How to connect Claude to Epicor Vantage and Epicor 9
Short answer
Claude reaches Epicor through a connector you build: typically a Model Context Protocol server that wraps read-only queries against the Epicor 9 database or its business objects. Models can be used through Anthropic's API, AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex, or replaced with an on-prem open model when data must stay inside the plant.
Teams on Epicor 9 and Vantage are often curious about Claude for long documents, careful reasoning over messy data and writing help. The system itself is older and has no connector marketplace entry, so the work is in building the bridge.
The cleanest bridge today is MCP. An MCP server presents named tools such as part lookup or open PO status, and any MCP-capable client, Claude included, can call them. You decide the tools, the credentials and the audit trail.
Where the model runs is a separate decision. Cloud routes differ in contractual terms and regional options, and some plants cannot use any of them. This page lays out the choices and the on-prem fallback.
What teams use it for
Reasoning over a job's full history
Ask Claude to explain why job cost came in over, using operations, labor transactions and material issues pulled by tool calls, then to draft a corrective note for the next quote.
Reading supplier certs and specs against POs
Provide a long supplier specification PDF alongside the PO lines and have Claude flag mismatches in material grade, quantity or revision for a buyer to review.
Drafting engineering change impact notes
Given a part revision change, retrieve where-used and open jobs from Epicor, and have Claude write a plain-language impact summary for planning and quality.
Customer quote clarification
Summarise a long RFQ against existing part methods and prior quotes, listing assumptions and open questions to confirm with the customer.
Explaining legacy customisations
Feed exported UD field definitions and customisation notes so Claude can document what your old Epicor 9 setup actually does before a migration.
Epicor Vantage / Epicor 9 integration surface
- OpenEdge database over ODBC/JDBC: the main read source for an MCP server, usually via a replica and a read-only login.
- Epicor 9 business objects through the application server's service layer or .NET assemblies, for validated reads and any approved writes. Specific bindings vary by version.
- BAQ definitions and exported results, valuable as vetted query shapes your users already trust.
- Document stores and attachments tied to parts, jobs and POs (file shares or attachment paths), which a tool can fetch for Claude to read.
- Service Connect, if you want push-style delivery of events such as a PO receipt to an agent that uses Claude.
How it works
- 1
Define the tool list
Start with five to eight read-only tools: get_part, get_job_status, get_po_release, get_open_sales_orders, get_inventory_by_warehouse. Resist the urge to add a generic SQL tool.
- 2
Build the MCP server
Use an official MCP SDK in a language your team supports. Each tool wraps a parameterised query or business object call and returns compact JSON with units and status meanings.
- 3
Choose the transport
Local stdio is fine for a pilot on one machine. For shared use, run the server over HTTP behind your reverse proxy with token or SSO authentication.
- 4
Pick how Claude is hosted
Options include the Anthropic API under a commercial agreement, Claude through AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex in a region you choose, or a Claude client your enterprise administrators manage. Match this to your data policy.
- 5
Write instructions that carry Epicor knowledge
Provide a system prompt that explains your status codes, UD fields and what 'released' versus 'engineered' means at your site.
- 6
Test with real edge cases
Run it on old jobs, split POs, multi-site parts and unit-of-measure conversions, and compare answers against what your planners know.
Example flows
Engineering change impact brief
Trigger: Engineer asks Claude about a revision change on a part
- Claude calls get_where_used for the part.
- It calls get_open_jobs and get_open_po_lines for the affected assemblies.
- It checks on-hand of the old revision.
- It writes a brief listing jobs at risk, material to consume or scrap, and who to notify.
Result: A change that usually takes an hour of cross-screen digging is summarised for review in a minute.
Spec versus PO review
Trigger: Buyer uploads a supplier spec PDF
- Claude reads the PDF.
- It retrieves the PO line and part master requirements through tools.
- It lists mismatches such as heat treatment, tolerance class or certificate type.
- The buyer confirms or contacts the supplier.
Result: Mismatches surface before material ships, not at receiving inspection.
Keeping data on-prem
If the plant cannot send data to any cloud model, keep the MCP server and replace the model. The same tool definitions can be served to an on-prem client backed by an open-weight model running on vLLM or Ollama on your GPUs. You lose Claude's specific strengths but keep the architecture, the audit log and the tool boundaries. Some customers use a hybrid: an enterprise cloud model for non-sensitive document drafting and a private model for anything that touches costs, customers or controlled data, with the MCP server enforcing which tools each client can call.
Security checklist
- Run the MCP server with a read-only database user and an allow-list of tables or views.
- Authenticate remote MCP access with tokens or SSO and scope tools per user group.
- Log every tool call, argument and result size for audit, and review them regularly.
- Check your agreement on data retention, regional processing and training use before sending production data to any cloud route.
- Redact or tokenise customer and contract fields that the task does not need.
Ways to get it done
Build your own MCP server and use Claude via enterprise or API
Effort: A few weeks for a read-only toolset with testing.
Good if you have a developer comfortable with Progress SQL and your data policy allows a cloud model.
Claude through Bedrock or Vertex in your cloud tenancy
Effort: Adds cloud networking and identity work to the build.
Useful when your IT standard is already AWS or Google Cloud and you want regional control and existing contracts.
Netray-built connector with an on-prem or hybrid model
Effort: A scoped pilot is typically weeks.
For plants where parts, pricing or drawings cannot leave the network.
Pitfalls
- !Believing there is a ready-made Epicor 9 connector for Claude; you will almost certainly build the tools.
- !Returning huge result sets that waste context and slow responses; summarise in the tool.
- !Skipping unit-of-measure and revision handling, which leads to confident but wrong quantities.
- !Leaving the MCP server open on the plant network without authentication.
- !Ignoring who may see cost fields; the server must enforce this, not the prompt.
Frequently asked questions
Does Claude have a native Epicor 9 connector?
Not one we can point to. The usual path is a custom MCP server that wraps read-only queries against your Epicor 9 database or business objects, which Claude and other MCP clients can then call as tools.
Should I use Anthropic's API, Bedrock or Vertex?
Decide on contracts, region and where your identity and logging already live. All three can work with an MCP-style tool layer you host. If none are acceptable for your data, use an on-prem open model behind the same tools.
Can Claude write back to Epicor?
It can propose changes, but we recommend writes go through an approval queue and then through Epicor business objects so validation runs. Start read-only, prove accuracy, then add a narrow approved write path.
Will this work on Epicor 9.05 with a Progress database?
Generally yes, since access goes through ODBC or the business object layer rather than anything Claude-specific. Confirm your driver version, network path and licensing for database access in your environment before committing.
How is Claude different from ChatGPT here?
Both depend on the same bridge: a tool layer you host. The differences are in model behaviour, long-document handling and commercial terms. Building to MCP lets you try either, or a private model, without redoing the Epicor side.
Want Claude working on your Epicor Vantage / Epicor 9?
A free 30 minute assessment: we map the integration path for your version and setup, and where it should run.
Get a free assessment