Implementing Upgrade from B7332 to ERP8 with Minimal Consulting Help

For those clients on JDELIST:

We are currently on B7332 (no coexistence) and are planning an upgrade to ERP8. We have no modifications and a fair amount of customization. My boss has asked me to get a contact for another organization that has made a similar move without a significant investment in consulting. I realize that this goes contrary to the last thread about the value of experienced consultants on an implementation.
We are in the process of moving to SP 20 (from SP 11.3). The next step will be to upgrade the OS from V4R5 to V5R2. I'm told that the initial implementation was a painful one with a now defunct Big 5 organization. That explains the hesitancy to even apply SPs. I've included the relevant system stuff below. Please contact me offline if you are able to offer any lessons learned.

B7332 SP 11.3, ES AS/400, Central Objects on AS/400, 40 Fat, 250 Citrix - Windows NT, Forms - FormScape, Sales Tax - Vertex

Shoemaker,

the big question is how well educated (in OneWorld) are you and how good is your understanding of OneWorld's architecture.

A good understanding of the basic OneWorld architecture takes you over those humps where the upgrade documentation is wrong/missing or when one of the conversion programs puke. If you aren't comfortable (which I think you aren't) I strongly suggest you get a consultant to help you:
1. Map out the upgrade process
2. Perform the initial upgrade (usually just 1 or 2 environments are upgraded first)

FYI when we were still newbies we upgraded ourselves from B733.0 to B733.1. It was a nightmare and delayed our CRP process for 2 weeks due to a bug in Spec Merge that trashed specs. We did bring in consulting help when JDE was no help but it was too late then.

We upgraded ourselves from B733.1 to XE with no problems - but we were much wiser then and had invested in more training from JDE.

So if you don't have a CNC trained in the process I suggest you engage someone to audit your current state, explain your options and map out the upgrade process to you.

Anyone can do an upgrade . . . until something goes wrong, and JDE's upgrade process is still not perfect.

Regards,

I concur 100%.
A well thought out plan which includes testing at each phase. There are reliable consultants that can help.

You certainly don't need "consulting" from Big 5 or even from JDE for that matter - too expensive and too risky. You need to talk to someone who has done this over and over again. I could point you to some major disasters of B7332 to ERP 8.0 upgrades - because the customer thought they were "vanilla" and the upgrade process was "easy".

Let me get something out here. Installation is easy - upgrade is hard. Sure, from a business perspective its probably the other way around, but from the technology perspective, there are too many moving pieces to the upgrade process, and you need to be 100% up to date with every moving part.

I recommend a sandbox as much as possible - I also recommend concentrating on a single pathcode to upgrade and simplifying the plan to be as vanilla as possible. That is often harder than you can imagine.

My two cents worth is as follows. Yes - upgrade, you'll see some great application benefits and theres some nice technical advantages between B7332 and ERP8.0 - BUT use someone with a lot of experience and ensure you get the resource with the experience - not the company. If the company doesn't do a fixed bid upgrade, then walk away.

I will be starting our upgrade fron B7332 to ERP8 this weekend. We will be implimenting the upgrade ourselves.

My two cents: If you do plan to do the upgrade yourself, take the Upgrade course offered by JDE. You go through, hands on, at least one upgrade during the class. I found this training to be very useful, and the contacts I made very useful.

I have done installs before and they are simple compared to the considerations you have with an upgrade. (Not to mention time contraints if you don't have a sandbox to play in.)

Good Luck!

KD.
B7332, Win NT4, SQL 7
soon to be ERP8, W2K, SQL2K

Don't forget the benefit of running a multiple foundation architecture? This might be a good way to test the custom mods with a new foundation (ie service pack) before making the step up.

In the KG, check out:
OTI-02-0096
OTI-02-0097

God luck!
/Philip

How much did JDE charge for the upgrade class ?

I believe its substantially more than a fixed-bid upgrade - but I might be wrong....

shoemakert,

I've been throught the thread, and am only sorry that I hadn't come across it sooner. There have been some good suggestions, but definitely some bogus info as well. Sorry to hear about the reluctance caused by the use of Big 5 originally...not an unfamiliar circumstance I'm afraid to say.

Based on the tone of your original post, I don't hear a confidence in your taking on the project on a "solo" basis. Training and planning, as mentioned in other posts, are first and foremost and are good information.

I realize that the company probably wants to get to ERP 8.0 ASAP, but a rush job or use of "cowboys" posing as consultants will most likely leave you less than satisfied, again. A project of this level involves the whole organization, and anybody who thinks they can do this on a fixed fee basis is smokin' somethin'.

Were it me, I would have performed the O/S upgrade as a first step, followed by the SP upgrade. The project can be done on a minimal consulting basis, so long as you're willing to accept the responsibility of performing the work. Adequate planning always takes some time, but the results will be worth the effort.

I'd be happy to discuss the project no matter what the status or progress. Please drop me a private message with contact info for a more detailed follow up.

Regards, SDW

Thanks Philip,

We are using multi foundations. This is how we also test service paks.
With the upgrade, we are migrating one environment at a time, with testing
and config etc in between each.

KD







In the KG, check out:
OTI-02-0096
OTI-02-0097

God luck!
/Philip


_________________________________________________________________
Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

um

Actually - I suggested the fix bid because its EXACTLY how I charge and it GUARANTEES the upgrade is performed inside of a customers budget.

I agree entirely that the use of "cowboys" is avoidable - but without a fixed fee based on 40 or so upgrades in the past - how on earth would an hourly rate be better ?

I have performed two of the largest customised OneWorld upgrades of OneWorld on a fixed fee basis myself, it ensures that the customer is ensured that the product is upgraded at a fixed cost - eliminating yet another unknown, and ensures peace of mind in the end.

If you use someone with extensive upgrade experience, someone that specializes in upgrades and technical knowledge transfer - then an upgrade is NEVER an issue.

By the way, I certainly hope you're not referring to me as a "cowboy" - I'm not even a yank !

Shoemakert,

Here’s my $.02 worth.

1) Doing a JDE upgrade is a HUGE, expensive project. Get your whole organization involved. You will need a partnership of IT (CNC, Developers, Infrastructure), Business experts, and top management.

2) Make sure you have a realistic budget for time, money and human resources.

3) Invest in a sandbox. My company would never consider any kind of upgrade (OS, Service pack, ESU, major JDE release) without trying it out on the sandbox.

4) Don’t be afraid of using consultants. They can be very helpful in speeding along your project. I work as a CNC at one of JDE’s largest customers. We have a very well trained set of developers and CNCs. We use consultants on a regular basis to speed along our projects and transfer knowledge. As others have mentioned, not everything goes as documented. Having an experienced consultant is a huge benefit.

5) Shop around for your consultants. We use a “best of breed” approach for both software and consultants. Make sure your consultants are held accountable for getting the job done, documented and pass along the knowledge.

Gregg Larkin
North American CNC, Praxair, Inc.

XE, SP21, Update 6, Windows 2000, SQL 2000, Citrix XP, Websphere 4.0

Hey Tom=

sounds like a fun project--I am from the mindset that you can do it with a minimal consulting budget--after all, only so much can go wrong! (hehe)

plus, with a wonderful base of help that this forum gives each other for free, I bet you can get plenty of info from non-consulting folks who have been down the road and successfully finished a similar upgrade. This forum has the opportunity to rise to the occasion and help a fellow comrade!

I hope all is well with you-

David