Visual South Insights

What is Business Intelligence?

The software industry has no shortage of terms and acronyms, so before we talk about Infor’s Business Intelligence Tool (that’s called “Birst”), what is Business Intelligence (or “BI”)? Business Intelligence refers to solutions and processes that support the gathering, analysis, integration, and presentation of business information. Business Intelligence tools help companies understand their business better, and enable their employees to make better decisions because they have the information they need. At its most basic level, Business Intelligence is what is commonly referred to as “reporting”, like a bookings report, a purchase orders due for receipt report, for example. Business Intelligence solutions take reporting to the next level by making the data easier to consume for end users, easier to analyze, and easier to get answers to difficult questions.

Planning for success

Material planning and scheduling are perhaps the two most difficult processes for any manufacturing company to perfect. While the processes generally live in two different departments, the success of one is highly dependent on the success of the other. In this article, we will discuss Visual South’s methodology for implementation of the Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) functionality in manufacturing. I will use Infor CloudSuite Industrial as the ERP software of reference.

Related: CloudSuite Industrial: Run at Maximum Efficiency

Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP Pricing – How It Works

Whether you are working with an Infor Channel Partner or Infor Direct, you’re using the same pricing data. There are no dealer markups or first-line support charges like those that value-added resellers (VARs) typically pass on to their customers.

What Is VISUAL Focus?

VISUAL Focus is an educational conference for users of Infor VISUAL. If you have never been, it is a fantastic event hosted by Visual South and Synergy Resources. Over the years, the conference has been in a variety of locations like Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago, and Louisville. In 2022 it will return to Nashville.

Let’s figure this out

I like figuring things out. It’s a simple statement, but now that I’m older, and yes, a bit wiser, I see that this desire to figure things out has been the driving factor behind many of my traits. From an early age, I made stuff. I’d see something that looked cool and would figure out how to make it. Scrap wood, a saw, and some nails would result in some sort of toy. I completely disassembled and re-assembled my bike to see how it was put together. As I got older, I tackled bigger projects. My first car was free because it needed a transmission. I figured out how to remove the old transmission, bought one at a junkyard, and put the “new” one in. It worked! It was the ugliest car you ever saw, but to me it was a triumph. I drove it with pride.

The latest and greatest for VISUAL

Infor VISUAL 10 was released in December 2020, and quite a few features were added. There are many resources that go into great detail about the new functionality, including release notes, but here are the highlights we think are most important to know. If you want more details, go to the Visual South VISUAL upgrade page here.

What’s in a name?

Infor SyteLine has been around for over 30 years and has operated under a few different names and brands during that time. The product has been called Symix, Frontstep, and SyteLine. Most recently, Infor rebranded to CloudSuite Industrial, but the SyteLine name really never went away, so you will hear these terms used interchangeably among people who work with the product.

Project-based manufacturers have specific needs

Overwhelmingly, project-based manufacturers have a requirement for a physical project plan to execute against, where costs can be captured at many levels. That is why Infor CloudSuite Industrial/SyteLine ERP provides a good solution for traditional build/engineer/configure-to-order manufacturers who need to manage a more complex series of events to manufacture finished goods.

Let’s break it down

I like to take big, complicated topics and break them down to their simplest form. This gives me the clarity to evaluate new ideas, propose changes, identify problems, and such. For example, this is how I explain what Visual South does: “We work with SMB manufacturers to help them become the best company they can be. The tools we use to do that are ERP, consulting, and change management (usually involving processes and procedures).”

You need a plan to select the right ERP

Visual South has helped thousands of manufacturing businesses evaluate ERP software since we launched in 1994. During all those evaluations, we have engaged in both good and bad experiences.