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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

Dashboards vs. Reports – What do they offer and which do I need?

Crossroads RMC 0 26870 Article rating: 5.0

Companies are collecting oceans of data, and struggle with transforming it into usable information. Most businesses focus on two methods of sharing data - the report and the dashboard. While these two terms mean many things to many people, it is important to understand what these terms mean and how the report and dashboard have similar features but they are not the same thing.  

What is a Report?

A report is meant to be used to gather detailed intelligence on the operations within an organization, thus a report can be either very broadly covering a wide scope of related information, or narrowly focusing on details of a single item, purpose, or event. All of this information, while presented in a report, is meant to be a snapshot in time.

Quite often, a report is built within the ERP system itself and often is constrained by the graphical and user limitations within the ERP. More often than not, large amounts of data are exported to Excel where added features allow for better manipulation of the data to a format that is digestible by users. Regardless, the data is only valid for that moment and time.

What is a Dashboard?

A dashboard is a graphical interface that provides at-a-glance views revolving around answering a central question. For example, an executive may ask you for up-to-the-minute details on "how the business is doing?". The answer to that question is as complex as the organizational structure of the company, but it is probably very simply measured with approximately 10 metrics. Those 10 metrics can likely be analyzed in chart form, and can and should be combined into one chart when the numbers are relatable or are on a similar scale. All these things should be considered when building a dashboard.

Dashboards, similar to the one in your vehicle, display critical data. Imagine driving down the road and having to push a bunch of buttons to find out how much fuel you have left, or having to pull over and pop the hood to check the oil pressure. It would be dangerous and a waste of your precious time. Your car's control panel or dashboard displays the most crucial information in an easy-to-use, graphical way.

How do Dashboards and Reports differ?

Infor Customer Meeting: LX, XA, and System21 All-Hands Call

Live Webinar for all Users - Wednesday, April 20 2022

Crossroads RMC 0 18644 Article rating: 5.0

Infor Customer Meeting: 
Live Webinar for all Users

Wednesday, April 20
11:30am - 12:00pm EST

Please join Infor leadership, who will discuss the exciting future strategy for our LX, XA, and System21 customers in the Americas. In this session, we will cover our stated direction, product future, and how this will positively impact your business.  Additionally, we will discuss the driving forces behind these changes and how our study group of customers has been reacting.  Whether you are a long-time customer or a relatively new customer of Infor’s, we welcome you to join this brief update of the future of your ERP solution and introduce you to the Infor team that will service and support your organization.

Our GM of the Americas, Bill Vellante, and VP of the Americas, Jay Allison will host this 30-minute session.

RSVP now

Join Event

Infor ERP Tip: Top 5 Ways Modern Analytics Reduces Spreadsheet Risk & Inefficiency

Infor LX | BPCS | Infor LN | Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 28027 Article rating: 5.0

Spreadsheets are often the tool of choice for many organizations to store and arrange information for financial planning, analytics, compliance, and more. Ironically, for many business processes that involve managing data, it creates the exact opposite effect––silos of information and inefficiency. And because it stores organizational data in a readily sharable way, there is a high risk of exposing confidential information.

Read this Infor best practice guide to discover the top five business processes that a modern data and analytics architecture can automate and deliver far more value than spreadsheet-driven techniques.

Infor Best Practice Guide: 5 Ways Modern Analytics Reduces Spreadsheet Risk and Inefficiency

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Cost Component Setup

Kathy Barthelt 0 58825 Article rating: 5.0

To break down an item’s standard cost, sales price, or valuation price, use cost components. With cost components, you can compare estimated and actual costs, calculate production variances, and analyze costs in Standard Cost Calculation.

If cost components are set up in a detailed way, detailed records...

Manual Processes Are Killing Your Productivity

Infor LX | BPCS | Infor LN | Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 21090 Article rating: 5.0

Nearly 70% of workers say that the biggest opportunity of automation lies in reducing time wasted on repetitive work.

Which repetitive tasks would workers most like to see automated? A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute found that there are three productivity killers that workers are eager to automate:

  1. Data Collection: Eliminate human error and manual data entry by automatically collecting, uploading, or syncing data into a system of record (55%).
  2. Approvals: Become more efficient by automating approvals, sign-offs, and confirmation requests (36%).
  3. Updates: Reduce wasted time by automatically requesting status updates and other information (32%).

Workers believe that automating these tasks will reduce wasted time (69%), eliminate human error (66%) and recover hours lost to manual, repetitive tasks that could be automated (59%).

Too expensive you say? Too big of an effort to make it happen?  Not necessarily...

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Hold Status - Customer Orders

George Moroses 0 22826 Article rating: 5.0

How do I know which orders are on hold? – Pick Release / Pick Confirm

Orders that are on credit hold, customer hold, user hold, margin hold, credit card hold, or pricing hold cannot be selected for Pick Release or Pick Confirm. The ORD952B, Orders Not Selected Report, can be requested at Pick Release or Pick Confirm to list any order that would normally qualify for selection, but has been excluded for other reasons, and to print that reason. ORD952B has been modified to validate the hold status of the original customer order, instead of the intercompany automation warehouse order that is being processed, and to print a reference to the original customer order along with the reason.

Collaborate IN-PERSON With Infor LN Users

LN North America User Group - Face-to-Face 2022 (lnnaug.org)

Kathy Barthelt 0 25084 Article rating: 5.0

Exciting News - LN North America User Group Annual Meeting is Face-to-Face in 2022! (lnnaug.org)

Crossroads RMC is proud to sponsor the LN North American User Group Annual Meeting on April 19 & 20, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio.

Are you ready to collaborate IN PERSON with other Infor LN (ERP LN) customers? Would you like a chance to speak to Infor team members in Product Development, Product Management, and Software Development?

