Integrations / ERP / Visma Nova
Visma Nova APS Integration Guide for Production Scheduling
This Visma Nova integration guide shows partners and IT teams how to connect Visma Nova to SkyPlanner APS. SkyPlanner integrates with Visma Nova in both directions:
- Products (nimike) with their product structures (tuoterakenne) and work stages (työvaiheet), sales orders, purchase orders and stock balances flow in.
- Finished production, batches, pallet labels and stock events go back to Nova in real time.
- Stage start and finish times post as Nova stage stamps (vaihekuittaus).
- SkyPlanner webhooks push schedule changes as they happen.
SkyPlanner has been integrated with Visma Nova in customer projects. Piristeel and Opes Corporation run it. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your Nova setup during onboarding and supports it after go-live. Partners and developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented REST API (API reference).
Visma Nova’s integration interfaces
Visma states that Nova offers interfaces for both batch-file and real-time integration (source). A SkyPlanner integration uses both.
- Nova WebService (Nova SDK). A SOAP service with the
ExecuteandExecute2methods, installed on your own Windows server with IIS. It connects to one Nova company database and carries XML messages for real-time reads and writes (manual). - Automated transfer files. Nova’s data import and export (Tiedon tuonti, Tiedon vienti) read and write semicolon-separated UTF-8 files from a folder on a schedule (file format, automated import, automated export).
- File types that matter for scheduling. PRODUCT, including structure rows and work stage rows. SALES ORDER, purchase orders and PHASE STAMP for stage stamps (stage stamps).
Nova runs on Windows on premises or in Visma’s hosted application service. In both cases, SkyPlanner stays in the cloud and nothing is installed in the Nova client.
Authentication
- Nova WebService. A unique key is created when the WebService is installed and is sent in the Login part of each XML message. The server needs a public address, and you agree the firewall rules with the integrator (manual).
- Transfer files. These run inside your Nova installation. Access is controlled by who can reach the transfer folder.
On the SkyPlanner side, the REST API authenticates with an API token sent in the Authorization-Token header. You create it under Settings > API. The integration tutorial walks through the first calls.
Change detection
Nova documents no webhooks. Changes are picked up in two ways:
- Scheduled export. Automated export can send only the records updated since the last run, filtered by date, number, type or production line.
- WebService reads. The integration reads products and orders on a short interval.
SkyPlanner sends webhooks when state or the schedule changes, so the write-back side is event-driven and reaches Nova in real time.
Data mapping
| Visma Nova object (interface) | SkyPlanner object | Direction | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nimike (PRODUCT file, WebService) | Products and materials | Nova → SkyPlanner | Initial load, then on change |
| Tuoterakenne rows (PRODUCT structure rows) | Product structure, subproducts, material needs | Nova → SkyPlanner | Initial load, then on change |
| Työvaiheet rows: machine group, capacity, setup time (PRODUCT work stage rows) | Process steps with run and setup times | Nova → SkyPlanner | Initial load, then on change |
| Resources and machine groups | Workstations and workstation groups | Set up in SkyPlanner from Nova data | During onboarding |
| Sales orders with delivery dates (SALES ORDER, WebService) | Orders with due dates and customer priority | Nova → SkyPlanner | On change |
| Purchase orders with delivery dates | Purchase orders | Nova → SkyPlanner | On change |
| Stock balances | Stock | Nova → SkyPlanner | On change |
| Finished quantity, batch, pallet label, stock event | Confirmations in Mobile Confirmations | SkyPlanner → Nova | Real time |
| Stage stamp: work number, stage, start, finish, person (PHASE STAMP) | Logged work per job | SkyPlanner → Nova | Per confirmation |
| Scheduling rules set in SkyPlanner | Allowed workstations, setting time matrix, tools, people, shifts | Maintained in SkyPlanner | Set up during onboarding |
Integration patterns
1. Initial master data load. Read products with their structures and work stages. Create one SkyPlanner workstation per machine, grouped by Nova machine group. Map each stage’s capacity and setup time to the process step.
2. Order sync. Bring open sales orders in with their delivery dates. Each order line becomes an order, and its product’s work stages become jobs. Bring in purchase orders and stock, so a stage waits for the delivery date of its material.
3. Scheduling. Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds. Autopilot replans when an order, a quantity or a stock level changes.
4. Production back to Nova. Operators confirm work with Mobile Confirmations or the Production Timer. Finished quantities, batches and pallet labels go to Nova as stock events in real time, rather than as a batch run the next day. Stage start and finish times post as stage stamps for post-calculation (Jälkilaskenta).
5. Ownership and conflict rules. Write them down before go-live:
| Data | Owner |
|---|---|
| Products, structures, work stages, sales and purchase orders | Visma Nova |
| Stage sequence, start and end times, machine choice | SkyPlanner |
| Allowed workstations, setting time matrix, tools, people, shifts | SkyPlanner |
| Stock and finished goods | Visma Nova, posted from SkyPlanner confirmations |
The main conflict source is double scheduling. Keep Nova’s work queue for order flow and material reservations, and let SkyPlanner own the dates. Post production from one place only, SkyPlanner or Työpiste, so stock is not booked twice.
