Private AI Layer for Infor LN On-Prem: Reference Architecture
how to add AI to Infor LN on-prem
Also searched as
- Infor LN AI integration without cloud
- private LLM for Infor LN Oracle database
- Infor LN BOD ION API AI assistant
- LN tables tdsls400 read-only AI
Short answer
For Infor LN on-prem, read through a reporting copy of the LN database and approved ION API or BOD-based calls, run retrieval over documents and attachments locally, and serve an open-weight model on your own GPUs. Map LN authorisations and companies into the tool server, log everything, and write back only through LN's supported interfaces with human approval.
Applies to: Infor LN 10.x on-premises with Oracle or SQL Server (or DB2) and ION; LN UI and the LN bshell/DLL tier
How to build a private AI layer on Infor LN
- 1List the LN packages and companies in scope (for example sales, purchase, manufacturing, warehousing) and the documents to index.
- 2Create a read-only reporting copy of the LN database and a service account limited to the tables you approve.
- 3Decide which questions use ION API and BODs (supported, permission-aware) and which use SQL on the copy (aggregates and history).
- 4Index documents and attachments with a local embedding model, carrying company and ACL metadata.
- 5Expose named read actions through an MCP or tool server; no free-form SQL from the model.
- 6Serve an open-weight model with vLLM or Ollama on local GPUs and log every prompt, tool call and answer.
- 7Phase the rollout: read-only questions, drafts, then approved actions through LN's supported APIs.
Data access paths in LN
LN tables follow a package, module and number naming scheme: tcibd001 holds general item data, tdsls400 and tdsls401 sales order headers and lines, tdpur400 and tdpur401 purchase orders, tisfc001 production orders. In the database, the company number is appended to the table name (so tdsls400100 for company 100), and column names carry a t_ or t$ prefix depending on the database driver. Check the data dictionary on your system before writing queries.
The supported integration layer is Infor ION: BODs (Business Object Documents) published and consumed through ION, and the ION API gateway for REST calls. Inside LN, 3GL libraries (DLLs) and Application Function Server style interfaces run business logic; these are suited to write-back and to calling standard functions rather than reimplementing them.
Use SQL on a reporting copy for history and aggregates, ION API or BODs for record-level and permission-aware access.
-- Reporting copy, read-only, company 100 (verify table and column names in your data dictionary) SELECT t_orno, t_cuno, t_odat FROM tdsls400100 WHERE t_odat > SYSDATE - 30 ORDER BY t_odat DESC;
GET https://ion-gateway.example.local/<tenant>/LN/<service-path>?$filter=... Authorization: Bearer <token> -- Service paths depend on the ION API services you publish for LN.
Reference architecture
Keep five components on your network: the reporting database copy, a document and attachment index, a tool server, a model server and an audit store. The tool server is the only path to LN data; credentials never reach the model.
BOD flows can also feed the index: subscribe a listener to the documents you care about (for example item or order BODs) so retrieval stays fresh without hammering production. Air-gapped sites load images and weights through a transfer station and run ION inside the boundary.
Open-weight models in the 8B to 32B range cover question answering over orders, purchasing and production; add a reranker if your documents are long and technical.
Permissions and write-back
LN has its own user and role authorisation by session and table, and data is partitioned by company. Authenticate users through your identity provider, map them to LN users, and enforce company and role filters in the tool server. For ION API calls use the user's identity or a delegated token, not one all-seeing account.
Write-back goes through supported APIs only: BOD-driven integrations, ION API services or LN's standard business functions. Never UPDATE tables. Let the assistant prepare a purchase requisition or a drafted change, and have a named user approve it.
Sizing, limits and honest caveats
For a few hundred named users with 10 to 25 percent daily activity, one to two inference GPUs usually suffice, with a second node for redundancy. Document indexes for 100,000 to 1,000,000 pages normally land in the tens of GB.
Limits: LN's customisations and extensions vary by site and version; table and field names must be taken from your own data dictionary; and the reporting copy must respect company partitioning. For standard BI questions, Infor's own analytics may be enough before you add an LLM.
Try it here, free
Infor LN Private AI Layer Blueprint Generator
Fill in your Infor LN environment and get a ready-to-share architecture plan for a private, on-prem AI assistant.
Common pitfalls
- !Hard-coding table names without the company suffix or without checking the data dictionary.
- !Using one super-user connection so every employee sees every company.
- !Treating a BOD as a query interface: BODs are for document flow, use ION API or SQL copy for lookups.
- !Letting the model write to LN tables directly.
- !Ignoring custom tables and domains that carry the data users actually ask about.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
ERPray connects to LN through a read-only copy and ION-based access, shows the query it ran, honours LN roles and companies, and can run on your own GPUs. Any write action is a draft that a user approves.
Frequently asked questions
Can Infor LN AI work without cloud?
Yes. A reporting copy, local retrieval index and an open-weight model on your GPUs can all run on-prem. ION must be available if you use BOD or ION API paths; it can also be inside your network.
Should I query LN tables directly?
Only on a read-only reporting copy and only for aggregates and history. Use ION API for permission-aware record access and keep the model behind a tool server.
How do companies and authorisations carry over?
Map each user to an LN user and company list in the tool server, and filter both SQL and retrieval by those values before any text reaches the model.
What about writing to LN?
Use BODs, ION API services or standard LN business functions with human approval. Direct table updates skip business logic and audit.
Related
Infor LN: BOD mapping errors when publishing to ION
This error means the outbound Business Object Document from LN could not translate a field, code, or reference value into the ION-standard BOD schema, most often a missing code list mapping or an unmapped custom field, not a bug in ION itself. Fix the mapping on the correct side and reprocess from ION Desk rather than resending from LN.
