Tracy Bishop, product manager & former Oracle consultant

by Tracy Bishop, product manager and former Oracle consultant

My favourite new song over the Summer months was called Quicker by I Blame Coco. “Quicker” seems to be the theme of the moment. Apple are releasing iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S which promise faster performance. And the main message at Oracle OpenWorld 2011 was that everything can now be much, MUCH faster.

Exa-everything
This is the first time I’ve attended Openworld as a non-Oracle employee. It gave me a considerably different perspective. There was a great deal of focus on hardware and database aspects. “Exa-everything” was the darling of the show and managed to get a mention in most of the sessions I attended, even those which were Applications specific rather than technical.

Oracle Financials
As an accountant I was mainly interested in the applications side of things, especially Oracle financials. Most of what I heard here I had heard at previous conferences. There was a good high level session on “What’s next for financial management solutions at Oracle?”. This was an overview of the new things for each of the four financial product sets and included a presentation from Deloitte on their CFO survey. That implied there is lots to worry about in the global economy and most CFO’s feel they have squeezed and squeezed efficiencies and cost savings out of their organisations already. So…. would CFO’s be interested in the “do it quicker messages ?

Extreme BI
If they were, an interesting session was  “Extreme BI: Real-Time Analytics with Oracle Exadata and Oracle Business Intelligence Apps”. I was intrigued by the title as Oracle have chopped and changed their message about real time versus datawarehouse reporting over the past few years. Could it be that we were to see a return to real time business intelligence? No – this was just a case of “quicker” in action. It showed how Exadata and its Exa cousins can really come into their own as a platform to create a very fast performing e-Business suite. It turns out that OBIEE has not moved to become a real time tool but if Exadata is used along with plenty of tuning, parallelism, etc., the improvement in performance can gives users the feel of real time. Of course there is a price tag and an organisation needs a big budget or needs to be big enough to generate a business case to show a return on investment over time. Maybe something for the CFOs of really big companies then, but it looks like more of the same for the rest.

Quick Hits Are What We Need Right Now
I am convinced though that there are still ways to squeeze the last drops of efficiency out of an organisation by using the information Oracle e-Business suite provides. This belief was reinforced at a session on the GRC products run jointly between Oracle and KPMG. Tactical reporting, rather than BI, on Oracle financials can reveal interesting trends and details to help find savings, e.g. by identifying where overpayments are occurring, finding fraud, early identification and correction of errors, etc. This may sound like small fry but based on KPMGs example, a company with a 5% profit margin losing $1million through overpayments and fraud would need to generate an additional $20million in sales to compensate. So, for me, quick and easy ways to get to that information and put it right will be the things to help CFOs and their accountants.

And, just to bring everything round in a circle…. the singer of the “Quicker” song i love so much is Coco Sumner, daughter of Sting, one of the headlining performers at OpenWorld this year.

If you attended, what are your impressions of OpenWorld this year? If you didn’t attend, what have you heard about the event that you found of interest? Please comment – I’m curious about your thoughts.

Author: Kathy Wells

High tech marketer with over 20 years experience and proven results. Always keeping it fresh as a social media geek and frequent early adopter. Strong customer relationship builder, driving tangible ROI our customers. Education includes: MBA in International Business, Masters of Arts in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication (in progress).

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2011/10/openworld-2011-it%e2%80%99s-all-getting-quicker/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/07/do-all-signs-point-to-an-unorganized-implementation-of-order-to-ship/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/07/do-all-signs-point-to-an-unorganized-implementation-of-order-to-ship/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:00:37 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=152 It’s not an easy job.  An optimized Order-to-Ship business process offers continual progress towards improved cost control and delivery performance.

