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Infor LX Tips, Infor LN Tips, BPCS Tips, Baan Tips, Infor M3 Tips & Infor ERP News

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Infor ERP Tips & News from the Experts

Infor LX | Infor LN | BPCS | Baan | Infor M3

Baan/LN Tip of the Day: Virtualization

Kathy Barthelt 0 50793 Article rating: No rating

The advantages of virtualization include the following:
 

• You get more out of your existing resources. Pool common infrastructure resources and break the legacy “one application to one server” model with server consolidation.

• You can reduce datacenter costs by reducing your physical infrastructure and improving your server to admin ratio. Fewer servers and related IT hardware means reduced real estate and reduced power and cooling requirements. With better management tools, you can improve your server to admin ratio so personnel requirements are reduced.

• You can increase the availability of hardware and applications for improved business continuity.

• Securely back up and migrate entire virtual environments with no service interruptions. Eliminate planned downtime and recover immediately from unplanned issues.

• Gain operational flexibility. Respond to market changes with dynamic resource management, faster server provisioning, and improved application deployment.

 

The disadvantages of virtualization include the following:

 Virtualization adds overhead to the CPU, memory, IO, and network.

 Virtualization adds an additional layer to the hardware and software stack. Therefore, additional complexity is introduced in the following circumstances:

CST Industries Goes Live With LN Ecommerce Site for Dealers

Crossroads RMC 0 31937 Article rating: No rating

Crossroads RMC has partnered with Xenitel Managed Service Solutions and CST Industries to create an online parts ordering site for CST’s dealers. The site is live as of June, 2015. This site was developed largely to simplify the ordering process for CST’s dealers, providing information on available inventory, flexible ordering, fast shipments, and improved dealer support.

 

CST is a global leader in the manufacture and construction of factory coated metal storage tanks, aluminum domes and specialty covers.

Baan/LN Tip of the Day: First Free Numbers

Kathy Barthelt 0 316 Article rating: No rating

In Baan IV, users define series and numbers in the Maintain First Free Numbers (tcmcs0147m000) session. In the Type of Number field, users must select the type of documents for which the series will be used. The generated document numbers are always numeric and can consist of up to six characters.

 

In LN, users must define number groups in the Number Groups (tcmcs0151m000) session and then in the First Free Numbers (tcmcs0150m000) session, define the series and numbers of each number group. Users assign the number groups to various purposes in the corresponding sessions. For example, in the Sales Order Parameters (tdsls0100s400) session, users can select the number group for sales orders and sales schedules. In the Sales Offices (tdsls0512m000) session, users can then select a series of that number group for the sales orders generated by a specific sales office. As the series codes can be alphanumeric, the generated document numbers can be alphanumeric and they can consist of up to nine characters.

BPCS/LX Tip of the Day: Material Requirement Dates and Lead Time Offsets in MRP

Anthony Etzel 0 343 Article rating: No rating

The system automatically performs offsets for requirements dates for components in the MPS/MRP calculations. It also performs offsets for calculation of material need dates at the time that shop orders are released.

To calculate the offset, the system takes the parent lead time from the Item Master and adjusts it by the bill of materials offset (plus or minus) for the component. This gives the lead time days for that specific component. The system starts with the due date of the parent and backs up and skips all non-work days in the shop calendar.

 

Note that the offset calculation uses only calendar records that have a blank work center (the calendar record applies to all work centers). See the information for the Shop Calendar Maintenance program, SFC140, in your Shop Floor Control documentation for shop calendar details.

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Database Sizing – Moving to LN

Kathy Barthelt 0 219 Article rating: No rating
The Infor LN database must be created with the appropriate size. For example, if at least 150 GB is required for a year, create the database with the required size from the beginning. Do not let the size increase to the required size and cause additional fragmentation in the database and the NTFS volume.  Set the autogrowth to a minimum of 10 percent or 1 GB (for each extent) to avoid fragmentation on file system level. Never use the default extent size of 1 MB.

How Do You Measure Success in Your Business?