Typical project steps
Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts. Before that, the 30-day free trial runs on your own data from a Nova export of products, work stages and open orders.
- Scoping. Fix the mapping table, ownership rules and sync interval.
- Interfaces. Install the Nova WebService on your server, or set up the automated transfer folders. A test environment is recommended.
- Initial load. Products, structures and work stages.
- Order and stock sync. Sales orders, purchase orders and stock balances.
- Constraint setup in SkyPlanner. Workstations, shifts, allowed workstations, the setting time matrix, tools and people.
- Write-back. Stock events and stage stamps, tested in the test environment.
- Parallel run and go-live. Compare with the current work queue, fix master data, then switch on write-back in production.
What to plan for in a Visma Nova integration
- Server access. The WebService runs on your own IIS server with a public address. Agree the firewall rules early.
- Structure levels. Nova processes the first structure level by default (source). Decide how semi-finished items reach SkyPlanner as subproducts.
- Capacity. Nova holds weekly hours per resource (source). Model the real shifts in SkyPlanner.
- Machine groups. Nova calculates load per machine group. Split groups into machines in SkyPlanner.
- Stage units. Work stage capacity can be pieces per hour, hours per piece or minutes per piece. Convert each to a run time per piece.
- One posting route. Choose whether operators post in SkyPlanner or in Työpiste.
The Visma Nova integration: who configures and supports it
The work covers mapping to your products, work stages and Nova setup. It also covers the scheduling rules you keep in SkyPlanner: allowed workstations, the setting time matrix, tools and people.
- The SkyPlanner team configures it during onboarding and supports it after go-live. Every plant runs Nova differently, and this is where that know-how goes.
- Your Visma partner can take part. Visma partners have brought SkyPlanner to Nova customers: Piristeel came through its ERP vendor Rauhala Group. The partner can handle the WebService installation, transfer folders and test environment. SkyPlanner provides the REST API, Swagger/OpenAPI documentation and webhooks.
- Your own developers can build on it against the same documented REST API with an API token. An API token is enough to start, and the SkyPlanner team assists when needed.
SkyPlanner starts from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, billed monthly. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan, so you see the full cost before you start.
See how Nova’s own planning compares in Does Visma Nova have finite capacity scheduling? The overview is on the Visma Nova page, and other systems are in the ERP integrations hub. Running Visma Net instead? See the Visma Net page.
SkyPlanner reviews from manufacturers
99.2%delivery reliability
“SkyPlanner has brought visibility to identifying bottlenecks and clarified production management.”
Toni Tuori, Production Manager
Piristeel · Roof safety and rainwater systems
Delivery reliability reached 99.2% this year, and scheduling saves up to four hours of working time per day.
100%delivery reliability since 2021
“SkyPlanner gives us visibility into capacity and makes planning predictable.”
Dan Berglund, COO/CFO
Opes Corporation · Chemical and food manufacturing
Delivery reliability has been 100% for the entire time SkyPlanner has been in use, since 2021.
2 hsaved every week
“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization.”
Kalle Kalliomäki, Supply Chain Specialist
UTU · Electrical switchboards and switchgear
Production planning saves 2 hours of working time every week, and a new work queue reaches the line in seconds.
+90%production efficiency
“Efficiency has gone up 90% in production.”
Abdul Rucyinga, Head of IT
Laboratory & Allied · Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Production efficiency is up 90%, and a three-month optimized plan across all workstations takes under 30 minutes.
FAQ
Does Visma Nova have an API?
Yes. Nova offers the Nova WebService, a SOAP service installed on your own server, for real-time integration, and automated transfer files for batch integration. Both carry products, structures, work stages and orders.
What goes back from SkyPlanner to Visma Nova?
Finished quantities, batches, pallet labels and stock events, in real time. Stage start and finish times post as Nova stage stamps, so post-calculation in Nova uses the real times.
Does Visma Nova support webhooks?
No webhooks are documented. Nova changes are read with scheduled exports of updated records and WebService reads. SkyPlanner’s own webhooks push schedule changes as they happen.
What scheduling software integrates with Visma Nova?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with Visma Nova in both directions, and Visma lists Skycode with SkyPlanner on its Nova integrations page. Piristeel and Opes Corporation run it.
Who builds the Visma Nova integration?
The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration to your Nova setup during onboarding and supports it after go-live. Your Visma partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented REST API, and an API token is enough to start.
Can we test SkyPlanner before building the integration?
Yes. The 30-day free trial supports up to 20 workstations with Excel or CSV imports from Nova, no credit card needed. Start the trial, or talk to sales to scope the integration.