However, there might be a few challenges in the systems, including:

• Rework to correct data accuracy issues
• Late shipments and setbacks in delivery performance
• Increased customer complaints
• Time spent on complaint resolution
• Poor management of backorders
• Inefficient order processing and fulfillment
• Untimely invoicing
• Diminished cash flow and sales margins

In an Aberdeen Research study called “Working Capital Optimization: Increase Cash Flow in the New Economy,” author Nari Viswanathan said that “Best-in-Class companies are 30% as likely as all others to use cash conversion metrics as part of their supply chain organization metrics.  Companies that embed cash conversion metrics into the set of supply chain metrics are twice as likely to have reduced their cash conversion cycle over the past year (45% versus 21%).  Some of the key metrics that have been adopted as part of the process are: Sales forecast accuracy, on-time shipping, on-time delivery, inventory turns, logistics costs as a percentage of sales, and gross profit margin.”

Achieving an on-time shipping and delivery system is an industry standard met by few.  Using JD Edwards can get you on your way, but will only take you so far.

To read more, click here.

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/07/do-all-signs-point-to-an-unorganized-implementation-of-order-to-ship/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/the-west-is-the-best/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/the-west-is-the-best/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:35:46 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=150 By Phil Walton

Quincy Ko will join InsightSoftware.com on Monday, June 28 as the company’s new sales executive for the northwest region (all the places in the West where it snows).

Quincy is based in Vancouver, Canada and comes with deep and varied experience in the Business Intelligence and ERP industries.

With experience in growing territories, short/long sales cycles, closing small/large deals, and his eye for the end-user experience, Quincy is the ideal addition to InsightSoftware.  He understands our value proposition and the Insight opportunity.

Welcome to the team, Quincy!

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/the-west-is-the-best/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/forecast-to-make-a-structurally-sound-process/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/forecast-to-make-a-structurally-sound-process/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:47:24 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=136 Do you experience materials shortages and capacity constraints?  It’s vital to increase productivity and information accuracy by proactively ensuring that key managers and users can access accurate and timely information to make sound, in-the-moment decisions.

Running a world-class operation starts with the necessity for at least 99 percent accuracy of Item Master data.  For many, this is easier said than done.  However, with the correct tools the accuracy of Item Master records, Bills of Material, and Routings can be assured.

Once this initial foundation is secured, then focus turns to proactively optimizing scheduling to maximize available capacity and ensure availability of raw materials.  Again, although JD Edwards stores meaningful information in these areas, many struggle to access real-time actionable information that enables optimized processing.  Finally, having a full grasp of manufacturing cost variances and their drivers can make the difference in driving increasingly lower costs and fewer surprises.

With the correct tools you can unlock the rich data stored in JD Edwards to ensure the following: manufacturing tactics are aligned with the corporate strategy; forecasted demand matches market requirements; manufacturing processes are tuned to meet forecasted demand; and that ongoing reduction of cost and variances is possible.

To read more, click here.

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/06/forecast-to-make-a-structurally-sound-process/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/05/the-influx-of-business-intelligence/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/05/the-influx-of-business-intelligence/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 20:07:36 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=132 What’s your take on Business Intelligence?

According to an Information Management article, the BI market is growing; to read the top 10 Business Intelligence trends for 2010, click here.

Do you agree with this list?

One of Information Management’s predictions is BI’s involvement with cloud computing.  The “cloud” phenomenon is a trend of its own and quickly becoming part of the everyday businessman’s vernacular.

Cloud computing is defined as “Internet-based computing – whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand.”

Not every BI tool is made the same, unfortunately.  In fact, there seem to be more BI blunders than successes.  BeyeRESEARCH conducted a study on the ease-of-use and interface appeal in BI tools.  See the chart for their findings:

Do you use a BI tool? Do you think BI is ready – or already using – up-and-coming technological trends, such as cloud computing and complex event processing?  Share your thoughts.

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/05/the-influx-of-business-intelligence/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/insightsoftware-com-debuts-its-manufacturing-resource-planning-mrp-module-for-jd-edwards/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/insightsoftware-com-debuts-its-manufacturing-resource-planning-mrp-module-for-jd-edwards/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:48:25 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=122 InsightSoftware.com, the leading provider of business process optimization software, announced the availability of Insight’s MRP module for JD Edwards. The MRP module brings added visibility to JD Edwards’ forecast and planning data.

