Sage SalesLogix: LAN to Web Upgrade

There is no question that web has taken over in the user arena. But the same cannot be said in the software products user arena. One can still see desktop or PC versions of products being used. Over the past few years we have been getting requests for LAN to web upgrades. Upgrading versions of software to a completely different delivery platform is a tough task. One cannot compare things between LAN and web client.

With SaaS/cloud gaining importance, there have been requests for LAN to web migration. We have been getting requests for upgrading from Sage SalesLogix LAN 7.2 to Sage SalesLogix web including all the customizations. We usually cover the following basic steps before upgrading:

• Gap analysis – to review the current functionality along with the customizations and compare the same with the features of the new version
• Form mapping – Form by form design outline and mapping
• Upgrade the database
• Complete the migration

Are you looking to migrate or upgrade to newer Sage SalesLogix versions? Contact us for a free quote at sales@ciindia.com

 

ERP Upgrade – Data Migration Utility

You have outgrown your existing ERP and want to move to another one which offers better functionality. Migration utilities pave the way for reducing the total effort required for migrating data from one system to other system. But how is a data migration utility built? One size does not fit all as the source and target systems are different in each case. Data migration involves data conversion, master records, historical data and transactional records migration.

Detailed analysis of source and target systems is done. Gap analysis is done to chart out the differences between the two systems. The migration tool should transfer data from source to target system irrespective of their versions without losing essential source system’s information to target system. The main business challenge in developing a migration tool was to match the data and the transactions from the basic accounting package to the comprehensive financial and operations system without losing track of business critical information and being user-friendly at the same time.

Data conversion will include the migration of master records, transactional data and historical data.

For example: In the migration of data from one accounting system to another:

• Master records will include key items such as account number, name, etc., as well as transaction masters that are used to create recurring transactions. For example: standard postings in the general ledger, recurring sales orders.
• Transactional data will include all types of open transactions. For example: unpaid AR invoices, partially paid AP invoices. Transactions completed or closed are assumed to be included in historical data.
• Conversion of historical data should be done where appropriate.

Mapping is done between both systems in terms of modules, features and data. The target system might already have features that aid in migration. Therefore it may not be necessary to reinvent the wheel. While standard features can be easily migrated, the challenge is in migrating customized features. CI has been involved in building Simply Accounting by Sage to Sage Accpac migration utility. To know more about our rapid product engineering capabilities with respect to Sage add-on product development contact us at sales@ciindia.com

 

Sage Pro ERP – Migration / Upgrade

As Sage Pro experts, we are involved in several projects involving upgrade / migration to the new product version. The main factors that we consider with respect to the migration are:

• Data migration – Maintaining the data integrity
• Customization – Ensure that customizations are mapped or re-written as per the new product
• Integration links – Ensure that the external product integrations are maintained
• Perform the migration with minimum outage

Case Study

The challenge was to migrate from Vision Point 10 to Sage Pro 2010. Vision Point was the version before SBT 2.5. Sage Pro ERP is an easily  customizable ERP. The migration had to take care of all the customizations while still ensuring the advantage of the new version.

Solution

The focus for the migration/upgrade was:

• Data migration while ensuring data integrity
• Customizations migration
  • Report customizations
  • Form customizations
  • Integration links

We performed the conversion and also integrated point of sale and A1W system with the new version. New features like sales order shipping alert through message center, track order history component, website integration etc. were developed and enabled. The main challenge that we faced was in converting the customizations while still maintaining the new product version’s benefits.