On paper, integrations look simple. ERP connects to CRM. CRM connects to external tools. APIs handle the rest. Everything looks clean. Then you go live - and things slowly start breaking. Not immediately. But enough to cause real problems. Here’s what actually goes wrong. 1. Systems don’t agree on what data means A “customer” is not the same everywhere. In CRM - it’s a lead with activity In ERP - it’s a billing entity In other tools - it might just be an email You map fields and think you're done. Then you get: duplicates missing data updates overriding each other The issue is not mapping. It’s the data model. 2. No clear source of truth Multiple systems updating the same fields is where things fall apart. CRM updates phone number ERP updates it later Another tool syncs an older value back Now you have conflicting data and no clarity. If ownership is not defined, consistency is impossible. 3. APIs work, workflows don’t APIs returning 200 does not mean your system works.…