Choosing an ERP system when you have EPDM

At some point in time many companies find themselves in need of an Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and are then faced with the daunting task of trying to select the right package. By breaking the process into steps and following some simple pointers the selection can be made a little easier.

The first step is to layout your functional specifications and business needs and then select an ERP system that best deals with all of the requirements,whether it be accounting, freight tracking, inventory management or all the above.

If you already have EPDM in place in your organization then the question of exchanging date or integrating the two systems usually comes to light so the next step is to develop a plan for data flow and usage. Some things to consider when developing the plan; where will the master records be stored (ERP or EPDM)? What data needs to be exchanged? What will trigger the exchange? Who will have access to the systems? Will EPDM users have access to both systems?

Once you have a plan in place information can be easily exchanged between the two systems in most applications using the EPDM XML (extended markup language) import/export functionality. If your requirements go beyond the mainstream needs then using the included API (application programming interface) you can develop an add-in or stand alone application to integrate the two systems together.

Choosing the right ERP software and integrating it with EPDM does require a lot of groundwork but with a carefully laid out plan members of your organization will be able to work together exchanging data efficiently and accurately.

Common ERP Vendors:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ERP_vendors

Open Source and Proprietary ERP Applications:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ERP_software_packages

** inclusion in the above list does not indicate preference from TriMech Solutions