FAQ

Here are answers to commonly asked questions. If you have questions not answered here, please send an email to chuck@chuboe.com.

Who should attend?

The courses are designed for accounting, IT, and operations professionals. Each topic will be discussed extensively from these groups' perspectives. We will engage in many scenarios where one group makes a request, and the other groups need to discuss the impacts from all perspectives.

What industries are covered?

• Wholesale distribution
• Multi-channel commerce - including webstores like Magento and POS systems
• Manufacturing - make-to-stock and make-to-order across both discrete and process manufacturing
• Services - coordinating the buying and selling of services
• Project Accounting - covering project intensive industries like construction

What topics are covered?

There are three types of people who join the ERP Academy, (1) Operations, (2) Accounting, and (3) Technical. The content and discussions are pretty equally divided between the three. There are four main sections to the coursework page (1) Learn - covers 80% of users touch 80% of the time, (2) Configure - create your own client and configure it to your specific needs, (3) Audit - how to ensure that both the system and your users are ready for go-live, and (4) Customization - how to extend iDempiere beyond the out of the box capabilities.

This course is designed to cover all the topics needed to help you go live. The below items are just some of the topics discussed:

• Getting Started - get up and running as quickly as possible
  • Installation and hosting
  • Project planning
  • Login and Navigation
• Basics - learn and evaluate if iDempiere or ADempiere is right for your organization
  • Business Partner basics
  • Product basics
  • Service basics
  • Managing multiple entities
  • Role basices
  • Order management
  • Receiving and Invoicing
  • Material management
  • Manufacturing
  • Shipping and Invoicing
  • Payments and Allocation
  • Accounting concepts
  • Multi-currency
  • Banking
• Advanced configuration - cover the many, many configuration topics needed to set up your own client. These include Taxes, Payment Terms, etc...
• Audit and Go-live processes
  • How to ensure your configuration hard work remains accurate
  • How to stage your test and production environments
  • How to ensure the system stays in balance
  • How to perform mock go-lives
  • How to know when you are ready to go live

I want to learn how to develop in iDempiere. Is this a good course for me?

Here are some bullets that will help answer your question.

• I provide a pre-configured VirtualBox image with iDempiere and Eclipse installed and configured.
• The course is designed to help a functional team (technical, operations and accounting) learn, configure and audit open source ERP for a successful go-live. All three areas get equal attention.
• I refer to code frequently during the course. I believe being able to navigate and read the code is important.
• The course covers core technologies for extending iDempiere and ADempiere. These include Window Tab & Field, Table & Column, generating models, processes, callouts, model validators, creating plugins, etc..
• If you already know iDempiere well and you are looking to make major modifications to the core,  this course may not be the best fit for you. If you do not know iDempiere well, I highly recommend that learn the 'iDempiere way of thinking' before you start trying to make sweeping enhancements.
• Disclaimer: I am not a software developer. Instead, I am an engineer who has spent the last 10 years programming in Compiere, ADempiere and iDempiere.

Do you provide an iDempiere VirtualBox image?

Yes. The image includes both an iDempiere server/service as well a pre-configured Eclipse iDempiere development environment.

How is the course structured?

There are four core components to the class:

1. Recorded micro lessons. These are 3 to 7 minutes recordings about specific topics.  You may watch about 4 to 10 specific micro videos about a general topic to gain a good understanding about why topic exists, how you configure it, see examples in action, etc... There are hundreds of these types of videos.
2. Experimentation. Apply the information from the videos and your own ERP expereince/knowledge to create real scenarios in your open source ERP installation.
3. Live discussion. Your experimentation will create questions that only live discussions can solve. We meet 4 times per week to discuss and solve real-world ERP problems.
4. Recorded discussions. I record many of the live discussions. This enables you to go back and listen to topics again. It also enables you or your team to watch missed topics.

Can I download course materials?

You may not download videos; however, you may watch any video as many times as you wish while your membership is active. Once your membership is active, you have access to all course materials for as long as your membership is active.

When does the next class start?

I no longer publish official start dates. Most people simply join when they are ready. Click here to register and get started. Please be aware that subscription dues start the day you register.

How long should I expect to join?

• You can perform a good iDempiere or ADempiere evaluation in about two months. This includes running a sample product or service from one end of the system to the other and observing the financial results.
• You can acquire a strong understanding of how iDempiere and/or ADempiere function for your specific domain by about month four. This includes creating your own client and importing your own business partners, products and services.
• By about the sixth month, you should be able to perform a mock go-live.

If you are an aspiring integrator, you should be able to take on your first simple customer by about the sixth month. You should give yourself a year to master multiple domains. By joining the class, you gain experience from the other participants. I recommend that you work with other class members to broaden your knowledge of administration, operations, accounting, and technical configuration.

The only way to prove your understanding of the many open source ERP topics is through trial, error and demonstration. It takes time to learn. Give yourself the adequate time to absorb and experiment. These are very much hands-on sessions covering many topics and many variations.

Why use iDempiere as the reference ERP?

