JD Edwards Modernization: Achieving Compliance and Faster Financial Close Through Upgrade
Upgrading JD Edwards World A9.3 and IBM OS 7.1 While Preserving Corporate Consolidations
Partnered with Briteskies to execute a mandatory upgrade of their JD Edwards World system to version A9.3 and their operating system to IBM OS 7.1. The core technical challenge was ensuring the continued functionality of the client's complex financial consolidations system used for corporate reporting.
The Client
Scott Fetzer is a diversified manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of a variety of products from over 20 businesses. George Scott and Carl Fetzer founded their company as a machine shop in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914.
They were joined by Jim Kirby to produce their first major product, Kirby vacuum cleaners. The company is now owned by Berkshire-Hathaway and produces everything from encyclopedias and Ginsu knives to electrical fittings and sump pumps.
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The Goals
- Maintain the existing complex financial consolidation system
- Improve the web interface
- Improve system processing times
- Stay on JD Edwards support
Key Results
Created a
more intuitive user
experience
Reduced
system
processing
times
More efficient
and faster
close process
Minimal disruption to business
during project
Project Highlights
The Challenge
Scott Fetzer was running JD Edwards World A8.1 primarily for financials; their month-end corporate consolidations and reporting, fixed assets, and accounts payable.
In order to stay on JD Edwards support, they needed to upgrade to JD Edwards World A9.3.
The Solution
After years of working together, Scott Fetzer knew they could rely on the Briteskies team to get this upgrade done. Our team helped Scott Fetzer:
- Upgrade their JD Edwards system to version A9.3
- Upgrade their operating system to IBM OS 7.1
- Maintain their complex financial consolidations system, which was essentially a HYPERION-type process to create corporate reports, on A9.3
Key Project Benefits:
- Shorter program run time
- Faster close process
- Improved efficiencies
- Upgraded operating system (OS 7.1)
The Result
The longstanding business relationships between Briteskies and Scott Fetzer provided a solid foundation for the success of this A8.1 to A9.3 upgrade.
Like most JD Edwards customers, Scott Fetzer upgraded to stay on support. But the company, specifically its financial users, has realized additional benefits.
Before the upgrade, Scott Fetzer was using an older Seagull GUI, which didn't provide the functionality and stability of the A9.3 web interface. Users now benefit from a more intuitive browser-based GUI.
Additionally, this was an opportunity to upgrade the hardware, which has resulted in shorter program run time, making the close process faster and more efficient.
The Details - How We Did it
- Upgraded their JD Edwards system to version A9.3
- Upgraded their operating system to IBM OS 7.1
- Maintained their complex financial consolidations system, which was essentially a HYPERION-type process to create corporate reports, on A9.3