The end of the year is fast approaching. The holiday hustle is on. For businesses, that means tempering the cheer with a pointed focus on closing out the business year. Here are 8 tips you can start now to ensure your JDE year end process runs smoothly, so you can escape the office and rest assured through the holidays.
1. Review your year end process.
Year end processing is, by definition, an infrequent process. Before you get caught up in the rush of trying to close your year and produce your reports, now is the perfect time to review the documentation for your process. If you have new staff on board, make sure to walk them through the process.
2. Update your year end process documentation.
“We are sure glad we never documented this process,” said No One, ever. Year end processing can be a bumpy ride if you have kept putting off documenting the steps and internal approval workflows or have neglected to document any changes. Dust off your User Productivity Kit (UPK) Developer software—it can record your JD Edwards and non-JD Edwards steps and even allow you to embed a graphical representation of your workflows.
3. Run your integrity reports.
You know, those jobs that are scheduled to run automatically but that you never get a chance to look at. There could be some serious pain lurking in the shadows just waiting to raise its head when you try to close your year. Taking care of things now will save you precious time when you are rushing to meet reporting deadlines.
4. Back up your system.
This should be a no-brainer but is too often a “DOH!” moment. Always give yourself a safe path backwards and preserve this backup copy for tax or other audit purposes.
5. Validate your configuration.
Specific GL Accounts, Automatic Accounting Instructions and Ledger Types are used by the year end process. Make sure these are properly configured before you need them.
6. Apply ESUs for 1099/W2/T4 processing.
As long as you are current on your Oracle Support and on a version covered by Premier or Extended Support, Oracle will provide any regulatory updates for year end. Corning Data can download and apply these for you if you need help. If your version is on Sustaining Support or you have cancelled your Oracle Support, we can provide JD Edwards or BI Publisher programming help to make any changes for you.
7. Fixed Asset Close
This process is really flexible. You can run the annual close program on some or all of your assets in advance. You can run the Asset Account Balance Close as many times as you need, but make sure to understand this process so you get the results you expect.
8. Line up help in advance.
Call Corning Data now before you run up against your deadlines. We can walk you through the year end process from beginning to end. Don’t procrastinate! The end of the year is a popular time for projects to go live, and thousands of other JD Edwards clients are going through the year end process, too. The availability of qualified support gets really tight.
With all this accomplished, your JD Edwards ERP should be well prepared to take on 2017. Best wishes for a happy, healthy and profitable new year
Richard Garraputa is a Corning Data enterprise software evangelist with more than 20 years experience in helping drive real business benefits from improved processes and use of technology. He helps clients grow their top line revenues, reduce costs through more efficient and effective operations and become more competitive through improved processes
