Infor VISUAL REST API: what exists, the API Toolkit and how to wrap it
infor visual rest api
Also searched as
- infor visual api documentation
- infor visual api toolkit
- infor visual integration options
Short answer
Classic Infor VISUAL integrates through the VISUAL API Toolkit (COM objects that apply business logic), direct SQL access for reads, and flat-file or EDI imports. A native REST API is not the traditional route. Most teams expose REST themselves by wrapping the Toolkit or SQL reads in a small service, or use Infor ION where their version and licence support it.
Applies to: Infor VISUAL on SQL Server, various versions. Confirm Toolkit availability and ION support for your release with Infor.
Choose and build a VISUAL integration
- 1List the use case: read-only reporting, creating orders or receipts, or two-way sync with another system.
- 2For reads, use SQL views or a reporting database rather than the live tables where you can.
- 3For writes, use the VISUAL API Toolkit so VISUAL business rules and validations run. Avoid direct INSERT or UPDATE on VISUAL tables.
- 4Get the Toolkit documentation and licence from Infor through your support portal or reseller.
- 5Write a small service (for example .NET on the same Windows host) that calls the Toolkit and exposes a REST endpoint to the outside world.
- 6Secure the endpoint with authentication and network restrictions, and log every call.
- 7Test in a copy of the database with realistic data before any production write.
- 8Monitor for failures and queue retries, since Toolkit calls can fail on locks or validation.
The VISUAL API Toolkit
The API Toolkit is a COM-based set of objects installed with or alongside VISUAL that lets external programs create and change VISUAL transactions the same way the application does. Because it runs VISUAL's own rules, it is the supported way to write data. It is typically called from VBScript, VB, or .NET through COM interop.
Documentation and the object reference are provided by Infor to licensed customers, so search your Infor support portal rather than relying on public forum snippets. Treat any example you find in a forum as a hint, and verify method names against the reference for your version.
Direct SQL access: when it is safe
VISUAL stores its data in SQL Server, so reading with SQL is common and fine for reports and dashboards. Typical tables include CUSTOMER_ORDER, CUST_ORDER_LINE, WORK_ORDER, OPERATION, LABOR_TICKET and PART. Use a read-only login, ideally on a replica or restored copy, so a heavy query never slows the shop floor.
Writing directly into these tables bypasses validations, numbering and audit logic and can corrupt data in ways that surface weeks later. Keep writes behind the Toolkit.
Putting REST in front
If you need a REST interface, build a thin service that accepts JSON, validates it, and calls the Toolkit or runs a parameterised read. Keep the service stateless, run it on Windows because the Toolkit is COM, and queue writes so a burst from an upstream system does not overload VISUAL.
If your organisation uses Infor ION, check whether a VISUAL connector or BOD flow is supported for your version before building your own. Where it is, it can reduce custom code. Where it is not, the wrapper approach is usually quicker.
POST /api/visual/receipts
{ "workOrderId": "W1234", "partId": "ABC-100", "qty": 10 }
-> service validates
-> service calls VISUAL API Toolkit receipt object
-> returns 200 with transaction number, or 422 with the VISUAL error textTry it here, free
Infor VISUAL SQL Query Generator for Work Orders
Build a SQL Server query for open or late VISUAL work orders by filling a few fields, then copy it into your query tool.
Common pitfalls
- !Writing to VISUAL tables with SQL instead of the Toolkit.
- !Running Toolkit calls from a machine without the correct VISUAL client install and database access.
- !Unthrottled integration traffic locking tables during shop floor hours.
- !Exposing a wrapper service to the internet without authentication.
- !Copying Toolkit examples written for a different VISUAL version.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
For read use cases, an AI layer over VISUAL needs no new API: a governed read-only SQL connection plus a model that knows the schema is enough to answer questions such as which work orders are late. For writes, it should go through the Toolkit wrapper with human approval. Netray builds this pattern for VISUAL and other on-prem ERPs so the model runs on your own hardware.
Frequently asked questions
Does Infor VISUAL have a REST API?
Not as its traditional integration route. The established options are the API Toolkit, SQL reads and file imports. REST is usually provided by a wrapper you build or through ION where supported. Check your version with Infor.
Where is the API documentation?
The Toolkit reference is distributed to licensed customers through Infor support and your reseller. Public documentation is limited, so check your support portal.
Can I just insert rows into the database?
Not for transactional data. Direct inserts skip business logic and can break numbering and integrity. Use the Toolkit for writes and SQL for reads.
Is the Toolkit usable from Python or Node?
It is COM, so it works best from Windows with .NET, VB or similar. Other languages can call it through a small Windows service that exposes REST.
Related
Infor VISUAL query tool and shop resource maintenance
To query VISUAL data, use a read-only SQL login in SQL Server Management Studio or a reporting tool against the VISUAL database, or the in-application query and reporting options your build provides. Shop resources, the machines and work centers that operations are scheduled on, are maintained in the Shop Resource area and drive scheduling, load and costing.
