Moving to the cloud? Here are three things you need to consider before you do

When you think digital transformation, these days cloud migration comes to mind. This process of moving your enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform to the cloud goes hand-in-hand with transforming your business towards a digital landscape. While it is a clear cut solution and the direction many are already taking, you must still weigh your options and understand certain aspects of cloud migration before starting the move for your business. An informative article on ERP Today shares three things that one should consider before a big ERP move.

“First, you need to decide on cloud technology or a hybrid of cloud and on-premise technology for your ERP system. A hybrid system is typically used by those who already have a pre-existing ERP system in place. It could cost more to maintain in the long run, however a hybrid ERP means you won’t have to rebuild an entirely new system – as you would have to with a cloud-based ERP.”

“The next factor you need to consider is if cloud technology will help leverage AI technology. Short answer: yes. Cloud software will help pave the way for AI tech to take the center stage. Cloud tech better positions everything from your business (data, systems, processes) to be ready for AI tools and functionality. Cloud technology is flexible and versatile; the agility of the technology on hand is why AI functions are so readily available. Insight Software’s Oracle system tools readily take advantage of generative AI to enhance the user experience.”

“Upgrading from old legacy systems to new and improved broaches the final factor you need to think about: how will you migrate data to the cloud? Insight Software’s Angle Professional was created for this specific purpose. Rather than having to import all legacy data, Angle Professional is a cloud data warehouse. It’s a central point to access data and information from multiple, different sources.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

Lawson Error – PR160 error Bad File Status 9 009 on File TAPE-FILE

, ,

Problem:

So you’re running a Lawson PR160 job (Payment Print) and encounter the “Bad File Status 9 009 error on File TAPE-FILE” error. What do you do?

 

Resolution:

First, understand that the error message “Bad File Status 9 009” signifies that either the directory is full or doesn’t exist.

What you will need to do is simple: ensure that a valid path is specified in the PR160 parameters. If there is, double-check that the path is correctly spelled and has sufficient available space in the default location (along with any folder permissions). See the screenshot below for guidance. That’s all there is to it!

 

Ruiz Food Products, Inc. Modernizes Processes with Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage

Infor recently announced that Ruiz Food Products, Inc. (Ruiz Foods), a frozen food manufacturer specializing in Mexican food products, has migrated its entire Infor product platform to the cloud. Per the press release, Infor’s platform helped Ruiz Foods to modernize its operations, especially through the use of scanners, planning tools and data analytics. This was especially important to help Ruiz Foods navigate meaningful changes in product demand brought on by several years of industry disruptions including the Covid-19 pandemic. Ruiz Foods has been an Infor customer for more than 20 years, having utilized a variety of Infor solutions on-premises, including Infor Optiva, M3, Supply Chain Planning, Factory Track, and EPM. However, in 2022 Ruiz Foods’ data center hardware needed to be replaced, requiring a significant capital investment. Thus, the company began with upgrading its Infor PLM for Process (Optiva) into the cloud, providing a way for Ruiz Foods to capture raw materials, subcomponents and finished goods in a way that illuminated product financials. Moreover, Infor’s configurability helps Ruiz Foods react quickly to support the dynamic needs of our customers. The Ruiz Foods’ Supply Chain Planning team uses the Infor planning tools to adapt to an ever changing business environment and manage manufacturing schedules daily. Ruiz Foods looks forward to continuing its 20+ year partnership with Infor to grow and optimize its business.

 

For Full Article, Click Here

dbreorg -lc lists does not show dictionary changes exist

, ,

Problem:

After adding a view to a productline database and adding it to the application productline using dbdef, blddbdict and dbreorg, the blddbdict created  a +dictionary, but the dbreorg -lc does not show anything as being added.

 

Resolution:

Files added in dbdef and assigned a database space defined as “Is View Yes” are treated as views by the dbreorg.

Views are not created or modified in the database by the dbreorg process, therefore, they will not show up in the output list from dbreorg -lc.

The dbreorg -lc only lists structure changes that the dbreorg makes to the database.

Any non-structure changes made to the file definitions are not shown in the dbreorg -lc output.  Non-structure changes are file relation definitions and fields defined as compute, conditional or string.

