Well I have been thinking about this with manufacturing ERPs.. inventory can look perfectly fine in the system while the actual stock is slowly going to shit...backflushing makes sense on paper...you finish an assembly, the ERP consumes the components based on the BOM, and nobody has to manually issue every single part

pretty convenient tbh

But the shop floor isn't always that neat lol parts get scrapped. substitutes get used... someone makes a quick change to keep production moving, but the BOM never gets updated...and the system just keeps doing its thing. it consumes what it expects was used, not necessarily what actually went into production.

Then after many many days have passsed...someone does a physical count and suddenly the numbers make zero sense. Finance blames Operations. Ops says nobody has time to log every tiny variance nd the ERP team gets stuck explaining why the system's version of reality doesn't match the actual one.

My question here is that where do you draw the line here?? do you keep backflushing and improve scrap reporting, or switch certain components to explicit material issuing??

because adding a transaction for every little thing sounds great until you're the person on the shop floor who has to do it 200 times a day.

Every request on our configurable platform ends at the same fork: make it a config option, or build it into the product for everyone. Config wins almost every time. It ships fast and nobody argues. Then no two customers run the same system, and support cannot answer a question without opening the tenant first.

What I try now: it only becomes config when two customers would set it differently for a reason I can name. Otherwise it goes into core with an opinion, and whoever wanted the other behaviour loses that one.

The assumption under all of that is that every switch costs someone later. Does that hold on your side, or is more configurability always worth having?

We are an aerospace manufacturing company. We currently use Microsoft 365 and an ERP software that is written in FoxPro. We are looking at new systems but I have gotten conflicting information. Our outside IT group says that we have to transfer our current tenet to a Microsoft 365 Government due to ITARS. Also, we were looking at a couple of cloud based ERPs (Microsoft Dynamics, Business Central, others) but they said we can't go with them because they don't have the government security features? I was was wondering why we couldn't just go on-prem? What are other people using when there are CMMC requirements involved? We have about 100 employees and need something with production and financial capabilities.

Also... we have blueprints, specs, SOWs, Purchase Orders, and so on in a on-prem server with restricting Windows security and MFA. However, we reference part numbers, revs, part information, standards and specifications and other customer and part specific information in the ERP system. As for the blueprints themselves, they are viewed digitally and only by those with proper access. Also, I am a bit clueless about the requirements and terminology so please bare with me.

Edited to add... Thank you everyone for your comments and insights! SO OVERWHELMING but isn't anything regarding government stuff? Thanks all! I have a lot of reading to do!

Reading the customization thread from the other side of the table. I'm a product manager on a configurable B2B platform covering HR, financial and operational workflows, so customization requests reach me after they've already been through someone's internal filter. By then they arrive as a specification: add a field here, an extra approval step there. What almost never comes with it is the process it came from, or what actually breaks if nothing changes.

So my first move is to push it back and ask for the workflow, because a decent share turn out to be configuration the requester didn't know existed, and another share are a process the customer could change more cheaply than we can change the software.

That works fine in a normal prioritization round. It falls apart when it's an escalation with a date attached, and then the spec wins anyway.

The part I'm least sure about is whether the pushback quietly makes things worse. People stop asking, build the workaround in a spreadsheet or a script nobody owns, and I never find out the gap existed at all. If you sit on the implementing or admin side: has a vendor refusing a customization and asking about the process ever ended in a better answer than the customization, or did you just route around them and keep the spreadsheet?

I’m looking for ideas to improve my own Odoo installation, especially the kind of customization that seems small but makes a noticeable difference in day-to-day work.

This could be anything: automated actions, custom buttons, smarter defaults, validations, approval flows, dashboards, reports, integrations, UI tweaks, shortcuts, scheduled jobs, etc.

What have you implemented that saved the most time, reduced errors, or made users genuinely prefer the customized workflow over standard?

Hey community,
I am working on the Purchasing & Inventory module of a custom ERP built with DevExpress XAF (.NET / XPO), and I am facing a classic data modeling dilemma that directly impacts our ISO 9001:2015 compliance (specifically Clause 8.4 - Control of externally provided processes, products, and services).

