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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 Finance Tip: What Can You Do in the Financial Statements Module?

Kathy Barthelt 0 23702 Article rating: 5.0

In the Financial Statements module, you can:

  • Define financial statements, and link a structure of child statement accounts and parent statement accounts to these financial statements.
  • Link ledger accounts and/or dimensions to the statement accounts.
  • Link cash flow reasons to cash flow statement accounts.
  • Export financial data to FST reporting tables.
  • Print reports directly, or use the BIRT report functionality to print to PDF, HTML, and export to Excel or Word.


Data drill down in financial statements - You can...

Infor LN & Baan Manufacturing Tip: All About Routings

Kathy Barthelt 0 24525 Article rating: 5.0

The planning data for the method of manufacturing is defined in Routing. A routing consists of operations, with each operation identifying the last to be carried out in a work center and/or on a certain machine defined for a specific site.

Routings can be as follows:

  • Standard Routing - A generic routing that can be attached to multiple items
  • Item specific - A routing that is applied to one item
  • Network routing - A routing containing sequentially ordered operations and parallel operations
  • Order quantity dependent routing - A routing that is defined for a specific quantity of items

You use the Routing module to record routings for manufactured items. You can define the following:

Infor LX & BPCS Manufacturing Tip: Backward Scheduling

George Moroses 0 19345 Article rating: 5.0

Operations are automatically backward scheduled at shop order release time. The backward scheduling algorithm starts with the shop order due date and schedules each operation based upon the standard move and queue times in the routings and the number of days the job is expected to run at standard. The system calculates and stores the operation scheduled start date. The dates may be modified by the shop order maintenance program. The number of days that a job is expected to run an operation is dependent upon the available capacity for that work center and the total hours scheduled for that operation.

The backward scheduling algorithm also considers...

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: What is IDF and how could it make my life easier?

George Moroses 0 19373 Article rating: 5.0

The Infor Development Framework (IDF) re-architects the way a user interacts with the application. IDF provides an efficient, task-oriented process to view application information that is contained within Infor LX. IDF enables users to configure their view of the application data without modifying the core application and its supportability.

The examples below describe how users can configure their display of data and maximize overall productivity:

  • Arrange application information into multiple groupings and sequences that make sense for the job.
  • Hide information that does not apply to a particular job or task.
  • Filter records to show only the information that applies to the job or task that the user is performing.
  • Customize the information for an individual user, for a group of users, or for all users.
     

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Deleting Records

Kathy Barthelt 0 26270 Article rating: 5.0

To improve performance and reduce database growth, deleting records is highly effective. The disadvantage of deleting records is that data is no longer available. Usually, however, not all records need to be saved. For example, line activities are stored by warehouse. Normally, you do not need to keep these records. Therefore, after closing a warehouse order, line activities can be removed. The User's Guide for ERP LN Archiving and the corresponding Baan IV/V Guides describe several sessions you can use to delete old data. Other data such as items and business partners can be reviewed once in a while, after which you can delete the data you no longer need. For every order and contract table, a session is available to archive and delete old orders. In these sessions, you can specify several characteristics to select the orders to be removed, such as date or status. Run these sessions on a regular basis.

Are ERP System Blockages Thwarting Your Progress?

Kathy Barthelt 0 20590 Article rating: 5.0

After a week of blocking the Suez Canal, the now-famous cargo ship, Ever Given has been freed from the 27,000 cubic meters of sand and mud that were surrounding the ship. Supply chains are flowing again. I for one am very glad to hear that the ship has been freed since coffee, toilet paper and a whole host of other items were being held up! In all seriousness, it was and is a crisis that will have ripple effects on the global economy.

As I often do, I started to relate this crisis to the world of ERP that we live in. Although we are not responsible for dealing with a situation like what happened in the Suez Canal, we all deal with problems in our jobs every day. Some of these problems are small, and some are not so small. Some problems are caused by human error, some by prevailing winds that blow us in a particular direction, and some by circumstances out of our control. It is what we do about the problems we encounter that make all the difference. We could bury our heads and hope the problems somehow go away on their own, or we can take action and do something to bring about the change necessary to get past the blockage.

I see “blockages” every day in working with my customers. Sometimes it is a lack of understanding of best practices in a given department, or a reliance on tribal knowledge that determines how and why something is done in the system, or inefficient manual processes destroying a company’s efficiency, or hundreds (or thousands) of customizations standing in the way of an upgrade, or employees labeling an ERP system as “no longer a fit” when their company is only using 10% of the available functionality in the system.

So, maybe today we could focus on what it would take to remove the “blockage” that we have in our way. What benefits could we realize if we worked together to bring about incremental change? Could we actually get that upgrade done? Could we start operating based on industry-leading best practices? Could we increase our market share? Could we decrease our costs and boost our revenue? All of this is possible.

