Users of ERP technology know that collaboration and education go hand-in-hand when it comes to the enhancement of business processes. Thus, to help vendors meet with their customers face-to-face and share tips and advice, the Ascend 2024 conference was held in Las Vegas for all Oracle users earlier this summer.
Presented by the Oracle Applications and Technology Users Group (OATUG) and Oracle HCM Users Group (OHUG), Ascend is an annual Oracle user community event that unites functional users, IT professionals and experts for “frank discussion and practical education”, according to organizers.
Among the speakers was More4apps, a provider of alternative Excel data-loading solutions for Oracle E-Business Suite and Fusion Cloud. Sitting down with Dennis Elsenpeter, sales manager at More4apps, ERP Today discussed the key takeaways from the conference and what users are most excited about.
Data as the central point of discussion
In today’s fast-paced economy, data integrity can be a crucial step in ensuring efficiency and stability in operations. Therefore, as Elsenpeter explained, the majority of conversations at Ascend surrounded the question of mass creating and uploading data in users’ Oracle ERP systems. Specifically, users shared that the primary challenge that IT teams face is not having enough time and resources to manually manage data, be it in E-Business Suite or Oracle Fusion Cloud.
This is why More4apps has developed two primary products: EBS Toolbox and ERP Cloud Toolbox. Both solutions are designed to seamlessly integrate with Oracle and Excel, “allowing users to extract, upload and manipulate data directly from the familiar Excel interface”, helping to reduce the risk of errors and save valuable time for IT teams.
But how can you be sure that the solution is right for you without trying it out? To answer that question, at Ascend, More4apps organized a self-guided product tour that allowed attendees to “get a little taste” of the product and not just watch a demo, but physically download data on the spot and test the company’s solution in Excel.
There, they could “move the columns around, upload the data and see the list of values that automatically comes into the spreadsheet, based on the done development”, Elsenpeter described. Additionally, the tour offered advanced validation that highlighted errors in the spreadsheet which could be corrected on the spot.
The cloud curiosity
While the conversation at the conference primarily focused on Oracle EBS solutions, Elsenpeter shared that there was a seemingly growing interest in cloud. This is not surprising, considering the prevalence and latest updates in the world of cloud technology, especially amplified with the emergence of GenAI and automation.
For users, maintaining their data integrity, even when moving to Oracle Fusion Cloud, is therefore an increasingly popular topic. As explained by Elsenpeter, during digital transformation, it is ideal for companies to cleanse the data first before moving it over to cloud, which is why using the More4apps tool to clean up the data in Oracle EBS can be helpful in that journey.
Spotting this growing trend, More4apps is one vendor that has reportedly updated its pricing to a subscription model. For Elsenpeter, it’s a win-win: “Now, if you’re on E-Business Suite and you [are subscribed to] Data Tools, it’s easy to shift those [subscription] ‘dollars’ over to the [Fusion Cloud] solution.
“So, [clients aren’t] really buying anything new. We’re just finding a nice way for them to take those dollars from this bucket and put them over in this bucket. It’s still a data entry bucket, just for a different ERP.”
Another offering worth mentioning here is More4apps’ data management solutions specifically for Oracle Fusion Cloud. Streamlining the experience for organizations that have already utilized More4apps in their Oracle EBS management and wish to move to a cloud ERP system, More4apps ERP Cloud Toolbox caters to Finance, Procurement, Product Definition and Projects modules.
Securing connections to streamline customers’ ERP experience
As More4apps’ experience at the Ascend conference shows, the ongoing collaboration and networking between vendors and customers can be crucial in finding the right solution for your ERP goals.
In the case of data integrity management, it is clear that organizations can utilize toolboxes like the ones offered by More4apps to streamline their Oracle experience, avoiding unnecessary complexities and maintaining clean data. With the solutions tailored to both Oracle EBS and Oracle Fusion Cloud, customers can scale their ambitions in deciding whether to undergo the digital transformation or not.