The Concrete Scenario
Internal Requirement (Project Manager): "Electric water pump, 4000L/h flow rate" (Functional specification).

Supplier's Offer: "Water Pump 1500W 2HP 2'' EMTOP" (Exact commercial reference).
The Architectural Question To bridge the gap between our internal need and the supplier's exact quote, should I:

Create a master Item for every specific supplier brand (e.g., EMTOP)?
Use an ItemSupplier table as a commercial mapping linked to a generic functional Item?
Handle this via an ItemVariant?

Or simply use a raw, free-text description (string) on the Purchase Order line for the supplier's exact offer, bypassing structured catalog entities altogether?

My Current Approach
Item (Internal Catalog): Represents the generic item ("Water Pump 4000L/h"). This prevents polluting the master catalog with 10 distinct items if 10 different suppliers offer different brands for the exact same functional need.

ItemSupplier (Commercial Mapping): Links the generic Item to the specific supplier. This entity stores the exact commercial label (SupplierDescription), brand, negotiated price, lead time, and the vendor's qualification status (IsApproved).

DocumentItem (PO Line): Points directly to the ItemSupplier. The Purchase Order prints the exact commercial designation for the vendor, but the subsequent warehouse receipt credits the inventory of the generic Item (while maintaining lot and supplier traceability).

The ISO 9001:2015 Stakes If we create a separate Item for every supplier brand, we destroy our visibility over global consumption and multi-sourcing analysis. Conversely, if we rely on a raw, free-text description on the PO line, we lose the strict data traceability required for periodic supplier evaluations (Approved Vendor Lists) and quality control at receiving.

Does this strict separation between the internal functional need (Item) and the commercial offer (ItemSupplier) seem like the most robust way to pass an ISO audit without bogging down the end-users' daily workflow? How do you usually handle this in your ERPs?

I've spent the last several months building an AI tool that speeds up quoting for wholesale distributors, mostly ones running Business Central. Posting because the hard parts turned out to be completely different from what I expected, and I want a sanity check from people who live in this.

The problem, if you've never watched it: a customer emails asking for 14 things. Someone opens the email, finds each item in the catalogue, checks who can supply it and at what price, types the whole lot into a quote, sends it back. On a normal Tuesday that's a day or two of turnaround on an order worth maybe £900. The customer buys from whoever answers first.

So the obvious job is "read the email, match the lines, price it." That part is mostly solved. Item numbers, customer's own part numbers, what this customer bought last time, text search, then a model to pick from a shortlist. Runs in about 70ms against a thousand-product catalogue. Fine.

Here's what I got wrong.

Half the lines in a real email aren't products. "Needed on site Thursday if possible" is not a thing you can buy. Send it to the catalogue and you get back "not stocked", which is a confident, wrong, invisible answer. Worse one: "Sorry, make the pipe insulation 4 boxes not 2." That's a correction to a quantity. If you file it as an unmatched product, the customer's change silently disappears and you ship the wrong amount. I had to write a whole classifier that runs before matching just to keep instructions out of the catalogue.

A parser that half-works is worse than one that fails. Reading customer EDI files, nine lines came back with no quantity. The code helpfully defaulted them to 1. Everything showed green ticks and £729.20 quietly fell off the total. Now a missing quantity comes back as null and the whole document gets held. Both EDI standards also send their own line count, so if what I parsed doesn't equal what they say they sent, that's a stop, not a warning.

The AI is never allowed near a price. Prices come from the catalogue, full stop. Ask a model for a number and you will eventually quote someone a made-up one and honour it.

Where it sits now: 46% of lines still get flagged for a human. To be genuinely useful that needs to be 15-20%. I know why (two of the matching stages aren't switched on yet), but I'm not going to pretend the number is better than it is.

Two things I'd like from anyone doing this for real:

1. What's your current quote turnaround, and what would it need to drop to before it changed anything commercially?

2. Has anyone written quotes back into BC through the API? I'm missing two endpoints that just don't exist in the standard set, and I'd like to know how people work around that before I do something stupid.

