How to add Slack to Infor LN
Short answer
Connect Slack to Infor LN by forwarding LN events from Infor ION to a small Slack app, which posts alerts and interactive buttons and calls back into ION or LN APIs. Slash commands give read-only look-ups, and a user mapping keeps each action tied to a real LN account.
Slack tends to show up in the engineering, supply chain and operations teams of manufacturers that run LN alongside modern SaaS tools. Those teams talk in Slack all day, yet the facts they argue about, the status of an order, a stock position, a changed due date, sit in LN, a few clicks away.
A Slack app can bring the ERP into the conversation: alerts in the right channel, a slash command to check a number, and a button for the routine decision. It does not replace LN sessions for data entry, and it should not try to.
Here is how to build it with LN's real integration options, what to expose first, and how to keep the setup safe when LN is on-prem.
What teams use it for
Supply chain war room channel
Post shortage and late-receipt alerts for critical programs to one channel, with item, order and a suggested owner, so the team can coordinate expedites in threads.
Slash command for order status
A command such as /ln order followed by a sales order number returns status, lines and next ship date, built from read-only queries and visible only to the requester.
Production order exceptions
Post production orders that are behind schedule or blocked by missing material to the shop planning channel, with a button to acknowledge and assign.
Engineering handoffs
When a new item or bill of material is released in LN, tell manufacturing engineering and purchasing, with a link back to the record.
Inventory adjustment approvals
Send large inventory adjustments or scrap postings to a manager with Approve and Reject buttons, executed in LN only after limits are verified.
Infor LN integration surface
- Infor ION Document Flows: forward LN BODs to a queue or webhook that your Slack app consumes. BOD availability depends on version and configuration.
- ION API Gateway with OAuth 2.0 service accounts and an .ionapi credentials file for authenticated calls from the Slack app backend.
- LN DAL and business interfaces for controlled write-backs, such as approvals or notes.
- A read replica or reporting copy of the LN database for look-up commands, with table names following the LN package convention (for example tdsls400 for sales orders), confirmed per version.
- File-based exports and Exchange schemes for older LN or Baan installations without ION.
How it works
- 1
Define channels and commands
Decide which events belong in which channel and which three or four slash commands are worth building. Fewer, well-scoped commands beat a sprawling bot.
- 2
Create the Slack app
Configure bot scopes, slash commands, interactivity request URL and event subscriptions. Install it to the workspace with only the scopes it needs.
- 3
Wire LN events
Send the selected BODs through ION to your service. The service normalises them into a small internal event and decides whether and where to post.
- 4
Build look-up tools
Implement read-only query functions with strict parameter validation, running through the ION API or a replica, and return concise blocks with a link to LN.
- 5
Map Slack users to LN users
Match by verified corporate email to an LN employee record, and apply that person's authorisation rules before any action or data is returned.
- 6
Add write-backs last
Enable button actions only for low-risk, well-defined transactions, with audit logs and a review path for anything else.
Example flows
Critical shortage alert
Trigger: Planning run flags a component short for a high-priority production order.
- Service reads the exception from ION or a replica.
- It posts to the program channel with item, quantity short and need date.
- A buyer clicks Take it, and the message updates with their name.
- Thread discussion captures supplier updates; the buyer adds a note to LN via a command.
Result: Ownership is explicit and the history of the expedite sits next to the conversation.
Order lookup by slash command
Trigger: A salesperson types /ln order with a number.
- Slack sends the command to the service with the user id.
- The service maps the user and checks they may see that customer's orders.
- It queries LN read-only and returns a compact status message visible only to the requester.
Result: Quick answers without opening LN or interrupting customer service.
Keeping data on-prem
Slack is a hosted service, so keep LN and the middleware inside your network and let the app backend make outbound calls to Slack. Slack interactivity requires an inbound HTTPS endpoint, which you can expose through a reverse proxy in a DMZ or, if policy forbids that, by using Socket Mode so the app connects outward and no inbound port is needed. Return only identifiers, statuses and dates in channels, and link to LN for anything sensitive. If your policy prohibits ERP-derived content in a hosted chat service, this integration is not suitable and an on-prem chat platform is the answer.
Security checklist
- Verify Slack request signatures on every call.
- Return look-up results ephemerally to the requester, not into public channels.
- Map every Slack user to an LN user and enforce that user's data scope in your service.
- Store ION credentials in a secrets vault and rotate service account keys.
- Keep channels with ERP content private and review membership regularly.
Ways to get it done
Zapier or low-code automation platforms
Effort: Days, but governance and per-task costs add up.
Works for basic notifications if you can call an ION API or receive webhooks, with limited control over identity.
Custom Slack app on ION
Effort: A few weeks for a first version.
Best for look-up commands and approvals with proper identity mapping.
Partner build such as Netray
Effort: A pilot on one team, extended once the access model is proven.
When you want natural-language questions answered from LN in Slack, using models hosted privately.
Pitfalls
- !Dumping every ION event into a channel, which trains people to ignore it.
- !Exposing look-up commands without user mapping, so anyone in the workspace can read any customer's orders.
- !Relying on a single developer's token; use a proper app and service account.
- !Forgetting Slack rate limits when a planning run produces hundreds of exceptions; batch into digests.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a ready-made Slack app for Infor LN?
We do not know of a standard one. Most teams build a small app over ION, or use a partner. Check the Infor marketplace for anything current in your version before building.
Can Slack work without opening ports to LN?
Yes. LN stays internal, and the app can use Socket Mode so it connects outbound to Slack. Alerts and commands flow through that connection without exposing LN or the middleware inbound.
Which LN data is safe to show in Slack?
Statuses, dates and identifiers are usually fine. Prices, customer contract terms and anything export-controlled should stay out of chat, with a link to LN instead. Your own policy decides the line.
Can we approve things in Slack?
Yes, using interactive buttons. The service must check that the clicking user is the right approver and within limits, then post the decision to LN through ION or a business interface and log it.
Does this replace LN workflow?
No. ION workflow and LN authorisation stay in charge. Slack becomes a convenient surface for them, which means the approval record in LN remains the authoritative one.
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