NMS2S Updates: Lite In The Tunnel

After weeks of operators trying to figure out what NMS2S can do, and what still has to be handled manually, there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

The CCD and RTS announced that expanded NMS2S API functionality is expected to become available to third-party integration partners in the UAT testing environment on October 1st. The initial release includes access to inventory and plant information, barcode lookups, inventory splits, adjustments, and product-name changes.

Piggy-Dipping

The expanded release includes six GET, or read-only, APIs and three POST, or write, APIs. The read-only endpoints include pulling inventory and plant details, which should be valuable for reporting, inventory visibility, and label-related workflows. The write APIs include inventory splits, adjustments, and product-name updates.

While some operators have found the temperature in NMS2S surprisingly tolerable and have gone ahead and jumped in, those still heavily invested in third-party systems may be stuck keeping their toes in the pool for a while longer.

The lack of manifesting APIs is a good example. Getting inventory information into a third-party system is only half the battle. Operators also need a way to move inventory back out through transfers and manifests without duplicating work in NMS2S, which were not mentioned.

Test Drive

Expanded production access will also require a separate Integrator Bearer Token. Integration partners will have to complete an approval process that includes identifying which expanded functions they intend to use, accepting production-access requirements, completing UAT testing and validation, and demonstrating readiness before receiving production credentials.

This means RTS isn’t just handing over the keys willy-nilly, your going to have to show your report card before you drive dads Corvette.

Integration partners still have to build against the new endpoints, test their workflows in UAT, work through any problems, complete the state’s validation process, and receive production credentials before operators can actually use the new functionality.

Even if a company like Dutchie or BioTrack can develop its portion in two weeks, that does not mean the functionality automatically goes live two weeks later. There is still testing, approval, deployment, documentation, training, and the simple matter of deciding when to flip the switch.

That may actually be the biggest concern now.

Terror Squad

Not a lot is known about RTS. The team has been described as a relatively small, which can cut both ways. A smaller team has fewer resources when several integrators begin reporting issues at the same time. On the other hand, smaller teams can sometimes move much faster because there are fewer layers between identifying a problem and fixing it.

We have already seen RTS respond to critical operational requests, including label changes and expanded splitting functionality. That makes the next several weeks less about whether the functionality is possible and more about how the rollout is managed.

Betting Man

October can realistically become the testing month. Integrators build, break things, find edge cases, send questions back to RTS, make corrections, and test again. If that process goes well, early to mid-November becomes a reasonable window for the first meaningful production integrations.

After that, the calendar starts getting uncomfortable.

Thanksgiving arrives at the end of November, followed almost immediately by the December retail season. Nobody wants major inventory functionality changing underneath operators while employees are taking vacation, stores are busy, support teams are thin, and companies are trying to close out the year.

At this point, the question is becoming less about whether integrations are coming and more about whether they can be rolled out cleanly before the holiday season creates another layer of operational risk.

Hometown Hero

For all it’s worth, one thing needs to be said: for a state that prides itself on supporting local businesses, has anyone cheered on NMS2S?

As disruptive as this transition has been, it has also been eye-opening for a lot of operators. Some have been forced to reconcile years of lingering inventory. Others are starting to realize that paying for a full ERP system just to generate a purchase order may have been more fluff than function.

For those waiting to run back into the embrace of their integrators, I don’t blame you. Training people is hard. Changing processes is scary.

But for the operators willing to reevaluate their processes, clean up old habits, and ask whether every system they pay for is actually earning its keep, you may find something other than savings.

A better version of yourself.