“It’s hard to make things look easy” … this adage rings especially true for database reporting analysts. We all enjoy those clean, one-page performance reports with a concise data table next to a colorful pie chart. Well, those “simple” reports often come from weeks and months of meticulous data-filtering and report-writing.
With JustFoodERP, you have the ability to generate reports that show your business from numerous angles, but you’ll have to think ahead. Proper planning from implementation to go-live and beyond will ensure that you can quickly extract financial statements, output useful KPIs, and produce segmented charts on the fly.
The following are a few planning tips you can implement today that will lead to great reporting tomorrow
1. Get your team members “in the know”
You’ve given end users specific data fields to populate when they process transactions, but are they seeing the output from their hard work?
Expose them to the reports you create from the data they input. This will increase the understanding of their role in the bigger picture and lead to better data entry. For example, showing warehouse counters the daily inventory adjustment report will prompt them to identify shrinkage issues. Share the daily receivables flow with your customer deductions clerk; he/she will become more vigilant when validating specific reasons for deductions.
Take time to regularly review reports with the people who input the data. . You will see notable increases in data accuracy and receive valuable input from the employees on the front line. Remember, feedback drives performance improvement.
2. Report as if you will divest
Your company may stay with the same ownership forever, but you can still benefit from asking yourself questions that an acquiring firm might ask. What is your most profitable business segment? Which product category incurs the highest percentage rebates and allowances? Where is the manufacturing facility with the lowest ratio of overhead-to-materials cost?
Design your databases and reports with these questions in mind. This technique will expand your reporting capabilities, and you’ll have answers to these questions if they ever arise.
3. Use dimensions
JustFoodERP has the ability to post transactions according to dimensions associated with specific criteria (e.g. product category, location, distribution channel). These dimensions can work alongside posting groups to further segment reports. This is a huge boon for reporting.
During implementation, think of the most important three or four distinguishing factors to your business; these may include categories like brand, sales region, or warehouse. Then, assign the categories to specific items, customers, and manufacturing facilities.
These dimensions will permeate through all transactions and allow you run segmented financial reports, such as a P&L for a specific trade channel or an inventory valuation for a specific brand.
4. Know your tools
There are largely three types of reports that determine which reporting tool to use.
The first are the “concrete reports” like your financial statements. These reports do not get customized very often, so take the time to program them into MS NAV’s “Account Schedules”. This will allow you to run very consistent reports at regular intervals and easily filter by dimensions. Account Schedules are designed and run from within NAV.
The second type is “drill-down reports”. These are a favorite of supervisors who like to see the 30,000-foot view and then drill down into the item or location detail. Tools like Microsoft PowerBI are perfect for this type of report because the pivot-table platform easily allows for drilling down and offers report users a familiar Excel-based platform. Plus, the data will be consistent across numerous reports because the back-end links are the same for every user.
Finally, there are the “Custom Reports”; these are for the person who needs to see how many items that start with the letter “g” sell out of Texas warehouses on the average Tuesday. Reports of this type are best done with direct ODBC connection to the JustFoodERP tables through programs like Microsoft Access. This allows you to specify tables and links from which to extract data. Be careful with Custom Reports; they are not only time-consuming, but there may also be inconsistencies and room for error.
5. Revisit old data
Ever wish you had a time machine? In many situations, it makes sense to retroactively add or change reason codes and product categories in order to expand your reporting capabilities. In these situations, you should recruit a capable data entry clerk who is willing to dedicate days or even weeks to the project.
Sometimes it’s as easy as manually filling in a blank category in a data table. In other cases, the field is very large, so data migration out of NAV allows you to filter the data in Excel and then migrate the table back into NAV. If the scope of the project looks a little too daunting, such as adding or changing a dimension, call your JustFoodERP account representative to see if he/she has a solution.
Ready for a specialized food ERP? Learn more about Aptean Food & Beverage ERP JustFood Edition — a solution purpose-built to solve your challenges and propel your food business and digital transformation to the next level.