• The iDempiere community is active and welcoming.
• iDempiere is easy to install.
• iDempiere runs well on a small server.
• iDempiere scales to hundreds of users.
• iDempiere uses dominant and commonly available technologies.
• iDempiere features an enterprise quality accounting system.
• iDempiere supports multiple entities (sets of books) inside a single login.
• iDempiere is commonly used around the world.
• iDempiere has fixed many of the little annoying things that exist in ADempiere.
• I have worked with the core developers for years.
• I have over 13 years experience with the code base.
• I welcome all open source ERP references. I will try to integrate as many references to OpenERP as time allows.

If I use ADempiere, can I still attend?

Yes. The vast majority of the materials covered apply to both environments. About one quarter of the class uses ADempiere.

The biggest differences between the two environments include:

• Navigation - look and feel
• Development and deployment

Are the classes in-person or on-line?

On-line. All core materials are covered via recorded video or online documents. I use GoToMeeting for live discussions.

How many live discussions do you conduct per week?

I typically conduct about 5 live discussions per week. There are two types of live discussions:

1. Open discussions (x4 per week) - designed to help answer any question related to ERP and your world. Open discussions often start with people watching the videos and asking for clarification or examples. I ask that you try to submit your questions in advance when possible.  Walk-up questions are very much welcome.
2. Topic discussions (x1 per week) - The topic focused discussions are my chance to introduce and reinforce new material in an interactive way.

May I sample a class?

You may join for a single month to determine if you like the course. If you are not happy, you may cancel at any time. Your minimum commitment is only 1 month.

How do I purchase a single ERP training class?

You can attend any and all classes by purchasing the subscription. While your membership is active, you may participate in as many topics as you wish. You will need to cancel your subscription when you no longer wish to participate.

How much does the class cost?

The class is subscription based. You pay $199 USD per month to gain access to all materials and live discussions.

What questions may I ask?

I try to answer all iDempiere related questions within the scope or the subscription so long as you ask them within the forums of the class. Forums include:

1. The class mailing list - This list is by invitation only. This means that your questions and answers are not publicly available. Only members of the class can see the discussion topics.
2. Page comments section - Each pages has a comments section where you can post questions. Pages are password protected and only visible to the class participants.
3. Open discussion meetings - I hold four live open discussion meetings per week. I record all open discussion meeting for future reference.

If you wish to discuss confidential material in a private forum, my individual training rate would apply. Private forums include private meetings and email.

How do I answer questions?

I prefer to answer simple questions in the forum they were asked. For example, I will try to answer a mailing list question with a mailing list response. If the question is more complex in nature or if the answer begins with "it depends", I might reserve this topic as a discussion point for a live open discussion meeting.

Do I have to be a member of PayPal?

No. You do not need to be a member of PayPal to purchase a subscription. You may check out as a 'guest' using your credit card. I use the PayPal service to securely process credit cards and manage subscriptions. If you do not wish to use a credit card, see the below section for alternative payment options.

What is the minimum subscription length?

If you are using credit card or PayPal, then the answer is: One month. After your initial one month's payment, you may cancel at any time.

How much time should I expect to invest per week?

It depends on how familiar you are with iDempiere or ADempiere when you start the class. If you are brand new to iDempiere or ERP, you could spend as much as 15 hours per week. Some attendees already have iDempiere/ADempiere in production. Their involvement has been as low as 5 hour per week.

May I share my account with my peers?

You may share your account (login) with up to three people in your organization. This means that up to three people in your organization can view course material simultaneously.

Live discussions are limited to 1 seat per account. Space in the live discussions is limited.

If you want more than three members to join or if you want more than one seat in live discussion, I respectfully ask that you purchase more than one account/membership.

How would you describe the typical class member and where are they located?

We have an amazing diversity in the class both in terms of geographic location and professional roles. Countries include Russia, Netherlands, Germany, France, UK, Italy, US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and others. Professional roles include aspiring integrators, leads of technology and accounting, technical staff, and a mix of other interests.

What is the primary language?

English. You are welcome to communicate verbally or via text. Live discussions support both options.

How does the class give back to the community?

We want to see the iDempiere community grow and flourish. Here are the ways we contribute:

• A portion of the class revenue is donated to iDempiere (http://www.idempiere.org/sponsors). Since December of 2013 and as of December of 2015, we have donated over $5,000 USD to the iDempiere community. This is not in the form of sponsored work. Instead, this amount was given freely. My only expectation is that Carlos, Heng Sin and Thomas continue do be great stewards of the community. Their work over the last 4 years has been fantastic in my humble opinion.
• Some code written for and by the class has been donated to the community. This includes an easy-to-use iDempiere installer that configures many of the needed feature to host a production quality iDempiere instance. Here is a list of contributions.
• We support the community forum and bug tracking. Here is a list of forum topics we have contributed to. Here is a list of issues/enhancements we have contributed.
• Many of the participants are aspiring future iDempiere integrators. By helping to create a knowledgeable community of experts, more companies will achieve success faster. The spread of knowledge is critical for our success.

It is my pleasure and my honor to participate in this community. I hope to see it grow with good, honest and hard working members. Thank you for your support!

May I use a payment option other than Paypal (alternate or manual payments)?

