Supply Chain Management: How to Optimize Data Loading

For many organizations migrating to a new ERP system is an infrequent, one-time event. A large digital transformation of this scale can be invasive, disruptive, and time-consuming. Being asked to extract, filter, transform, and load what could be decades worth of data into a new system is a truly daunting task – especially for an organization’s functional and technical staff who may not be familiar with the experience.

For businesses that also use Supply Chain Management (SCM) functionality, this part of the transformation journey is especially challenged as the physical movement of goods needs to be preserved regardless of what system is handling them. Organizations such as hospitals and utilities providers do not have the option to just “shut down” inventory operations during a go-live to perform data conversion.

An ERP digital transformation project affects not only IT and business users, but warehouse and procurement staff also play crucial roles. These departments must not only learn new procedures, software, and integrations, but are also asked to participate in the data migration processes. They will likely need to provide data extracts for transforming and loading their legacy information into a the new ERP solution.

Supply Chain Continuity

Preserving and enhancing the physical procurement, storage, and movement of goods requires that numerous data loads are performed to the new system. Everything from warehouse definitions, storage locations, shelves, bins, items and their associated locations, item defaults, pricing, and more need to be loaded so that on day one operations are performed efficiently.

At Apps Associates, we manage these projects as your trusted advisor and implementation partner. We focus on working with the responsible parties and minimizing the stress and responsibility of those individuals. With more than two decades of experience, we’ve created several proprietary solutions to accelerate loading times, enhance accuracy, and reduce the cycle of rework.

Here are three ways we reduce the customer burden for Data Transformation:

1) Automated File Generators

We utilize data provided in core extracts such as item definitions and on-hand balances to produce additional files which we use to associate items to a sub inventory, implement item defaulting rules, and more. Rather than asking customers for multiple files, we aim to minimize internal work by getting the maximum value out of the core data.

These tools reduce the issue resolution cycle by only focusing on resolving issues and cleaning data associated with your most important extracts.

They also eliminate having to “re-invent the wheel” as our tools produce standardized loads that can be used across various industries without additional customization.

2) Pre-Loading Validation

Extracting and transforming years or even decades of data is no small task. We have built validation tools that ensure your data is ready to load without endless test cycles. We’re confident in the efficiency and effectiveness of these tools, and our customers love how much time they save.

The validation tools help uncover data issues before loading it into the new system. This reduces the amount of time spent on issue resolution and gives a cleaner end result.

3) Post-Loading Validation Tools

Our internal library of validation tools can ensure that you have confidence in your new environment without having to spend hours pouring over your data and attempting to compare using generic reports. These tools are designed to bring issues to your attention rather than asking you to discover them.

Possible issues such as stocked items not having a location, unused locators, unit of measure discrepancies, and more can be detected and resolved early instead of only being discovered post go-live.

Our data transformation efforts aren’t just about converting what you had in years past – it’s about being able to use that data accurately and effectively in years to come. By reducing effort spent on the solely technical aspects of moving data, our tools enable you to spend more time on designing and shaping your new ERP system to out-perform your legacy and to be ready to face future challenges.

To learn more about how Apps Associates can be your go-to technology partner, contact us today.