Basic Knowledge
Essential knowledge articles on integration.
Connect SDK Libraries
Essential knowledgeThe Connect SDK Libraries comprise a modular software development framework designed for building integrations with Fluent Order Management. The architecture centers around a mandatory core module that handles foundational communication, configuration storage, and routing capabilities. Implementation teams can extend this baseline engine using specialized, pluggable add-on libraries to introduce web frameworks, security filters, specific cloud or infrastructure adapters, and isolated simulation testing suites.- What You Will Learn: You will understand the structural purpose of each component within the Connect SDK framework and learn how to select the appropriate core, web, cloud infrastructure, or testing dependencies for your implementation project.
- Mandatory Core Requirement: The
`connect-sdk-core` library is a mandatory dependency for all SDK-based implementations. It houses the baseline engine components, including the REST and GraphQL API client, authentication management for sensitive credentials, message routing, and the configuration manager. - Asynchronous Processing Boundary: All transactional endpoints and internal processing steps handled by the SDK execute asynchronously in the background. The explicit exception to this design rule is product availability processing, which runs synchronously.
- Pluggable Architecture Strategy: Advanced technical capabilities are intentionally isolated into decoupled modules. Developers append specialized add-ons like
`connect-sdk-core-web-security` for Spring Security filters, `connect-sdk-core-aws` for Amazon Web Services (AWS) deployment services like Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) and AWS Secrets Manager, or `connect-sdk-core-kafka` for Apache Kafka support. - Isolated Testing Frameworks: The SDK segregates quality assurance utilities into specific test scopes. Teams deploy
`connect-sdk-test-core` to mock external API calls with Wiremock, or utilize the AWS and Kafka test extensions to run integration tests inside software containers alongside LocalStack or virtual Kafka brokers.
Stock Segmentation - Data Model and API Overview
Essential knowledgeStock Segmentation extends Fluent’s Inventory and Virtual Catalog data models to represent multiple logical segments for the same product and location using explicit, queryable factors.Stock Segmentation supports scenarios such as channel-specific reservations, manufacturing batch traceability, compliance restrictions (for example by country of origin), and supplier-level inventory management while preserving a single physical inventory model per product and location.This document explains the data model and GraphQL API capabilities introduced for Stock Segmentation.- Physical stock in the Inventory Catalog is represented through Inventory Quantities that can be segmented using dedicated fields such as
`condition`, `expiresOn`, `countryOfOrigin`, `channel`, `manufacturer`, `manufacturerBatchNumber`, `supplier`, and `segment1/2/3` - Inventory Quantities support parent-child hierarchies, allowing multi-level segmentation trees to be modeled explicitly via the parent relationship
- Inventory Quantities can be linked to operational entities using
`associationType` and `associationRef`, particularly for reservation linkage and traceability - Virtual availability can expose a single customer-facing segment using Virtual Segments
- Segmentation fields are exact-match searchable to ensure predictable query behavior (partial matching is not supported)
Send Enhanced Inventory Attributes in Your Payloads
Essential knowledgeInventory payloads can include additional Inventory Quantity attributes to capture richer stock context.This article explains how to use the `attributes` object to include additional data in inventory payloads. It supports both simple key-value pairs and custom JSON structures to meet diverse business requirements - whether you’re:- managing detailed product information
- optimizing warehouse processes
- or integrating with custom workflows
The Inventory Reference Module supports a set of reference attributes that are persisted automatically, while custom attributes provide additional flexibility.- Prerequisites: To fully leverage the extended attributes functionality within the inventory payload, ensure that you are using the Inventory Reference Module v2.3.0 or later
- Flexible attribute structure: The
`attributes` object supports any combination of key-value pairs, including complex JSON structures and arrays. This flexibility allows you to customize the data sent in your inventory payloads to meet specific business needs - Use reference attributes first: Certain key attributes (such as
`associationType`, `associationRef`, `parentRef`, `expectedOn`, `expiresOn`, `condition`, `storageAreaRef`, `supplier`, `manufacturer`, `manufacturerBatchNumber`, `countryOfOrigin`, and `channel`) will be directly updated in the Inventory Quantity associated with the incoming record, facilitating seamless integration with existing fields - Use segment fields for flexible key-value extensions:
`segment1`, `segment2`, and `segment3` provide flexibility for additional flat classification data without introducing new custom attributes - Custom attribute availability: Any custom attributes that you include in the
`attributes` object will be available in workflows via `inventoryPosition.inventoryQuantity.attributes.<fieldName>`. This enables you to incorporate custom data into rule-based processes or other logic tailored to your business requirements
Orchestration Webhooks
Essential knowledgeFluent workflows use webhooks for real-time communication with external systems, triggered at specific workflow points. Webhooks provide timely updates for order status, shipping, payments, and inventory movements. The standard SendWebhook rule simplifies outbound communication by sending basic data, allowing external systems to retrieve additional information as needed.- Webhooks enable real-time communication between Fluent workflows and external systems, eliminating the need for frequent API polling.
- The
`sendWebhook` rule simplifies outbound communication by passing essential data that external systems can use to fetch additional details. - Typical use cases include order status updates, shipping notifications, payment captures, and stock transfers.
- Webhooks should not be used for Inventory domain operations due to scalability concerns, performance impacts, and stability risks, so use Inventory Feeds instead.
- In rare cases where inventory-related webhooks are required (e.g., conditional stock change notifications), contact our team to discuss alternatives before implementation.
Inventory Ingestion
Essential knowledgeInventory Ingestion in Fluent Commerce ensures that stock levels across all sales channels remain accurate and up-to-date, enabling effective inventory management. It allows businesses to send inventory updates to the platform using two distinct methods: Inventory Batch and Inventory Delta. Each method is tailored to different scenarios, depending on data volume, frequency, and operational needs.- Inventory Batches handle large-scale updates (thousands to millions of records), while Delta updates are ideal for smaller, incremental changes in real time.
- Batches use asynchronous processing for bulk data, grouped into Jobs for tracking, whereas Deltas are processed individually directly by the workflow engine.
- Batches are suited for periodic updates like ERP integrations and stocktakes, while Inventory Deltas are designed for real-time changes to reflect inventory movements such as store sales, returns, or daily adjustments.
- Batches require management of file sizes and grouping, while Deltas focus only on incremental updates, ensuring simplicity and speed for smaller changes.