AI’s Role in Reshaping the Fashion Landscape

Another industry where artificial intelligence (AI) is making a splash is the fashion industry – curating creativity and efficiency into design, as well as streamlining production and making shopping more seamless than ever before, according to an article on PYMNTS.com. One powerful tool that AI brings to the table is the data collected by retailers and the analysis that AI can help for forecasting, production efforts and customer relations to name a few areas. Ana Friedlander, NA director of industry solution and strategy, fashion and retail at Infor, says of AI’s utilization, “Using purchase history, market trends, and algorithms coupled with data analysis, companies can offer tailored recommendations to consumers.” In addition, manufacturers also use AI to identify and forecast potential issues in the manufacturing processes, helping to minimize inefficiencies, “AI-driven systems are placed in production facilities to predict the possibility of machine failure, allowing maintenance to be scheduled ahead of time. They use AI-based analytics to help predict demand, optimize production schedules, and the ability to manage inventory in real-time that can mitigate supply chain risks,” Friedlander says. Moreover, AI can also assist in the fashion “drawing board” and generate ideas/designs from mood boards to sketches. Dev Nag, CEO of QueryPal, noted in an interview, “Designers check these samples, often making changes to the tech packs, repeating this process several times until everything is suitable for full production. AI can now help designers at almost any point in this process, even turning mood boards directly into fashion and technical sketches.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

Infor Named to Constellation ShortList in 6 Product Categories

Last month, Infor was named to the Constellation ShortList™ for six product categories in Q1 2024. The technology vendors and service providers included in this program deliver critical transformation initiative requirements for early adopters and fast-follower organizations. Per the press release, Infor solutions have been evaluated and chosen for Constellation ShortListTM for Q1 2024 in six product categories:

  • Service-Centric ERP
  • Configure Price Quote (CPQ)
  • Enterprise Application Platform
  • Product-Centric ERP
  • Healthcare ERP
  • Enterprise Cloud Finance

R “Ray” Wang, chairman and founder at Constellation Research, says of Infor’s inclusion, “Infor’s leadership position in six product categories across service-centric ERP, CPQ, enterprise application platforms, product-centric ERP, healthcare ERP and enterprise cloud finance highlights the business value we are providing our customers across a broad array of market segments. Designed with industry-specific insights and leading-edge automation capabilities, Infor’s mission-critical products make it easier for businesses to transform and achieve success.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

CKPOINT table does not exist after a productline copy

, ,

If you’ve ever come across the following problem below, follow this quick guide to solve it.

 

Problem:

Users receive error messages when they are running jobsf. The errors are indicating that the CKPOINT table does not exist after the system admin completed a productline copy.

 

Resolution:

Simply put, the CKPOINT file did not get copied over during the copy procedure. Run the following commands to add the CKPOINT table into the productline:

bldckp productlinename

blddbdict productlinename

 

Stop the WebSphere Application Server

dbreorg productlinename

Have the users login and try to run their jobs again. Your error message is now resolved.

 

ERP Vendors predict the technology that will impact Manufacturers in 2024

Steve Brooks, joint Editor at Enterprise Times and Senior analyst at Synonym Advisory, shares insights from ERP vendors and their prediction of technology impacts in Manufacturing in 2024.

