Data Integration Challenges

However, the path to leveraging ERP data in cloud analytics platforms like Databricks or Snowflake is often complicated by several prevalent issues that can hinder the realization of advanced financial analytics.

A primary obstacle is the frequent lack of comprehensive, out-of-the-box connectors within Databricks or Snowflake for a wide array of specific ERP systems, particularly for their detailed financial modules. This often necessitates custom scripting and API management, increasing the burden on IT and ERP support teams.

Additionally, financial intelligence rarely resides solely within the ERP. It typically requires a consolidated view, incorporating data from Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems like Salesforce, specialized accounting software like QuickBooks, and various proprietary databases. The disparate nature of these systems and their data models makes achieving a unified financial perspective complex.

The dynamic nature of financial markets and business operations also necessitates access to current data. FP&A teams require information that reflects the latest transactions and financial state to ensure the relevance and accuracy of their analysis. Delivering this from traditional ERP architectures to cloud platforms in near real-time poses a considerable technical challenge.

The example of a financial firm, while focused on Microsoft Fabric, illustrates a relevant principle: effectively integrating siloed financial data significantly enhances analytical capabilities and business agility. This underscores the importance of overcoming data integration hurdles.

Addressing ERP Integration with CData

Data integration solutions from providers like CData are emerging to address these challenges, offering a streamlined approach to connect ERP systems with platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake. Its capabilities include:

• Broad system connectivity: CData provides an extensive suite of connectors designed for direct, real-time access to a multitude of data sources, including a wide range of ERPs, CRMs, and accounting systems. These tools facilitate easier access to specific financial data structures required by FP&A within Databricks or Snowflake.
• Change data capture (CDC) for timeliness: CData incorporates CDC capabilities that allow changes in source systems, such as an ERP, to be efficiently identified and replicated to Databricks or Snowflake, enabling FP&A to work with up-to-date information.
• Semantic data harmonization: Beyond data movement, these solutions can aid in correlating data from diverse financial systems, enabling a more unified and coherent view for analysis within the target analytics platform.
• Emphasis on security and governance: Recognizing the sensitivity of financial information, CData’s solutions incorporate enterprise-grade security and governance features that protect data during transit and storage.
• Predictable pricing models: To assist with budget management, CData utilizes a predictable pricing structure, which can help organizations avoid unexpected costs often associated with data integration and transfer.

Technical Architecture Overview

CData solutions can be integrated into Databricks or Snowflake architectures in several ways.

Tools such as CData Sync or CData Arc are designed for replicating data from ERPs and other sources into Databricks Delta Lake or Snowflake tables. This method supports the development of centralized financial data warehouses or lakehouses optimized for analytics. Connection setup typically involves selecting the source and destination and configuring secure data transfer schedules.

For scenarios requiring direct queries to source systems without data replication, CData’s JDBC drivers enable Databricks Spark engine or Snowflake compute resources to interact with ERP data in real-time, offering flexibility for specific analytical tasks.

Finally, by addressing the data integration bottleneck, organizations can better empower their FP&A teams, potentially leading to improved insights, faster decision-making, and a more robust financial strategy.

What This Means for ERP Insiders

Enhanced operational efficiency for ERP teams. Modern integration tools like CData’s solutions significantly boost efficiency by providing pre-built, standardized connectors for numerous ERP and financial applications. This approach reduces the need for extensive, time-consuming custom coding and scripting traditionally associated with data integration projects. Consequently, ERP teams can deploy data pipelines faster, allocate resources more effectively, and reduce the ongoing maintenance burden.

Improved data utility and decision-making for FP&A. Supplying finance teams with near real-time, consolidated data from the ERP and interconnected systems is essential for high-quality financial analysis. This comprehensive and timely data allows FP&A professionals to move beyond static reporting to perform more accurate forecasting, dynamic resource allocation, proactive risk identification and mitigation, and develop more precise revenue projections, ultimately leading to more informed and agile strategic business decisions.

Upholding stringent security and compliance standards. The integration of sensitive financial data from ERP systems into analytics platforms necessitates a robust security framework. This involves implementing comprehensive security measures such as end-to-end encryption, granular access controls based on user roles and permissions, and detailed audit trails to track data access and modifications. Adherence to these protocols ensures compliance with industry regulations and mitigates risks associated with data breaches or non-compliance.

The post How Advanced Data Integration Bridges ERP Systems with Modern Analytics appeared first on ERP Today.

