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Custom ERP Integration Spec: API Design Patterns for Legacy System Compatibility

Integration patterns for connecting a modular ERP layer to legacy systems without a full replacement, API versioning, data migration patterns.

Rinku Diwakar, Senior AI EngineerTarget: Backend System Architects, Enterprise Data Engineers & Software Leads13 min read
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Table of Contents & Section Overview

18 Pages Total
01.

Legacy System Interface Taxonomy

Handling direct SQL connections, flat files, and SOAP services.

02.

Change Data Capture (CDC) Architecture

Syncing database updates in near real time via Debezium.

03.

Idempotent Webhook & Message Queue Design

Preventing duplicate order creation in legacy backends.

04.

Data Schema Transformation Middleware

Mapping legacy column names to modern JSON schemas.

05.

Appendix: Integration Code Patterns

TypeScript and Python adapter code snippets.

Problem Statement

"Directly writing to legacy ERP databases bypasses critical stored procedures and business logic, leading to subtle database corruption and out-of-sync financial ledgers."

Section 2 Excerpt: Change Data Capture (CDC) via Debezium

Rather than polling legacy SQL databases every few minutes (which causes CPU spikes on legacy servers), stream transaction logs using Change Data Capture (CDC) tools like Debezium into Kafka or Redis streams.

This architectural pattern decouples modern custom web interfaces from legacy server workloads, ensuring real-time UI responsiveness while keeping legacy databases completely safe.

Integration Pattern Matrix

PatternLatencyLegacy Server LoadRisk Level
Direct DB ModificationInstantLowExtreme (Dangerous)
Scheduled Polling1-15 MinutesHigh (Heavy Queries)Moderate
CDC Event Streaming<500msNegligibleLow (Safe)

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