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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

6 Ways Disconnected Data is Harming Your Business

Yikes!

Crossroads RMC 0 15235 Article rating: 5.0

Disconnected data – What is it?

no​ The spreadsheet that your warehouse manager has off to the side to track his inventory levels and expected shipments from your key suppliers.

no The email orders from your dealer portal waiting to be manually keyed into your ERP. 

Disconnected data is a set of information stored separately from the main system that is used to run your business (your ERP system). The data is valuable and lack of visibility to that data creates problems throughout the organization. Far more than you realize.

A 2023 study by enterprise automation provider Snaplogic and Vanson Bourne researchers showed the following:

Avoid Being a Quitter: How Crossroads RMC Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

Unlocking Success Infor LX/BPCS & Infor LN and Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 14278 Article rating: .2

Avoid Being a Quitter

As the calendar flips to January 1st, it marks the beginning of a new year filled with fresh opportunities and resolutions. It's that time when many of us set ambitious goals for ourselves, both personally and professionally. But, how often do these aspirations fizzle out before we even hit the second Friday of the year? It's so common that they even call it "Quitter's Day." However, it's not too late to stay on track and realize your ambitions. In this article, we'll focus on the professional side of goal-setting and how Crossroads RMC can be your ally in achieving manufacturing excellence.

Step 1: Make Your Goals Bite-Sized

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: System i Workspace AnyWhere information and Important Support Dates for IBM and Microsoft Products

George Moroses 0 25709 Article rating: 2.5

System i Workspace AnyWhere is a web application framework that provides a common user interface for Infor’s IBM i products.

*** We strongly recommend that you subscribe to this KB to receive automatic notification when it is updated ***

Latest Updates
System i Workspace AnyWhere - Feature Pack 22 is now available - see the Update History section below (as of January 4, 2024)

Infor LX / BPCS & Infor LN / Baan Tip: Time for the Notorious TRIO: Manual -  Physical -  Inventory

Crossroads RMC 0 19858 Article rating: 2.5

While it might be accurate (and I emphasize "might"), is a Manual Physical Inventory the optimal approach? Best practices unequivocally say otherwise!

A superior alternative is the adoption of Cycle Counting. Why choose Cycle Counting over a complete physical inventory? This method zeroes in on a selected stock range, allowing concurrent execution with a company's regular operations. Cycle Counts offers a streamlined approach to inventory management, minimizing disruptions to processes related to stock receipt, consumption, or dispatch.

The dreaded "freeze" is no longer a necessity, sparing your staff from extended holiday hours, and ensuring accurate inventory counts throughout the year! Crossroads RMC is poised to assist you in implementing Cycle Counting efficiently and effortlessly.

Contact us today to kickstart this transformative process at 800.762.2077.

Infor LX & BPCS Year-End Close Checklist

George Moroses 0 22259 Article rating: 5.0

As the year draws to a close, the hustle and bustle of year-end activities can sometimes lead to overlooking critical tasks within your Infor ERP system. Ensuring a proper year-end close is essential for setting the stage for success in the coming year. Here is a comprehensive checklist to guide you through the process:

Year-End Close Process Objectives:

Infor LX/BPCS Tip What are the differences between INV810 and INV015 for Cycle Counting updates?

George Moroses 0 20942 Article rating: 5.0

INV810 only deletes the sequence number from the ILI of the item so it is not selected again for counting and does not delete the ICY record.

The ICY Cycle Count sequential history file increases in size with each new cycle count session. Running INV015 will purge all the old ICY records up to the date entered on the set-up screen ‘Enter Cycle Count Ending Date’ field. Physically deleting the old ICY files.

In most cases, when you complete the cycle count posting and run the reports, you can reconcile the data as required. After you reconcile the data for a specific day (or group of days), you can run INV015 to purge the data for that day (or group of days).

Infor LN & Baan Tip: When is backflushing disabled in LN?

