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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!

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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 4604 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 4203 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 6789 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 4679 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 6111 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).

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Did you know that you can set up one-time vendors in LX? One Time Vendor (1,A): Specify Y to indicate that this vendor is a one-time vendor. Otherwise, could you specify N. The system removes a one-time vendor's information from the Vendor Master file after all transactions are reconciled. If this vendor already exists as a one-time vendor, you can specify N to change the vendor to a regular vendor.

Determining whether to use Master Production Schedule (MPS) planning or Material Requirements Planning (MRP) planning for items in Infor LX and BPCS involves understanding the nature of the items and their demand characteristics.

Master Scheduled Items typically encompass finished goods or service items. These items receive their requirements either from Independent demand, Dependent demand, or a combination of both...

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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

Kathy BartheltKathy Barthelt

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