How difficult is it to upgrade ERP software?

Compiere presents another break-through in ERP software - an easily upgradeable application! While many traditional ERP vendors sold the promise of free upgrades, in reality hardly any businesses were able to take advantage of them because they had spent large sums of money customizing the software for their industry and thus had voided their support contract. But easy upgrades aren't just a sales pitch with Compiere ERP. Compiere was built to make customizations and extensions simple without impacting the migration process. No longer does an ERP system need to remain static, as if frozen in time. Now you really can keep up with all the latest product features without sacrificing your custom extensions.

Is a "single instance" of ERP software better?

Although every business is unique, running only one instance of an ERP application provides several advantages. When running a single instance of ERP software, you save time and have better quality information across the company because you need only input that information once rather then multiple times. Running a single ERP instance also means all your financial data resides in one place which creates a simpler audit trail, eliminates consolidation errors, and saves time and money when closing your books. A single ERP instance also allows you to run comprehensive company-wide reports that allow executives to share resources more easily across the company and see where cross-promotional opportunities may be in order. Single ERP instances are generally less expensive to support, and migration to the newest Compiere ERP software release is quicker and easier, allowing you to take advantage of the latest features we have to offer in a timely manner.

How do companies organize their ERP projects?

There are three common approaches to installing a new ERP system in an enterprise:

1. Enterprise-wide full installation - This approach was very common in the early days of enterprise resource planning software installations as, at the time, many large corporations were trying to quickly become Y2K compliant. The biggest challenge usually encountered was getting employees to cooperate and accept a new software system. If you are leaning towards this method of installation, make the transition easier by clearly outlining the ways that the new ERP software will be an improvement over existing software. Provide training for your employees to increase their comfort level with the new system. If your top level staff members are solidly behind the new ERP system and you take the time to help transition your staff to the change, you will go a long way towards helping your company achieve a successful ERP installation.
2. Unit by Unit - This is common approach among large or diverse companies where there are not many common processes across business units. Management will locate a particularly open-minded and flexible team and install a pilot ERP system in that department. Some process that don't vary much across the company, such as financials, bookkeeping, and HR may be installed across the entire enterprise, but the pilot department has it's own separate ERP system and database, or "instance". Once the company feels comfortable with the success of the installation, the pilot team is used as an in-house customer reference to sell other units on the ERP business solution. This process can be somewhat time consuming, but does often lead to increased employee acceptance of the new ERP application as they hear testimonials from peers on the benefits of the new system. More departments may be added over time with their own discreet instances of the ERP application, or the company may try to consolidate them into a handful of different instances or perhaps even into a single ERP instance for the entire enterprise.
3. Key-Process Installation - Smaller companies often opt to focus on a few key processes for their initial ERP installation. For instance, they may decide to start out using the ERP application's financial module and add other features as the company grows. Since Compiere provides companies a fully integrated ERP system rather than requiring a company to purchase separate modules, it's easy for a company to add additional processes as the company desires new functionality. Traditional ERP software often caused problems down the road for this type of installation since they required choices to be made at the time of the initial installation that could not easily be changed at a later date. You won't face that problem with Compiere ERP software. Compiere is designed to change with your company now and in the future. Be aware, though, that an ERP implementation isn't really successful until it is in use by employees. You must still expect to devote some time and energy to training employees on new features as they are implemented.
   

How long will do ERP implementations take?

The actual installation of Compiere ERP software can be done in a day or two by experienced IT staff. However, keep in mind that implementation of any ERP solution also includes importing old data from various sources into the new system, the integration and testing of the ERP system with existing corporate software, the training of employees on the use of the new system, and the completion of any enterprise-specific customizations. Enterprises also usually find it worthwhile to take time at the beginning of the ERP implementation process to review their current business practices, seeing where they can be streamlined now that they are no longer be 'locked into' a specific business flow with a restrictive software package. The whole process traditionally takes several months to a year depending on the size and complexity of your business.

Compiere's flexibility makes the ERP installation process much easier than a similar installation with traditional ERP applications because, unlike other enterprise applications, with Compiere the decisions you make today can be changed tomorrow. All of the information provided during implementation can be adapted or modified at any time to meet the changing needs and demands of your company. Other ERP systems don't allow these on-the-fly changes. The result is that with these traditional ERP applications, changing anything - whether something complex, like your chart of accounts or even something as simple as a product search key - can require expensive and time consuming modifications or even complete product reinstallations.

What are the costs associated with ERP implementation?

Compiere's commercial open source ERP software frees you from the burden of the initial product licensing fees that accompany all traditional ERP applications. Instead, use your budget to create a successful ERP implementation for your particular enterprise. Rather than paying software fees, you may decide to have a Compiere Partner create an industry specific feature, or you may have a large staff that could benefit from training on your new system. You may also find that years of working with multiple incompatible data sources has left you with "dirty data" that needs to be cleaned up prior to importation in the new ERP system. Perhaps you've decided that now is the time to upgrade some of your servers or workstations. However you decide to use the money you've saved, you can feel confident that Compiere provides you the best enterprise resource planning business solution at the lowest total cost of ownership.

Can ERP applications help with my integration problems?

One of the reasons businesses look into ERP applications is that their enterprise is experiencing difficulty in integrating the information they have stored in widely diverse applications that can't "talk" to one another. Organizations within a company may even use different programs to perform the same functions. When you install an ERP application you solve many of your information integration problems. Compiere ERP is an integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relations Management (CRM) software solution that combines the power of point of sales (POS), distribution and inventory, e-commerce, accounting, and workflow systems within one robust application. With an ERP system you have better data quality, since information need only be entered once to be available to the entire company. You are also able to easily run reports using enterprise-wide data, allowing you to quickly see trends developing within specific organizations or across your entire company. If you require industry specific software that requires integration with your ERP system you may wish to speak with one of our Compiere Partners worldwide for assistance.