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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

What you missed: Infor’s vision for the IBM i teams’ future alignment and focus – Register today!

Inforum

George Moroses 0 22370 Article rating: 5.0

What you missed at Inforum

Infor’s vision for the IBM i teams’ future alignment and focus – Register today!

February 8 | 11am CT / 12pm ET

Join this webinar to hear Jay Allison, Director of Sales, share some insight into Infor’s vision for the IBM i teams’ future alignment and focus. Also hear from David Rapacz, Product Manager for Infor LX, on what you may have missed at Inforum as well as some product updates.

Register today via the LX Community calendar.

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Porting Set Issues

Kathy Barthelt 0 59770 Article rating: 5.0

Are you on the latest porting set for your version of Baan or Infor LN?

Here are some issues you might run into if you stay on an old porting set too long:

  • Incompatibility because of operating system patches
  • Printing issues because of out-of-date libraries
  • Potential performance issues if binaries are not updated
  • Updating...

It’s mid-January and IT’S GO TIME!

Infor LX | BPCS | Infor LN | Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 19937 Article rating: 5.0

The calendar is fresh, the resolutions are made and the opportunities are endless!

So, it is time to dive right in and start tackling your to-do’s?

Right??

...Not just yet!

First, you need to take the time to think about your ERP strategy.

What’s an ERP strategy?

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: What is IDF and Why Do I Need It?

George Moroses 0 27171 Article rating: 5.0

The Infor Development Framework (IDF) re-architects the way a user interacts with the application by providing an efficient, task-oriented process to view the application information that is contained within Infor LX. IDF enables users to configure their view of the application data without modifying the core application and its supportability.

The examples below describe how users can configure their display of data and maximize overall productivity:

  • Arrange application information into multiple groupings and sequences that make sense for the job.
  • Hide information that does not apply to a particular job or task.
  • Filter records to show only the information that applies to the job or task that the user is performing.
  • Customize the information for an individual user, for a group of users, or for all users.

To get more details on how IDF can benefit your company, please contact Anthony Etzel today!

Infor LN & Baan | Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Time for the dreaded three words?

Crossroads RMC 0 28143 Article rating: 5.0

Manual     Physical     Inventory

While it may be accurate (and I say MAY), is a Manual Physical Inventory the right way? Best practices would say absolutely not!

The better way is implementing Cycle Counting. Why Cycle Counting instead of a full physical inventory? With a cycle count, the count focuses on a selected range of stock that can be carried out in parallel with a company’s normal operations. Cycle Counts represent a streamlined method of inventory management to ensure less disruption on the business processes associated with receiving, consuming, or dispatching of stock. 

The “freeze” is no longer required, your staff doesn't need to work long hours over the holidays, and you get accurate inventory counts all year long! Crossroads RMC can help you implement Cycle Counting efficiently and painlessly, contact us today to get started. 800.762.2077

Infor LN & Baan Period End & Fiscal Year End Processing Checklist

Kathy Barthelt 0 60133 Article rating: 5.0

Year-end is always a busy time and it is easy to forget things that must be done in your ERP system to close out the year properly and also set you up for a good start to the following year. Here are some things that you should make sure to add to your to-do checklist:

The year-end close process provides an opportunity to:

_____ Remove discontinued items.

_____ Remove sold purchase receipts.

_____ Remove lot attributes for sold lots.

_____ Update standard cost based on current cost field (for environments without Manufacturing only).

Prepare for Year-End Close

_____ Conduct full physical...

Infor LX & BPCS Period End & Fiscal Year End Processing Checklist

George Moroses 0 22157 Article rating: 5.0

Infor LX & BPCS Year-End Close Checklist

Year-end is always a busy time and it is easy to forget all the things that must be done in your Infor ERP system to close out the year properly and set you up for success the following year. Here are some things you should have on your checklist:

The year-end close process provides an opportunity to:

_____ Remove discontinued items.

_____ Remove sold purchase receipts.

_____ Remove lot attributes for sold lots.

_____ Update standard cost based on current cost field (only for environments without Manufacturing).


Preparing for Year-End Close:

_____ Conduct full physical...

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Using the “Use Up” Functionality in Infor LN

Kathy Barthelt 0 56428 Article rating: 5.0

To use the ‘Use-Up’ or ‘Alternative’ functionality the correct ATP settings of the use-up item must be defined. Order Planning makes use of ATP to determine if there is still supply available. The component needs to have a CTP horizon greater than 0. Then a top down item selection should be chosen when generating order planning in order for the ATP checks to be done and for the system to plan for the correct components.

Selecting the 'top down item' box when generating order planning is essential because when order planning is generated for only the top level item the components aren't "really" planned for. But when a top down selection is run, the system goes through the BOM and plans for each component accordingly.

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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.

Last

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.  

Get a free phone consultation button

800.762.2077

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Kathy Barthelt

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