“In manufacturing, speed is a competitive advantage. This partnership is about collapsing the time between decision and action,” said Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of QAD. “By combining Boomi’s best-in-class integration platform with QAD’s deep manufacturing expertise and Champion AI-driven insights, we’re helping manufacturers simplify complexity and accelerate performance – starting on day one.”

The partnership reflects a broader trend across the ERP landscape: shifting from monolithic software deployments toward agile, composable ecosystems. For manufacturing companies navigating supply chain shocks, labor shortages, and rising customer expectations, integration is no longer a backend concern—it’s a front-line enabler of resilience and innovation.

The alliance introduces several key features:

• Pre-built Integrations: Standardized connections between QAD, QAD Redzone, and third-party systems reduce implementation time and complexity. These integrations span common manufacturing use cases including shop floor automation, quality control, logistics, inventory, and CRM systems.
• Embedded Boomi Connectors: These enable plug-and-play connectivity across the manufacturing stack, facilitating seamless data flow across legacy systems and cloud-native applications alike. This includes out-of-the-box support for EDI, IoT platforms, warehouse management systems, and more.
• AI-Powered Process Insights: Leveraging QAD’s Champion AI platform, integration workflows are optimized using machine learning models that provide real-time feedback on process efficiency, cost anomalies, and performance trends.

Steve Lucas, CEO of Boomi, emphasized the transformative potential of the partnership: “At Boomi, we exist to make the complex simple – and this partnership brings that mission to life. Together with QAD, we’re fusing intelligent automation with deep manufacturing know-how. The result: faster transformation, smarter operations, and real-time insights that fuel innovation across the factory floor and beyond.”

Early feedback from manufacturing leaders has been encouraging. A North American automotive supplier piloting the integrated QAD-Boomi platform saw deployment timelines cut by 40%, with early gains in order traceability and supplier collaboration. Meanwhile, a European medical device manufacturer reported a 25% reduction in manual integration maintenance and a significant boost in quality assurance cycle times.

This collaboration aims to eliminate traditional integration challenges in manufacturing, such as data silos, redundant workflows, and fragile custom code. By focusing on low-code extensibility and a unified integration layer, QAD and Boomi are setting a new standard for how manufacturers can digitize without being bogged down by complexity.

What this means for ERP Insiders

Embrace pre-built integrations for rapid deployment. The alliance’s introduction of standardized, pre-built integrations allows for quicker ERP implementations. By reducing the need for custom coding and complex configurations, manufacturing enterprises can accelerate their digital transformation journeys, leading to faster time-to-value and improved operational efficiency. ERP leaders should pressure-test their current architecture and identify areas where plug-and-play integration could reduce overhead or shrink project timelines.

Leverage AI-driven insights for process optimization. Integrating QAD’s Champion AI with Boomi’s platform provides actionable insights into manufacturing processes. ERP leaders can utilize these insights to identify bottlenecks, predict maintenance needs, and optimize workflows, resulting in enhanced productivity and reduced downtime. These capabilities are particularly valuable for companies managing complex global operations where visibility and speed can make or break competitiveness.

Utilize plug-and-play connectivity for scalability. The embedded Boomi connectors within QAD software offer scalable solutions for growing manufacturing operations. This plug-and-play connectivity ensures that as businesses expand or adapt to new technologies, their ERP systems can seamlessly integrate additional applications and services without significant overhauls. In an environment where mergers, supplier changes, and product launches are frequent, this kind of agility is no longer optional—it’s essential.

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“Enterprise software was never really built for the individual user,” Kumar says. “It was designed for roles, for groups. But digital adoption is about reversing that assumption and making software work for every person, across every application.”

Whatfix currently offers three core products: its flagship digital adoption platform (DAP), a usage analytics engine that tracks behavior across applications, and a sandboxed mirror environment for risk-free practice. But the bigger story is how Whatfix is preparing for the shift to agentic AI. As Kumar puts it, “Agents are getting smarter, but we still need human-in-the-loop design. The future is about seamless handoff between agents and users—and that means working in the same interface, on the same terms.”

According to Kumar, digital adoption is still misunderstood. “CIOs often believe one-time training or a few webinars is enough. But true adoption is ongoing. It’s embedded in the workflow, not outside of it.” He cites a global brewery and a leading retailer as examples where Whatfix enabled just-in-time, context-aware guidance that dramatically improved outcomes during ERP rollouts.

