ERP Archives - Page 16 of 22

12 Days of ECHO, First Day: Relating Epicor Extended Tables via SysRowID

by Brad Feakes | Dec 9, 2019 | Epicor 10, ERP, Network Administration

On the first day of ECHO, my admin gave to me, some notes about my SysRowID!

Relating Epicor Extended Tables via SysRowID

As part of an ERP implementation, it’s not uncommon for companies to find the need to store information that does not easily fit into the ERP system’s existing database schema. Fortunately, Epicor ERP offers a robust ability to extend an existing database table and add fields to store custom data, to better address the requirements of an implementing company, and The Estes Group’s Echo hosting platform completely supports these critical capabilities.

On the technical side, adding UD fields to an existing table actually creates a new table in the Epicor database, a table that is structured to relate back to the original “parent table.” While two tables exist at the database level, the data model at the application level presents the two tables as a single unified entity, which allows customers to interact with the standard and custom data through BPMs, BAQs and form customizations, as if they were working against a single table.

While this capability is of great utility, there are times when an ERP administrator may have a need to compare child and parent tables, for administrative purposes. As such, it is helpful to understand the architecture for relating standard Epicor tables to their UD children at the application and database level. The following example intends to serve this purpose.

Adding UD fields to the Epicor ERP application is done though the “User Defined Column Maintenance” form. In the following example, I added a UD field to the standard Epicor ERP Part table:

Once UD fields are added to one or more tables, the administrator needs to regenerate the data model from the Epicor Administration Console on the AppServer. In the example, I regenerated the data model as follows:

Performing the above tasks adds a “Part_UD” table to the Epicor database:

It also synchronizes the application’s data model with the database:

In the following example, I went on to query the Part UD table. Note the “ForeignSysRowID” field—as you can see, the key to a UD table is based on the SysRowID of its parent, since the records of a UD table exist in a 1-to-1 relationship with their parents:

As such, if you join the Part_UD table to its parent Part table where Erp.Part.SysRowID = Erp.Part_UD.ForeignSysRowID, you will receive results similar to the following:

Whether on premise or in a hosted solution such as ECHO by EstesGroup, Epicor’s database extension capabilities are of great use to implementation teams and end users. For ERP admins, an understanding of the underlying structure can serve to assist in managing the database and the application, should the need arise.

If you liked reading the “First Day of ECHO” return to our main list to read all of the other “12 Days of ECHO” posts.

Do you need assistance managing your data, UD or otherwise? Please feel free to Contact Us and see if we can help get your bits and bytes in order.

12 Days of ECHO: EstesGroup ERP Admin Tips and Tricks

by Brad Feakes | Dec 9, 2019 | Epicor 10, ERP, Managed IT Services, Network Administration, Network Security

This Holiday Season, EstesGroup would like to give you “12 Days of ECHO” tips and tricks for those ERP System Admins out there.

We understand this time of year there is a lot going on for companies, such as: year end preparations, budgeting for the next year, personnel changes, and company shifts, etc. So that being the case, we wanted to bring a bit of humor and help to your holiday.

The 12 Days of ECHO:

For any questions or for assistance this Holiday Season, please Contact Us or let us know below:

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Getting Past the “CGCCode Mismatch” Error When Importing Dashboards in Epicor 10 ERP

by Brad Feakes | Nov 26, 2019 | Epicor, Epicor 10, ERP

In work and in life, I find myself torn between two ambivalent instincts: the instinct for understanding and the instinct for action. It is often of great utility to understand as much of a given situation as possible—to be able to relate its causes and effects. I think back to my Six Sigma days, to years of enlightening multi-factor designed experiments. While this kind of understanding is summoning in itself, sometimes you simply don’t have the time to design an experiment to be in the know. Sometimes you need to go straight to action itself as knowledge.

The life of the ERP administrator is often torn between such directions of learning. The Epicor 10 ERP admins out in the user community that I’ve met over the years are some of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to navigating Epicor 10 ERP’s ins and outs, and I’ve learned much from their deep understanding of the application, from the end-user’s experience, all the way down to the application’s lower–level functionality. But admins also understand that if something needs to happen by morning, it needs to happen, and have therefore developed an appreciable measure of pragmatism as to be able to triage situations and “git er done” as needed.

One such circumstance occurs when importing dashboards, especially when the dashboard is coming from one company to another or from one version to another. In my own practice, I have a bundle of old favorite dashboards that I have developed over the years, going back to my own time in the user community. And over the years, I’ve doled these out to customers, to assist with issues that they are experiencing. In so doing, I have, on occasion, encountered the strange “CGCCode mismatch” error upon import. Here’s how it happens:

I follow the normal protocol of importing a dashboard definition:

But I receive this quarrelsome application error message in response: “There is CGCCode mismatch. Dashboard export created with CGCCode=US. Import cancelled.”

