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Essendant as Source

Table of Contents

Add Source and Establish Connection Product & Order Operations Product Operations Order Operations

Essendant is a wholesale distributor of office supplies, janitorial products, industrial goods, and business essentials. As a source in Flxpoint, it enables automated inventory synchronization, order fulfillment, and real-time stock updates, helping retailers efficiently manage their supply chain and streamline operations.

 

Add Source and Establish Connection

📋 Phase 1: Creating Your Essendant Source +
  1. Log in to your Flxpoint account.
  2. Navigate to Sources.
  3. Click + Add Source.
  4. Enter the following:
    • Source Name
      (Example: Essendant)
    • Source Type
      Select the appropriate warehouse or vendor type based on your fulfillment model.
    • Vendor (optional)
      Assigning a vendor is recommended for reporting and accounting purposes.
  5. Click Save & Next.
This step creates a container in Flxpoint where Essendant inventory and orders will be managed.
🔐 Phase 2: Configure the Essendant Connection +
  1. From the Source setup screen, select Essendant as the integration type.
  2. Complete the connection form:
    • Connection Name
      A descriptive internal name (e.g., Essendant – Primary).
    • FTP Host
      The Essendant FTP server address (e.g., mft.essendant.com).
    • FTP User
      Your Essendant FTP username.
    • FTP Password
      The corresponding password for FTP access.
  3. Click Test Connection to verify the credentials.
  4. Once the test is successful, click Save Connection.
If the test fails, verify the FTP credentials with Essendant before proceeding.
🛒 Phase 3: Configure Integration Settings +
After the connection is saved, configure how Flxpoint will interact with Essendant.
FTP Settings
  • Specify the Remote FTP Folder or File Name where Essendant publishes inventory data.
  • Configure Archive / Un-Archive Inventory (optional) to manage products that are removed from the feed.
Order Operations
  • Enable order routing if you plan to send customer orders to Essendant.
  • Confirm fulfillment behavior aligns with Essendant requirements.
Click Save and Proceed once settings are configured.
✅ Phase 4: Product Mapping and Activation +
  1. Select or create a mapping template.
  2. Map required fields such as:
    • SKU
    • Quantity
    • Price
    • Product description
  3. Save the mapping.
  4. Activate the source.
Once activated, Essendant products will begin syncing into Flxpoint based on your configuration.

 

 

Product & Order Operations

Now that you’ve finished the wizard, you’ll see Essendant has four integrations available in Flxpoint: two for products and two for orders. Get Inventory [Primary] (GIP) and Get Inventory [Secondary] (GIS) keep your Essendant stock and pricing updated, while Send Fulfillment Requests and Get Shipments handle sending orders to Essendant and pulling back shipment/tracking data. All four use the same Essendant connection and credentials you just set up so you can simply choose the operations that match your workflow.

 

Product Operations

Get Inventory Primary imports your RSR catalog including metadata such as attributes, images, titles and description. We recommend running this once daily to import any new items. Get Inventory Secondary is a faster, more efficient operation to import more frequent pricing and quantity updates. We recommend running this hourly. 

Get Inventory (Primary)

Essendant - Get Inventory [Primary]

Operation Workflow:

- FTP Download: The product feed is downloaded using your FTP credentials from the correct folder (e.g., /icaps/), ensuring the file name is mapped properly.
- Product Files: Essendant may provide multiple product files (e.g., eob_individual_items.zip), each containing data for individual SKUs.
- Vendor Feed: Additional vendor or sync files (e.g., /xml/SynCartPartsFeed) can be used to supplement or reconcile product data.
- Partial Data: If your feed only includes certain categories or SKUs, you may need additional feed files from Essendant to get full coverage.
- File/Folder Consistency: Ensure the folder and file name are not swapped (common setup mistake). If the job fails to download, confirm the folder path and filename match your Essendant FTP settings.

Operation Details:

- Custom Fields: Product notes and UNSPSC codes can be mapped to variant custom fields.
- Variations/Options: Simple products are typically available; advanced variation sets may not be in the feed.
- Generic Pricing & Currency: Supported; you can map cost or list price if provided.
- Quantities: Essendant typically provides an available quantity per SKU.
- Multiple Warehouses: Not supported; Essendant does not provide multi-warehouse data.
- Images: Some categories may include image links; multiple images may be available for certain SKUs.
- Categories: Up to three levels of categorization (Category1, Category2, Category3) may be provided.
- Archive Support: SKUs no longer in the feed can be marked archived in Flxpoint if desired.
- Limitations: Certain costs might be set as a percentage of MSRP or provided as net cost only.

After retrieving the feed, Flxpoint will parse and update your inventory records accordingly. Verify that your folder paths, filenames, and field mappings are correct to avoid NullPointerExceptions or missing data errors.

