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We are working on an external tool to analyse business processes supported by IFS Applications. Can someone help me with the typical names of data tables in IFS for the Order-to-Cash and Production planning Process?

Hi! 

Order-to-Cash and Production planning Process are two very big processes. To be able to help with the table names I think it would be necessary for you to tell what views you are interested in and what data you need from those views. Is it possible for you to access Ifs and mention a few of the views you need data from? 

Hi Eljo,

 

Thank you very much for your answer!
Let me provide a brief overview of our (process mining) initiative.

At its core, process mining revolves around analyzing end-to-end processes and requires detailed event logs that capture the sequence of activities. From the IFS system, we primarily need tables that contain:

  1. Event Data: These record each instance of a specific activity, like order creation, product shipment, or invoice generation.
  2. Timestamps: Each event should have a timestamp indicating when it occurred. This allows us to reconstruct the chronological order of events.
  3. Case ID: To distinguish between individual processes, like different purchase orders, we need a unique identifier for each instance or case.
  4. Additional Attributes: Depending on the specific process we're analyzing, other attributes like user, department, or location can also be useful.

As an example for the Purchase To Pay process, here are specific tables we're collecting:

Table Names

Description

HISTORY_LOG

Contains Change Transactions with user name and time stamp.

HISTORY_LOG_ATTRIBUTE

Contains Change Transaction details on table / field level.

IDENTITY_INVOICE_INFO

Contains Supplier's Invoice Informations.

PART_CATALOG

Contains Catalog information (material number, description, default unit, etc.)

PAYMENT_PLAN

Contains Payment Date information for each invoice (Due Date, Payment Date, State).

PAYMENT_TERM

Contains Information about each individual Payment term.

PURCHASE_ORDER

Contains Purchase Order Header Information.

PURCHASE_ORDER_APPROVAL

Contains Purchase Order Header approvals.

PURCHASE_ORDER_HIST

Contains Purchase Order Header history, statuses, delivery information, etc.

PURCHASE_ORDER_INVOICE

Contains Invoice details created for Purchase Orders.

PURCHASE_ORDER_LINE

Contains Purchase Order Line Item Information.

PURCHASE_ORDER_LINE_HIST

Contains Purchase Order Line Item history, statuses, delivery information, etc.

PURCHASE_RECEIPT

Contains Purchase Receipt information to map arrived goods.

PURCHASE_REQ_LINE_ALL

Contains Purchase Requisition Line information.

PURCH_REQ_LINE_APPROVAL

Contains Approval information for Purchase Requisition Line Items.

SITE_COMPANY_LOV

Contains Site Information (name).

SUPPLIER_INFO_GENERAL

Contains Supplier Information. (Name, Country, etc.)

Once we have the appropriate tables from the IFS system, we then transform and sequence the data to create a process model. This model visualizes the flow of activities, enabling us to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for optimization.

My initial question referred to identifying the tables of similar function for the above mentioned processes (Order-to-Cash, Production Planning). I hope the above description clarified it.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring we can identify the necessary tables to make our  initiative successful!

Hi Csaba,
 

that sounds like a very sophisticated task you are going to solve.

We come the other way around and ask about measures, KPIs if you want, dimensions and fact tables creating a model within a BI Server aka MS SQL Server DataWareHouse database.

We don’t ask WHEN the record (e.g. PURCHASE_ORDER_LINE_TAB) is created because we ask for example: “Which supplier as the best quality (in- our ontime shipments) which the worst?”.

But I can easily see the opportunity in your way of “asking”.
When is the PURCHASE_ORDER_TAB “header” created?
How long does it take to create the first record PURCHASE_ORDER_LINE_TAB. (POL)
How long to create them all?
Which persons are very quick, which are slower and can perhaps learn from the best!
 

We have a measure which can be of importance for you:
How many peoples are working in th purchase department to what amount of costs?

Then count the number of POL-records. Voila! you get the “cost of one created POL” 
(All costs a year / number of created records in one year).

In the purchase area you don’t have that many possibilities but imagine OrderQuotationLines in the sales area. Each Quotation, each OQL costs - say - 50 cents.
 

As decision supporters we often recommend not (!) to offer to specific “customers”. :-)

If you need help looking deeper into the datastructure of a e.g. purchase model just give me a private message.

Looking forward to learn more from you and your project!

 

Cu

Michael

 

 

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