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Solution
Head-end system (HES) and MDM integration for your smart meter field app
PIEBENCH sends every approved meter installation to your head-end system (HES) or meter data management (MDM) system, and can pull lists back from them, such as non-communicating meters, as field work orders. Connectorly handles both directions over REST, OAuth 2.0, SQL or webhooks, with AI-suggested field mapping and automatic retries.
HES and MDM, in one paragraph each
The head-end system (HES) is the software that talks to the meters. It sends commands, collects reads and events, and knows whether each meter is communicating. The meter data management (MDM) system stores and validates the data those meters produce, and feeds billing.
Neither of them knows what happened at the premises. They don't know which technician installed the meter, whether the seals were photographed, or why a meter in a basement has gone silent. That is the field app's job, and the reason the three systems have to talk.
What flows each way
| Direction | What moves | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Field app → HES / MDM | Approved installation: new meter serial, old meter serial and final reading, initial reading, installation date, location | The HES can start communicating with the right meter at the right premises, and the MDM has a clean start reading |
| HES → field app | Lists of meters needing a visit, such as non-communicating meters | Each one becomes a work order for a crew, instead of a line in a spreadsheet |
| MDM / billing → field app | Consumers and premises, meter stock | Crews start from the system of record, not a hand-made list |
| Field app → HES | Result of an NCM visit: fault found, action taken, photos | The exception can be closed with evidence, automatically if the HES confirms the meter is reading again |
Sending installation data to the HES
The weak point in most rollouts is the gap between "installed" and "known to the HES". If the serial in the HES doesn't match the meter on the wall, the meter will never commission, and someone will be sent back to find out why.
PIEBENCH narrows that gap in two ways. First, the data is cleaner at source: serials are scanned from the barcode, and a serial that already exists in the project is refused. Second, it only sends what has been checked. When a supervisor approves an installation, PIEBENCH fires an event for it, and Connectorly delivers the record to the HES or MDM. Each delivery is tracked, so you can see which installations reached the other side and which didn't.
The connection also works in reverse. The webhook PIEBENCH sends when an installation completes can read the HES's reply, so if the HES confirms the meter is communicating, the installation can be flagged as communicating in PIEBENCH. That turns "installed" and "commissioned" into two separate, visible states.
Turning HES exceptions into field jobs
The HES is good at spotting problems and bad at getting someone to fix them. A list of 3,000 non-communicating meters exported to Excel is not a plan.
Connectorly can bring those records into PIEBENCH as work orders, either on a schedule (say, every morning at 6) or as the HES pushes them through a webhook. Filters let you take only one division, or only meters silent for more than a set number of days, if your HES exposes that field. Each record lands as a job a supervisor can assign, and the crew's findings travel back the same way. See NCM resolution.
How the connection is built
- Pick how to connect. Most HES and MDM platforms offer a REST API. Connectorly supports Basic, Bearer token and OAuth 2.0 authentication. If your vendor provides a database view instead, Connectorly reads PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server and SQLite.
- Test it. Connectorly reads a sample before anything is saved.
- Map the fields. It suggests matches between the HES fields and PIEBENCH fields, for example "meter_no" to meter serial. You confirm each one and add transformations where formats differ, such as date formats.
- Schedule and watch. Set how often it runs. Every run is logged with records processed and failed, and failed sync jobs retry up to five times with increasing gaps.
For a standard REST source this usually takes about 10 minutes. See how integrations work.
Which HES and MDM products?
Connectorly isn't tied to a vendor. If a system exposes a REST API, a webhook or a SQL view, it can be connected. Connections are configured, not coded, so nothing is specific to one HES or MDM vendor.
Integrations are part of the Pro plan ($499 a month) and Enterprise. See pricing.
Built to integrate with your systems
HES, MDM, SAP IS-U, Oracle CC&B and billing systems, over REST, OAuth or a direct SQL connection. How integrations work
Questions buyers ask
How do I sync meter installation data to the HES?
In PIEBENCH, approved installations are sent automatically. When a supervisor approves a job, an event fires and Connectorly delivers the new meter serial, old meter details, readings, date and location to your HES over its API. Each delivery is tracked, so you can see which installations arrived.
Can a field app integrate with an MDM system?
Yes. Connectorly sends approved installation records to the MDM, and can read consumers and meter data from it to create service points and meters in PIEBENCH. It connects over REST (Basic, Bearer or OAuth 2.0), SQL databases or webhooks.
Can HES alarms or NCM lists create field jobs automatically?
Yes. Connectorly can pull records from the HES into PIEBENCH as work orders on a schedule, or receive them by webhook as the HES pushes them. Filters let you take only the records you want, and each one becomes a job a supervisor can assign.
Do we need middleware between the HES and the field app?
No. Connectorly calls the HES directly and handles mapping, filtering, scheduling and retries itself. That removes a layer you would otherwise have to buy, host and maintain.
How long does an HES integration take to set up?
For a standard REST source, about 10 minutes: connect, test, confirm the suggested field mappings, set a schedule. The longer part is usually getting credentials and API documentation from the HES vendor, so ask for those early.
What if the HES is unreachable when a job is approved?
Sync jobs retry automatically, up to five times with increasing gaps. Every run is logged, so if something still fails you can see which records were affected and send them again once the HES is back.
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