How-toHow to publish a BOD from Infor LN to Infor ION
Publishing a Business Object Document from Infor LN means flagging the relevant table or session for BOD publish, confirming LN's connection point to Infor ION is active, and building the document flow in ION Desk so changes like a new sales order are broadcast as a standard OAGIS-style XML message that other applications can subscribe to.
Error fixDiagnose and fix a failed BOD document flow in ION Desk
A Document Flow showing Failed in ION Desk means a BOD (Business Object Document) stopped either at schema validation, at the mapping step, or at the target application. Open the failed instance's detail to see the exact failing element, fix the source data or mapping, then use Resubmit rather than re-triggering the original transaction to avoid duplicates.
Error fixInfor LN bshell Process Stuck at 100% CPU: How to Diagnose and Fix It
A bshell process pinned at 100% CPU on the Infor LN application server almost always means one session is stuck in a 4GL loop, scanning an unindexed table, or waiting on a database lock. End the session from the Sessions Monitor first, then kill the OS process only if that fails, and check for a blocking database transaction before assuming it is a bug.
Error fixInfor LN Not Authorized to Run This Session: How to Fix It
Infor LN refuses to open a session with a not authorized message when the logged-in user's assigned role does not include that session, or when the session is blocked for the company they are logged into. Grant the session through Common > Authorization Management > Roles, or check the user's role and company context, and the session opens on retry. In most cases this is a permissions configuration issue, not a bug.
Error fixInfor LN DAL Out of Sync After a Custom Field: Cause and Fix
Infor LN throws a DAL, or table, out of sync error, or simply drops a new custom field silently, when a table's dictionary definition is changed but the generated DAL and dependent forms are not regenerated afterward. Running the standard sequence, table compile, DAL generation, then session/form compile, in Tools > Development after every dictionary change resolves it. Skipping any one of the three steps is what causes the mismatch.
AI for ERPAI for Infor LN: Sessions, BODs, and Engineer-to-Order Work
Add grounded AI to Infor LN 10.x or CloudSuite: natural-language answers over sessions and BODs, agents for project and engineer-to-order work, on-prem options.
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 LN on-prem?
Talk to engineers who work inside Infor LN on-prem every week, and who build private AI that answers these questions from your own ERP data.
Keep exploring
Free tools
- Infor LN Private AI Layer Blueprint GeneratorFill in your Infor LN environment and get a ready-to-share architecture plan for a private, on-prem AI assistant.
- Infor LN AI Assistant Sizing and Value CalculatorSize the GPUs and estimate the monthly value and payback of a private, on-prem AI assistant for Infor LN.
- Infor LN Integration Methods ReferenceA comparison table of the main ways to move data in and out of Infor LN, with typical use, direction and cautions.
ERP fixes and how-tos
- Private AI Layer for Baan On-Prem: Reference ArchitectureReference architecture to add a private AI assistant to Baan on-prem: data access paths, retrieval, permissions, sizing and rollout, no cloud needed.
- Infor LN integration document types and integration rules with IONHow integration document types and rules work in Infor LN with ION and BODs: what they define, how mapping is set up, and where to debug.
- Infor LN Inbound BOD Mapping and DescriptionsWhat a BOD is, the full form, how Infor LN receives inbound BODs through ION, how integration document types and mapping work, and how to read the fields.
Runs with your ERP
- XEDI EDI Integration with Infor LN (ION BODs)How XEDI translates X12 and EDIFACT into Infor BODs routed through ION for Infor LN, plus SyteLine and M3. Setup steps, data flows, pitfalls and FAQ.
- SPS Commerce Fulfillment with Infor SyteLine: EDI orders, ASNs and invoices over IONHow SPS Commerce Fulfillment exchanges orders, ASNs and invoices with Infor SyteLine using ION BOD XML. Also covers LN, M3 and VISUAL, with setup and pitfalls.
- SIGMA MES and Infor LNSIGMA MES from a certified Infor LN partner in Germany: how it connects to Infor LN, Infor OS/ION and web services, setup, pitfalls, alternatives and AI uses.
Guides
- Infor LN ION API Integration GuideInfor ION API guide for LN: when to use the ION API gateway, BOD messaging or file-based exchange, how OAuth 2.0 access works, and how to secure calls.
- Salesforce to Infor LN Data Integration GuideInfor Salesforce integration for Infor LN: sync customers, orders and pricing between Salesforce CRM and LN using ION, BODs and REST APIs. SyteLine covered too.
- Infor LN + ION Workflows: Proven Automation PatternsInfor LN and ION workflow automation patterns: BODs, ION Desk monitors, approval workflows, and API integration recipes that remove manual ERP busywork.
AI on your ERP
- AI for Infor LN: Sessions, BODs, and Engineer-to-Order WorkAdd grounded AI to Infor LN 10.x or CloudSuite: natural-language answers over sessions and BODs, agents for project and engineer-to-order work, on-prem options.
- AI for Infor LN in Aerospace and Defense ManufacturingAI grounded on Infor LN project, contract, and configuration management data for aerospace and defense manufacturers, with on-prem deployment for ITAR.
Integrations
- How to add AI agents to Infor LNHow to add AI agents to Infor LN: a tool layer over ION API and BODs, read-only reporting first, approval before writes, and fully on-prem model hosting.
- How to build an MCP server for Infor LNHow to build a Model Context Protocol server for Infor LN: which read-only tools to expose, auth through ION API, stdio versus HTTP, permission scoping and audit.