ERP Course for SW7
Aalborg University

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, Autumn 2007

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems are software systems used to support information flow and information management in companies. They help to deal with information about orders, inventory, accounting, human resources, production, and so on. From software industry point of view, the area of ERP takes significant share on the market with demand for new skilled people to be able to consult, design, develop and deploy such systems.Therefore, it is important to understand background on such systems to help you as a software engineer work in such industry area.

The questions and further notes on the exam can be find in the syllabus.

The main goal of this course is to facilitate basic understandings of:

  • Modules of the ERP Systems
  • Functions of the ERP Systems
  • Concpets behind the modules and functions (patterns, conceptual models)
  • Planning and deploying of ERP Systems either from customer or provider point of view
  • Technology behind the systems

Mini project

The deadline for handing in miniproject is November 26 2007. Place 2 copies (one for me and one for censor) per each working group into my mailbox. The notes on the mini project will be used for further discussions at the exam.

Further notes on miniproject in relation to exam:

  1. you are examined based on the syllabus and questions published in
  2. miniproject is here to help you to understand things better and to reflect on practical experience as well
  3. mini project is voluntary
  4. it goes to censor just because there are practical aspects of knowledge you needed to acquire and can serve for further discussion on exam
  5. there are alternative ways of acquiring such knowledge, so miniproject was just to help you and is stays voluntary
  6. therefore, not handing in the miniproject will not penalize you
  7. therefore, handing in the miniproject will not guarantee you to pass
  8. the grade will be given solely on the basis of examination.

Exercises will be dedicated to a mini project. The mini project will be split into 6 labs practicing installation, deployment, customization and set up of ERP system OFBiz (Open for Business) and its modules related to the lectured topics. OFBiz is an Internet based open source ERP system customizable to different requirements of companies. The goal of the miniproject is to gain practical knowledge on how to install, customize, deploy and set up a small company case. The knowledge will be documented in a project report which will be delivered at the end of the lecturing period.

Lecturer

Peter Dolog

Visisting Graduate Research Assistant:

Klemens Schwartz, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Hagenberg.

Literature

Main:

Additional (Some chapters from):

Exam:

Exam will be a regular oral exam with the final grade according to a regular grades scale. Each course participant will be examined individually for 20 minutes. You will pick up the questions from the following list. Prepare a presentation for those. You will be allowed to bring your notes. Pictures from the slides will be printed and available at the exam. Utilize your experience from exercises in the preparation for your questions. The documentation from your mini project can serve for further questions and should summarize the results and the reflections from the exercises. Please use also the knowledge gained at the lectures for your reflections in mini project and in presentations for the questions. Topics from the lectures like workflow management systems can be used as a source for further questions in the discussion. The questions and further notes on the exam can be find in the syllabus.

Lectures:

1. September 5, 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Peter Dolog: Introduction and Course Organization, slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 1 from Mary Sumner + course overview
  • Klemens Schwartz: Open for Business ERP Technology tutorial slides in pdf, as well as handout with installing instructions
2. September 12, 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Peter Dolog: Sales and Marketing, slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 4 from Mary Sumner Demo of OFBiz Sales and Marketing functions and related modules
  • Klemens Schwartz: First Application with Open for Business ERP slides in pdf, as well as source code used in the tutorial
3. September 17 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Peter Dolog: Accounting and Finances Module
    slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 5 from Mary Sumner
  • Klemens Schwartz: Reporting in Open for Business ERP tutorial in pdf
4. September 19 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Peter Dolog: Production and Material Module
    slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 6 from Mary Sumner
  • Student Workshop on setting up a company and own business area, sales team, products
5. September 24 2007, 14:30 - 16:15 Human Resources Module
slides in pdf
Reading: Chapter 7 from Mary Sumner
6. September 26 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Supply Chain Management: Lecture slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 9 from Mary Sumner
  • Student workshop on setting up products, catalogs, sales opportunities, sales processes
7. October 1 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Reengineering: Lecture slides in pdf, Reading: Chapter 2 from Mary Sumner
  • Student workshop on setting up sales opportunities, sales processes
8. October 3 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • ERP Development: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapter 3 Mary Sumner
  • Student workshop on setting up finances and accounting
9. October 8 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Project Management: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapter 8 Mary Sumner, paper on Agile ERP.
  • Student workshop on setting up materials and production
10. October 10 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Analysis Patterns on Accountability, Inventory and Accounting: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapters 2 and Chapter 6 from Martin Fowler
  • Additional Material: Soeren Lauesen: Datalogens Introduktion til Bogholderi
  • Discussion on Mini project + Student workshop on setting up a production and using it together with the inventory
11. October 22 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Analysis Patterns on Plannig and Trading: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapters 8 and Chapter 9 from Martin Fowler
  • Student workshop on the sales enterprice process model
12. October 29 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Workflow Management Systems: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 from Wil van der Aalst and Kees van Hee: Workflow management: models, methods, and systems.
  • Student workshop on customization design for HR module in OFBiz
13. October 31 2007, 10:15 - 12:00
  • Enterprise Application Integration: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapter 3 from Alonso et al.: Web Services
    Background chapters: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 from Alonso et al.: Web Services
  • Student workshop on supply change management and how to support it by enterprice application integration
14. November 5 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Service Coordination Protocols: Lecture slides in pdf Reading: Chapter 7 from Alonso et al.: Web Services
  • Student workshop
15. November 12 2007, 14:30 - 16:15
  • Mini Project Presentation by all groups
  • Summary and Exam
  • The questions and further notes on the exam can be find in the syllabus.