Another common blind spot? The data. “Too many teams rely on qualitative feedback and miss the power of usage data. If you don’t know what people are struggling with, you’ll never fix it.”

Whatfix helps surface those pain points with heatmaps, drop-off reports, and workflow analytics. This visibility is critical, especially as SaaS upgrades and new features arrive more frequently than ever. “Change is no longer an event. It’s continuous. And adoption has to be continuous, too.”

As ERP architectures evolve from monoliths to composable stacks, Whatfix sees an opportunity. “Every module behaves differently. Every UI is slightly off,” Kumar explains. “We act as the unifying layer across all these systems.”

Indeed, Whatfix is platform-agnostic, operating across browser, desktop, mobile, and even OS-level applications. This matters when an enterprise ERP estate includes dozens of applications and microservices. In one case, Kumar notes, “A customer had over 70 apps in their ERP stack. They needed a vendor-neutral experience layer.”

Unlike built-in tools from major ERP providers, Whatfix’s sole focus is adoption—and that translates into deeper innovation. It’s this specialization, Kumar argues, that sets Whatfix apart.

Whatfix has quietly integrated generative AI into its product, but it avoids the hype. “Text generation, image generation, even basic code suggestions—these are real, valuable uses. But the dream of agents autonomously navigating all your apps? That’s still on the horizon.”

Instead, Whatfix focuses on pragmatic enhancements: surfacing company-specific knowledge in real time, drafting user guidance, and enabling creators to design workflows faster. More than 200 customers have adopted Whatfix’s new GenAI features in the past year.

Kumar sees this as a bridge. “Eventually, agentic systems will be more autonomous. But today, users still need to know when to invoke a copilot, when to act on their own, and how to switch back and forth. We help manage that choreography.”

What this means for ERP Insiders

Prioritize adoption as a continuous discipline, not a launch event. Digital transformation leaders must move beyond “go-live” mindsets. Whatfix helps ERP teams embed training, reminders, and contextual help into the flow of work, improving change absorption across distributed teams. Customers in retail and manufacturing have used Whatfix to reduce support queries and boost process compliance during high-stakes rollouts.

Standardize UX across fragmented ERP stacks. As enterprises adopt composable ERP, they need consistency in user experience. Whatfix serves as a layer of guidance that spans SAP, Oracle, Workday, and homegrown systems—ensuring that no matter the backend, users receive the same intuitive, branded support.

Leverage behavioral data to drive real adoption gains. With built-in analytics, Whatfix reveals where users drop off, hesitate, or bypass key steps. This data enables teams to tune workflows and target improvements. One enterprise used this insight to cut onboarding time by 40% and reduce ERP-related help desk tickets by 25% in a single quarter.

The post Beyond the Interface: How Whatfix Is Redefining ERP Adoption for the AI Era appeared first on ERP Today.

Embarking on an ERP implementation can be daunting, but with the right guidance and experience, it can transform your business operations. In this webinar, we explore the critical evaluation phase of an ERP journey, addressing key questions and challenges organizations face when selecting the right vendor and systems integrator. Drawing from real customer experiences, we share practical examples, lessons learned, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

By watching, you’ll receive expert advice on mitigating the risks associated with ERP projects and making informed decisions that set your organization up for success. This is an opportunity to learn from professionals who are deeply immersed in these projects every day.

Watch this session to:

• Understand what to look for when selecting an ERP Vendor.
• Learn about the right questions to ask, and common questions that can lead you down the wrong path.
• Explore the risks associated with ERP projects, helping ensure greater success.

The post Strategies for Success while Navigating the ERP Journey appeared first on ERP Today.

The Client

Multiplex is a leading international construction contractor headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Operating in Australia, India, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, it specialises in high rise buildings, stadia, high-end residential, mixed use, education, health and civil infrastructure.

The Challenge

Having used ServiceNow for two years, Multiplex engaged Inetum UK&I to perform an independent health check of its ServiceNow implementation. The aim of the health check was to establish confidence in the technical configuration and process maturity of their ServiceNow platform. This was a key activity for Multiplex, as it was considering substantial investments in other ServiceNow solutions, such as Software Asset Management (SAM) and Event Management, as well as significant enhancements to their Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and the implementation of ServiceNow Discovery.

Multiplex also wanted the ability to identify platform configuration improvements at regular intervals to ensure its business was “on-track” and not driving towards any major issues as future ServiceNow releases were made public.