“With better insight to information, customers can achieve more accurate forecasts and optimal planning of material and resources,” said Glenn Wirick, Director of Consulting Services at InsightSoftware.com. “Not only do our clients see a reduction in costs, but  they gain improvements in delivery performance which leads to increased customer satisfaction.”

Insight software users control the information in their reports without having to rely on valuable IT resources. Enhancing access to relevant and meaningful MPS, MRP, DRP and CRP data puts the power of information into the hands of decision-makers. Insight’s interactive inquiries allow users to address material and capacity issues proactively, before they affect downstream processing. Understanding where inefficiencies and resource constraints occur allows for retooling of processes to increase profitability and enhance customer service.

Insight’s online inquiries enable reports to come to life. Simply click on summary level information to view the detailed data that make up a forecast, plan or bill of material. Comparisons across plants or product lines are a breeze with Insight. Pivot data to easily spot shortages and bottlenecks. Furthermore, charting and graphing functionality makes it easy to evaluate trends and understand short and long term capacity requirements. This ensures ongoing availability of material and labor resources.

To learn more about Insight’s MRP module, visit: www.InsightSoftware.com/jde/mrp.

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/insightsoftware-com-debuts-its-manufacturing-resource-planning-mrp-module-for-jd-edwards/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/the-hr-department-of-today/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/the-hr-department-of-today/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:22:42 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=106 The archetypal human resources department is strictly focused on one core function: personnel relations (hiring, firing, etc.).

But it’s not that simple.  A successful, thriving HR division is at the center of a company’s success.  Nonetheless, managing HR through JD Edwards can be a complicated equation that’s sometimes difficult to solve.

On a day-to-day basis, HR and payroll departments answer numerous questions regarding employee history.  They are searching for information regarding benefits, earnings, deductions, taxes and paid-time-off.  A majority of these questions come from employees, managers and third-party providers.  HR and payroll users need an efficient way to access and analyze the data they need to answer all these requests.

HR is highly regarded as the department that creates strategies, policies, standards, systems, and processes within most organizations, big and small.  Specifically, HR might manage the policies associated with training and development.  This is beyond what HR would usually maintain, such as recruitment, resourcing, employee relations, performance, conduct, compensation, rewards, benefits, and more.

According to the Aberdeen Group, the “best-in-class organizations with HCM reporting and analytic solutions in place achieved an 11% year-over-year improvement in profits and a 6% improvement in revenue per employee.”

To read the entire e-Book, click here.

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/04/the-hr-department-of-today/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/01/in-the-year-2010/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/01/in-the-year-2010/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:23:11 +0000 ryan.alford http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=49 It’s time, once again, to look into the future. That’s right. Let’s look to the future…all the way to the year 2010.

Are you ready?  Here are some predictions:

In an effort to further bolster its enormity, Oracle will receive EU approval to purchase Sun Microsystems. Later, Oracle will become self-aware and then try to purchase itself.

Time Warner will slip into a brutal bout with depression after realizing it really misses having AOL around. Of course, AOL will move on to become more Internet-savvy and start its own blog.

Warren Buffett will “go rogue” and purchase significant shares in several penny stocks. To further his torrent of unfamiliar behavior, Buffett will demand that the A shares of Berkshire Hathaway be split multiple times – allowing it to be more affordable to average, everyday investors.

Oracle user groups from around the nation will meet to create networking opportunities and provide training seminars. User group members who attend the events will receive some great insider info that’s crucial to their daily business activities.

First up…

The NorCal OAUG will host its eighth annual training day event, on Jan. 19, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California. The full-day conference aims to provide more than 90 presentations. And, as networking becomes the way to do real business nowadays, attendees can meet with Northern California Oracle users, consultants, vendors and Oracle employees.

