SAP Business One Consultants in Chicago Suburbs: Implementation, Conversion, Recovery
With the release of SAP B1 version 8.8 we expect new Small Business ERP sales peak. SAP BO is good option for small or mid-size enterprise with challenging requirements to its Corporate ERP platform: discrete production, ERP (planning wizard), warranty contracts, field service, Opportunity Management (often referred as CRM), customer vendor consolidation (you can build such industry specific features as Freight Forwarding Agent Settlement report, for example - without custom logic), shipping and receiving, picking and packing.
In this small publication we will be discussing local SB1 implementation specifics in Chicago metro area and Northern Illinois:
1. Current version is 8.8 (April 2010),
earlier versions were 2007A and 2005A for USA. License cost is typically one or several Professional users (around k$3 each) and then you can pick Distribution, CRM, Financial (normally around k$1 each user)
2. Implementation and Data Migration. As Small business ERP system SB1 implementation includes sales cycle (Sales engineering with modules and functionality selection and review), test and then following production data migration (usually via SAP Business One Data Transfer Workbench, where you prepare your data for import in CSV files or pull data directly from ODBC compliant data sources), user training and pilot production month. Sometimes you may need also custom logic (User Defined Tables with automatically created interface, SAP B1 SDK programming, potential integration with external applications, such as eCommerce), Crystal Reports (or other reporting platform, such as SSRS)
3. Simple production or light assembly. Small manufacturing module includes such cool features as Disassembly Bill of Materials (where you can virtually disassemble returned finished goods and place parts back on the shelves into original bins)
4. Do I need complex customizations? In our experience even when customer requested customization in the beginning, often it was abandoned and replaced by procedure in the future. System is very flexible and there is a lot of room for procedural approach
5. Implementation Recovery. Think about the exact meaning of the word "implementation" - it means sort of implanting something into the body of your company. Implementation is not necessary something very simple and easy process. If you feel that you are too close to giving up and upset with service level and expertise of your initial partner, you can always seek for second opinion and recover your investments into SAP Business One software licenses. In the case of SAP B1 implementation problems might be attributed to poor technology expertise, especially in such areas as advanced ODBC integration for Data Transfer Workbench, custom Crystal Reports (often where you combine data with original SB1 tables, such as Sales Invoices with User Defined tables). Sometimes there are complains about poor performance of custom add-ons, programmed in SB1 SDK (especially when you are on earlier versions: 2005 or 2007)
6. Going out internationally? Interesting enough, but SB1 is successfully localized in such important regions as Brazil, China, Russia, Continental Europe, Japan, Korea. We often see request from Corporations in the USA, deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains (which is not localized for the above mentioned countries) to implement SAP Business One for their overseas subsidiaries and integrate in with Dynamics GP FRx consolidated financial reporting. Version 8.8 of SB1 could be deployed on the same server for all the countries (assuming that you are providing Citrix or Terminal Server remote access to your international SB1 users with decent internet connection)
7. How to get help? Please, call us 1-630-961-5918, in USA or Canada: 1-866-528-0577, or email us: help@albaspectrum.com