Then this FREE event is for you! 2 Full Days of learning sessions, customer stories, discussion groups, and networking. Join us!

To Register →

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Project Status Options

Kathy Barthelt 0 57258 Article rating: 5.0

Ever wonder what the implications are of choosing one project status versus another?

Here is the explanation of project status possible values:

Free
You can carry out project engineering. This means that you can:

  • Define the project master schedule (PMS) by using the Project Control module.
  • Maintain the project structure.
  • Maintain the customized product structure by using customized bills of material and routing sheets.
  • Carry out project estimating.

Simulated
You simulate the rough capacity requirements planning...

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for EXECUTIVES

FINANCE: Currency Differences

When currency differences are posted, several parameters affect the way the entries in the General Ledger are created. This section explains the possible parameter settings:

  1. Ledger accounts by currency

  2. Writing off currency profits

  3. Fixed exchange rate

  4. Writing off currency differences for anticipated payments


1. Ledger accounts by currency
This parameter is recorded in the Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session.

If the Ledger Accounts Currency Differences by Currency check box is selected, the (un)realized currency differences are posted to the ledger accounts defined in the Currency Difference Ledger Accounts by Currency (tfgld0119s000) session.

LN retrieves the related dimensions from these sessions:

  • General Ledger: Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000)

  • Accounts Payable: Ledger Accounts by Business Partner Group (tfacp0111m000)

  • ACR: Ledger Accounts by Business Partner Group (tfacr0111m000)

If the Ledger Accounts Currency Differences by Currency check box is cleared, the currency differences are posted to:

  • General Ledger: the ledger accounts specified in the Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session.

  • Accounts Payable/ Accounts Receivable: the ledger accounts recorded for the business partner group.


2. Writing off currency profits
This parameter is defined in one of these sessions:

  • ACP Parameters (tfacp0100m000)

  • ACR Parameters (tfacr0100s000)

If the Currency Profits check box is selected, the unrealized currency profits are posted as well as the unrealized currency losses. Unrealized currency losses are always posted when writing off currency differences.

3. Fixed exchange rates
For each invoice, the rate determiner defines:

  • Which date is used to determine the exchange rate.

  • If currency differences are calculated.

  • For which (home) currencies the currency differences are calculated.

The Rate Determiner is set in the Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session or the Purchase Invoice Entry (tfacp2600m000) session.

Unrealized currency differences are written off in one of these sessions:

  • Write Off Currency Differences (tfacp2240m000)

  • Write Off Currency Differences (tfacr2250m000)

4. Writing off currency differences for anticipated payments
This parameter is defined in one of these sessions:

  • ACP Parameters (tfacp0100m000)

  • ACR Parameters (tfacr0100s000)

If the Currency Difference Anticipated Payments check box is selected, invoices with anticipated payments or anticipated receipts are considered for writing off currency differences.

OPERATIONS: Pegging Material Supply Lines for Operation and Product Subcontracting

For project pegged production orders, operations can be subcontracted. The material delivered to the subcontractor can be project pegged or anonymous. The subassemblies that are sent and retrieved are always project pegged. Costing breaks can apply to direct the costs of the subcontracted operation to a specific project cost account. If (production material) costing breaks are used, a purchase order line's peg can differ from the peg on the material supply line.

For product subcontracting, the subcontracted purchase orders can include materials that inherit the project pegs, or can include anonymous materials. The pegged materials are stored in inventory and are shipped to the subcontractor with project pegged orders.

In case of a project pegged order, a peg distribution is linked to the Purchase Order Material Supply Line in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session. For a specific purchase order line (detail) and material sequence, the material supply line's Order and Consumption quantities are distributed across the peg distribution lines for combinations of project/budget, project element, and/or project activity. The peg information in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session includes the line number for the peg in the distribution, the peg (project, element, activity), and the material supply line quantity by peg. The peg distribution cannot be manually created and must always be generated using the parent.

For operation subcontracting, the purchase order line, the material supply line, and the linked peg distributions are generated by Job Shop Control and can only be updated by Job Shop Control.

For product subcontracting, the purchase order line, the material supply line, and the peg distributions are generated by Procurement. A material supply line's peg distribution can be updated only from the parent, that is the purchase order line, the purchase order line peg distribution, or the material supply line. If a purchase order line's distribution line is changed, and no quantities are received or consumed yet, the pegged fields on the linked material supply lines are synchronized to the updated distribution line in the Purchase Order Material Supply Lines (tdpur4116m000) session. However, if a different quantity distribution is applicable, the quantities of the material supply lines' distribution lines are redetermined in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session.


TECHNOLOGY: Load Audit Tables for Profile (ttaud3220s000)

Use this session to load tables for an audit profile.

Usually this session is run from the Specific menu of the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. The selected profile in that session is displayed in the first line of the current session.

The result of loading the tables depends on the selection level you use in the current session. For each element on the lowest selection level, a line is created in the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. For example, if you select a package and a number of modules, a line is created for each module. Because you did not specify the tables, the All check box is selected.

Field Information

  • Profile: The audit profile for which the tables are loaded.
    Note: If you start the current session from the appropriate menu of the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000), the profile displayed is the profile that is selected in that session.
  • Package: The package that contains the tables you want to load.
  • Module: The module that contains the tables you want to load.
  • Table: The tables you want to load.
  • Audit Type: The audit type that must be set for the tables that are loaded.
    Note: You can either select Always, or Changed. However, it is also possible to determine the audit type per field. This is the Not Applicable option in the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. If you want to set the audit type per field, you must change the audit type to Not Applicable after the tables are downloaded, and then specify the audit type per field in the Audit Fields by Table (ttaud3125m000) session.

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