Sage 100 MCP: connect your ERP to an AI assistant

Record the exact product name, version, modules, database environment and hosting arrangement. Ask which vendor-supported integration components are installed and what the licence permits. Where Business Objects or local automation are available, verify the documentation and execution requirements for that version before choosing them.

Do not conclude that a generic cloud API, a third-party connector or a code sample covers the installed ERP. Equally, do not make a universal claim that no interface exists. The audit should produce evidence: the authorised entry point, supported operations, account permissions, dependencies and any unresolved vendor or licensing question that blocks the intended task.

The MCP tool catalogue should describe bounded actions in business terms. Examples to assess include reading an identified customer record, checking stock for a specific item and preparing a quotation. These are proposed scopes, subject to the actual interface; they are not an off-the-shelf promise for every Sage 100 environment.

Each tool needs validated parameters, an expected result and explicit error behaviour. Avoid exposing raw database access or arbitrary automation commands to the assistant. The application should remain the source of truth, and integration work must preserve its business controls rather than write around them simply because a database connection is technically possible.

Choose one task that the team already knows how to complete correctly. Prepare authorised test data and a reference outcome. For a stock enquiry, define the item, site, date and meaning of the quantity requested. For a customer record, decide how ambiguous identifiers are resolved before any information is returned.

Include missing records, similar names, denied access and unavailable dependencies in the pilot. An empty response should not be confused with a technical failure. The assistant needs to state a limitation or ask a question when it cannot determine the correct context. A fluent summary is useful only if its references can be checked.

The first scope can remain read-only if the task is consultation or analysis. That restriction must be enforced by the server and execution account, not merely described in a prompt. Agree the company folders, record types and fields that each user may reach, and test a request outside those boundaries.

If a write is needed, present the exact document and proposed content for approval. Check that the state has not changed before execution, then verify the recorded outcome. A timeout should lead to an investigation of the action's status before any retry. This helps avoid duplicate records and false claims that an operation completed.

An integration using local components may require a suitable host near the ERP, with the appropriate runtime, accounts and network access. Confirm these requirements during the audit. A remotely used assistant needs a connection and authentication design compatible with the selected client; a local process is not automatically reachable by a cloud application.

Document the information passed from Sage 100 to the connector, from the connector to the assistant and from the assistant to its model provider. Local hosting of the connector does not establish that all processing remains local. Limit returned fields and log contents to what the approved task and operational review require.

Measure the workflow from the user's request to an accepted outcome, including checks and corrections. Compare like-for-like tasks and distinguish released time from a realised cost saving. The schedule and budget should follow the interface assessment and agreed scope, not a universal promise of a two-week connector.

The handover should include the tool catalogue, permissions matrix, tested versions, acceptance evidence, known limitations and suspension procedure. Assign an owner for incidents and a process for changes to Sage 100, its integration components or the assistant. Retest the affected workflow before announcing continued compatibility. Ongoing support, licensing dependencies and responsibilities must be specified in the agreement.