Allow Users to Fetch Files From SharePoint Into Acumatica Entities
Many organizations use SharePoint Online as their primary document management system while relying on Acumatica as their ERP. A common requirement is enabling users to view SharePoint files inside Acumatica and selectively attach them to ERP entities such as:
- Sales Orders
- Purchase Orders
- Vendor Profiles
- Customer Accounts
- Cases / Projects
- Quality Documents (QC)
- Any custom entity
This article describes an architecture where a custom Acumatica screen displays files from a SharePoint library. Users can select a document and import it into Acumatica as an attachment.
1. Overview
A custom screen is added to Acumatica that connects to a SharePoint document library. The integration supports:
- Viewing SharePoint files within Acumatica
- Filtering files based on metadata
- Previewing files
- Selecting one or multiple files
- Attaching selected files into Acumatica entities
The integration works using either:
- Azure AD SSO (user identity flows from Acumatica to SharePoint), or
- Azure App Authentication (client credentials for system-to-system calls).
2. Authentication Options
Option 1 — SSO Authentication (Recommended)
- Acumatica user logs in via Azure AD
- The same identity is used to call SharePoint
- No additional login required
- Ensures user-based permissions on SharePoint
- True single sign-on experience
Option 2 — Azure App (Client Credentials)
- Background service or Acumatica server calls SharePoint
- Uses App Registration (Client ID + Secret or Certificate)
- Useful when document visibility does not depend on user rights
- Consistent system identity for auditing
Both models allow Acumatica to securely communicate with SharePoint using the Microsoft Graph API.
3. What the Custom Screen Does
3.1 Fetch SharePoint Files
The custom screen retrieves the following information from SharePoint:
- File names
- Versions
- Metadata
- Approval status
- Last modified date
- Secure, time-bound download URL
Files are displayed inside Acumatica using a grid or panel.
3.2 Select and Import
- User selects one or more files
- Acumatica requests the file binary from SharePoint
- File is securely returned via API
- Document is attached to the selected entity (SO, PO, Vendor, etc.)
3.3 Metadata Mapping
Typical metadata synced from SharePoint:
- Document Category
- Entity ID (e.g., SO000234)
- Entity Type (SalesOrder, PurchaseOrder, Customer, Vendor)
- Uploaded By
- Approval Workflow Status
4. Architecture
High-Level Flow
Acumatica Custom Screen → Integration API (optional) → Microsoft Graph → SharePoint Library
Steps in Detail
- User opens the custom screen in Acumatica
- Screen retrieves SharePoint library items
- Metadata and file information is displayed
- User selects files and clicks Import
- SharePoint returns the file binary
- Acumatica attaches the document to the target entity
If an Azure Function is used as middleware, it handles:
- OAuth2 / SSO token management
- Secure Graph API calls
- Normalized JSON responses
5. Typical Use Cases
Finance
Attach invoice PDFs or bank receipts stored in SharePoint to AP/AR transactions.
Procurement
Link vendor quotes, contracts, and specifications to Purchase Orders.
Sales
Attach proposals, agreements, and customer documents.
Quality (QC)
Pull approved certificates and inspection reports into Acumatica.
Projects
Attach drawings, CAD files, and site documentation stored centrally.
6. Benefits
- Centralized document management in SharePoint
- No manual download and re-upload
- Approval-driven governance before ERP usage
- Consistent security using Azure AD
- Improved user experience within Acumatica
- Full audit trail using SharePoint and ERP metadata
- Higher data quality through metadata mapping
7. Conclusion
This integration allows Acumatica to consume approved, metadata-rich documents directly from SharePoint, providing a seamless and secure way to attach files to ERP entities.
Result:
- SharePoint for document storage
- Approval workflows via SharePoint / Power Automate
- Acumatica for business processing
Part 1 - Acumatica Files -> SharePoint DMS Integration
Part 3 - Acumatica Entity -> SharePoint List/Pages Integration
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