idempiere for small service business?

[fullmo...@gmail.com]

HI, I'm interested in ERP software for a small service business.  Financials and project management is what I'm most interested in, and I really want a community based open source software.  By small I mean there are 3 of us.

One of the things I look for is an active forum.  I'm looking at Tryton, Openbravo, and idempiere.  Openbravo looks great but I'm worried that I'll get all tangled up in it only to find that I have to start paying large sums for modules I need, or I won't be able to update with the community version, etc.  Same with OpenERP.  So I'm looking at Tryton and idempiere, but they both seem kind of impenetrable.  Like with idempiere I click on the users manual, but it's really not there (unless I'm missing something).  Not even instructions for installing in Linux.  Is this really the wrong place for what I'm looking for?  Am I missing something obvious?

I would appreciate any advice from those of you that kind of have some knowledge of the ERP world for the really small business.  I just keep going round & round & never can seem to find something that looks like it would work well for my situation.

[edwin ang]

Hi fullmoonguru,

First of all, you can be sure idempiere is fully open source. You either have to spend:
1. training fee on the consultants
2. time to learn the software

It is surely currently lacking of documentation because idempiere is surely very technical right now. But if you are an end user, you can start using Adempiere manual. If you achneed some help you can ask it here in the mailing list. Surely the quickest way is paying someone to teach you. But you definitely can use it free of charge, just have to invest you time here :)

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iDempiere" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to idempiere+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

-- 
Best Regards,

Edwin Ang 
Development | PT. Ambidexter Teknologi
Palmerah Utara III No 9, Palmerah, Jakarta Barat, Indonesia 11480
Phone: +62 (021) 533 1758
Mobile +62 819 3131 0593
Email edwi...@ambidexter-consulting.com

[Hiep Lq]

idempiere is fork from adempiere. because you also document of adempiere for idempiere

my sugest link.
overview about idempiere
http://red1.org/adempiere/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1482

setup idempiere
http://www.globalqss.com/wiki/index.php/IDempiere

many document. user guide, developer guide and other for adempiere and aply for idempiere
http://www.adempiere.com/ADempiere_ERP

[a platypus]

Hi Skye and all.

I am sure we are all having fun.  I too am looking for a "Small Business" approach set-up to ERP.  I expect everyone has to come to his or her own decision about tools.  I spent quite some time looking for 'business software' I can recommend to others; specifically non-technical people who want software that won't send them bankrupt at start-up(!) with upgrades, options and fees.  Some time back I set out on that quest with the idea of helping Open Source based businesses implement good business processes and 'business standards' or practice.

My evaluations kind of fell on the wayside because none too many alternatives met the grade as far as a robust reliable 'accounting' program goes for me.  I'm not saying those packages you mention don't do the basics, it is just that they didn't fit the kinds of start-up, NPO, NGO and small business model we were targeting.  Most of them 'need' a lot of work to get off the ground.  I don't mind going into specifics if anyone has questions.  Bearing in mind that would just be my opinion, etc.  I can make informed comparison between 'good enough' packages, Enterprise ERP software, Navision, MYOB and some other alternatives.  

That said, my quest was accelerated by need recently because I want to set-up a somewhat decent database to handle pays and invoicing for a side-project.  When I updated my list, none of them seemed satisfactory.  Then I found out about iDempiere after deciding that Adempiere would be a stable enough.  I have some personal technical criteria that won't matter to others.  I insist on PostgreSQL, prefer Java, want cloud connectivity (webUI) option, multi-lingual, multiuser -- For business (process) reasons.

I prefer the iDempiere configuration because it has moved to an OSGi model.  From what I've seen of the database I wouldn't recommend it for organisations over 500 people; the database is apt to be slow and the UI frustrating.  I think for medium sized businesses it is a hit. Provided ... there's adequate User documentation and Admin Setup documentation away from of the lab and into real businesses.  

As I understand things today, one needs to do that "extra work" to self-learn how to do these things.  Something I'm making progress on one-day a week.  Otherwise, and I'm looking for collaborators (too), find a stable user close by (geographically) or in a similar business remotely and tap them for the HOW-TO questions.  I think there's an opportunity to establish a "Community of Practice" for small organisations to help each other get up and running.

On a more advanced level, 'businesses' need a ERP consultant to assist them to get going.  That relies on you having money to pay folk to undertake business analysis and implement solutions using iDempiere.  That can be inexpensive if your specific business model matches the 'basic' assumptions -- After that is is about $/hours and your time.  I think that's smart for people in businesses of a certain size or moving into that business layer.

At the same time; I am interesting in hearing from folk wanting to set-up a kind of shrink-wrap FOSS small business data model and iDempiere set-up library.  I reckon something might need to begin with "us".  

I also want to ask 'all' if  there is a iDempiere business group on google (bespoke: iDempiere Community of Practice)??  I believe we'd need a core database and config.  Specific systems can be moulded 'from' the core data model.

Specific to your question Skye -- perhaps you can modify the GardenWorld example database to resemble your business?!  I have no answer on that as yet.  For now, I'm reviewing a clean set-up and wondering how much I can change "garden world". 

In summary, I'm looking for others wanting to set-up small business.  Ready to offer and ask suggestions / questions respectively.

Aloha,

  Will

=================================

On Tuesday, 5 March 2013 13:49:54 UTC+11, Skye Dunning wrote:

HI, I'm interested in ERP software for a small service business.  Financials and project management is what I'm most interested in, and I really want a community based open source software.  By small I mean there are 3 of us.

...

[xolali]

Hi All,

Lovely discussion here. I've been thinking lately that as the forums are getting larger there is the need to have more focused groups as we have in Adempiere. But to add to what has been said earlier. iDempiere is a continuation of work done on ADempiere so all the extensive documentation at http://www.adempiere.com/ADempiere_ERP will do you a whole lot of good.

If you go to the sourceforge forums, there is a whole lot you can learn by digging into the various forums. Also there are two books published for ADempiere that you can pick up and learn from. For functional implementation simply pick up ADempiere 3.4 ERP Solutions by Bayu Cahya Pamungkas, It will get you up and running about the business angle of things. But you'll still have to read the iDempiere specific installation documentation and new features documentation.

I've been working ADempiere for years and now iDempiere, its a good solid and very flexible platform that will grow with your organisational needs because of the underlining platform. There is a whole lot of things in there that you still discover after years in implementation. Remember the base architecture and code came from an oracle ERP guru and veteran and was not intended to be opensource from the start.

As to scalability, my implementation has 1,010 log in users who work on the system and an oracle database.

My system is not slow and we are adding other modules as we automate manual processes.

I can assure you you can scale as your needs grow but you need to invest the time to learn the ropes in the community forums and documentation or enlist the help of a specialist.

Am sure if you start a sub group here for business process related issues a lot of people with contribute.

Tony

[a platypus]

Hi again,

I found these 'How To' blog posts of Adempiere.  Looks very straightforward and easy to read.

• http://www.dijexi.com/002-initial-client-setup/
  

A "Well done!" for Akhmad Daniel Sembiring Thanks Akmad.

Hope that helps others get going.

w.

On Tuesday, 5 March 2013 13:49:54 UTC+11, Skye Dunning wrote: