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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

The Far-Reaching Impact of Disconnected Data

Kathy Barthelt 0 3104 Article rating: 5.0

Disconnected data doesn’t just slow you down—it creates bottlenecks across your entire business. When your ERP isn’t connected to the systems you rely on, every department feels it.

How Disconnected Data Hurts Your Organization

  • Operations: Spreadsheets and manual order entry waste valuable time.

  • Finance: Budgets, POs, and invoices stuck in silos cause delays and errors.

  • Technology: Teams burn hours exporting data to stay “up to date.”

  • Executives: No single source of truth makes it hard to see the big picture.

A recent study found that 61% of companies face project delays from slow data integration, while employees waste the equivalent of 19 workdays per year moving data between systems. That’s lost productivity you can’t afford.

Why ERP Integration Matters
Your ERP is the heart of your operations. Connecting it to the rest of your business tools unlocks:

  • Real-time data access → no more outdated spreadsheets.

  • Improved communication → one source of truth for every team.

  • Higher productivity → eliminate duplicate entry and manual reporting.

  • Smarter supply chains → better visibility, fewer delays.

  • Sales enablement → reps get live pricing, inventory, and customer data.


Simplify Integration with Infor ION...

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for OPERATIONS: Subcontracting Overview

Kathy Barthelt 0 6416 Article rating: 5.0

Companies can decide to involve a subcontractor and subcontract part of their activities. The subcontractor carries out the work and returns the products to your company.

In Infor LN, subcontracting is considered as purchasing labor from a third party. Therefore, if a manufacturer wants to subcontract work, he must generate a purchase order to start the subcontracting process. These are the types of subcontracting:

  • Subcontracting with material flow
    • Operation subcontracting: For operation subcontracting, a part of the production process (one or more operations) is subcontracted.
    • Item subcontracting: For item subcontracting, an item's entire production process is subcontracted. Therefore, it is always used with material flow support.
  • Subcontracting without material flow: The simplest form of subcontracting is to generate a subcontracting purchase order to record the operations outsourced to a subcontractor. The subcontracting purchase order only represents the administrative handling of the subcontracting process. When the subcontracted item is received back from the subcontractor, you must close the subcontracting purchase order, which initiates the production process.
  • Unplanned subcontracting: Unplanned subcontracting is applicable when you subcontract after generating a production order. For unplanned subcontracting, a purchase order is generated from the production order and the material supply lines are populated by Shop Floor Control.
  • Service subcontracting: For service subcontracting, work on an item to be maintained or repaired is subcontracted. This work entails the entire repair process, or only a part of it. Service subcontracting can be used with or without material flow support.

To start the subcontracting process, a purchase order is required.

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for FINANCE: Set Up and Calculate Currency Differences

Kathy Barthelt 0 2570 Article rating: 5.0

To set up and calculate currency differences for foreign currencies:

  • Use the Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session to specify the profit and loss ledger accounts, 12 profit and loss dimensions, and transaction type for a posting exchange rate differences that is calculated using the FIFO method. To specify this data, use the Currency Diff. FIFO tab. The reports printed from the Print Company Parameters (tfgld0404m000) session, include the Currency Differences FIFO fields.
  • Use the Calculate Currency Differences (tfgld5201m000) session to calculate the currency differences resulting from transactions posted on accounts for which the field Currency Analysis in the session Chart of Accounts (tfgld0508m000) is set to Required.

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for TECHNOLOGY: Using the Data Access Layer (DAL)

Kathy Barthelt 0 2962 Article rating: 5.0

During an Exchange import, you can use all the functionality programmed into the Data Access Layer (DAL). If you use the DAL, Exchange carries out all the constraint checks, integrity checks, and side effects, for example, updates on other tables, that are programmed into the DAL. Database integrity is guaranteed automatically.

Using the DAL reduces the costs of interface development. You can use the DAL to import standard interfaces developed by Infor for partner products, as well as for specific interfaces built by customers, for example, to integrate LN with legacy systems. You can use the DAL in both single site and multisite environments.

The checks or additional actions specified in the DAL are carried out for each row that is imported. Database errors are logged in the same way for DAL and non-DAL import. DAL hook errors are also logged. You can specify whether the DAL property checks are or are not carried out.

If you specify the use of the DAL for a table relation for an import, the dal.new, dal.update, and dal.destroy functions are used instead of db.insert, db.update, and db.delete. You can choose to use DAL for particular tables and not for other tables, therefore, an import batch can contain both types of table relations simultaneously. The import through DAL works for both the import based on audit or indicators (inserts, updates, deletes), and the full import (inserts only).