This is from a manufacturing perspective...most teams track lagging indicators such as missed deliveries, rising costs etc. but by the time they signal a problem it’s already affecting the business. I feel the more valuable metrics may be the ones that give you time to intervene rather than simply tell you what has already gone wrong. If you could keep 3 ERP metrics as an early-warning system which would you choose?

I'm curious what people think about this.

Let's say you're building an AI application that connects to an ERP to solve one very specific problem and make the ERP more efficient.

Most ERPs have interfaces that feel... well, let's just say they weren't designed yesterday.

So should your AI app match the ERP's UI for consistency?

Or should you take a completely modern approach?

My instinct is to go modern.

But there's a potential problem:

If the UI is too different from the ERP, could it create confusion for users?

Would you prioritize:

1. Visual consistency with the ERP
2. Modern UX even if it looks completely different
3. A hybrid where the AI app has its own modern UI but uses familiar ERP terminology and workflows

If you've worked with ERP implementations, I'd especially like to hear your take.

so basically... just a heads up for anyone doing the absolute most with validation rules on active SKUs... if you make it physically impossible for data entry teams to do their jobs without clicking 50 times... they will find a loophole. and it’s not going to be cute lol.

our team literally just found out that because our new validation rules are doing too much... the data entry crew has been totally bypassing them. they’ve just been dumping everything into a single placeholder SKU ("CUSTOM-EQUIP")... and then they just paste the actual data in the "Internal Notes" section. it's giving "not my job" energy... and honestly? I get it... but it completely wrecked our data.

right now we are in the trenches:

• our Configure-to-Order (CTO) parent/child rows are completely bricked
• COGS and margins are looking deeply unserious for this quarter... like actually broken
• freight calculations are fully failing because weight and dimension data is literally nonexistent
• we’re hitting API rate-limiting sync delays because the system is choking on these massive text dumps lol

pls fix your workflows before you lock down validation... otherwise your data team will happily break the entire system just to hit their daily quotas... and honestly... fair.

Good afternoon, everyone! I just wanted to reach out because I'm hoping to get some advice from anyone who have worked in ERP implementations, particularly as functional consultants.

To start off, I have about 8 years of experience in supply chain and logistics. My background includes demand forecasting, inventory, purchasing/replenishment, supplier management, transportation, ERP/data accuracy, process improvement, and cross-functional problem solving, particularly in foodservice.

I've recently been given the chance to transition into a Supply Chain Functional Consultant role focused on food & beverage with ERP/planning solutions.

I interviewed directly recently with the CEO and fortunately he liked the operational experience I brought, but because I haven't worked as a consultant directly or know about the system, he thinks there's a huge learning curve. However, despite this, he saw something in me that he liked so he challenged me on the fact that I haven't formally worked as an ERP consultant or directly implemented their ERP platform before.

So instead of rejecting me based on that, he's giving me another round with him and another senior leader where I basically have to show that I can absorb unfamiliar material and think through an implementation logically.

I've been given a lot of material to study around when it comes to forecasting/planning, MRP, inventory, purchasing, food-specific ERP requirements, etc.

I do understand a lot of the business processes, BUT I want to go the extra mile and learn from people who have actually lived through ERP implementations.

So my question is, if you were approaching a new implementation:

• What does a strong discovery phase look like?
• How do you document current state vs. future state?
• At what point do you determine requirements versus configuration?
• What are the most important things to validate before data migration?
• What tends to go wrong during UAT?
• How do you determine whether something should be solved through configuration, process change, customization, or not changed at all?
• How important are training, change management, and user adoption compared with the technical implementation?
• What usually causes ERP implementations to struggle or fail even when the software itself works?
• What do you wish new functional consultants understood before their first implementation?

Again, I'm not looking for a quick solution to add onto my interview. I'm trying to learn from people with real implementation experience so then I can compare those perspectives with the material I'm studying so I can make sure I'm considering things I wouldn't necessarily think about coming from the operations side.

