Microsoft’s Shopify Connector for Dynamics 365 Business Central allows manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and build-to-order companies to unify operations between their ERP and Shopify storefront(s). When set up correctly, it provides a single source of truth for items, inventory, pricing, customers, and order processing.
Why Manufacturers Use Business Central (and Why It Pairs Well With Shopify)
Manufacturers choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central because it centralizes production, inventory, order management, and financials in one system. When connected to Shopify, it becomes the operational source of truth behind the online store.
What Business Central Provides for Manufacturers
- Unified production and inventory management: Tracks raw materials, WIP, finished goods, and warehouse locations so Shopify always displays accurate stock.
- Support for complex product structures: Handles variants, assemblies, dimensional inventory, and custom configurations that are difficult to manage directly in Shopify.
- Reliable order and fulfillment workflows: Shopify orders sync into BC for picking, manufacturing, shipping, and invoicing without manual re-entry.
- Accurate costing and financial control: Ensures that sales, COGS, and inventory valuations flow correctly for audit-ready reporting.
- Multi-store and multi-channel capability: Allows manufacturers to connect multiple Shopify storefronts, B2B portals, or regions to one ERP.
In short, Business Central gives manufacturers operational stability, and Shopify becomes the digital storefront that captures demand. The connector keeps both systems aligned.
Why Manufacturers Use Shopify Together With Business Central
Manufacturers pair Shopify with Business Central to combine a modern customer-facing sales channel with a stable operational backend. BC manages production and inventory, while Shopify delivers the buying experience customers expect.
What This Combination Enables
- Real-time inventory and availability online: Shopify displays accurate stock, lead times, and variants synced from BC, preventing overselling.
- Centralized management with flexible storefronts: Teams manage products, pricing, and orders in Business Central while launching multiple Shopify stores for different brands, regions, or customer types.
- Faster order processing and fulfillment: Shopify orders flow into BC where manufacturing, picking, shipping, and invoicing processes take over automatically.
- Better support for B2B and B2C buyers: Manufacturers can run both a retail storefront and a dealer or wholesale portal on Shopify, with BC maintaining consistent pricing, inventory, and customer records.
- Lower maintenance than custom portals: Shopify replaces legacy custom ordering systems while Business Central covers all operational workflows, reducing IT overhead.
Together, Shopify captures demand and provides the storefront experience, and Business Central ensures accuracy across inventory, production, and financials.
What the Shopify Connector Does
When connected, Business Central can:
- Sync product data, variants, and images
- Push inventory levels to Shopify
- Map customers or automatically create them
- Pull Shopify orders into BC for fulfillment
- Send fulfillment updates back to Shopify
- Handle multiple Shopify stores per BC environment
For manufacturers, this means smoother order processing, better inventory visibility, and fewer manual errors.
Prerequisites
Shopify Requirements
You must already have:
- A Shopify account
- A Shopify online store
Microsoft recommends starting with a trial or development store if you're testing.
Business Central Requirements
Shopify Connector App
- It's preinstalled on all new Business Central trials and signups.
- For existing BC instances, confirm it’s installed via AppSource.
Permissions
Users must have the Shopify – Admin (SHPFY – ADMIN) permission set assigned.
Install the Business Central App in Shopify (Optional)
If you’re running an existing instance of Business Central, this is optional. But it’s recommended for brand-new setups.
Steps:
- Go to the Shopify App Store → search Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Click Add App → sign in to Shopify.
- Click Install App after reviewing permissions.
- Inside Shopify → Apps → open Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Choose Sign up now (for new BC) or Sign in (if you already have BC).
Important Note: If your country uses partner-based localization, the app may not be available directly from Microsoft.
Connect Shopify to Business Central
This is done from inside Business Central, not Shopify.
Step-by-Step Setup
- In BC, use Tell Me → search Shopify Shops → open page.
- Select New.
- Enter a Code (e.g., “US-Store”, “Automotive”, “EU-Shop”).
- Enter your Shopify Admin URL, which BC converts automatically into the required https://{shop}.myshopify.com/ format.
- You can paste: https://admin.shopify.com/store/{shopID}
- Turn on Enabled → accept the terms.
- If prompted, sign in to Shopify → approve permissions → Install App.
- Repeat for every store you want to connect.
Known Issues and How to Avoid Them
Browser Blocks Pop-Up
When enabling the shop, BC opens a waiting page for authentication. If pop-ups are blocked, the connection fails.
Fix: Allow pop-ups in your browser and keep Shopify open in the same browser session.
Oauth Errors
Common error messages:
- "Could not find Shopify API application with api_key"
- "Your account does not have permission to grant the requested access"
Usually caused by:
- Incorrect Shopify permissions
- Wrong store URL
- Using Shopify Plus sandbox organizations without app permissions
Sandbox Limitations
Business Central sandboxes sometimes cannot connect to Shopify due to Shopify restrictions.
App Couldn't Be Loaded
Review app permissions and ensure your store region supports the connector.
What to Do After Connecting
Once the connector is active, configure what you want to sync.
Next Steps in BC:
- Sync Items & Inventory
- Sync Customers & Companies
- Sync and Fulfill Orders
This is where mapping, field selection, and rules are defined.
Testing Strategies (Highly Recommended for Manufacturers)
Manufacturers often have complex catalogs, BOMs, and custom products, so testing is critical.
Approach A: Shopify Sandbox + Business Central Sandbox (Recommended)
Safest option because:
- You avoid polluting production data.
- You can reset / delete / reimport data freely.
BC lets you:
- Reset sync
- Delete imported products, customers, orders
- Re-test mappings as needed
Approach B: Shopify Sandbox + Business Central Production
Not recommended, but possible.
If you must, turn OFF:
- Auto Create Unknown Item
- Auto Update Items
- Auto Create Customer
- Auto Update Customers
- Auto Create Orders
This prevents accidentally creating thousands of unwanted documents.
Approach C: Shopify Production + Business Central Sandbox
Safe if you only import and do NOT sync data back to Shopify.
Key Setting:
Turn off → Allow Data Sync to Shopify
This prevents BC from pushing:
- Items
- Prices
- Inventory
- Customers
- Fulfillment updates
You can still import Shopify data for testing.
If you keep it enabled:
- Send exported items to Shopify as Draft
- Limit exports using filters
- Back up your products/customers (CSV export recommended)
Summary for Manufacturers
The Shopify-Business Central Connector is powerful but unforgiving if configured incorrectly. Manufacturers should:
- Test in both Shopify and BC sandboxes
- Map items carefully, especially variants and units of measure
- Disable all auto-creation settings in early testing
- Use Draft products when pushing to production Shopify stores
- Avoid connecting production-to-production before testing end-to-end flows
This ensures cleaner data, smoother ERP operations, and fewer surprises once live.
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