SYSPRO announcements

SYSPRO recently made some performance improvements and new release announcements for Service Pack 3.

I suspect that developers controlled the news release, because they were not clued up enough to consider announcing these while SAP’s SAPPHIRE was on – ie, do some ambush marketing.

SP3 enhancements

Toolbars, menus and forms – lots of easy customisation given more functionality and made even easier
SYSPRO Workflow Services – a platform based on the Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation, will include:

in-process workflow host engine,
a designer,
workflow controls,
code editor,
persistence and tracking of workflow processes,
rules engine,
notification services,
will also be web-service enabled.

Inventory optimisation enhancements
More warehouse management functionality, including automated control and orchestration of warehouse tasks
Manufacturing unit of measure
Real-time General Ledger
SYSPRO executive dashboards using Xcelsius 2008 (so paying SAP/Business Objects)
Quality Management System – will enable product quality control by allowing the configuration of multiple measurement metrics as well as inspection points per inventory item
Actual cost tracking – required by companies that use materials which have large cost fluctuations over a period of time

Performance testing

SYSPRO’s performance testing was done using HP’s LoadRunner. This puts SYSPRO up with the majors in terms of large-scale deployment capability.

Hardware specs
Dell Power Edge R900
- 4x Intel 6 Core processors (2.6GHz) = 24 Processors
- 64GB RAM
- Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition x64
- SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition x64
- 1Gbps network connection

What was tested
Total Number of Users: 510
- 125 Users: Sales Order Entry
- 60 Users: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable
- 325 Users: Inventory movements

Test results (transactions per hour)
Sales Orders:               1133 (average of 39 lines per order)
Inventory movements: 4387
Invoices (AP, AR):         1593

The lean approach applied to information

An article in the Manufacturer.com discusses how the lean approach used in manufacturing can be applied to information.

The article starts off by pointing out how companies have invested in expensive systems,

only to discover that getting the information they want exactly when and where they want it actually becomes a barrier in process improvement initiatives.

It lists some points that information system must meet in order to be called ‘lean’.

1. Accessible
2. Available
3. Timely
4. Pertinent
5. Concise
6. Complete
7. Legible
8. Accurate
9. Consistent in access method/path; in presentation form and terminology

We are going to see how we can apply these points in a new project.

SAP’s Social Media Guidelines

SAP have done a very interesting job of publishing guidelines for its employees when using social media, like blogs, Twitter, Facebook – SAP Social Media Guidelines 2009.

There are some very good points that anyone using social media should adher to:

- Write in the first person
- Identify yourself
- Be Honest
- Be Respectful
- Separate Opinions from Facts
- Add Value
- Be Engaged and Be Informed
- Aim for Quality, not Quantity
- Don’t Pick Fights
- Protect Your Privacy

Update: I have been alerted to Intel’s Social Media Guidelines as well, which has some sensible Rules of Engagement:

- Transparency
- Be aware of legal issues
- Write what you know
- Be careful how you are perceived
- Value add
- Responsibility