Integration error monitoring means continuously checking whether the connections between your systems are working, alerting the right person when something goes wrong and, where possible, letting the system recover on its own. On launch day everything works. Months later an API key expires, the other side renames a field, the server disk fills up, and the connection quietly stops.
The most frustrating thing about a silent failure is that the damage grows over time. A one-hour outage affects a few orders; a three-day outage damages stock levels, invoices and customer trust all at once. The goal of monitoring is not to eliminate failures entirely but to shorten the time it takes to notice them.
What should you monitor?
Checking "is the server up?" is not enough. The server can be up while the integration is not working. It helps to think of monitoring in three layers:
| Layer | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Can we reach the other system? | Is the ERP service responding |
| Transaction | Are the requests we send succeeding? | Failed request rate in the last hour |
| Outcome | Is the work actually getting done? | Does the order count on the site match the order count in the ERP |
The third layer is the most valuable and the one most often skipped. Even when every request looks technically successful, orders may be landing in the wrong warehouse because of a mapping rule, for example. Measuring the outcome catches problems like this.
Silence is a signal too
Many failures don't produce an error message; the expected event simply doesn't happen. So monitoring should ask not only "did something go wrong?" but also "did what was supposed to happen actually happen?":
- Alert if no orders have been transferred in the last two hours during business hours.
- Alert if the stock update hasn't run in the last hour.
- Alert if the overnight price import hasn't completed when checked in the morning.
These thresholds are set according to the rhythm of your business. If Monday morning and Sunday night use the same threshold, you'll either get constant false alarms or miss a real problem.
Alerts: to whom, how and when?
A good alert system is sparse and meaningful. An alarm that goes off all the time is soon ignored, which is more dangerous than having no alarm at all.
- Set severity levels. Order transfers stopping is urgent; a product description not updating can wait until tomorrow.
- Choose the right channel. Push notifications or SMS for urgent issues; email or a daily digest for the rest.
- Make ownership clear. If an alert goes to a group, everyone assumes someone else is looking at it. A primary and a backup owner should be written down.
- Say what to do. The alert message should state what the problem is and the first thing to check.
- Merge repeats. Instead of a new alert every minute for the same issue, send one alert and a "resolved" message once it's fixed.
Retries and queues
A large share of connection problems are temporary: the other server is busy for a few minutes, or there's a brief network drop. In these cases the system should recover on its own, without anyone having to step in.
Two mechanisms are used for this. A queue is where jobs that couldn't be sent wait in line without getting lost. A retry is the rule for sending them again at set intervals, waiting a little longer each time. Retrying immediately, back to back, only strains the other side and drags the problem out.
A job that still can't be sent after a certain number of attempts goes onto a separate list and triggers an alert. Once the problem is fixed, that list should be resendable with a single click. It also matters that the receiving side recognizes a repeated message so the same job isn't processed twice; we touched on this in our article what is a webhook.
Daily summary report
Alongside alerts, a short summary once a day keeps problems from piling up:
- Number of orders transferred, per channel
- Number of failed and retried transactions
- Number of jobs waiting in the queue
- Differences between systems (orders, stock, invoices)
When the numbers arrive in the same layout every day, anything unusual jumps out at whoever is reading them.
Monitoring checklist
- Access, transaction and outcome checks are defined for every integration
- "What should have happened didn't" checks are in place
- Severity levels and channels for alerts are defined
- Primary and backup owners are written down
- Jobs that can't be sent wait in a queue instead of getting lost
- Retry intervals grow progressively longer
- Failed jobs can be resent with one click
- A daily summary report arrives
- Key and certificate expiry dates trigger reminders in advance
How we do it at Globya
We build monitoring, queuing and retry logic into every integration we deliver from the start; we don't treat it as an optional extra to add later. If you have connections built by other teams, we first map out what is monitored and what isn't, then fill the gaps as part of our integration service. Because server, disk and certificate monitoring is handled by the same team under hosting and maintenance, you have a single point of contact wherever the problem shows up. If you're planning the flow between your ERP and your website from scratch, our article on ERP and e-commerce integration is a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to buy separate monitoring software?
Not always. In small and mid-sized setups, monitoring checks can be written into the integration itself, and notifications can be sent by email or messaging. As the setup grows, off-the-shelf tools are worth considering.
Who will respond to alerts that come in at night?
That is decided together, based on how critical the work is. In many companies, events are only logged overnight and the queue is checked first thing in the morning; businesses where order flow must never stop get a different arrangement.
How can we find out how healthy our current integrations are?
You can call us at +90 850 432 55 13 or write to us through the contact page. We'll review your current setup and identify the blind spots together.
The Globya assistant is online 24/7; it answers right away and passes your question to the team if needed.