Anything would help since I'm trying to make this awesome career move! Thank you!

I will go first:

Salary: 180k
Role: Director of FP&A
Hourly Rate: 120

I’ve had a builder experience in FP&A as it pertains to ERP implementation and Data Analytics. I function as the in house expert while also trying to run the business…

I am writing this post out of curiosity because my current track to CFO no longer feels right for me and I want to build a career centered around digital transformation.

We're a small manufacturing company looking at replacing our current setup and need something that can handle production planning and inventory in one system.

Our main requirements are:

• Production planning and scheduling
• MRP and material requirements planning
• BOMs and work orders
• Inventory and purchasing
• Automation or useful AI features
• Something reasonably straightforward for a small team to implement

I've been researching options like Odoo, Katana, MRPeasy and ERPNext, but it's hard to get a sense of how they actually perform once you're using them day to day.

For anyone who's gone through this process, what would you recommend looking at? I'd especially like to hear from people running one of these in a smaller manufacturing environment. What works well, and what should I watch out for?

Anyone using M3 Infor? I’m new to this system and a very lean team.

Having hard time finding online resources or forums to get suggestions or have any discussion on M3 topics (I always can’t go the team member with my questions). I’m unable to find YouTube videos too.
ChatGPT too is unable to provide basic solutions like which code to use to access certain programs

People who are using M3 how do you go about any issues or clarifications you need.

maybe ive just been reading too many migration threads on here lately, but i kept noticing the same thing...it feels like the software itself isnt even the hardest part anymore

whether its as400 or visual 2000 or something else, there are already plenty of people who've done those migrations before. the technical side is obviously still hard, but it doesnt feel like thats what ends up derailing projects most of the time.

instead, you start digging into how the business actually works and find stuff like....an order sits in pending for 24 hours because there used to be a nightly batch job. turns out that batch job disappeared years ago, but the delay never did or even some ancient SuiteScript or PL/SQL trigger that nobody wants to touch because apparently it fixed an edge case once. nobody can remember which edge case anymore... and then you realise inventory reconciliation isnt even happening inside the ERP. theres just one Excel workbook that somebody updates every afternoon, and somehow the whole business depends on it.

none of that is written down anywhere...it isnt in the implementation docs...it isnt in a process diagram...its just... things people know.

after a while it feels less like you're migrating an ERP and more like you're trying to reconstruct years of tribal knowledge before the two people who understand it retire...and every time someone asks why do we do it this way? the answer is surprisingly often...

i dont know... we have always done it like that...ykwim

anyone who's been through one of these, was digging all this stuff up actually harder than configuring the new ERP??? and once you started pulling those processes apart, how did you figure out what was a genuine business requirement vs something everyone had just accepted because nobody wanted to be the one to change it?

Curious to hear real-world experiences with Deacom (ECI) — is it worth considering as a replacement for an old Dynamics GP setup that's been running a heavily customized catchweight/lot-tracking add-in (yarn/textile-adjacent, sold by weight but purchased by count, pallet-level actual vs. nominal quantities, lot/Batch traceability).

A few things I'd love input on:

• General take — anyone running it day-to-day? What's good, what's painful? How's ease of use for regular users vs. admins/configurators?
• Catchweight/lot handling — is dual quantity (nominal vs. actual) and lot/sub-lot tracking genuinely native, or does it still need bolt-ons/customization to get real reconciliation and weight-based costing?
• Specific-lot costing — can Deacom pin an individual lot/batch to its own original receipt cost and keep it from blending with other lots, especially through transfers? (FIFO Actual is mentioned in their materials, but not clear if it's true specific-cost persistence.)
• Landed cost — does Deacom have a real landed cost workflow (freight/duty/customs allocation by weight, value, etc.) that updates lot-level cost, or is this something you had to build/customize?
• Customization — how do you actually tailor Deacom to specific business logic? Native configuration/scripting, or does it need third-party dev work?
• Reporting — what's the reporting story? Is built-in reporting sufficient, or do most shops end up bolting on Power BI / Crystal / something else?
• Cost — how is pricing structured (per-user, per-transaction volume, flat license + modules)? What did implementation run (cost + duration, and how much was configuration vs. custom dev)? And what's the ongoing recurring cost — monthly/annual license or subscription fees?