How-toInfor VISUAL report builder: build a custom work order report
VISUAL reports are commonly built in Crystal Reports connected to the VISUAL SQL Server database, and then added to the application so users can run them. A work order report joins WORK_ORDER, OPERATION and optionally REQUIREMENT and PART, filters by work order, and formats it for the shop floor.
How-toInfor VISUAL system requirements: server, SQL Server, client and network
VISUAL runs on Windows with Microsoft SQL Server, using Windows client workstations. The exact supported Windows and SQL Server versions depend on the VISUAL release, so take them from Infor's release documentation, not from memory. This page lists what to verify, how to size, and where upgrades commonly break.
How-toInfor XA REST API: expose XA through IBM i Integrated Web Services or ION
Infor XA has no single built-in REST API. Practical routes are IBM i Integrated Web Services (IWS), which turns RPG or SQL routines into REST endpoints on the same machine, and Infor ION where your environment supports it. For reads, SQL-backed services are straightforward. For writes, call XA's own programs so business rules run.
Error fixInfor VISUAL error 19005: causes and step-by-step fix
Error 19005 is not a code we can tie to a single documented meaning, and published answers vary. In practice, numbered errors in VISUAL usually come from the database layer: a lost or failing SQL Server connection, an ODBC or client mismatch, or a permissions problem. The reliable way to fix it is to capture the full message text, test the connection outside VISUAL, and check the SQL Server error log.
How-toInfor VISUAL Price Book: How Customer Pricing and Price Breaks Are Set Up
In Infor VISUAL, a selling price reaches an order line from a hierarchy of sources: the part's list price and quantity breaks, any customer-specific pricing, and manual override on the line. A price book approach means maintaining those sources deliberately and in one place, then testing the result on order entry. Exact window names depend on your version.
AI for ERPAI for Infor VISUAL ERP: Answers and Agents for Job Shops
Add AI to Infor VISUAL ERP for make-to-order and job shop manufacturers: quoting, scheduling, and shop floor answers grounded in live VISUAL data, on-prem.
AI for ERPAI Agents Over Infor ION API, BODs, and the Infor Data Lake
Build AI agents on Infor ION API Gateway, BODs, and Data Lake, alongside or instead of Infor's own GenAI features, with your choice of model and hosting.
Stuck on Infor VISUAL (VISUAL Manufacturing)?
Talk to engineers who work inside Infor VISUAL (VISUAL Manufacturing) every week, and who build private AI that answers these questions from your own ERP data.
Keep exploring
Free tools
- Infor VISUAL SQL Query Generator for Work OrdersBuild a SQL Server query for open or late VISUAL work orders by filling a few fields, then copy it into your query tool.
- Infor VISUAL AI Assistant Sizing and Value CalculatorSize the GPUs and estimate the monthly value and payback of a private, on-prem AI assistant for Infor VISUAL.
- Infor VISUAL Private AI Layer Blueprint GeneratorFill in your Infor VISUAL environment and get a ready-to-share architecture plan for a private, on-prem AI assistant.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- Private AI Layer for Infor VISUAL On-Prem: Reference ArchitectureReference architecture to add a private AI assistant to Infor VISUAL on-prem: data access paths, retrieval, permissions, sizing and rollout, no cloud needed.
- Infor VISUAL query tool and shop resource maintenanceHow to query Infor VISUAL data safely with SQL or the built-in query options, and how shop resources are defined and maintained for scheduling and costing.
- Infor VISUAL report builder: build a custom work order reportHow to build and customise reports for Infor VISUAL using Crystal Reports and SQL, with a worked work order report example and the common tables involved.
Runs with your ERP
- 1 EDI Source EDI Integration with Infor VISUALHow 1 EDI Source connects Infor VISUAL to trading partners for EDI orders, invoices and ship notices via ION or direct API: setup, pitfalls and private AI.
- Infor VISUAL Shop Floor Mobile for Labor TrackingHow Infor VISUAL Shop Floor Mobile captures clock-ins and labor data from shop-floor devices directly into VISUAL: data flow, setup, pitfalls and private AI.
- SPS Commerce EDI with Infor VISUALHow SPS Commerce EDI works with Infor VISUAL using ION BOD XML for retail and distributor orders: data flows, setup steps, pitfalls and a private AI layer.
Integrations
- How to add AI agents to Infor VISUALHow to add AI agents to Infor VISUAL: a read-first tool layer over the SQL Server database and API toolkit, with human approval before any write-back.
- How to add a mobile app to Infor VISUALBuild or buy a mobile app for Infor VISUAL: barcode scanning, labor reporting, inventory moves and approvals over the API Toolkit or a secure gateway.