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SummaryThe MSV3 interface connects Sage 100 directly to German pharmaceutical wholesalers: buyers check the availability of a medicinal product in real time and place the order digitally, without leaving the ERP. pharmazie.com provides the MSV3 client interface, the buyer side of the standard. It is live and productive and available as a standard add-on module, compatible with Sage 100 as well as SAP, Navision and BEC. This article is written for IT and procurement decision-makers at pharmaceutical wholesalers and hospital pharmacies who want to connect MSV3 to their Sage 100 system or another warehouse-management system.
The MSV3 interface is the standardized, internet-based ordering interface between medicinal-product buyers and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Germany. It governs availability queries, order transmission and status responses in real time. The standard is defined and maintained jointly by the German pharmaceutical wholesalers association PHAGRO, the software association ADAS and the German Pharmacists Association (DAV). The official MSV3 interface specification is published by ADAS.
In practice it means that, instead of checking stock in separate portals one by one, communication with several wholesalers runs through a single protocol. That is what makes real-time availability and one-click ordering possible from inside an ERP such as Sage 100.
MSV3 stands for Medium Speed Version 3. It replaced the modem-based predecessor MSV2 in 2013/2014 and moved order communication entirely to the internet. Since then it has been the de-facto standard for real-time electronic communication between buyers and pharmaceutical wholesalers in Germany.
The protocol separates two roles: a client on the buyer side that sends queries and orders, and a server on the seller side that answers them. A single client can address several wholesaler accounts in parallel. Several standardized message types run across the interface:
| Message type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Availability query | Checks in real time whether and in what quantity an article is available. |
| Order | Transmits the binding order to the wholesaler. |
| Order confirmation / status | Reports acceptance, partial quantities and delivery date. |
| Backorder | Flags positions that are not immediately deliverable. |
| Cancellation | Cancels a transmitted order. |
| Return | Reports returns and credit notes. |
Anyone who buys medicinal products needs the client side. Anyone who receives orders as a wholesaler or manufacturer needs the server side. Both belong to the same standard but perform opposite tasks.
| Criterion | MSV3 client (buyer side) | MSV3 server (seller side) |
|---|---|---|
| Role | queries availability, orders | answers queries, confirms orders |
| Typical user | purchasing, disposition, hospital pharmacy | wholesaler, manufacturer, reimporter |
| Status at pharmazie.com | live and productive, standard add-on | pilot phase 2026 |
For connecting Sage 100 on the buyer side, the MSV3 client interface is the right choice. It is available and in productive use. The MSV3 server interface is in the pilot phase in 2026; on the seller side that status should be clarified up front.
The MSV3 client interface sits between Sage 100 and the wholesaler systems. It translates an order request from the ERP into an MSV3-compliant query, retrieves the real-time answer and writes order and status data back into Sage 100. Purchasing stays in the familiar ERP interface, with no portal switching.
Every query relies on a clean article master. pharmazie.com supplies identification and status data from a daily-updated article master with 260 evaluable fields, including PZN, prescription status, distribution channel and price structure. Because query and order run on the same consolidated data, there is no mismatch between what the ERP shows and what the wholesaler confirms. The same master data is available through the drug data API for deeper integrations.
A query follows five steps:
Because all wholesalers answer through the same protocol, several manual portal look-ups become one automatable process.
The value of the connection depends on the data that moves through it. In MSV3 communication the following fields are the most relevant:
The interface is ERP-agnostic. Besides Sage 100, the MSV3 client interface connects into SAP, Navision and BEC. pharmazie.com is API-first and integrates via REST API, MSV3 and FTP into existing warehouse-management and ERP systems rather than replacing them. Raw data access may require a data license from the data provider. For a broader view of ERP and warehouse-management integration, see the guide on drug data in warehouse management.
Three building blocks are needed for the connection:
Setup then follows four steps:
Because MSV3 is used in regulated pharmaceutical trade, buyers typically operate under a wholesale distribution authorization (WDA) and good distribution practice (GDP). MSV3 is a German ordering standard and is designed for the German market.
A real-time availability check delivers most value during shortages. pharmazie.com links the MSV3 order to a daily-updated drug shortage database that is connected to the notifications of the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and suggests alternative products including EU import options. A proactive e-mail alert notifies the user when a long-term-unavailable PZN becomes available again at one of their own suppliers. This connects the ordering interface with the supply obligation under the German ALBVVG law.
Two points help set expectations. First, MSV3 is a German ordering standard and is not exported internationally, so outside Germany it is not an integration argument. For cross-border scenarios a REST API connection is more suitable, and a bridge between German MSV3 and the European EDI standard is planned. Second, pharmazie.com is primarily a data platform: the MSV3 client function is an add-on module, not a replacement for the ERP or warehouse-management system. It supplies data and ordering into those systems rather than substituting them.
The MSV3 client interface turns Sage 100 into a direct ordering channel to German pharmaceutical wholesalers: real-time availability, digital ordering, write-back into the ERP, with no system switch. Because it is live and productive and runs on a daily-maintained article master with 260 fields, the path from query to order is short and reliable. pharmazie.com is the consolidated pharmaceutical data platform by DACON Datenbank Consulting GmbH that bundles 25+ specialist databases into a single search, exclusively for healthcare professionals. The clearest way to see the Sage 100 connection is a short demo.
Further reading: Drug data API · MSV3 availability check · Drug data in warehouse management
