Removing order re-keying across storefront, warehouse and accounting
An event-driven workflow synchronising orders with idempotent writes, preventing retries from creating duplicate invoices. This is an example workflow design; the exact approach and results depend on the organisation’s process, data and systems.
- INDUSTRY
- E-commerce
- SERVICES
- Systems Integration
The problem
Orders may be placed on a storefront, then manually entered into the warehouse system and, at month end, into accounting. Mismatches may not be found until reconciliation weeks later.
Typical manual workflow
- 01Order placed onlinemanual
- 02Exported to CSV dailymanual
- 03Entered into warehouse systemmanual
- 04Shipping updated by handmanual
- 05Invoices keyed at month endmanual
- 06Mismatches reconciledmanual
Dashed steps are typically done by hand.
The approach
Each order produces events that update the warehouse and accounting systems within seconds. Every write carries an idempotency key, preventing a retried request from creating a second invoice.
Example system design
Design decisions
Why use custom code instead of a no-code tool
At high order volumes, or where exact replay matters, a small service can be easier to test and operate.
Failure handling
Example outcomes
| MEASURE | MANUAL PROCESS | AUTOMATED PROCESS |
|---|---|---|
| Time per order | 6 min | 30s |
| Month-end mismatches | 40–60 | 0–2 |
Technology
- TypeScript
- PostgreSQL
- Shopify API
- Xero API
- Queue workers