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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

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

Crossroads RMC 0 22258 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 22760 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 14772 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 20144 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.

Tim Baker – Infor LX User Group’s Newest Board Member!

George Moroses 0 19701 Article rating: 5.0

We are proud to announce that Tim Baker, Crossroads RMC Senior Solutions Architect & Project Manager, has become a member of the Infor LX User Community Board of Directors!

Tim brings 32 years of experience to Crossroads RMC and takes pride in offering exceptional leadership and expertise to achieve the goals and objectives of his clients. It is this level of experience that will make Tim an excellent representative for the Infor LX Community going forward as a member of the board.

At Crossroads RMC, Tim serves as a Senior Solutions Architect and Project Manager for Infor LX and Infor ION implementations. He has been a Senior Manager of Software Development and Support, Senior System Analyst, and has managed software development team objectives and projects, which included planning, installation, and software modification of BPCS, Infor LX (ERP LX), I2, DC Service, and web development software. Additionally, he has managed a multitude of projects and led analysis, design, training, and development efforts across multiple ERP verticals.

Please join us in congratulating Tim and wishing him well in his efforts to help the Infor LX User Community!
Infor User Communities allow you to network with other customers and discuss any of Infor’s software solutions. 

Not currently a member of the Infor LX User Group?
The LX User Group has moved to https://concierge.infor.com. All access requests require approval by your organization's support admin. Once you have access to https://concierge.infor.com, click on the Communities box, and join the LX - User Group - LX. 

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Inventory Stocking Levels – Warehouses, Locations and Lots…Oh My!

George Moroses 0 15972 Article rating: 4.0

The Infor LX system supports 4 levels of inventory. You can view summaries of stock at each level through the Material Status Inquiry program or through reports. Below are the 4 levels:

  • Item
  • Item + warehouse
  • Item + warehouse + location
  • Item + warehouse + location + lot

The lot number level and/or container of inventory can...

Need Knowledgeable ERP Staff Quickly?

Infor LX, BPCS, Infor M3, Infor LN & Baan

Crossroads RMC 0 18638 Article rating: 5.0

Consider this

Your staff is working on a critical project for your top customer, but in order to complete the project on time with high customer satisfaction, you need to extend your team. You know that the recruitment process is lengthy and it is not easy to find highly qualified people who won’t require a lengthy training process just to bring them up to speed on your ERP, (let alone your business) so this option is not suitable.

Or how about this…

Your ERP system is dragging and you know there are updates to install which are likely to improve system performance, but your IT guy is tied up working on something else and doesn’t know when he can perform the upgrade.

Either of these scenarios sound familiar?

Infor LX & BPCS | Infor LN & Baan: Accuracy & Productivity Aren't Important!

Crossroads RMC 0 19131 Article rating: 5.0

Oh, you think they are?

Well, you might want to take a hard look at HOW you’re running your Infor ERP system.

  • Have you been able to eliminate large amounts of data entry for your staff?
  • Do all of your systems talk to one another?
  • Is your data error-free at month end?

If the answer is no, your company would likely benefit from...

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

TECHNOLOGY: Facility Security Ranges

Previously, a user could complete the Cost Transfer (CST920) process for any range of facilities regardless of their security settings established in SYS600. This enhancement verifies the user security settings set up in SYS600 before processing cost transfers for a range of facilities in CST920. If the user has authority for a facility range, but there are facilities within that range that are not authorized, the program skips those facilities and completes the cost transfer process.

FINANCE: Expiration Date for Quotes and RMAs

A Cancel-by-Date has been added to the Quote Header and RMA Header panels. This optional field can limit how long a quote or authorization to return items for credit is valid.  

For quotes, this enhancement provides an optional end date for the quote. For RMAs, it provides an optional date by which the customer must return the items to receive the credit listed on the RMA.

The Cancel-By-Date prints on the Order Acknowledgement and RMA Acknowledgement to inform the customer of this important limitation to the quote or return authorization. 

An Order Entry user cannot copy the quote to create a new order if the Cancel By Date has caused the quote to expire.

OPERATIONS: Default Split Salesperson to Customer Orders

Sales commissions are based on combinations of the Primary, Split, and Line-Level salesperson and the commission codes defined for the customer and item. You can now define the Split Salesperson in the same master files as the Primary Salesperson. While the Primary Salesperson is mandatory, the Split Salesperson is optional. It defaults during Order Create using the identical hierarchy as Primary Salesperson. Using Split Salesperson provides more flexibility in the calculation of sales commissions. The ability to define a default Split Salesperson improves the accuracy of sales commission qualification and calculation and reduces maintenance and adjustments necessitated by corrections.

Previously, a user could complete the Cost Transfer (CST920) process for any range of facilities regardless of their security settings established in SYS600. This enhancement verifies the user security settings set up in SYS600 before processing cost transfers for a range of facilities in CST920. If the user has authority for a facility range, but there are facilities within that range that are not authorized, the program skips those facilities and completes the cost transfer process.

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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

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