Anthony Etzel 0 54641 Article rating: 5.0

Business owners may measure success in different ways – some tangible, some intangible.

In order to establish how you should measure success for your business, you need to first examine how you measure your personal success. If you are a business owner, or a part of the management team of the company you work for, ask yourself these questions to see how you measure up:

Assess personal success.

1.    Am I happy in my job?

2.    Do I have passion for what I’m doing?

3.    Do I get the desired results based on the effort I’m putting in?

4.    Am I putting forth my best effort?

5.    Am I patient and allow for sufficient time to see results?

6.    Do I get respect from my co-workers?

7.    Do I have the endurance to hang in there when things get a bit rough?


Reflect on successes and failures.

After answering these questions, do you need to make any changes? Do you still have the same ambition and drive to achieve the goal? Are you content with your work, or have you come to the conclusion that you have not done your best?

To be successful...

Baan/LN Tip of the Week: Switching to a Difference Series

Kathy Barthelt 0 204 Article rating: No rating

In general, you can enter a different series in the order field if you have an available series.

To add a new series, find the appropriate group in the First Free Number session, and add a new series and first free number (usually 1).

In Baan IV, go to the Maintain First Free Numbers Session (under Common, Tables, Maintain Logistics Tables, Maintenance 1). Groups are easily identified (e.g., Purchase Order, Sales Order, etc.).

In Baan V, go to the First Free Number Session (under Common Data, Tables, Logistics). There are number groups (e.g., 570 may be for Purchase Orders, 650 may be for Sales Orders, etc.).

In LN, go to the First Free Number Session (tcmcs0150m000 – it is in different places in the menu under different Feature Packs). There are number groups (e.g., 210 may be for Purchase Orders, 310 may be for Sales Orders, etc.).

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

An ERP System Review is NOT a Report Card

It's a no-judgment-review - we promise!

report card C minusWe all remember our school days and the nervousness that we felt when it came time to get our grades. Even if we were doing well, we were still nervous. Sometimes we experienced that same nervousness when it came time for a performance review on our job. Nervousness…sometimes dread…knowing that our performance was not what we wanted it to be, or others expected it to be. 

Somehow I think the feelings that we felt in our past often find ways to creep into our present. I have seen this recently when I suggested an ERP system review to one of our customers. They immediately became flustered and thought about every possible problem that they knew existed within the software and how they were currently using it. I asked them to consider the purpose of the ERP system review.

An ERP Utilization Review will:

  • Document how your company is using your ERP system (or a particular aspect of the system) and to what extent the system meets the needs of the business.
  • Identify challenges encountered using the software.
  • Create opportunities for improving business processes and generating additional value.
  • Identify potential risks and areas that need improvement.


key hole to the futureSo, if the result of ERP system review is to establish a path forward for growth based on current status, then why doesn’t every company take advantage of it? I think for some, the answer lies in the feelings of nervousness and dread still stuck in the recesses of our brains.

An ERP system review or more specifically a utilization review is NOT a personal report card, or performance review showing how well a particular individual does his/hers/their job, nor is it an attack on the team that implemented the software. 

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. What we view now to be a less than ideal implementation methodology may have been absolutely appropriate at the time the software was originally deployed. The software has likely matured and the skillsets of the individuals responsible for the system have likely matured as well. In some cases, those resources are no longer with the company, leaving those that remain with no back story as to how and why implementation decisions were made.

Instead of viewing the ERP utilization review as a reason to find fault in previous decisions, think of it as discovering untapped potential – both of the ERP system and the people who use it. Viewing an ERP utilization review in this way puts a positive spin on it and allows us to challenge ourselves to identify opportunities for growth far greater than anything we imagined before. This means not only moving our businesses forward faster but also advancing the strength of the company as individuals and as a team.

What untapped potential lies within your company?

Consider a utilization review of your entire ERP system, or just a part of it like Finance, Technology, Materials Management, Order Processing, or Shop Floor Control. You just might be surprised at what greatness can be achieved… far greater than anyone could have imagined.  

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Kathy Barthelt

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