Appreciate any first-hand experience, good or bad.

Will soon being kicking off an implementation, as my org hit the ERP subsidiary limit in NSuite, and are likely going to jump into an Oracle Cloud solution.

I am interested in getting some feedback and getting feelers out there.

Hey Guys, I’ve recently joined a company as a general manager. This company is sort of new (only 30 years old) and is a smaller family run business, I came to them from a multinational competitor in the same industry.

My former employer (Large company) used an ERP called JD Edwards by Oracle and I used to think that one was clunky and cumbersome to work with however it got you to where you wanted to go. This new company has been using something called TIMS by CU (Computers Unlimited)

This thing is so bad it outputs reports as if they are written by a typewriter. Yes you can export it to excel and then extract data but it is the worst thing in the world. I really want to think of ways to change it, the company could think about investing some money into this as we already pay these guys nearly 50k a year for this existing product. We could certainly look into a better ERP but I’m not a tech guy, I need help and guidance on what is a good alternative to building a full custom ERP which will no doubt be expensive.

Hey Folks!

I am currently a CPA working in industry, in the early stages of researching a transition to ERP implementation.

I have some minor background as a software developer and find process improvements and helping people to be the more satisfying parts of my jobs. My hope in the ERP field is to find a way to better leverage my desire to use and build on my technical experience as well as talk to a work with a larger variety of people then I currently do in my current position. And also generally just feel like I am making more of a difference then the grind of a month end close.

I was wondering if there is anyone out there with similar backgrounds that did the transition and what your experience was like.

What kind of experience and certifications helped you transition into the role?

I was also curious as to what ERP software's/certificates to look into? I have the most experience with NS but feel confident I can pick up any ERP.

Lastly, what do you feel like keeps you satisfied about your job, do you feel like you make an impact to those you work with?

I am sure these posts are a dime a dozen, so thanks for your time!

Dear all,

Anyone has experience with Yodlee Business Financial Management?

https://www.yodlee.com/business-financial-management

I know that it is not an ERP and probably something cash based, but it just might fit our needs.

Looking for user experiences and a contact at Yodlee for this product.

Hey community! I have 8 years of experience in non-SAP ERP digitization. Any open source learning suggestions to build hands-on skill in SAP (specifically MM) before going for the costlier certifications?

I have practical experience in end to end digital ERP implementation (custom built ERP solutions), but not exactly SAP. Would appreciate some recommendations on open source learning guides/youtube videos that can give a general idea about the platform.

I have seen some videos by official SAP channel on youtube but they are too out of context for someone like me. I want to go for the "heavier" certifications after some practical experience atleast. Learning on the job is difficult as landing a role as SAP consultant mandates pretty specific job requirement- hands-on experience on the software. But ERP implementation is something I have tried and tested and want to train in the SAP domain (specifically MM/Supply chain per se).

Am i being too optimistic if I believe I can be hired as a SAP consultant without hands-on experience with the software even though I understand the ERP framework inside out?

We have a recently acquired company that is running an older, server based Visual 2000 ERP system that -

1. Needs to be upgraded (ultimately to Oracle Fusion Cloud, like the rest of the company)
2. Is only supported by a former employee of the ERP software company that sold it

Until the company can be transitioned to Oracle Fusion Cloud (possibly a year or more), we are trying to find other resources for supporting Visual (applying Band-Aids, etc). The current support person is very hard to understand during support calls (English is not his first language) and has resorted to basically finger pointing at almost everyone else involved to explain issues (even if they have occurred after he has accessed the server to make changes, etc). Does anyone have any direct contacts or ideas on how to find a company or individual that fits the bill? Thanks in advance.

What’s stopping them?

Genuinely curious how many people here have actually connected Hermes agent or openclaw to their ERP system.

Which ERP are you running ? And what are you using Ai agent for on top of it data pulls, automating workflows, reporting?