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INFOR XA ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS
Implementation Considerations
TOPICS
• Overview
• Enterprise Financials entitlement
• XA R9.2.X upgrade – the project before the project
• GL Chart of Accounts re-design
• Company structure and currency complexity
• Sales taxes
• Process changes and support from interfacing applications
• Finance customizations and tools – impact analysis, file structure changes, elimination/modification
• Functions not yet migrated
• Conversion tools
• Recommend next steps
• Q&A
OVERVIEW
WHAT IS ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS?
• Two primary components – GL and AP/AR/Cash/Tax
• All functions besides GL are grounded in IFM function and supporting tables –
user interface new to all XA users
• EGL provides advanced GL functions including support for an intuitive chart of
accounts - new to all XA users
• Except for certain limited functions that will be converted later, all functions
are PowerLink (green screen IFM functions disabled)
• PowerLink interface supports enhanced function
• As NetLink is rounded out, it will become a viable interface
WHAT IS ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS?
• Enterprise Financials is not AM Financials with a better interface. This implies the elimination of antiquated AM Financials function:
• This Year/Last Year GL buckets replaced with a continuous summary
• All GL transaction detail in a common file – no TEMGEN/CURHIS
• Batch processing is completely optional eliminating a need to remove “bad” transactions from a batch
• Flexible GL periods – support for non-calendar fiscal year & 4-4-5
• No requirement to maintain unwanted format 0 GL report reports
• Far better drill-down/through capabilities to related transaction data
KEY REASONS TO MIGRATE
• It’s a better long-term solution - enhanced core function supported by future Infor XA architecture, ability to extend
• Enterprise Financials will be the single go-forward XA core financial module
• Future Infor enhancements will either become imbedded or integrate with Enterprise Financials
• Includes financial planning/reporting tools (dEPM), BI, and in-context analytics
• Other possibilities include functions such as fixed assets
• While the exact timeline is TBD, end of life for both AM and IFM will be announced
ENTITLEMENT
ENTITLEMENT
• Simply put, entitlement to IFM = entitlement to Enterprise Financials
• If not entitled, speak with your affiliate regarding upgrade options
INFOR XA R9.2.X UPGRADE
INFOR XA R9.2.X UPGRADE
• R9.2.X upgrade must happen before Enterprise Financials project
• Changes to Enterprise Financials programs and conversion routines drives need for latest level
• R9.2.1 - base R9.2 + three ptf bundles + ? (Q4 2017 release)
• There are additional ptf’s over R9.2.1 which hopefully/likely will be bundled
• Create a representative (including customizations) test environment with current financial package and upgrade, followed by full cycle testing of this environment
• If capacity to create an LPAR (or separate iSeries) exists, it is recommended
• Upon successful testing, upgrade production environment
• Create a representative R9.2.X test environment as a baseline for the Enterprise Financials project
INFOR XA R9.2.X UPGRADE
• Current level vs. 9.2 drives the effort
• High number of 9.2 PTF’s
• Significantly above normal object impact
• Infor recommends using PUI (Product Update Information) to manage the PTF
process
INFOR XA R9.2.X UPGRADE
• Environment baseline analysis
• Prep – analysis review, data cleanup, 3rd-party software, validate system save, contingencies
• XA R9.2 test environment (outage(s) required)
• Copy from base and upgrade
• XA modified code
• Test library list configuration
• Logical file/view re-build
• Queries
• Re-gen/re-compile user exits, remove hard-coding
• 3rd-party app install/configuration
INFOR XA R9.2.X UPGRADE
• Test Environment Validation
• Production/Live environment (outage needed) – system saves, de-configuration of old XA environments, same/similar migration process as test, user validation
• Cleanup - final removal of data libraries that were de-configured earlier in project
• Update Global IDF environment to newest level (outage needed) - IDF R9.2 Global environment upgrade/install if not performed in earlier phase
GL CHART OF ACCOUNTS (COA)RE-DESIGN
GL COA RE-DESIGN
• Work backwards from the desired result
• Implied reporting, data extract, and interface (both to and from) changes
• To change or not to change
• When to change – before, during, or after migration
• Fix before implementation and map (better supported with future tools?)