  • Acumatica. – Debbie Baldwin, director of product management and manufacturing, at Acumatica, sees AI-enabled automation as key in 2024. She noted, “There are several ways manufacturers can embrace AI to their advantage in 2024. For example, utilizing sensor data for preventative maintenance, minimizing costly repairs, leveraging data to optimize production schedules, and employing digital twins for thorough product development simulation.”
  • IFS – Bob De Caux, VP of Automation, IFS, believes, like many others, that 2024 is the year when AI will be widely adopted by manufacturers. He commented, “Manufacturing systems are becoming more complex, so AI-driven data pattern recognition is crucial for sharpening quality control, predicting equipment problems, and optimising production for fewer defects, higher overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and significant cost savings.”
  • Infor – Phil Lewis, Senior Vice President of Solution Consulting, Infor predicted that Intelligent Automation would be the technology that manufacturers look to deliver in 2024. Lewis commented, “Intelligent automation is comprised of RPA and AI. RPA has the potential to replace a great deal of manual, ruled-based, repetitive processes, bringing greater accuracy, faster, and freeing up time for teams to innovate and add value, and apply much needed skills to those areas where gaps exist. Ultimately, this means that production can be planned for with greater insight and accuracy, undertaken in the most efficient way, and with fewer errors to minimize waste and optimize fulfilment.”
  • Rambase – “Rambase, whose Chief Sales Officer, Odd Magne Vea, responded to the questions and presented a very different, though valid, prediction around Cyber Resilience. When asked how manufacturers will develop cyber resilience, he answered, “In the present era of smart factories and digital infrastructure, cyber resilience will become paramount for all manufacturing companies. Ever-increasing connectivity and AI automation expose these enterprises, large and small to heightened cyber threats. A breach can disrupt production, compromise sensitive data, and incur substantial financial losses.  Robust cyber resilience strategies are essential to safeguard against evolving cyber threats, ensuring the uninterrupted operation of any organization which distracts from their true objectives. By prioritizing cybersecurity measures, manufacturing companies can protect intellectual property, maintain customer trust, and fortify the foundation upon which they’ve built their businesses over difficult years and decades.”
  • Rootstock Software – Raj Badarinath, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Rootstock, believes AI Decisioning will be most adopted by Manufacturers in 2024. He noted, “Today, manufacturers are accumulating data at a fast and furious pace. The only way for them to steer through the volume and velocity of this information is with a decisioning platform powered by multi-model AI as their nav system. This new approach—which blends various forms of AI/ML, business intelligence, and predictive capabilities—allows manufacturers to interpret data as incoming signals of demand and supply so they can adjust production capacity for optimal margins. Manufacturers can essentially speed-read market conditions to reliably fulfill customer orders, rapidly convert data into insights and actions, and continually optimize for efficiency and growth.”
  • SAP UKI – Greg Moyle, Head of Energy & Discrete Industries, SAP UKI, was surprisingly conservative in his prediction, noting that “Cloud computing” will be the most adopted trend. The prediction may be an indication of the fact that large enterprises are moving to the cloud compared to mid-market organizations. It also, perhaps, reflects the success that the RISE with SAP initiative has had over the last two years. Moyle further explains, “2024 will see the manufacturing industry go ‘all in’ on industry 4.0 technologies. More and more manufacturers will transition to the cloud in order to scale up adoption of new and transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things to manage project workloads and improve end-to-end business visibility.”

 

For Full Article, Click Here

Should Users CheckLS be set to Yes in v10 Lawson?

, ,

As a Lawson Managed Service provider, we see many different Lawson v10 systems (even v9 systems) and often we find users with CheckLS = No but get asked if this should be set to Yes.

In the past when migrating clients from LAUA to v9 or v10, CheckLS to Yes would put them on v9 or v10 security instead of LAUA security.

 

Today if you’re on later versions of v10, it’s still the best practice to set CheckLS to Yes in the users RM info but the official Infor documentation reads as follows:

“When you upgrade to 10.0.x, the system will treat this field (checkLS) as set to Yes in all cases”

 

So if you’re scratching your head, what this means is that in v10 and forward, checkLS field Yes or No still puts you on v10 Security. However, setting it to Yes can also give users the ability to access LID if needed (assuming they have ENV access to specific LID command tokens).

 

Infor Nexus Is Taking An Interesting Approach To Generative AI

 

According to IBM’s Institute for business value, around 75% of CEOs believe generative AI (artificial intelligence) is the key to competitive advantage. However, this may be limited in areas such as supply chain where AI could have limited use. Steve Banker, logistics and supply chain management experts, shares an article on Forbes about how business experts have talked about the use of generative AI to improve supply chain system user interfaces. “The idea here is an Alexa type experience where a user asks a question and the technology searches through an application to find the answer, states Banker. “So, a user might ask, ‘who is the supplier on this order.'” The answer: Infor Nexus.

Infor Nexus is a supply chain network that connects businesses to their key partners and makes coordinating the flow of materials and information much more seamless. The solution is particularly strong in creating visibility and coordination of international transport, collaboration with supplier networks and automating trade finance processes. “Infor Nexus’s approach is not to just give a specific answer to a specific question, but to provide the right data visual, in this example a matrix type view of several days of shipments with demurrage risk,” states Banker. Tom Sorgie, the senior vice president of technology at Infor Nexus, calls this rich visual controls. “These visual controls present the information in an intuitive and verifiable way and enable the users to dive right into the data,” says Sorgie. He also adds that the combination of generative AI and a graph database can be powerful.