Intelligent data management helps you get the most out of your ERP system
As companies are becoming increasingly digitalized, the demands on software solutions for internal process control are growing, even in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing processes and workflows are not just being digitalized, but rather re-engineered in their entirety. This has the effect that monolithic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions, which used to cover all business processes from a single source, are being replaced by flexible architectures. Sophisticated special solutions are on the rise, for instance in corporate performance management.
Obviously, there are many advantages here, as these solutions are tailored to the respective tasks. However, this trend also results in growing demands on business software as the specialized applications have to be connected to the ERP core system. A risky undertaking, since deficient integrations can lead to issues that might impair business decisions.
Simply the best for sustainable success
and best-of-suite approaches, using an enterprise service bus to connect the ERP system to special solutions via interfaces. Some manufacturers don't stop at this point: at proALPHA, we're offering closely interwoven solutions combining the ERP system with special applications, which we implement together with our partners and affiliated companies.
This entails various benefits, as is shown for example by the collaboration with our group company Corporate Planning, whose modular software for corporate performance management now supplements our corporate controlling solution. Especially in financial planning, a reliable integration with the ERP solution is essential.
Make data quality a priority
This complex architecture, however, poses a big challenge to the companies as impeccable data quality becomes a must. Incorrect or incomplete data can have negative effects on project controlling. If you make business decisions on the basis of flawed financial analyses, the success of your project might be at a risk.
The Corporate Planning software imports the relevant information necessary for accurate planning, simulations or variance analyses from the upstream ERP system. Intelligent interfaces return all relevant information and assemble it in a structure suitable for simulations, planning and analyses. As value changes in the connected systems are automatically taken into account, up-to-date information is ensured at all times.
Sound decisions with smart data management
Sound decisions require comprehensive data. Therefore, smart data management is a must for modern corporate management. The solutions offered by Corporate Planning run on a standardized technology platform. Every piece of information represents a single point of truth in the system and can be obtained any time.
You may drill down to financial and cost accounting, to individual postings and the corresponding documents that are stored in the document management system. So you always know where your data come from. A reliable connection to all common source systems and an automated, error-free data import that uses predefined interfaces ensure that the data used for corporate management are always up-to-date.
Look for the right indicators for good data
Currentness is only one of the important features of high-quality data. Consistency and completeness are also essential to effective corporate management. The data must be unique and accessible from all relevant systems and not contradict each other. Only then can you be sure to always have current, complete and consistent data at your hands to benefit from full transparency in your business decisions.