Unit4 Cloud Migration – FAQs
We know that businesses have questions about moving their Unit4 ERP system to the cloud. After talking to business for the last few months, we’ve put together a list of FAQs to help your decision making process.
We have received lots of questions from customers and Unit4 users about the finer details of a cloud migration. A great number of these questions were common across companies, regardless of size, sector, and migration readiness.
We are committed to demystifying the cloud with an aim of providing clear and concise information about Unit4 Cloud migrations. With this in the forefront of our mind, we have worked with our customers, cloud teams, and Unit4 to build a list of FAQs that will help you make the correct decision for your business.
Q. Do we need to be on the latest version?*
A. Yes. For ERP, this is currently 7.12 (correct at the time of sending).*
Q. We use an Oracle database. Do we need to migrate to SQL before a move to cloud?*
A. Yes*
Q. Do we need to convert our ARC reports to Xtra?*
A. No, but you will not be able to modify ARC reports after migrating. You can be flexible with when you convert these reports. You may want to treat this as a separate project ahead of a migration*. If the migration itself is more urgent, you could convert these after.
No, but you will not be able to modify ARC reports after migrating. You can be flexible with when you convert these reports. You may want to treat this as a separate project ahead of a migration*. If the migration itself is more urgent, you could convert these after.
Q. Will Unit4 ERP, Financials by CODA and FP&A still be supported if they are hosted by a 3rd party cloud provider?
A. No.
Q. What would cause us to need ERP ‘dedicated cloud’?
A. Certain Unit4 add-ons need the dedicated cloud option. See appendix C of the ERP7 cloud service description.
Q. Are we being forced to move to ERPx?
A. Not until ERPx “is functionally equivalent, in all material respects, to the Customer’s current ‘in use’ version of the Unit4 Product.” (See here). The move is to Unit4 ERP7 cloud which will become known as ERP Continuous Release. Please talk to us if and when you are ready to look at ERPx
Q. Will our Power BI or other 3rd party reports still work?
A. If these report directly from the database, then you will need to add the option for a replicated database. If these report via APIs, there is little impact. If you choose to migrate from using the database to using APIs, then do take a look at our Power BI Connector*.
Q. Can we view tables without the replicated database?
A. Yes. You can use a SQL viewer app, Report Studio and Custom Objects.
Q. Can we write directly to the database?
A. No. Only using approved AG16s.
Q. Can we still use database triggers and stored procedures?*
A. No. However, we can normally find other ways of achieving the same outcome. *
Q. Does this mean that my direct-to-database integrations will need to be migrated to another method?*
A. Yes. We recommend moving to API based integrations.*
Q. Can we still use the Desktop application?
A. Yes. 10 licenses for Desktop access via Citrix are provided as standard. More can be added at extra cost. We recommend Desktop users change to using Web. Please talk to us about how to support that move.*
Q. What screens/functions are and are not in Web?
A. Please see Unit4 ERP v7.12 Web.pdf
Q. Do my Browser or Report Studio reports need to be recreated using Information Browser? *
(See the exception of ARC above)
A. No. However, if your reports are due to be revisited anyway, then implementing Information Browser reports, Dashboards and Workspaces will help users move from Desktop to Web. *
Q. Is ITK and ETL available in the cloud?
A. Yes.
Q. When should I run the Cloud Migration Assessment?
A. Today!
Q. Are there any other checks that can be performed?
A. Arribatec consultants do have extra checks that can be run / extracted from your environment.
*Anything marked with an asterisk can be treated as a separate project before a cloud migration. You do not need to wait for all cloud decisions to be made or a cloud commercial agreement to be in place.
“It helped to allay some concerns I had about the move to the Unit4 cloud and gave me confidence in the plans I already had”
This is a comprehensive list of the common questions that we have received over the last few months. If you have more questions, you can speak to one of our consultants.