GeoShepard has been anticipating a fully supported application programming interface, or API, for the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division / Franwell METRC tool since April 2015. With the addition of Oregon, we received confirmation from Franwell that the METRC API will be released May 3, 2015. Now that the Colorado and Oregon cannabis community is closer to this release, it’s time to start talking about what an API is, and how it can be put to work for your business.
To understand what an API is, begin by visualizing your day-to-day work with METRC. You perform tasks, such as logging in, by typing your username and password, order RFID tags by clicking on buttons on the website, and report your daily sales by uploading a CSV or Excel spreadsheet. To complete these tasks using a computer and the METRC website, you or an employee need to physically move the mouse and type on the keyboard to enter the data. In contrast, the METRC API allows an engineer to use a computer in place of a staff member for entering data into METRC.
The benefit of having a computer instead of a human enter and retrieve data from METRC may not be immediately apparent, but it is tremendous. If a computer system is entering data into METRC for you, the process can be fully automated by, and integrated with, other computer systems. This allows any number of software applications to automatically and quickly sync data.
Today, if you’re selling flower out of an open package, you’ll generally report these sales to the MED through METRC at the end of the day. Many businesses export their sales volume in a batch at the end of the day through a CSV. With an API, you could instead sync chain of custody events as they happen in real time, including corrections. With an API, you could receive a manifest, add it to inventory, and automatically mark it as received in METRC; instead of manually completing those three separate processes. Without an API information is currently stored in distinct data silos that need to all be synched to METRC by hand. If you were asked to validate that every line item in your point of sale system or greenhouse management lined up with the data that was present in METRC, how long would that take you or another employee to do? With an API, this process is completely automated and free from human error.
GeoShepard is particularly excited about the METRC API because of the anticipated level of support that will be offered by the MED and Franwell. Currently, any automated access to METRC is “unofficial,” which means that applications can become incompatible due to upgrades and changes made by Franwell without notice, at any time. An official API will have a set of rules that will be reliable, and will have changes communicated to the community in a controlled way. This predictable environment allows developers to ensure they’re ready for the next version of the API so their applications continue to be integrated with METRC.
We’re eagerly awaiting the release of the API, and have a large backlog of features that we’re ready to deliver to achieve the most complete integration with METRC available. If your business works with METRC, and you want to achieve perfect automation of your business-critical processes, send us an email at info@geoshepard.com or give us a call at 818-724-9537. We’d love to discuss how our existing platform can be tailored to your needs, and how we can create something exclusive for your business.