Kathy Barthelt 0 58628 Article rating: .1

There are restrictions for the use of the field Allow Backflushing:/ Item – Production by Site (tiipd0151m100)

The option is unavailable if the option Direct Initiate Inventory is set. Serialized items can only be backflushed if in the Items - Warehousing (whwmd4500m000) details session the Serials in Inventory check box is cleared, and the Register Serial Issue During As Built field is Yes. In all other cases, serialized items cannot be backflushed.

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Improves control over PO costing changes during invoice entry by replacing passive warnings with an intentional override action.

  • In ACP500D3 (Invoice Entry PO Costing), users previously could unintentionally accept changes by pressing ENTER, even when quantity to cost or amount to cost values had changed.

  • A new “F14 to Override” warning message replaces the old message:
    “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”
    This ensures users acknowledge and confirm significant changes explicitly.

New System Parameter:

  • “Apply GRN Costing Tolerance for PO Costing” (optional):

    • Within tolerance: Displays the original message —
      “Details have changed. Press enter again to accept data.”

    • Outside tolerance: Triggers the new override requirement —
      “F14 to Override”

Benefits:

  • Enhances oversight and reduces unintentional cost acceptance.

  • Enables better control of PO costs when invoice details differ from expectations.

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Tips: LN | Baan

Is Your Infor ERP System the Elephant in the Room?

The Infor ERP Elephant in the Room That Must Be Addressed

In a recent survey of Infor ERP customers, we discovered that 50% of respondents said that they did not know whether or not their ERP system had the features and functionality required for their business.  50%....1 out of every 2……not good.

Why is this the case? Well, the causes can be traced back to one of the following reasons:

  • A key-person has retired or left the company and their knowledge left with them.
  • Systems were implemented based on how the previous system worked.
  • Upgrades and implementations were viewed as a “technical upgrade”, meaning that the upgrade was done to get off an old or outdated platform. All the new features and functionality weren't researched so they are unknown and no one could be trained on them.


You may say “So what? Who cares if our team doesn’t know what else is available, or how the rest of the ERP system functions? Does it really matter?” It matters more than you think.

If you rely on an Infor ERP system to get your job done, you need to not only know what sessions to run, what fields are required, and what reports provide results, you also need to understand how the transactions impact the rest of the system. Without that understanding, you are inadvertently creating a departmental silo which can have a negative impact on the performance of the ERP for the rest of the company. 

Not knowing the functionality of the ERP results in limited use of the system as a whole. In my 25 years working with ERP systems, I have seen many cases where a company becomes frustrated with the limitations of the system only to discover that they were only utilizing 10-20% of the ERP system's capabilities. The system didn’t impose the limitation…it was the use of the system, or shall I say the lack of it, that was the culprit.

To be competitive in today’s economy, an ERP system should be able to move in lockstep with a business as its needs change. In order for this to happen, the entire company needs to be willing to change too. Part of this change involves taking advantage of the best practices that are built into the Infor ERP system. If you're not sure how to do that - you are not alone! Fully understanding your Infor ERP requires a team of capable users in each key department of your organization to marry the capabilities of the ERP system with your business objectives. Sounds complicated? Well, it doesn't stop there. Your team of capable users needs to communicate between the key departments to make sure one department's procedures don't handicap any other department. Once this level of understanding and communication is established, decisions can be made to take advantage of the most effective way to minimize costs, increase efficiency, improve quality and deliver the highest level of customer service possible…everything you invested in the Infor ERP system for in the first place, is now unleashed.

Not sure where to start? Crossroads RMC's consultants have this exact expertise and the skills to get you through tough times. Our expertise comes from years of experience, and best practices to evaluate your business processes and identify areas where improvement is needed. Whether you need to increase the return on your ERP investment or have no idea what to do next, our comprehensive ROI business case, cost estimates, benefits, and a plan of action will supply you with the information you need to add value to your business.

Request a free phone consultation>  or contact us to learn how to get started> solutions@crossroadsrmc.com  |  800.762.2077

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