When you are exporting your old accounting records and trying to bring them over to the new Corporate ERP application the final result could be probably estimated but the success could not be really guaranteed
Assuming that you are not dropping part of the old system functionality in the new one then mathematically it might be possible migrate everything. However the budget might be outside of the feasibility border. In this publication we would like to give you some highlights on such terminologies as master records, historical documents as well as data export, cleansing and importing techniques. Also we would like to give you specific data export examples in the case of Great Plains, QuickBooks, SAP Business One and Dynamics AX Axapta:
1. Master records and Historical transactions. In ERP terminology master records are such objects as customers, vendors, employees, addresses etc. Master files are typically required to be migrated from the old accounting to the new one. Master records are used as references in such documents as invoices, purchase orders and this is why their import is typically safer as it doesn’t participate directly is such processes as transaction posting. Historical documents are invoices, purchase orders, paychecks or similar which came through the process of initial entering, approval cycle and posting all the way through General Ledger. During these processes these documents typically update the whole cluster of summary tables, such as Customer Monthly Summaries for example. As you may imagine historical records are difficult to migrate without reproducing all these historical processes. Historical data conversion is typically going through multiple iterations or test migrations where in each new iteration you are removing the problems and inaccuracies identified in the previous step
2. Historical data conversion is generally not recommended. ERP technical consultants and programmers come to this conclusion by long learning curve where several data migration projects failed or had very limited success. The author is not an exception. When you are comfortable as somebody who knows accounting application table structure the first idea that comes to your mind is direct SQL insertion into historical tables. When you do it that way summary tables are compromised and it is difficult to feed data to all the cluster of historical tables especially such tough ones as Sales Invoice Distributions and Invoice Serial or Lot Numbers. Your next optimistic idea is feeding historical records into work tables and processing documents all the way through posting to GL. It works but one iteration cycle may take several days to accomplish and customer typically doesn’t approve such migration budget
3. Exporting data from legacy accounting. There are two popular methods. First one is connection to legacy database via SQL driver or via ODBC and pumping records out directly from their tables. The second method is printing out reports into text files and then cleansing text files. First method requires you to have working knowledge of the legacy ERP tables structure and ability to establish ODBC connection while the second method relays on your skills in text file processing. Data cleansing is usually done is such tools as Excel or custom MS SQL Server table loaded with the data from the text file
4. Popular ERP migration paths. Real life is diversified but we found two trends where you are either migrating due to obsolescence of the old system or due to company growth or downsizing. Obsolescence popular scenarios are migration from Great Plains Accounting for DOS or Great Plains Dynamics on Pervasive SQL Server to SAP Business One or Dynamics AX. Popular company growth cases might lead you to migration from QuickBooks, Peach Tree or SAP Business One to Axapta or Dynamics GP. In downsizing scenario you are walking away from Axapta, Dynamics GP or SAP Business One and implementing QuickBooks
5. ODBC connection or printing reports into the text files. In the accounting application on proprietary database platforms, such as Quick Books printing reports into the text files is easier and could be recommended. For the legacy accounting on SQL platform we would rather recommend connection via SQL driver or ODBC as this method gives you more flexibility
6. Please call us 1-866-304-3265, 1-269-605-4904 (for international customers, where our representative pick up the phone in St. Joseph, MI call center), help@efaru.com. We have local presence in Chicagoland, Southern California, South West Michigan and Houston and Dallas areas of Texas. We serve customers USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil nationwide and internationally via web sessions and phone conferences (Skype is welcomed). Our consultants speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Chinese. We feature our expertise is in International Business
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