Integration Rescue Consulting
When Systems Stop Talking, I Find Out Why
Missing orders, duplicate imports, failing files, and vendors pointing at each other are business problems before they are technical ones. I trace the connection from source to receiving system, identify where it breaks, and help make the recovery dependable.
Projects typically start around $2,500. Start with a specific failure or a bounded assessment.
Discuss an IntegrationFind the failure across the whole connection
I investigate APIs, EDI, flat files, CSV, FTP/SFTP, webhooks, databases, batch jobs, and legacy applications. That includes data transformation, mapping, validation, logging, retries, idempotency, and reconciliation—not just whether the network request succeeded.
- Duplicate orders, invoices, or other transactions after a retry
- Missing records or totals that do not match between systems
- Broken vendor APIs, expired connection settings, or changed file formats
- Database synchronization failures and stalled migrations
- Undocumented integrations that nobody wants to own
- Legacy-to-cloud connections that work only when someone intervenes
An example of a traceable integration
Source System → Export → Validation → Transformation → Duplicate Check → Transmission/API → Receiving System → Acknowledgement → Reconciliation → Logging/Alerting. Each stage answers a different question about the data. The exact design depends on what both systems support.
STEP 01
Source System
Identify the authoritative records and stable transaction IDs so everyone knows what should be sent.
STEP 02
Export
Capture the intended batch, record count, and export boundary; distinguish a complete export from a partial file.
STEP 03
Validation
Check required fields, formats, totals, and file integrity; use checksums or hashes where appropriate.
STEP 04
Transformation
Map fields, codes, dates, and units into the receiving system’s format without silently losing meaning.
STEP 05
Duplicate Check
Track transaction identity and processing state. Idempotency makes a repeated delivery safe instead of creating another business transaction.
STEP 06
Transmission / API
Send through the agreed API, webhook, EDI transport, FTP/SFTP, or other connection and record the attempt.
STEP 07
Receiving System
Distinguish successful transport from successful import. Capture record-level acceptance and rejection where available.
STEP 08
Acknowledgement
Obtain evidence that the receiving application accepted the transaction; a file-upload receipt alone may not be enough.
STEP 09
Reconciliation
Compare expected and accepted transaction IDs, record counts, and business totals. Investigate missing or mismatched records.
STEP 10
Logging / Alerting
Keep an audit trail, route exceptions to a failure queue, and alert the person responsible for recovery.
Retries should recover work, not repeat it
A timeout can mean that a transaction failed—or that it succeeded but the reply never arrived. Retrying blindly can create duplicates. I look for stable transaction IDs, durable processing records, and a way to check the receiving system before replaying uncertain work.
- Temporary connection failure → controlled retry with a limit and delay
- Invalid record → failure queue with a reason and a correction path
- Uncertain import → receiving-system check or reconciliation before replay
- Repeated failure → alert with enough context for the responsible person to act
How an integration rescue starts
- Map the source, destination, transport, schedules, owners, and business impact.
- Trace a failing transaction alongside a known successful one, using appropriate logs and sample data.
- Agree on a bounded repair, recovery approach, and verification criteria.
- Validate counts, duplicate handling, retry behavior, and reconciliation; document the handoff.
Projects typically start around $2,500. If the scope is unclear, begin with a fixed-price Legacy Systems Assessment starting at $1,500. You do not need to commit to replacing the core system.
Show Me the ProblemLegacy systems consulting → Need ongoing technical leadership? →
Manage browser learning data
“Remove my test data” clears all AI 101 and ML 101 scores, reviews, project checklists and rating selections, plus saved vocabulary and recent history in this browser. Test entries cannot be separated from other learning progress. Cookie preferences, security protections, submitted feedback, contact emails and past analytics are kept.