Labs:

1. Duration: 3 exercises Technical Issues, Instalation, Customization of ERP System:
  • Understand the instalation process of OFBiz and technological platform it runs on
  • Install the OFBiz
  • Understand an Architecture of OFBiz
  • Understand customization strategy
  • Design your own page with own menu and different frames
  • Implement your own design in OFBiz
Links:
Open for Business Project
Downloads for OFBiz
Sourgeforge hosting for sources
2. Duration: 3 exercises Sales and Marketing Module.

Questions:
  • Analyze the sales and marketing module. Which functions does the module offer? Which data does the module manage? Please document.
  • Analyze the interfaces of the Sales and Marketing Module to other modules, Which are the modules interacting with the Sales and Marketing and how? Please document.
  • A Case to set: A company XY (name it) would like to interact with new customers through mail and phone. A company deals with products which are configurable (please design your product line). A customer will express requirements on configurations in e-mail and a sales person need to record them in the system when an offer is generated. Customer should be able to express an interest in products offered independently from an order. A company has several branches distributed geographically. It has 2 warehouses which provide parts for the configurations. Some of the parts are developed by company branches themselves, some are taken from suppliers. Company management would like to have quarterly and annual reports about how offers, orders and interests are placed, analysis of the sales team behavior and prediction on future trends. The report should be made both, in financial terms and also in resources spent or used over time.
    Please set the case in your selected system.
3. Duration: 2 exercises Accounting and Finance Module

Questions:
  • Analyze the finance and accounting module. Which functions does the module offer? Which data does the module manage? Please document.
  • Analyze the interfaces of the Finance and Accounting Module to other modules, Which are the modules which interact with the Finance and Accounting and how? Please document.
  • Continue with the case above. The customer orders from previous case are transferred to customer invoices in accounts receivable and generated to send for customers. Company also manages internal clearings between the departments to follow the costs of labor needed to configure and deliver products to customer. Therefore internal accounts receivable and payable should be set too. For internal accounts, a charge for internal services is charged, e.g. a sales department does a service to accumulate enough configurable projects for the production department. Similarly a warehouse department provide services in terms of immediate access to parts needed for a configuration. Externally, inventory and warehouse departments generate requests for updating or getting new parts which is transformed to orders and checks to creditors in accounts payable. Management requires quarterly, annual and snapshot reports about the situation with cash flow.
    Please set the case in your selected system.
4. Duration: 2 exercises Production and Material Management.
Questions:
  • Analyze the production and material management module. Which functions does the module offer? Which data does the module manage? Please document
  • Analyze the interfaces of the Production and Material Module to other modules, Which are the modules which interact with the Production and Material Module and how? Please document.
  • Continue with the case above. The company has limited resources to configure the products based on customers orders. Therefore, the system should be able to make a resource plan. Similarly, a plan for material, and parts of the products to be configured should be scheduled and planed as well. The parts and material plans consist of immediate access to them on site or a plan for the warehouses and their expenditures. Quality and quantity of parts, and configured products should be observable in the system. Quality attributes and their measurements should be configurable in the system. Number of defects either at the material, parts and the whole product level should be traced too. Management requests reports (quarterly, annual, and snapshots) about capacity, planning, and parts, and products flows.
    Please set the case in your selected system.
5. Duration: 2 exercises Human Resources.
Questions:
  • Analyze the human resource management module. Which functions does the module offer? Which data does the module manage? Please document.
  • Analyze the interfaces of the Human Resource Management Module to other modules, Which are the modules which interact with the Human Resource Management Module and how? Please document.
  • Continue with the case above. The company plans its human resources based on skills and departments. Resources are needed in any step of the companies business process. Special attention is paid on management, development and engineering people. The system should allow to maintain skills of the employees and their development plans which should be planed in line with company's goals. It should allow to manage a recruitment processes and positions control. The human resource management should be connected withe a repository of special government acts which are placed on recruitment and employment. Programs like compensations and salary payments should be available as well. Management requires quarterly and annual reports on human resource utilization and planning, annual reports on personal development plans and company plans on human resource recruitment strategies and their effectiveness.
    Please set the case in your selected system.
6. Duration: 2 exercises Supply Chain Management, Putting it all together.
Questions:
  • Analyze the Supply Chain Management module. Which functions does the module offer? Which data does the module manage? Please document.
  • Analyze the interfaces of the Supply Chain Management Module to other modules, Which are the modules which interact with the Supply Chain Management Module and how? Please document.
  • Continue with the case above. The company plans to optimize its interaction with suppliers. The system should allow to maintain and order suppliers and give benefits to those who are more beneficial for the company. The system should allow to maintain the benefits and strategies for the benefits. In addition, the system should be open to integration with other systems to optimize supply change management between companies through Internet. The management would like to see quarterly and annual reports on suppliers evolution and planning.
    Please set the case in your selected system.
  • Analyze the whole exercise set against the criteria you have set on your system selection and update the list/learn from the differences.


Last Update:
Peter Dolog
You can contact me at dolog at cs dot aau dot dk