Yes; however, please understand that Paypal makes managing accounts very easy for me. Everything is automated. If you wish to bypass Paypal, please understand and plan on the following:

• You may pay via US-based Check, EFT or Western Union.
• Send me your billing information so that I may send you an invoice.
• The first invoice will be for three months so that you may try out the academy.
• Each subsequent invoice will be for three months.
• I will include a general transaction fee to cover transfer costs.
• You may cancel at any time; however, no refunds will be issued on paid invoices.
• All payments are due the day before your previous subscription expires. Doing so prevents a disruption of service.
• Please understand the Paypal payment option is much more forgiving. You only pay for one month at a time.
• If you prepay for a year in a single invoice, you will receive a one-month discount.

How may I renew my Subscription?

You might have cancelled your previous subscription to the ERP Academy or PayPal may have interrupted your automatic payments. Be aware that once a PayPal payment profile is cancelled, you much create a new one. Here are the steps:

1. Log into the ERP Academy - NOTE: your username and password still work; however, you do not have access yet.
2. Click on the PayPal Checkout button.
3. Create a new PayPal subscription ID.
4. PayPal will return you back to the ERP Academy.
5. At this point you should have full access. Note: you might need to log out and log back in again.

Topics To Discuss

New discussion topics are driven by members. If a topic has not been discussed yet, you may recommend it at any time. I maintain a calendar of new topics to be created. This calendar is driven by the participants. Below are some example topics. You are by no means limited to this list.

Account Combination Account Element Accounting Dimensions Accounting Fact Details Accounting Processor Accounting Schema Activity Asset Asset Disposal Asset Group Asset Revaluation Index Asset Revaluation Processing Asset Split Asset Transfers Attachment Attribute Attribute Search Attribute Set Attribute Set Instance Bank Bank Statement Bank Statement Matcher Bill of Materials & Formula Budget Control Business Partner Business Partner Group Business Partner Info Calendar Year and Period Change Audit Change Notice Charge Charge Type Client Commission Commission Run Common Package Details Cost Collector Cost Element Cost Type Counter Document Country Region and City Currency Currency Rate Currency Type Customer Return Customer RMA Dashboard Content Edit Discount Schema Distribution List Distribution Network Distribution Order Distribution Run Document Sequence Document Type Dunning Dunning Run Element Entity Type Error Message Expense Invoice Expense Report Expense Type Fact Reconciliation Field Group Financial Report Forecast Form Freight Category GL Budget GL Category GL Distribution GL Fund GL Journal Import Account Import Bank Statement Import Business Partner Import Confirmations Import Currency Rate Import Freight Region Import GL Journal Import Inventory Import Invoice Import Lead Import Loader Format Import Order Import Payment Import Payroll Movement Import Price List Import Processor Import Processor Type Import Product Import Product Planning Import Report Line Set

Internal Use Inventory Inventory Move Invoice (Customer) Invoice (Vendor) Invoice Batch Invoice Payment Schedule Invoice Schedule Issue Project Issue Recommendation Issue Status Issue System Issue User Knowledge Base Knowledge Category Knowledge Source Knowledge Synonym Known Issue Language Lead Location Lot Lot Control Mail Template Manufacturing Order Manufacturing Resource Manufacturing Workflows Marketing Campaign Marketing Channel Matched Invoices Matched Purchase Orders Material Receipt Material Transactions Menu Message Model Validator Move Confirmation MRP Notice MRP Notice (all) Notice Order Source Organization Organization Type Package Package Maintenance Packages Installed PackIn - Import a package PackOut - Create a package Part Type Partner Relation Parts and BOMs Payment Payment Batch Payment Selection Payment Term Performance Benchmark Performance Color Schema Performance Goal Performance Measure Performance Measure Calculation Performance Ratio Perpetual Inventory Physical Inventory Preference Price List Price List Schema Print Color Print Font Print Form Print Format Print Label Print Paper Print Table Format Process Audit Product Product BOM Product Category Product Costs Product Planning Data

Production Production (Single Product) Project Project (Lines/Issues) Project Reporting Project Type Purchase Order Recurring Reference Report & Process Report Column Set Report Cube Report Line Set Report View Reporting Hierarchy Request Request (all) Request Category Request Group Request Processor Request Resolution Request Standard Response Request Status Request Type Requisition Resource Resource Type Return to Vendor RMA Type Role Role Data Access Rule Sales Opportunity Sales Order Sales Region Sales Rep Dashboard Sales Rep Info Sales Stage Scheduler Search Definition Serial No Control Session Audit Ship/Receipt Confirm Shipment (Customer) Shipper System System Color System Configurator Table and Column Task Tax Base Tax Category Tax Declaration Tax Definition Tax Group Tax Rate Tax Rate Parent Tax Type Template Text Index Text Index Stop Text Search Log Tree Unit of Measure UnPosted Documents Unprocessed Documents (All) User Validation Rules Vendor Details Vendor RMA View Allocation View MRP Records Warehouse & Locators Window Customization Window, Tab & Field Workflow Workflow Activities (all) Workflow Process Workflow Processor Workflow Responsible