One could talk at length as to why this error occurs without coming to a specific answer.  While I don’t have a good explanation of the source of the issue, I do know how to get rid of the error, as to allow the dashboard to be imported.

Opening the dashboard definition in Notepad, I search for the “CGCCode” tag:

I locate the nearly “PropertyValue” node and discover that the value is “US”, as was specified in the above message:

I delete this value and save the definition:

Thereafter upon subsequent import, the dashboard will load successfully.  While I think it’s optimal to know a situation’s underlying causes and effects, sometimes circumstance demands simplicity.  As such, if you’re in need of getting a dashboard loaded on a timeline, and need to get functionality in front of the user community in a hurry, this little hack might be just the trick for fixing your CGCCode mismatch error in Epicor 10 ERP.

Are you having issues with, or have questions about, your Epicor 10 ERP Dashboards or Technical areas? Contact Us today.

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Why Cloud ERP is Right for Your Business

by Bruce Grant | Oct 18, 2019 | Cloud, ERP

Cloud-based computing allows users to access their software applications on shared computing resources, thus avoiding the costs of managing and maintaining their own data center. It’s an ideal option for those who need guaranteed up-time and want the most up-to-date software applications available. More and more business is turning to cloud ERP software as well, as it provides the anywhere-access of all cloud applications and features a lower up-front investment.

What Is Cloud ERP Software?

ERP software integrates your business processes to foster automated workflows and provides you a full view of all of the various aspects of your business that make it work, including sales, finance, and production. The only major difference between cloud ERP software and on-premises ERP software is the physical location of the software. However, if that physical location is at the vendor’s data center and made available to you through the internet, you are able to access the software from anywhere.

The History of Cloud ERP

ERP software is now entering the phase where data is flowing freely across all aspects of a business and providing the ease and precision of automated workflows. It wasn’t always that way, however.

In the early 1960s, the original ERP was the pioneer computer system installed at a manufacturing plant in order to track materials. Two decades ago, business solutions were maintained on space-eating machines on premises of all types of businesses. ERP software was sold in large, cumbersome packages with questionable functionality.

Customizing that software required hiring someone to configure it through millions of lines of software code. If you had a problem, it would take a team of engineers to figure it out.

There were a number of issues that necessitated the progress of ERP to the cloud. The biggest of those issues is that the expense of the data center, the IT team, space for the computers, the computers themselves, the code writer and the engineers caused the powerful benefits of ERP software to be little more than a dream to everyone but the largest and most profitable companies. Further, the processes of inputting and accessing the information left little room for alternatives, and noncompliance with procedures was high as frustrated employees refused to conform to the system’s process changes.

Benefits of Cloud ERP

In addition to providing a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes, without the demands of on-premises deployment, cloud ERP offers many other benefits, such as:

No upfront software licensing fees
The vendor handles all software updates and upgrades, meaning you and your employees always have access to the latest versio
Access to your data wherever you are
You pay only for the cloud services you need and you’re easily able to add more as your business grows or your needs change
A fixed monthly rate for the software that you rely on
Data is backed up regularly and there is a disaster recovery plan in place
Your vendor provides data security and your vulnerability to attacks is diminished, as your data is not located on premises
A limited amount of time is needed for implementation, meaning you can take advantage of the benefits of your cloud ERP a lot sooner

Why Cloud ERP Is Right for Your Business

Is your business in the process of growing and, therefore, requires a scalable solution? Do you have limited funds to invest in hardware, software, and IT personnel? Do you want guaranteed up-time and the knowledge that your data is recoverable in the event of a disaster? Do you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly how much you’re going to pay each month for the business technology you require? Are you ready to start using your ERP system as soon as possible? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then cloud-based ERP is a great solution for you. Contact us for more information.

Cloud vs On Premise ERP

by Bruce Grant | Oct 18, 2019 | Business Consulting, Cloud, ERP

In-House Hosting Compared to Cloud-Based Hosting

When you hear about Cloud vs on premise ERP hosting, the conversation is about the server infrastructure on which your software applications run, and your data is stored. Both on premise (or in-house) and cloud-based options have benefits and downsides, so choosing between the two often comes down to costs, how much uptime you need, and the other specific needs of your company at this time.

What is In-House Hosting and Cloud-Based Hosting?

