracking number missing (LTL shipments)

What's happening

LTL carriers use proNumber instead of trackingNumber. v2 splits these into two distinct fields.

How to fix it

  • Map both trackingNumber and proNumber in your downstream channels.
  • For range endpoints, the legacy combined field is still available.
!Order rejected (CARB restriction)

What's happening

v2 added CARB compliance validations for California shipments. Non-CARB-compliant products will reject when shipping to CA.

How to fix it

  • Check the product's CARB compliance status in Automatic Distributor.
  • Route the order through a different distributor for CA destinations, or skip the SKU.
!Lookup window exceeded (365-day max)

What's happening

v2 enforces a 365-day max lookup window on order queries.

How to fix it

  • Reduce your lookback to ≤ 365 days.
  • For older invoice/order history, contact Automatic Distributor for an archive export.

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