• During initial implementation (more risky)
• After initial implementation with same COA (reporting re-work)
• COA re-design adds more effort beyond COA conversion
• EGL rules and logic (models and macros) must be changed from what the standard conversion provides
COMPANY STRUCTURE AND CURRENCY COMPLEXITY
COMPANY STRUCTURE & CURRENCY
• More companies and currencies (base/buy/sell) equates to more complexity
and added conversion effort (set-up and testing)
• The need for current AM Financials users to understand:
• The concept of multiple AP/AR ledgers and cashbooks
• New currency maintenance and conversion routines as brought forward from IFM
SALES TAXES
SALES TAXES
• Assuming the use of AM Financials tax function, AM Financials users will adopt
new function (initial set-up and on-going maintenance)
• Purchase/AP sales use taxes?
• Third-party sales tax routines (i.e. Avalara) – should work, but must validate
PROCESS CHANGES AND INTERFACES
PROCESS CHANGES AND INTERFACES
• The user journey from green screen to PowerLink/IDF
• Basic PowerLink understanding/training
• Mapping or replacing existing processes
• Transactions processed differently, with a different thought process that can be more intuitive
• Supporting IDF user definitions - workspaces, templates, etc.
• Provision time and resources for training, process change (including documentation), and testing
• Interfacing modules such as EPDM, PM/PUR, MM/IM, OBPM/PCC, CSM/COM reference AM GL account or IFM Unit/Nature
• What is needed to support an interface to a new GL COA?
• Complete transition from existing GL interfaces?
• Replacement of existing customizations and tools (next section)
FINANCE CUSTOMIZATIONS AND TOOLS
FINANCE CUSTOMIZATIONS & TOOLS
• GL entry upload – replaced with standard EGLi function
• Queries and other GL data extracts – transition to new files
• GL - IGGHH (Journal History), IGGLH (Journal History Detail Lines), IGGCR (Account Cross Ref), IGGTY (Books), IGGLA (Journal Line Analysis History), etc.
• AM Financials – everything changes
• Strongly consider replacing with PowerLink (most desired file relationships implied)
• Banking interfaces – validate IFM versions, replace AM Financials versions
• Examples include ACH/EFT, positive pay, etc.
• Interfaces to 3rd-party tools (i.e. credit/collection like Cforia) – validate/update interface
FINANCE CUSTOMIZATIONS & TOOLS
• Forms
• IFM – validate, but likely no changes
• AM - most should remain unchanged, however consider checks and AR statements
• Financial reporting
• Impact of GL chart of account change
• F9 interface change
• dEPM interface change
• Replacement or update of other 3rd-party reporting tools (i.e. Spreadsheet Server)
• Others?
FUNCTIONS NOT YET MIGRATED
FUNCTIONS NOT YET MIGRATED
• AP, AR, and cash function are grounded in IFM, leaving AM customers with
some requirement to understand the function
• Tax table maintenance, including 1099’s
• Nature and Unit/Nature (IFM GL account) combination maintenance
• Code tables – financial divisions, periods, settlement methods, aging structures,
document types, transaction types, charges, settlement terms
FUNCTIONS NOT YET MIGRATED
• Repeating transactions
• AP invoice accruals
• Inter-company accounting challenges
• Others – depends on desired function
• Bank reconciliation
• Average days to pay/period
CONVERSION TOOLS
IFM CONVERSION TOOLS
• Standard conversion tools are fully available
• Standard conversion is fairly straight-forward/push-button (assumes no GL
COA change)
• GL COA change will definitely increase the overall effort
• The bigger effort is process integration, training, and testing
AM FINANCIALS CONVERSION TOOLS
• Conversion tool is available for affiliates, but it is somewhat early days
• Pre-conversion audit tool
• Be prepared to respond to a volume of “data errors”
• Recommend execution as soon as a representative test environment is available
• While Infor envisions a history conversion tool, the availability date has
not yet been determined
LESSONS LEARNED
• Let the standard Efin conversion tool create the base “ERP”
ledger/COA
• Creates needed model, macro, event class, and reason code table entries.
• This is used as a baseline to create modified entries supporting a new
COA
• Up-front understanding of desired GLI logic which drives model/macro
changes
• Effectively, the new GL interface rules
RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
• Outline, plan, and budget project
• R9.2.X readiness assessment for the R9.2.X prerequisite
project
• Financial reporting analysis – determining and scoping GL
COA re-design need is a must
• Aim for a representative test environment that supports
testing and training/learning – learning curves will vary