SunWize Power: Automating Order Processing with XL-Connector
SunWize Power, a leader in solar energy solutions, relied heavily on Excel for complex engineering designs and quotations. However, integrating this process with Salesforce and their ERP system was a major challenge. Manual data imports, redundant workflows, and outdated pricing information led to inefficiencies.
By implementing XL-Connector, SunWize Power:
- Automated the processing of 14,000+ line items between Excel, Salesforce, and their ERP in a 5 year period.
- Eliminated manual CSV imports, ensuring real-time product pricing and data accuracy
- Created a 7-step automated workflow, streamlining order processing and boosting efficiency.
Now, XL-Connector is an essential part of their daily operations, helping them scale while maintaining accuracy and speed.
| Challenges | Results with XL-Connector |
|---|---|
| Manual data imports were time-consuming and error-prone | Automated sync of 14,000+ line items, eliminating manual CSV imports |
| Salesforce and ERP integration was inefficient | Seamless data flow between Excel, Salesforce, and ERP, ensuring up-to-date information |
| Creating and updating opportunities required multiple steps | 7-step automated workflow for BOM and quote creation |
| Inconsistent product costs and outdated data in design files | Live data refreshes pull real-time pricing and customer info into Excel |
| Team members needed to manually run Salesforce reports | Scheduled data refreshes eliminate manual reporting, improving accuracy and efficiency |
About SunWize Power
SunWize Power specializes in designing and delivering innovative solar power solutions for businesses and industries. With a strong focus on engineering and customization, the company integrates cutting-edge technology to provide reliable, efficient, and scalable energy solutions.
The Challenge: Integrating Excel-Based Engineering with Salesforce
As a company heavily reliant on Excel for complex engineering design and quotations, SunWize Power faced significant challenges integrating its tools with Salesforce. According to Aerel Rankin, VP of IT, the team needed a solution that could:
• Seamlessly push new records into Salesforce and pull large amounts of data
• Blend multiple steps, customization, and integrated Excel macros
• Automate the creation of Bill of Materials (BOM) for each quoted project
Initially, SunWize Power relied on an open-source Excel add-in, but it was limited to basic opportunity creation and eventually stopped working. This led them to search for a more robust and scalable alternative.
The Solution: XL-Connector
Xappex XL-Connector became the missing link between SunWize Power’s engineering design tool and Salesforce, enabling the team to:
- Leverage the CRM benefits of Salesforce while maintaining their Excel-based workflows
- Automate BOM creation and order processing, eliminating manual data entry
- Create a 7-8 step automated process that pushes and pulls real-time data, ensuring accuracy with the latest costing, product, contact, and item information
How XL-Connector Powers SunWize’s Order Processing
Since January 2020, SunWize Power has processed at least 14,000 line items using XL-Connector to sync data between Excel, Salesforce, and their ERP system.
The data flows both ways:
- From Excel → XL-Connector → Salesforce → ERP for procurement, delivery, and fulfillment
- From ERP → 3rd party connector → Salesforce → XL-Connector → Excel to ensure every design file has real-time, up-to-date product costs and information.
Previously, Aerel had to manually import CSV files into Excel every week to manage this data. Now, XL-Connector automates it all, providing a competitive edge by streamlining the process and eliminating errors.
"XL-Connector has been a major piece of our secret sauce. The time savings for a small organization automating this level of data flow has been invaluable. It has helped us design and sell well over half of our total revenue."
- Aerel Rankin, VP of IT
About Flow Steps in XL-Connector
One of the most powerful features SunWize Power leverages is Flow Steps in XL-Connector, which allows them to create and execute multi-step automated workflows within a single Excel sheet. Through these Flow Steps, users can upload multiple related records at the same time, ensuring that all data is submitted in a single process while maintaining relationships between them.
Their process includes:
- Opportunity ID Check – Identifies existing opportunities and updates them instead of creating duplicates
- Opportunity Creation – Creates a new Salesforce Opportunity when no match is found, mapping 47 fields from Excel
- BOM Opportunity Deletion – Clears existing opportunity products so updates can be rerun seamlessly
- BOM Opportunity – Pushes a fresh list of opportunity products after clearing the old ones
- Quote ID Refresh – Retrieves newly created record IDs for the next step
- Quote Creation – Generates a Salesforce Quote linked to the Opportunity
- BOM Quote – Adds the list of quote products, ensuring a complete and accurate workflow
This structured automation ensures data integrity, eliminates redundancies, and allows the team to make iterative changes to opportunities without manual effort.
Automating Data Updates with Scheduled Syncs
SunWize Power also automates data refreshes to ensure the latest information is available in Excel every time a team member opens the file. The system syncs critical Salesforce objects, including:
- Product and pricing data
- Customer and contact details
- Other key records used in quoting and fulfillment
This eliminates the need for manual report runs and ensures that every project starts with the most up-to-date data available.
The Results: Near Full Automation
By implementing XL-Connector, SunWize Power has transformed its Salesforce-Excel integration and nearly fully automated its order processing from Excel to Salesforce to ERP
"We love Xappex and have a substantial team using the platform virtually all day, every day."
- Aerel Rankin, VP of IT
Ongoing Support & Long-Term Success
SunWize Power has been using XL-Connector for many years, and their success has been backed by strong support from the Xappex team
"Alex has helped us at multiple steps along our journey, either by answering questions or helping us understand certain things, but for the most part the tool has been solid and easy to use"
- Aerel Rankin, VP of IT.
By adopting XL-Connector, SunWize Power has dramatically improved efficiency, accuracy, and scalability—giving them a significant edge in their industry.
Get Started with XL-Connector
Want to sync and automate your Salesforce data with Excel like SunWize Power? Try XL-Connector for free or reach out to our team for a personalized demo.
👉 Start Your Free Trial or Contact Xappex Professional support