Mapping Template Overview

When configuring how Essendant’s product feed maps into your Flxpoint inventory fields, you can choose from several mapping options:

- Don’t Map: Ignore the field entirely.
- Set to Empty: Force the field to be blank in Flxpoint.
- Field: Copy data directly from an Essendant field (e.g., “SKU” → “Parent SKU”).
- Value: Use a fixed or custom value for all products.
- Mapping Set: Apply a predefined transformation or list (e.g., mapping your internal brand codes).
- Rules: Conditional logic to map fields based on criteria (e.g., “If Category1 = ‘Furniture’, then set Type = ‘Office Furniture’”).

Below are the common fields you’ll see in the Essendant feed, with examples of how you might map them into Flxpoint’s Inventory Parent and Inventory Variant records:


1. Parent-Level Fields

Parent SKU → Typically mapped from “SKU” in Essendant Products.
All Attributes → You can choose “Direct Copy” to pull all attribute data if available.
All Custom Fields → “Direct Copy” to capture any additional product info Essendant provides.
All Images → “Direct Copy” if the feed includes image URLs or references.
All Options → “Don’t Map” if Essendant does not provide advanced variant options, or “Direct Copy” if they do.
Brand → Often mapped from “Manufacturer” in Essendant Products.
Category1 / Category2 / Category3 → Mapped from the Essendant category fields, e.g., “Category1” → “Category 1.”
Description / Title → You may combine “Description” and “ShortDescription” or keep them separate as needed.

2. Variant-Level Fields

Master SKU → Often the same as “Parent SKU,” but can differ if you have a separate Master/Child structure.
SKU → Set to “Don’t Map” if you’re only using the parent SKU, or map to “SKU” if you handle variants separately.
ASIN → “Direct Copy” if Essendant provides an ASIN-like identifier (usually not the case).
Allow Backorders / Archived / Bin Location → “Don’t Map” or “Set to Empty” unless you have data for these.
Cost → Mapped from “Cost” in Essendant if available. If Essendant does not provide cost, you may set a default or “Don’t Map.”
Dropship Fee → “Field” if Essendant charges a dropship fee and it’s included in the feed, else “Don’t Map.”
GTIN / UPC → “Field” from “UPC” or “UNSPSC” if you want to store that data in Flxpoint’s GTIN field.
Height / Length / Width → Essendant may provide these as numeric fields. If you want to store them in Flxpoint, map accordingly.
MAP / MSRP → Map from Essendant’s “MAP” or “MSRP” fields if provided.
Quantity → “Don’t Map” at the variant level if you prefer to store quantity at the parent level. Alternatively, “Field” if each variant has a unique quantity.
Reference Identifier → “Don’t Map” unless you have a second ID you want to track.
Shipping Cost / Source List Price → Map only if Essendant includes shipping cost or list price in the feed.
Weight / Weight Unit → If the feed has weight data, you can map it. If you only have approximate data, consider “Option” or a default value.

The detailed mapping interface (as shown in your snippet) will let you configure each field. Be sure to keep an eye on the “Folder” and “File Name” settings for Essendant’s FTP connection to avoid download failures or missing data. Once configured, Flxpoint will parse and apply these mappings to each item in the feed, ensuring your product catalog is up to date.

Common Issues & Tips

- NullPointerException: If you see errors like “Cannot invoke java.io.File.getName() because this.inventoryFeed is null”, verify your FTP folder and file name are correctly entered. This typically occurs when Flxpoint can’t locate the feed.
- Partial Data: If certain categories or SKUs are missing, check if you need additional Essendant feed files. Some accounts split product data across multiple zips.
- Mapping Mistakes: If you see fields not populating in Flxpoint, ensure you used the correct mapping (e.g., “SKU” → “Parent SKU”). Also confirm you didn’t accidentally map the file name to the folder path or vice versa.
- Additional Support: Contact Flxpoint support if you continue to experience issues or if you need help with advanced transformations, mapping sets, or scheduling updates.

 

 
 

Get Inventory (Secondary)

The secondary feed is designed for incremental updates, focusing on changes to pricing and stock levels. This lighter feed is ideal for frequent synchronization without re-importing every product attribute.

Key Details

  • File Location & Structure:
    • Stored on the same FTP server but in a separate directory or with a different naming convention.
    • May be delivered as a delta file, containing only modified records.
  • Fields Emphasized:
    • Cost Updates: Current cost and pricing adjustments.
    • Inventory Levels: Updated quantities available for sale.
  • Processing Considerations:
    • The system maps these fields to the existing records in your catalog.
    • It’s designed to quickly reflect market changes without the overhead of a full catalog import.
 
 
Optional but recommended

Keep your catalog up to date automatically

After configuring Get Inventory Primary and Get Inventory Secondary, you can schedule both jobs so items, inventory, and pricing update for you.

  • Schedule Primary to import new and updated items.
  • Schedule Secondary after Primary to refresh stock and pricing.
  • Adjust the cadence anytime if your supplier changes their update frequency.
How to schedule Get Inventory operations in Flxpoint
Click the animation to view it larger.


