Custom 2BA integration
2BA is the neutral data pool where manufacturers put their product data and wholesalers their prices and logistics data, for the installation and construction sectors among others. Appfront builds the integration between 2BA and your own software: articles, prices and attributes in your estimating, quote, work order or ERP, without manual importing or retyping.
What is a 2BA integration?
Since 2004, 2BA has managed a neutral data pool for product information. Manufacturers, importers and agents put their product data in it, which is checked and classified according to ETIM. Wholesalers link their prices, packaging units and logistics data to it. Installation companies and their software retrieve this data to estimate, quote and order.
2BA offers several routes for this. Periodic downloads with selection profiles, Unifeed to search the data pool and import articles, web services to retrieve product and price data directly, and the Online Condition Server for net purchase prices and sometimes stock at connected suppliers. Many software packages support some of these. If you have your own software, you have to build that connection yourself.
We build custom integrations because every company has different articles, suppliers and software. Which route fits, which data you need and how it ends up in your estimating or ERP determines how the integration works. If you supply data as a manufacturer, we build the route from your own product management to 2BA.
One source
Product data and prices from 2BA.
No retyping
Articles directly in your software.
The route that fits
Download, Unifeed or web service.
How we build your 2BA integration
We start with your company: which software you use, which articles and suppliers matter, and where product data is currently entered by hand. Then we work out with you which 2BA route fits and what access you need to arrange for it. We often start with articles and prices in the estimate or quote, because that is where most of the searching happens. Net prices, attributes for the work order and orders follow once that runs well. After that, we maintain the integration when 2BA or your own software changes.
Software, articles and suppliers.
Download, Unifeed or web service.
Articles, prices and attributes.
Go-live, monitoring, and maintenance when things change.
What a 2BA integration actually does
The components below appear in almost every 2BA integration. Which ones you need depends on your company and your software.
Items
From the 2BA data pool.
Prices
Gross and net per supplier.
ETIM attributes
Filter by class and attribute.
Search
Find the right article quickly.
Updates
Changes come in automatically.
Log
Every update logged.
Who we build a 2BA integration for
The integration is intended for companies that want to use product data from 2BA or supply it from their own software. The more articles and suppliers you have, the more it pays off.
Installation companies
Estimating with current prices.
Wholesalers
Prices and logistics in the pool.
Manufacturers and importers
Supplying product data.
Software vendors
2BA in your software package.
Technology and integrations
This page is about integrations with 2BA. For an installation company's software, see our page on installer software, for ordering from the wholesaler our page on call-off orders for installers, and for wholesalers our page on wholesaler software. You can read about our approach at custom software development.
Why Appfront for your 2BA integration?
Looking up articles in the wholesaler's web shop, retyping prices and an import nobody maintains cost an installation company time on every quote. That is what we build on: one source for product data and prices, articles directly in your software, and a route that fits your company.
Faster estimating
The article is ready.
Current prices
Updated from 2BA.
Official route
Via the 2BA services.
Security and privacy in a 2BA integration
The integration mainly handles product data and prices. Net purchase prices and discounts are commercially sensitive, so access is set up per role and login credentials for 2BA are stored encrypted. Every update is logged, so you can see when a price changed.
The integration runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. Where personal data is involved, for example in orders, we record the processing in a data processing agreement.
Frequently asked questions about a 2BA integration
Questions that installation companies and suppliers ask before getting started.
2BA is a neutral data pool for product information, based in Utrecht since 2004. Manufacturers and importers enter their product data there, classified according to ETIM, and wholesalers link their prices, packaging units and logistics data to it. Installation companies and software vendors retrieve that data.
Periodic downloads with selection profiles, Unifeed to search and import articles, web services to retrieve product and price data directly, and the Online Condition Server for net purchase prices from connected suppliers. Which route suits you depends on your software and how up to date the data needs to be.
Many packages for installers support part of 2BA. If your package does what you need, custom development isn't necessary, and we'll tell you so. A custom integration is for in-house software, for data your package doesn't retrieve, or for a route your package doesn't support.
Often, yes. Via 2BA's Online Condition Server you can see net purchase prices with your agreed discounts, and sometimes current stock levels, at suppliers that are connected to it. For other suppliers, you'll see gross prices or your own discount agreements.
Yes. We build the route from your product management system to 2BA, so that articles, attributes and images are supplied according to 2BA's specifications. That way nobody has to enter the same data twice.
The integration reports it and records what went wrong. The previous data stays in place until the update succeeds, so you never calculate with a half-complete article list.
For installation companies with their own estimating, work order or ERP software, for wholesalers, for manufacturers and importers who supply data, and for software vendors serving the installation and construction sector. If you use a package that supports 2BA well and you're not missing anything, a custom integration is often not needed.
Articles and prices from 2BA in your software?
Tell us which software you use and where product data is currently handled by hand. We'll show you how the integration with 2BA works.