For more information on NorCal OAUG, visit http://www.norcaloaug.com.

Next on the calendar…

InsightSoftware.com will host its North American User Group Meeting, March 21-23, at the Hyatt Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. Although this is a user group for InsightSoftware.com customers, it’s certainly open to all who are interested in attending.

The meeting has been expanded to two full days, with a mixture of general sessions and four “break out tracks” tailored to each customer’s experience with Insight, area of expertise and ERP system. Here’s a look at the meeting agenda: http://bit.ly/6jCFe1.

To register (and to take advantage of early-bird rates), go to http://bit.ly/67g7EQ.

Don’t forget to collaborate…

The Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and Quest International Users Group (Quest) will host COLLABORATE 10 – the technology and applications forum for the Oracle community. As an educational conference, COLLABORATE 10 helps users of the full family of Oracle business applications and database software gain greater value from their Oracle investments. Visit http://www.collaborate10.org.

Stay open for OpenWorld…

Save the date now for Oracle OpenWorld 2010, Sept. 19 – 23, in San Francisco. With thousands of sessions and hundreds of exhibits and demos, there’s no better place to learn how to optimize your existing systems, get an inside line on upcoming technology breakthroughs, and meet with the strategists and developers responsible for the products and services that help you get better results for your company. Visit http://www.oracle.com/us/openworld.

In the year 2010…

Author: ryan.alford

Ryan is the Internet Marketing Manager for InsightSoftware.com.

]]> http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2010/01/in-the-year-2010/feed/ 0 http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2009/10/business-optimization-a-brave-new-world/ http://blog.insightsoftware.com/2009/10/business-optimization-a-brave-new-world/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:00:07 +0000 andrew.deeley http://blog.insightsoftware.com/?p=22 Since their inception, ERP systems have struggled to provide accounting and finance departments with user-friendly inquiry and reporting tools. Most report writers are difficult to use, require development skills, are slow to run and don’t provide drill-down to the underlying transactional data for further analysis. What’s more, by the time you have designed, created and run the new report, the data is no longer current and the report is out of date.

Business Intelligence was invented to fill this void. Unfortunately, the very nature of most BI systems – latent data, staged data, transformed data – seems to fly in the face of fundamental accounting principles: accurate, timely and financially transparent information. The major flaw is data has to be duplicated to a data warehouse. This transfer is normally run over night; therefore, a journal entry that is posted in the WRP system can’t be seen in the reporting results until the transfer and calculation of that day’s data into the warehouse. This means that it can take as long as 24 hours for the journal to show up on a report, often rendering the financial information obsolete before it is even reviewed. Additionally, Business Intelligence systems were created to handle all types of data for forecasting and historical analysis from companies’ closed periods.  The systems are simply not designed to accommodate the requirements of a frantic month-end ad hoc inquiry and reconciliation process.

To overcome the offline limitation of BI, companies have started using home-grown Excel spreadsheets or Excel plug-in applications to pull data directly from the ERP system. This approach has the great advantage: End-users are already familiar with the applications and a solution can quickly be put in place to meet immediate needs. However, spreadsheets and data extracts of this kind are often only partially documented and come with little or no security, data integrity safeguards or version control. Because they lack the strong underlying architecture needed to be reliable in the long term, changes become increasingly difficult and eventually this solution becomes unmanageable.

More recently, a new market segment has been defined that replaces the need for using spreadsheets to produce financial reports. The segment complements traditional business intelligence by addressing its shortcomings in producing financial information. The new segment is Business Optimization.

Business Optimization combines the best aspects of both BI tools and spreadsheets. It offers the speed and simplicity of implementation and use – the familiarity of an Excel-like interface and the security and power of a full scale reporting solution. In addition, Business Optimization Solutions provide integrity checks on the ERP system, ensuring that what you report is relevant, reliable and accurate.

To learn more visit http://www.insightsoftware.com/e-books/a_better_way.

Author: andrew.deeley

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