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Integration

Loop supports a variety of integrations. When planning a new integration, two important decisions are which modules to use and which integration approach to use (adapter or direct).

Modules​

Loop is implemented as a set of modules, as described in the domain modules page. Modules include rates, payables, and receivables.

Modules can be integrated with together or separately. For example, shippers typically use the payables modules to audit and pay invoices, while carriers typically use the receivables module to generate and send invoices. A broker might use both the receivables and payables modules to manage invoicing on both sides, with their carriers and their customers.

Some modules depend on other modules. For example, the freight audit functionality within the payables module requires on the rate engine in the rates module to be configured with rate contracts. In these cases, integration with both modules may be required.

Integration approaches​

For each module, Loop supports two high-level integration approaches: adapter and direct. Adapter integrations involve Loop's engineering team building adapters to and from external systems, while direct integrations involve external engineering teams building directly on top of Loop.

Adapter approach​

With the adapter integration approach, Loop receives external inputs in their original form, stores them as artifacts, and then translates them into Loop entities. For output, Loop translates Loop entities into the formats expected by external systems. Loop supports adapter integrations with TMS and ERP vendors and supports a variety of transport mechanisms: API, EDI, email, etc.

The term ingress refers to Loop receiving input data, and egress refer to Loop sending output data.

Direct approach​

With the direct integration approach, Loop receives structured entities through direct API calls. Loop exposes output entities through its API. The translation between Loop entities and external systems is handled outside of Loop. This approach requires more technical effort from clients, but also offers more complete control over the integration.

Combination​

These integration approaches can be combined. For example, shipment and invoice data could be handled through an adapter integration, while address and organization data could be handled through direct integration.