Contact me today so that we can begin to work together to solve the problems that stand in the way of your progress.

solutions@crossroadsrmc.com or 800.762.2077

Infor LN & Baan Tip: Broadcast message to users

Kathy Barthelt 0 26520 Article rating: 5.0

Did you know that you can send a broadcast message to users on the system? This is especially useful if you need users to exit their sessions, or in the event of system maintenance.   

  • For Baan IV users, see KB 22869250
  • For LN users, see KB 1830758

Infor LX & BPCS Tip: Product interface list, SYS635D

George Moroses 0 21537 Article rating: 5.0

Did you know?  Product interface list, SYS635D

This program creates a report that contains all interface program call records that were created for the Infor LX programs specified in the range on this screen. The report contains a line for each record found. The line displays the following information:

  • The name of an Infor LX program that contains a user exit to an add-on program
  • The interface point in the Infor LX program, that is, an identifier of the point in the program code where the user exit is requested
  • The execution sequence number of the record, because more than one add-on program can exist that can run from the same interface point
  • The add-on program to call at the interface point. The Add-on Product Interface file, ZXI, stores the records.

Access: Menu SYS

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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Previously, Material Requirements Planning (MRP) preferred practices meant that the component's due date was the same as the parent's shop order release date. Because MRP trends have changed, the preference for this due date is the day before the release date of the parent. Although Infor LX already has this functionality in Shop Order Maintenance programs (SFC500), users could not change how due dates were determined for lower-level shop orders in Multi-Level Shop Order Release, SFC530D.

This enhancement provides an additional parameter for Multi-Level Shop Order Release. This parameter allows the user to change how the due date of the child components is determined. The Multi-Level Shop Order Release, SFC5302, has a new parameter for shop orders. The Due Date of Children = Release Date of Prent (Due Date of Children) field allows the user to set the due date determined for multi-level shop orders.

This feature uses different exchange rates in the user's inventory processes by using new macros in Post Inventory to G/L, INV920D. INV920 used macros limited by the Override Exchange Rate parameter set on the book in Book Definition, CEA105D3. If the Override Exchange rate parameter is set to No, the macro uses the Rate Type of the Book. If the Override Exchange parameter is set to Yes, the macro uses the Rate Type of the Order Company. This enhancement provides macros that use the Rate Type of the Order Company. This enhancement provides macros that use the Rate Type of the Warehouse Company, Order Company, or the Book regardless of the Override Exchange Rate parameter in the Book.

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Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for EXECUTIVES

FINANCE: Can accounts receivable invoices be uploaded into LN using Excel?
Yes, this is possible, by following the steps below:

1. Maintain a batch

2. Maintain an invoice headerexport it, add an additional invoice header to the Excel file, and import it

3. Maintain an invoice line for the first invoice, export it, add additional invoice lines to the Excel file and import it
 

Below the above steps are described in detail.

1a. Open the transactions (tfgld1101m000) session and create a batch.

1b. Insert a transaction type, used for creating sales invoices, like ACR, and open it.

2a. The Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session starts. Maintain the invoice header and save it. For example sales invoice ACR 4497.

2b. In the Actions menu select Export and Import -> Advanced Export (fields: All tabs).

2c. In the excel file created during previous step, add the headers for the invoices to be uploaded. Notice if for the transaction type the Documents in Fixed Sequence checkbox is ticked in the Transaction Types (tfgld0511m000) session, the document number for the not-yet existing invoices to be imported in LN should be equal to the default series for this transaction type. Otherwise, so if the Documents in Fixed Sequence checkbox is not ticked, the desired document numbers can be maintained in the excel file.

2d. In the Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session in the Actions menu select Export and Import -> Settings, and make sure the Import Only in This View checkbox is NOT ticked. Then select in the Actions menu select Export and Import -> Import, select the excel file as saved in the prior step, and import it. Afterwards the invoice headers should be visible in the Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session.

3a. Navigate to the first invoice, select Lines. The Transactions (tfgld1102m300) session opens. Maintain at least 1 line and save it.

3b. Open the line created in the prior step. Notice the detailed version of the Transactions (tfgld1102m300) session opens.

3c. In the Actions menu select Export and Import -> Advanced Export (fields: All tabs).

3d. In the excel file created during previous step, add lines for the header invoice numbers as available in the Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session (as per step 2d).

3e. In the detailed version of the Transactions (tfgld1102m300) session in the Actions menu select Export and Import -> Import, select the excel file as saved in the prior step, and import it.


OPERATIONS: 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


TECHNOLOGY: Are you running the latest Infor components?
Always good to stay on top of new releases for your various Infor components. Here is a list of knowledge base articles that you can check for the components listed below:

For the last Infor LN, Infor Baan5, and Infor Baan4 porting set see KB 22923520

For the last BaanIVc 6.1c porting set see KB 22923521  No fixes are made based on the 6.1c porting set.

For the last Worktop set see KB 22881488 For the last BW set see KB 22881483 For the last EME set see KB 22866552 For the last Office integration set see KB 22867312 For the last Dynamic Form Editor see KB 22881485

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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