In-house hosting means that you house your infrastructure on-premises at your company. You have absolute control over your data, including how it is protected. Cloud-based hosting involves having your applications and data stored on a public or private cloud that is accessible to you over the internet.

The Benefits & Challenges In-House Hosting

Pros:

Physical control over your data and backup
Access to your data is not reliant on an internet connection

Cons:

Requires an investment in hardware and infrastructure, which depreciates rapidly — often within about four years
Requires dedicated space at your business, as well as a dedicated IT support team
Disaster recovery is difficult and there are no guarantees that your data can be recovered

The Benefits & Challenges of Cloud ERP

Pros:

A great option for small to medium-sized businesses who cannot afford the large investment needed to develop, maintain, and secure their data
Scalable, meaning that your solution grows along with your business
Backup, security, restoration, and support are all provided for you
You can back up your data as often as you’d like
You can access your data anywhere you are, as long as you have an internet connection

Cons:

You can’t access your data without an internet connection
You’re limited by internet speeds
Although your data is backed up, restoring large amounts of data may take some time, even with a fast internet connection

In Conclusion

When it comes to Cloud vs on premise ERP, there are good and bad points to either option. Cloud-based hosting is a good alternative for small to medium-sized businesses who wish to focus on all of the services that make the business great while resting in the knowledge that the data is monitored and secure. Cloud solutions remove the need to focus attention, time, money, and staff resources on building and maintaining your own personal data center that may “feel” safe, but actually comes with no guarantees.

For more information on our Cloud based hosting services – contact EstesGroup today.

The Unique Family Dynamics of a Successful ERP Implementation

by Brad Feakes | Oct 9, 2019 | Business Consulting, Epicor, Epicor 10, ERP, ERP Implementation, Prophet 21

Tolstoy famously remarked that “all happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Reflecting on Tolstoy’s own relations and on the kindred lives of the characters in his novels, I’ve often wondered if Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations are like families, and whether such categorical statements could be similarly applied to successful and unsuccessful families of projects. While every project has its own unique dynamics, I’m obliged to believe that roughly the inverse of Tolstoy’s statement is the case—that each happy ERP implementation isn’t alike, but rather is successful in its own way.

That is, I’ve seen successful ERP implementation projects that have differed from one another in surprisingly significant ways. As such, it might be best to review successful ERP projects individually and try to understand what it is among them that made them successful. Anyone can wax eloquent on the generic platitudes that lead to a successful implementation, but in practice, when the time comes to make tradeoffs between platitudes, it’s helpful to know how companies work through challenges and finally arrive at successful implementations.

One project that we recently completed fit such a mold. While not free of obstacles, the end-product was immensely successful. A number of key factors led to the ERP implementation’s success:

All of the team members were engaged and onboard. Getting the team to buy into the project’s mission, and actively support that mission, was never a problem.
The project team did a large amount of their own end-to-end testing. Unlike some projects, where the team only tests while the consultants are onsite, the team verified their system configuration and business processes whenever possible, leading to a rock-solid business process at cutover.
The team took ownership of issue resolution. The team dug in, tried things out, and came to solutions. This served to greatly shorten certain phases of the project.
The team made decisions quickly, collaboratively. The project was rarely, if ever, waiting on a key decision, and nobody on the team could have been accused of analysis paralysis.
The team took responsibility for their roles and did the work on time, and on schedule. Schedule attainment was a high priority, and the team put the necessary work in to make things happen.
The team displayed a culture of respect, staying respectful during difficult conversations and decisions. The stresses involved in an ERP project can at times encourage dysfunctional or toxic behaviors, but this team treated each other with a high degree of respect, even when working through the toughest decisions.
The team’s project management was of the highest capabilities, displaying excellent collaboration and communication with the core team, and with the EstesGroup team as well.

The net result was a successful ERP implementation project on-time and on-budget, with the expected level of system capabilities. The team experienced a clean and quiet cutover, and quickly stabilized. Within a short time, the company had moved onto managing daily operations and planning for the future.

Every project has its wayward sheep, be they executive sponsorship, excessive customization, inadequate team investment, or challenges with data conversion. No project ever checks all the happy boxes.

But in spite of challenges, the best companies still manage to successfully implement their enterprise systems, keeping their team engaged, committed, and dependable—regardless of all the unique twists in their project’s DNA.

Are you ready for your company to create its own exceptional implementation story?

Come talk to us, and we’ll share some of the greatest success stories of ERP history—prosperous implementations similar in success, yet nuanced in achievement—stories that can inspire your own project to be a story with a happy ending.