 

Order Operations

Configure Flxpoint to route orders to vendors for fulfillment and  import the shipment details, so they sync back to your sales channel and customer. 

Send Fulfillment Requests

When orders are placed, this operation generates an XML file containing all necessary order details and uploads it to Essendant’s FTP server for fulfillment processing.

 

File Generation:

The file is automatically created with a unique Fulfillment Request Number.
It must adhere to Essendant’s XML schema for orders.


 

Data Included:

Order Header: Order ID, date, and customer reference.
Shipping Details: Customer’s name, address, city, state, postal code, and phone number.
Line Items: SKU, quantity, price per unit, and any applicable discounts.
Shipping Method: Indicates preferred carrier options (e.g., USPS, UPS, FedEx) with specific codes if required.



Ship To Account (optional mapping)

You can map the Ship To Account in your Send Fulfillment Requests mapping template when different orders need to use different ship-to accounts (for example, based on warehouse, sales channel, or shipping method).

When a Ship To Account value is present in the mapping, it takes precedence over the Ship To Account configured in the Essendant integration settings.

If neither the mapping nor the settings provides a Ship To Account, the Send Fulfillment Request job will fail.



Processing Considerations:

Once the file is uploaded, Essendant’s system confirms receipt automatically.
Errors in data mapping (such as invalid SKUs or missing shipping info) may result in order rejections, so validation on your side is essential.



Ship To Account behavior

Many Essendant dealers have multiple Ship To accounts under the same main account. The Ship To Account used on a fulfillment request can come from either: the Send Fulfillment Requests mapping template, or the Essendant integration / job settings.

Behavior:

  • If a Ship To Account is mapped in the template, that value is used.
  • If it is not mapped, the value configured in the Essendant integration settings is used.
  • If no Ship To Account value is available from either source, the Send Fulfillment Request job will fail.

Recommendation:

Work with Essendant to confirm the correct Ship To Account number(s) for your dealer account before sending live orders, especially if you support multiple ship-to locations.

 
 

Get Shipments

After processing and shipping orders, Essendant places shipment files on the FTP server. This operation retrieves those files to update your system with shipping status and tracking details.

Key Details

  • File Location & Format:
    • Shipment files are located in a dedicated FTP directory.
    • Typically formatted in XML, each file corresponds to one or more orders.
  • Shipment Information Provided:
    • Order Identification: Matches back to the original Fulfillment Request.
    • Tracking Data: Includes tracking number, carrier, and shipping method.
    • Shipment Status: Provides a simple shipped/not-shipped flag.
  • Processing Considerations:
    • Partial shipments are generally not supported; an order appears only when fully shipped.
    • Ensure your mapping template correctly links tracking information back to the order in your system.
 
 

Get Fulfillment Acknowledgments

This operation retrieves acknowledgement files from Essendant, confirming the receipt and processing status of each fulfillment request. These acknowledgements ensure that orders have been accepted and are in the queue for shipment.

Key Details

  • File Handling:
    • Acknowledgement files are found in a separate FTP directory.
    • They are formatted in XML and may include multiple acknowledgements in one file.
  • Fields Included:
    • Fulfillment Request Number: For matching against your sent orders.
    • Acknowledgement Status: Indicates if the order was fully accepted, partially accepted, or rejected.
    • Error Codes/Descriptions: If any issues occurred, detailed error messages are provided.
  • Processing Considerations:
    • Your system should log these acknowledgements and trigger alerts for any rejected orders.
    • Partial acknowledgements require manual or automated follow-up.
 
 

Get Invoices

Essendant generates invoices for fulfilled orders, which are uploaded to the FTP server. This operation downloads and processes these invoices to update your financial records.

Key Details

  • File Location & Format:
    • Invoices are stored in a designated FTP directory.
    • Files are formatted in XML, with each invoice potentially covering multiple orders.
  • Invoice Content:
    • Line Items: Detailed costs per SKU, including taxes, discounts, and additional fees.
    • Reference Fields: Fulfillment Request Numbers or Order IDs to tie charges back to the orders.
    • Summary Totals: Overall costs, taxes, and shipping charges.
  • Processing Considerations:
    • Accurate field mapping is crucial to ensure that financial records in your system align with Essendant’s invoicing.
    • Discrepancies should be flagged for review to reconcile any differences in order totals.
 
 
Optional but recommended

You’re ready to automate this source

You’ve finished setting up this source. If you’d like, you can now put its operations on an automated schedule.

  • Select the operations to schedule (for example, Get Inventory, Get Orders, Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments).
  • Pick how often and when they should run. You can edit or pause schedules anytime from the operations screen.

Tip: A daily schedule for key operations is a simple place to start.

How to schedule source operations in Flxpoint
Click the animation to view it larger.

 

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