How to add WhatsApp to Infor VISUAL
Short answer
Infor VISUAL has no built-in WhatsApp channel, so you add one with a small service that reads VISUAL data (SQL Server or Oracle, or the VISUAL API Toolkit) and talks to the WhatsApp Business Platform. Outbound alerts are the easy half. Inbound replies need a mapping layer and a human check before anything is written back.
Many VISUAL shops are job shops and make-to-order manufacturers where the real coordination happens by phone and text: a customer asks where their order is, a supplier confirms a ship date from a truck, a supervisor approves overtime from the floor. WhatsApp is already how a lot of these people talk, especially with overseas suppliers and customers, but VISUAL itself only knows email and its own screens.
The pattern that works is thin. A service watches for business events in VISUAL (a customer order line shipped, a purchase order line coming due, a work order held), sends a pre-approved template message, and listens for the reply. The reply is matched to a record and either answered automatically or queued for a person to confirm in VISUAL.
Most VISUAL installs are on-premises, often on an older SQL Server and a Windows application server. That shapes the design: the WhatsApp side lives in the cloud, the VISUAL side stays inside your network, and a small outbound-only relay joins them.
What teams use it for
Order status on demand
A customer messages an order number and gets the line status, promise date and tracking reference, read from the customer order and shipment tables.
Shipment notifications
When a shipper is posted, the contact on the customer order receives a template message with the carrier and tracking number.
Supplier date confirmation
Buyers send open purchase order lines due this week to suppliers. A reply with a new date is proposed as a due date change for the buyer to accept.
Overtime and expedite approvals
A planner sends a yes or no request for a rush work order. The reply is logged against the work order as a note, not as an automatic status change.
Quality hold alerts
Supervisors get a short message when a work order operation is placed on hold, with the part ID and the reason code.
Infor VISUAL integration surface
- Database access: VISUAL stores data in SQL Server (older sites may run Oracle). Tables such as CUSTOMER_ORDER, CUST_ORDER_LINE, SHIPPER, PURCHASE_ORDER, PURC_ORDER_LINE and WORK_ORDER are the usual sources. Table and column names can vary by version, so confirm them in your own schema before building queries.
- VISUAL API Toolkit: a programmatic interface for creating and updating business objects without writing directly to tables. Availability and licensing depend on your version, so check with Infor or your reseller.
- Polling and change detection: VISUAL has no general outbound webhook feature, so most builds poll with a modified-date or status filter, or use a staging table filled by database triggers where your DBA permits it.
- Scheduled reporting: Visual Report Writer or Crystal-based reports can export to a file or email, which is a fallback when direct database access is not allowed.
- Contacts: customer and vendor contact tables hold phone numbers, but they are rarely clean E.164 numbers, so plan a normalization step.
How it works
- 1
Pick the WhatsApp route
Use the WhatsApp Business Platform Cloud API directly or through a business solution provider. Register a business number that is not in use on a personal WhatsApp account.
- 2
Define events and templates
List the VISUAL events you want to notify on and write one template per event. Outbound messages outside a 24-hour customer reply window must use approved templates.
- 3
Build a read-only VISUAL reader
Create a SQL login with SELECT rights on only the tables you need. Query on a schedule, store the last-seen key and timestamp, and never mark VISUAL rows as sent.
- 4
Collect and record opt-in
Store consent per contact in your own table, not in VISUAL. Only message contacts with a recorded opt-in and honor stop requests immediately.
- 5
Add the inbound webhook
Host a small HTTPS endpoint, or a relay that your on-prem service polls, to receive replies. Match the sender number to a contact, then to open orders.
- 6
Route replies safely
Answer read-only questions automatically. For anything that would change data, create a task for the buyer or planner and write back through the API Toolkit only after approval.
Example flows
Customer asks for status
Trigger: Customer sends 'status SO12345' to the company WhatsApp number.
- The webhook identifies the sender from the contact table.
- The service checks that the sender is allowed to see that customer order.
- It reads the order lines, promise dates and shipper rows.
- It replies with line status and next expected ship date.
Result: The customer gets an answer in seconds and the sales desk avoids a call.
Supplier date change
Trigger: A supplier replies 'will ship the 24th' to a due-date template.
- The reply is linked to the purchase order line through the template's stored reference.
- A short parser extracts the date and flags low confidence.
- A buyer sees the proposed date and the current due date side by side.
- On approval, the date is updated through the supported interface.
Result: Due dates in VISUAL stay current without the buyer retyping emails.
Keeping data on-prem
Keep VISUAL and its database inside your network and let the integration service run there too. The only thing that has to reach outside is the WhatsApp Cloud API, which is an HTTPS service owned by Meta, so no model or ERP data needs to leave unless you send it in a message. Use outbound connections only: your service pulls inbound events from a small cloud relay instead of opening a port into the plant. If you add an AI model to read free-text replies, host an open-weight model on your own server so supplier text and part data never go to a third-party API.
Security checklist
- Use a dedicated read-only SQL account and keep it separate from any account that can write.
- Treat message content as business data: do not send pricing, cost or drawing details in templates.
- Verify the webhook signature on every inbound call and reject unsigned requests.
- Log every inbound and outbound message with the VISUAL record it touched.
- Limit which phone numbers can query orders, and bind each number to one customer or vendor account.
Ways to get it done
Off-the-shelf messaging connector
Effort: Days to a few weeks
Generic notification tools can send alerts from a SQL query or a CSV export. Fine for one-way alerts, weaker for two-way replies.
Build in-house
Effort: Several weeks plus ongoing upkeep
Works if you have a developer who knows your VISUAL schema and can maintain a small service and webhook.
Partner build with Netray
Effort: Typically a few weeks for a first scoped flow
Useful when you want two-way replies, an on-prem language model for parsing, and approval before write-back.
Pitfalls
- !Messaging a contact without recorded consent, which risks the number being blocked.
- !Using the free-form reply window for notifications that need a template.
- !Trusting phone numbers stored in VISUAL as clean and unique.
- !Letting a free-text reply change a due date or quantity with no human check.
- !Polling large tables without an index on the modified date, which slows the VISUAL database.
Frequently asked questions
Does Infor VISUAL support WhatsApp natively?
No. VISUAL does not include a WhatsApp channel. You add one with a separate service that reads VISUAL data and calls the WhatsApp Business Platform. Some Infor partners and third-party tools offer connectors, so check what exists for your version before building.
Can WhatsApp write back into VISUAL?
It can, but it should not do so blindly. The safer design stores the reply, proposes the change, and lets a buyer or planner approve it. The write itself should go through a supported interface such as the API Toolkit rather than direct table updates.
Does this work with an on-premises VISUAL install?
Yes. The integration service runs next to the database and makes outbound calls to WhatsApp. Receiving replies needs either a public HTTPS endpoint in a DMZ or a cloud relay that your service polls, so no inbound firewall hole into the plant is needed.
Do I need approved message templates?
Yes for business-initiated messages sent outside the customer's active reply window. Templates are reviewed by WhatsApp, so keep the wording factual and avoid promotional language in operational alerts. Once a customer writes first, you can reply freely within the allowed window.
Can AI read the replies?
Yes. A language model can pull dates, quantities and order numbers from messy replies. For regulated or sensitive customers, run an open-weight model on your own server, and show a confidence score so low-confidence replies go to a person.
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