Refactoring a Fragile iPaaS Architecture into Native Operations Hub Logic for a Telecom ERP
A fragile Make.com middleware integration with an eLation ERP was throwing widespread HTTP 400 errors and creating duplicate records for a telecom provider. We refactored the architecture so that data cleansing moved natively into HubSpot Operations Hub, with strict UI-level field validation now running before deals can advance to provisioning.
Executive Summary
Context
A specialized telecom provider's critical ISP provisioning workflows kept breaking because a fragile, failure-prone middleware integration (Make.com) connected their eLation ERP to HubSpot.
What We Built
We refactored error-prone middleware logic into native HubSpot Operations Hub data cleansing workflows. Mandatory UI-level validation backs them up.
Tech Stack
- eLation (ERP)
- Make.com (formerly)
- HubSpot Sales Enterprise
- Operations Hub
Not a fit if the system of record lacks a stable REST API. Same if real-time, high-volume transactional data needs sub-second latency processing.
The Challenge
The eLation API caused most of the trouble: it was quirky, short on documentation for its required fields, and its webhook fired before HubSpot could be checked for a match. The Sync Errors Tracking Sheet filled up with HTTP 400 "Error creating account" messages, and tracing them back showed the eLation Swagger docs omitted required fields and, in places, sent deprecated payloads. The eLation webhook also fired instantly on order creation, faster than Make.com could find a potential match in HubSpot, which produced widespread duplicate account creation.
Our Approach
Rather than keep patching eLation's data structural issues inside Make.com's interface, an approach that was not holding up, we refactored the entire flow. First, we implemented native data cleaning within Operations Hub and deleted the fragile Make.com deduplication scenario entirely. Then we tackled the HTTP 400s by moving validation upstream. Instead of building a complex post-submission check, we customized the left sidebar in HubSpot so the specific eLation-required fields became mandatory before a rep could move a deal to Closed-Won. By the time the final workflow gathers the data and sends it to eLation, it is already clean.
This engagement is part of our systems integration work for telecommunications & media organisations.
Impact
HTTP 400 Errors Stopped at the Source
We moved eLation required-field validation to the UI layer. That stopped HTTP 400 "missing property" errors from ever hitting the API submission point. The data only leaves HubSpot once it is verified complete.
Elimination of Middleware Deduplication Cost
We deleted the four-step Make.com duplicate checking scenario. HubSpot Operations Hub's native deduplication now handles this automatically, matching on email, with phone-number duplicates surfaced for review. That cut active scenario overhead.
Stabilized ISP Provisioning Workflow
We shifted critical logic natively into HubSpot. Closed-Won deals now transfer to the eLation order pipeline automatically and reliably, with no dependency on fragile multi-step middleware execution.
Native Data Formatting
Operations Hub automation now standardizes phone number formats (dashes vs. no-dashes) directly on the HubSpot contact record before external syncing. Middleware logic no longer has to manage that.
We customized the left sidebar of the HubSpot Deal object. Specific eLation required fields, found through forensic log analysis, became mandatory properties before a deal could advance past certain stages.
We activated HubSpot Operations Hub's automated data quality features. That replaced custom middleware logic. The old logic had manually searched for and merged contacts sharing the same primary phone number or email address.
Instead of relying on eLation's instant, error-prone webhooks to trigger data creation in HubSpot, we inverted the flow. HubSpot now fires the refined, validated payload to the eLation API endpoints when deal stage automation runs, rather than eLation triggering HubSpot.
We consolidated and deactivated complex scenarios like "Create eLation order from HubSpot" and "Send Accounts from HubSpot to eLation." Moving execution natively cut operational quotas.
The eLation webhook used to fire on order creation faster than Make.com could find a match in HubSpot. That created duplicate accounts. Missing required fields also caused HTTP 400 errors. Now the Make.com deduplication scenario is gone, and a rep can move a deal to Closed-Won only if the eLation-required fields are filled in. The data is already clean when the final workflow sends it, so HTTP 400 "missing property" errors no longer reach the API submission point.
FAQ
The eLation API lacked complete field documentation, so missing required fields were throwing HTTP 400 errors at submission and Make.com couldn't reconcile them in time. Rather than patch that downstream, we made the eLation-required fields mandatory on the HubSpot deal sidebar before a deal could advance. The data only leaves HubSpot once it's verified complete, so the 400s stop at the source.
We deleted the four-step Make.com duplicate-checking scenario entirely. We activated Operations Hub's native data quality features instead, which deduplicate automatically on phone number and email. That removed the fragile middleware logic that had fired on the instant eLation webhook and created duplicate accounts.
