Book Image

NetSuite for Consultants - Second Edition

By : Peter Ries
Book Image

NetSuite for Consultants - Second Edition

By: Peter Ries

Overview of this book

ERP and CRM consultants can effectively implement NetSuite for a client organization with the aid of NetSuite for Consultants, revised with the latest features and best practices for NetSuite 2023. After reading this book, you’ll have a thorough understanding of how to configure the NetSuite ecosystem for any business. You’ll learn how to apply new features such as the Manufacturing Mobile application, NetSuite budgeting features, and tools for handling rebates and trade promotions. This edition also includes expanded coverage of technical topics such as SuiteQL and the SuiteTalk REST API. Understanding what a business requires is a crucial first step toward completing any software product deployment, and this NetSuite guide will teach you how to ask meaningful questions that ascertain which features, basic and new, you will need to configure for your client. Most importantly, you’ll not only learn how to perform a NetSuite implementation; you'll also learn how to prepare clients to use the software confidently, which is the true test of a great consultant.

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Table of Contents (28 chapters)
Preface
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Get in touch
1
Section I: The NetSuite Ecosystem, including the Main Modules, Platform, and Related Features
Section I: The NetSuite Ecosystem, including the Main Modules, Platform, and Related Features
Free Chapter
2
Introduction to the NetSuite Ecosystem, Platform, and Related Features
Introduction to the NetSuite Ecosystem, Platform, and Related Features
NetSuite the company, NetSuite the product
NetSuite editions, features, accounts, and centers
NetSuite people – sales, support, and services – and partners
The NetSuite SuiteCloud platform
NetSuite’s mobile apps
Summary
Self-assessment
3
Selecting and Applying an Implementation Methodology
Selecting and Applying an Implementation Methodology
What is a methodology and why do we need one?
Selecting from the different approaches
Adapting the methodology to each client
Summary
Self-assessment
4
Creating a Project Plan
Creating a Project Plan
What goes into a project plan?
Conference room pilots, walkthroughs, and testing
Applying your methodology to the project plan
Living with the plan as changes occur
Summary
Self-assessment
5
Section II: Understanding the Client’s Organization
Section II: Understanding the Client’s Organization
6
Documenting the Organization’s Requirements
Documenting the Organization’s Requirements
Understanding the organization’s industry
Understanding the organization’s business and people
Use case – differences between a wholesale distributor and a software company
Gathering requirements and interviews
Documenting requirements
Summary
Self-assessment
7
Analyzing the Organization’s Users and Roles
Analyzing the Organization’s Users and Roles
Understanding departments, teams, managers, and users
Grouping people with roles in NetSuite
Creating and managing employees
Managing users with multiple roles
Summary
Self-assessment
8
Understanding the Organization’s Accounting and Finance
Understanding the Organization’s Accounting and Finance
Enabling features and setting up the accounting basics
Defining the general ledger and Chart of Accounts
Setting up segmentation—subsidiaries, locations, departments, and classes
Understanding the Accounts Payable feature
Understanding the Accounts Receivable feature
Use budgeting to plan and control finances
Summary
Self-assessment
9
Getting to Know the Organization’s Entities and Items
Getting to Know the Organization’s Entities and Items
Differentiating client leads, prospects, and customers
Implementing customer projects and resources
When to use contacts versus sub-customers
Managing vendors, partners, and other entity types
Identifying items and their types
When we use special-purpose items
Summary
Self-assessment
10
Identifying the Organization’s Main Transactions
Identifying the Organization’s Main Transactions
Grouping records by business process
Gathering requirements for RTR transactions
Gathering requirements for PTP transactions
Gathering requirements for OTC transactions
Analyzing the other process groups
Summary
Self-assessment
11
Section III: Implementing an Organization in NetSuite
Section III: Implementing an Organization in NetSuite
12
Custom Forms, Records, and Fields
Custom Forms, Records, and Fields
What is SuiteBuilder and when should you use it?
Customizing the entry and transaction forms
Using custom record types to store additional non-standard data
Defining custom lists and fields
Change management for all your custom objects
Summary
Self-assessment
13
