What the solution is
Shopware 6 is a German commerce platform available both as open source and in commercial editions, and it is strong in the German-speaking market and in the Nordics. The platform is known for its rule engine and for a well-functioning ecosystem of extensions.
The integration to Business Central here is a plugin from Ecomwise in the Netherlands, obtained from Shopware's own extension store. There is an ordinary edition and a B2B edition, and it is the B2B edition that imports sales price lists from Business Central. Ecomwise is a certified extension partner with Shopware.
How the integration works
One detail is worth highlighting: the plugin does not require anything at all to be installed in Business Central. The integration works against the ERP's own APIs from the outside, which makes the solution easier to start with than the solutions requiring an app and an approval in the ERP.
The directions are documented. From Shopware to Business Central go customers and sales orders. From Business Central to Shopware come items with images, stock figures, customers and, in the B2B edition, sales price lists. Synchronisation can be run manually or scheduled every X minutes or at fixed times, and every run is logged in Shopware's backend with a success or failure notice.
That the log sits in Shopware and not in Business Central is worth noting. It is the storefront's administrator who sees the failures, not the accounts department, and that should decide who gets responsibility for watching.
Prices, discounts and agreements
Sales price lists are imported from Business Central in the B2B edition. The agreed price for a customer therefore comes from the ERP, which is what a business buyer asks about first, and it is the feature separating the B2B edition from the ordinary one.
It is a transfer model with an interval. The price is right until the next run, and how often it runs determines how large the risk is of selling at a price the ERP no longer knows. Because the interval can be set down to a few minutes, that risk is manageable, but it has to be decided rather than forgotten.
Campaigns and bundles belong in Shopware. The platform's rule engine is one of its strongest properties, and for a brand that is an advantage rather than a gap. It is at the same time the reason for the label about logic set up in two places, and it makes the division of labour a decision you have to make.
The order and the finance function
The order is sent to Business Central as a sales order, and from there it runs in the ERP's own flow. Partial shipments, back orders and credit memos are therefore Business Central's responsibility rather than the plugin's.
Because the plugin writes to Business Central from the outside, there is no queue inside the ERP to monitor. Failures appear in Shopware, and a failed order has to be run again from there. It is a simple model, but it requires someone to look, and that belongs in an operating agreement.
VAT is decided by Shopware. If you sell to consumers in several countries, it is Shopware's VAT setup that has to be maintained, not Business Central's, and the two have to agree at year end.
Who the solution fits
The solution fits a company that wants a real commerce platform with free design and a strong campaign engine, and which at the same time wants agreed prices from Business Central. That combination is not available in many places at this price.
It also fits if you would rather avoid installing anything in Business Central. For a company with a strict change process around the ERP, it is a real advantage that the integration can be set up without an app approval.
The solution fits less well if you need account hierarchy, approval flows and a full B2B portal. Shopware's B2B Components are a separate purchase, and the plugin's B2B edition covers price lists rather than the whole portal flow.
What to settle before you decide
The plugin price is public: 1,499 euro a year or 149 euro a month, with a free trial month, updates and support included. It is one of the most transparent items in the catalogue, and it is low relative to what the integration covers.
Count the Shopware side. The platform's own licence, hosting, theme and any B2B Components are real items, and they are far larger than the plugin's price. Our bands reflect the combined picture and not only the connector.
Confirm whether Business Central on-premises can be used. The plugin works against the ERP's APIs and requires no app, which makes a local environment plausible, but it is not written down. Confirm the Shopware versions as well, because the plugin is documented against 6.5 to 6.7.