NetSuite Case Studies

The Challenge

The client processed vendor invoices from BuyerQuest, their centralized procurement platform that consolidates purchasing across all locations. The accounts payable team spent 4-6 hours daily on manual data entry, downloading CSV files with 50-200 invoices, matching vendor names, determining NetSuite item or GL account mappings, identifying location codes, and calculating tax and shipping allocations.

Data entry errors were frequent and costly. Clerks transposed digits, selected wrong vendors, or assigned invoices to incorrect locations. Reconciliation errors weren't discovered until weeks later during month-end close, requiring journal entries and difficult conversations with franchise owners when royalty calculations were affected.

The manual bottleneck created 2-3 day processing delays, making accurate cash flow forecasting impossible. Incorrect expense allocation between locations had direct financial consequences for franchise royalty calculations and created audit trail issues.

The Solution

We implemented a fully automated invoice processing system using Map/Reduce architecture that monitors SFTP for BuyerQuest export files, intelligently maps line items to NetSuite records, and creates vendor bills with zero manual intervention.

The system uses a two-tier mapping logic: special SKU mapping table for high-volume items requiring exact control, and GL account lookup via External ID for standard items. Ancillary charges (tax, shipping, freight) use "most frequent GL" logic to apply charges to the invoice's primary expense category rather than generic accounts.

Comprehensive error handling isolates problematic invoices without stopping batch processing. Failed invoices create custom error records with complete source data, enabling manual recovery while other invoices process successfully.

The Challenge

The client needed to distribute real-time precious metal rate information to multiple external systems—partner websites, mobile applications, and third-party integrations—while maintaining strict security controls and usage monitoring.

Partners were requesting rate updates through email or phone calls, creating delays of minutes to hours between rate changes and partner system updates. Staff manually sent rate sheets via email, which introduced data entry errors when partners transcribed values into their systems.

There was no way to control which partners could access which rate types (spot, wholesale, or market rates), creating pricing disclosure concerns. Without authentication or usage tracking, there was no audit trail. The lack of rate limiting meant a single integration could overwhelm the system with requests, impacting performance for all users.

The Solution

We implemented a secure RESTful API that provides authenticated, real-time access to precious metal rates with granular permission controls and comprehensive usage monitoring.

The API supports multiple specialized endpoints—clients can request only the specific rate type they need (current spot rate, wholesale rate, or market rate), reducing data transfer and improving performance. Each API credential includes checkbox-based permissions controlling access to specific rate types.

Built-in rate limiting enforces configurable request limits per credential (default: 100 requests per 60 minutes), with automatic window reset and detailed error messages. The system automatically updates the "last used" timestamp on each credential, providing instant visibility into which integrations are active.

The Challenge

The client operated a complex multi-tier pricing model where retail market rates were calculated from wholesale rates, which were themselves derived from spot rates using proprietary formulas involving multiple multipliers and fixed premiums. Managing these interdependent calculations manually was error-prone and time-consuming.

Staff logged into a third-party precious metals pricing service multiple times per day to check current spot rates, then manually entered the values into a spreadsheet alongside multiplier constants. They used Excel formulas to calculate wholesale rates, then calculated market rates by applying an additional 10% markup.

The calculation complexity created frequent errors: staff occasionally transposed digits when copying spot rates, used outdated multiplier values when formulas weren't refreshed, or forgot to round to the nearest $0.02 increment as required by industry standards. The manual process also lacked transparency—there was no visual representation of how rates flowed through the calculation tiers.

The Solution

We implemented an integrated system combining automated rate retrieval, visual calculation displays, and formula-driven rate management with audit trails.

The Scheduled Script runs on a configurable interval (typically every 30 minutes) to automatically retrieve current spot rates from the external pricing API. It applies the multi-tier calculation formulas automatically, with each rate retrieval creating a new configuration record with a timestamp for complete history.

The Suitelet interface provides a visual calculation display showing the exact formula flow with live values in color-coded boxes. Users can see spot rate → wholesale rate → market rate with each multiplier and operation displayed visually, making the pricing structure immediately clear.

When users modify multipliers or premiums, client-side JavaScript recalculates all dependent rates in real-time before saving, showing exactly how changes will affect wholesale and market pricing. The system creates new configuration records on save rather than editing existing ones, preserving a complete audit trail.