Centers and Dashboards
Centers and Dashboards
Setting up native centers
Using custom centers for even greater control over the UI
Use case – setting up and using the Customer center
Setting up dashboards for groups by role
Summary
Self-assessment
14
Items and Related Lists
Items and Related Lists
Enabling item types, inventory management options, and so on
Defining the item forms and fields
Defining purchase prices and sales pricing for items
Setting up matrix item types and item options
Setting up other item types as needed
Special feature: Supply Chain Control Tower
Summary
Self-assessment
15
Customers, Vendors, Contacts, and Other Entities
Customers, Vendors, Contacts, and Other Entities
How to set up customers in the account
Do you need contacts, and should you create them?
Defining vendors for positive PTP processes
Setting up competitors, partners, and other entities
Managing projects and resources
Summary
Self-assessment
16
Financial Transactions and Period Closes
Financial Transactions and Period Closes
Setting up and using the GL
Implementing currency management
Setting up and using banking features
Using Journal Entries
Performing and managing Period Closes
Overview of NetSuite’s tax features
Summary
Self-assessment
17
Procure-to-Pay Transactions
Procure-to-Pay Transactions
Using Requisitions, Purchase Requests, and Purchase Orders
Managing Special Orders and Drop Ship Orders
Utilizing Inbound Shipments and processing Item Receipts
Planning for and using Vendor Bills
Tracking Vendor Prepayments and making Vendor Payments
Processing Vendor Returns and Vendor Credits
Summary
Self-assessment
18
Order-to-Cash Transactions
Order-to-Cash Transactions
Using Opportunities and Estimates before sales
Recording sales via Sales Orders and Cash Sales
Managing Item Fulfillments for sales, transfers, and returns
Making the most of invoices
Entering Customer Deposits and Payments
How to track Return, Credit, and Refund transactions
Summary
Self-assessment
19
Other Transactions and Custom Transactions
Other Transactions and Custom Transactions
Using Work Orders and Assembly Builds for manufacturers
Managing revenue recognition with Advanced Revenue Management
Using Cases and Issues for customer support
Creating custom transactions for special sales and purchases
Summary
Self-assessment
20
Analytics, Reports, and Data Exports
Analytics, Reports, and Data Exports
Using searches and views to find information
Creating reports for in-depth analysis
Utilizing datasets and workbooks to look even closer
Linking datasets for even more flexibility
Creating exports with SuiteAnalytics Connect
Summary
Self-assessment
21
Section IV: Managing Gaps and Integrations
Section IV: Managing Gaps and Integrations
22
Managing Gaps and Creating Custom Automations
Managing Gaps and Creating Custom Automations
Identifying gaps and needs for automation in requirements
Customizing NetSuite processes with workflows
Making NetSuite work for you with scripts
Documenting customization requirements and solutions
Managing customizations over time, including their deployments
Summary
Self-assessment
23
Managing Integrations
Managing Integrations
Talking to clients about integrations
Collecting information about and documenting integrations
Managing data coming into NetSuite
Creating custom exports from NetSuite
Summary
Self-assessment
24
Managing Data Migrations
Managing Data Migrations
Planning for the data migration process
Performing imports for data migration testing and other reasons
Planning the cut-over activities
Migrating inventory and trial balances
Performing the final data imports before going live
Summary
Self-assessment
25
Other Books You May Enjoy
Other Books You May Enjoy
26
Index
Index
Appendix: My Answers to Self-Assessments
Appendix: My Answers to Self-Assessments

Gathering requirements and interviews

In any software project, understanding the users’ requirements is a key step in the early process. However, for NetSuite implementations, we want to be careful about how we start to ask our questions and talk to users. You might think that the right approach is to start by asking the client how they do things now and then translate that into NetSuite terms and processes. But doing that can lead to a lot of unnecessary customizations if you’re not careful, and that means delays and cost overruns.

When gathering requirements, it’s always beneficial to put yourself in your client’s shoes; try to anticipate how they will receive every question you ask and everything else you tell them. If you were them and you heard the question, how might you respond? If you realize your first idea for a question is too hard to answer, you need to ask the question differently.

For instance, asking How many expense accounts...

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