DAL settings are run time aspects, which means you can change these aspects without having to regenerate the import program. DAL settings are also logged in the log table at batch line level, to enable you to find out what the DAL settings were when the import was run.

Important to realize is that an update through the DAL can result in a number of side effects. Actions performed by the DAL must not be carried out twice. For example, if the DAL updates the available to promise (ATP) quantity for an item when importing order data, the ATP quantity must not be updated in a condition script as well.

For this reason, you must not add any actions in condition scripts, or import additional data, that are already handled in the DAL.

Infor LX/BPCS Tips & Tricks for TECHNOLOGY: Add Last Maintained Audit Fields to SYS600

George Moroses 0 6370 Article rating: 5.0

LX has enhanced the SYS600 User Security Maintenance application by adding the ZXUP audit fields:

  • Last Maintained Date

  • Last Maintained Time

  • Last Maintained User

These fields are updated whenever a user or role is revised, deleted, or reactivated.

This enhancement provides standard audit tracking to identify who modified a User Security record and when. The audit fields can be used for ad hoc tracking, reporting, and analysis.

Infor LX/BPCS Tips & Tricks for OPERATIONS: Add Item Description to Inbound Delivery Lines

George Moroses 0 6085 Article rating: 5.0

The Inbound Delivery Line Detail panels have been enhanced to provide clearer item information and improved usability.

Key updates include:

  • Item Description added to the Inbound Delivery Lines Selection screen.

  • Increased number of lines displayed on the selection panel.

  • Multi-language support:

    • Item Description is shown in the user’s language (if available).

    • Defaults to the base language if a translation is not available.

  • On the PO Detail panel, the Item Description also supports multi-language display.

These enhancements give users more detailed item information on inbound deliveries, with Item Descriptions presented in their preferred language and more delivery lines visible at once.

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Infor LN & Baan OPERATIONS Tip: MPS Planned vs. MRP Planned

When deciding what items should be MPS (Master Production Schedule) planned and what items should be MRP (Material Requirements Planning) planned, it's crucial to understand the nature of the items and their demand sources. Here's a breakdown:

  • Master Scheduled Items:

    • Master Scheduled Items are typically finished goods or service items.
    • These items receive their requirements from both Independent and Dependent demand sources.
       
  • Independent Demand:

    • Independent demand cannot be calculated from higher-level demand in the product structure.
    • It is driven by forecasts or actual customer orders, primarily applicable to Finished Goods or Service parts sold to customers.
       
  • Dependent Demand:

    • Dependent demand is derived from higher-level demand in the product structure.
    • It includes components, raw materials, and sub-assemblies.
    • Dependent demand items are not typically part of Master Production Scheduling (MPS).
       
  • Service Parts:

    • Service parts can have both independent demand from forecasts or customer orders and dependent demand from higher-level demand if they are used in sub-assemblies or other products.
       
  • Cumulative Lead Time:

    • Cumulative Lead Time is a concept used in MPS.
    • It combines the fixed lead time and variable lead time required to produce a product.
    • It represents the longest path through a Bill-of-Materials (BOM).
    • Your ERP system will calculate the cumulative lead time (Critical Path) based on MPS setup options.
       
  • Infor LN Approach:

    • Infor LN does not differentiate between MPS and MRP planning.
    • It uses Enterprise Planning (EP) with one set of planned orders.
    • While you can set up items and generate orders at plan levels, it's not always necessary.
    • In theory, you could treat plan level 1 similar to MPS items.
       
  • Defining Independent Demand in LN:

    • In LN terms, independent demand is demand not related to other planned items.
    • Dependent demand comes from related planned items higher up in the BOM structure.
       
  • COLT (Cumulative Order Lead Time):

    • COLT exists in the purchase and manufactured planned items.
    • It considers non-critical and critical lead times based on components marked as critical.
    • Once calculated, COLT can be used to update the order and planning horizons of a planned item.

Relevant Sessions:

In Baan IV:

  • Maintain Item Data (tiitm0101m000)
  • Generate MPS (timps3201m000)
  • Maintain Master Production Schedule (timps3101m000)
  • Display Planned Inventory Movements by Item (timrp1510m000)
  • Display Planned MRP Purchase Orders (timrp1521m000)

In Baan V:

  • Plan Item Data (cprpd1500m000)
  • Item Master Plan (cprmp2101m000)
  • Time-Phased Overview (cprrp0520m000)

In Infor LN:

  • Item – Planning (cprpd1100m000)
  • Item Master Plan (cprmp2101m000) - Same as Master MPS if used


For more information and assistance, you can contact Crossroads RMC at 800.762.2077 or via email at solutions@crossroadsrmc.com.

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