“We engaged Inetum UK&I to provide confidence that our instance of ServiceNow was steering in the right direction. Without Inetum UK&I’s health check, we would have had a lingering doubt that our platform could run into trouble at the next or any future upgrade.Inetum UK&I listened to our experiences and understood what I was looking for. The configuration review was detailed and straight forward to understand. The recommendations were sound and gave us opportunity to execute improvement activities in the way we wanted to.”

Scott Bailey

Multiplex

The Solution

Deployed over a two-week period, Inetum UK&I’s health check ran a remote scan of Multiplex’s ServiceNow instance, enabling a detailed review of the current state implementation and measured against ServiceNow best practice configuration and coding standards. Inetum UK&I provided Multiplex with:

• An assessment of configurations and customisations against best-practice standards
• A detailed report of findings with specific consideration given to scalability, manageability, performance and upgradeability of the Multiplex instance
• Recommendations to bring the instance back in line with best-practice and ensure performance-impacting issues can be swiftly resolved

The Benefits

Following the assessment, Multiplex were able to amend and reapply several configurations in line with best practice and platform performance – issues that wouldn’t have been picked up without the advice from Inetum UK&I.

Since the instance review, Multiplex have gained confidence in its ServiceNow platform and have begun launching a maturity roadmap building on the core ITSM applications – some of these projects will include an integration to Microsoft SCCM and deployment of ServiceNow Discovery, both significantly enhancing the depth and quality of the CMDB.

Multiplex’s decision-making process for its ServiceNow platform have also changed, becoming more assured with the capabilities of the platform and is confident in its ability to integrate newer technologies going forward.

For instance, performing an Instance zboot (rather than just upgrading) has allowed Multiplex to benefit from newer portal functionality within the platform. By performing a zBoot, Multiplex have been able to move away from some scoped applications which had been causing them some issues.

“I would recommend Inetum UK&I’s ServiceNow Health Check if you have not had your instance analysed for a two-year period; you have primarily supported your instance in-house using a team of administrators; or you have primarily utilised a third- party support provider and your experience has been hot and cold. The Inetum UK&I consultants are extremely professional and no nonsense. I feel a valuable relationship and trusted partnership growing between our organisations.”

Scott Bailey

Multiplex

Why Inetum UK&I

Inetum UK&I’s Health Check is performed independently, with no obligation or reliance on other projects or support activities. The benefits of the Health Check include an honest assessment of internal administration and configuration, and a fresh review of any third-party configurations or development. The outputs of the investigation range from customer to customer and have resulted in significant cost savings for some customers, with increased confidence in their ServiceNow platforms.

Multiplex is a leading international construction contractor headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Operating in Australia, India, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, it specialises in high rise buildings, stadia, high-end residential, mixed use, education, health and civil infrastructure.

The post Multiplex gains confidence in the ServiceNow Platform following health check with Inetum UK&I appeared first on ERP Today.

The Client

Companies House is an executive agency of the UK government, sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The organisation incorporates, and dissolves limited companies, as well as registering company information and making it available to the public.

There are currently more than 3.5m limited companies registered in the UK, with 500,000 new companies incorporated each year. To manage this, Companies House employs around 1,000 people in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast and London.

The Challenge

Companies House needed help from Inetum UK&I to apply the control of ITSM with the flexibility of DevOps to their Change and Problem processes by integrating Jira with ServiceNow. Jira is used to storyboard development iterations and track bugs, as well as managing daily development reports and tasks.

Inetum UK&I was brought in specifically to implement a new, best-practice REST integration between ServiceNow and Jira. The integration enables ServiceNow to automate the management of work queues in Jira and was necessary due to a need for more effective problem and change management tracking.

Although complex, Jira is a popular platform with developers. Companies House attempted the integration internally but ran into issues owing to a deprecated integration method (SOAP) and a recent version release from Atlassian. Companies House had worked with other ServiceNow partners before approaching Inetum UK&I.

“We engaged with Inetum UK&I to help us with our Jira and ServiceNow integration. By doing so, we have seen significantly improved communications and efficiency between our business and development teams.”

Leanne Peters

Companies House

The Solution

The integration proceeded with the following key implementations:

• With Jira to better align development teams with other teams within the business to become more streamlined, more unified and more efficient.
• A transaction table to track both inbound and outbound updates. This makes it easier to monitor updates and re-process tickets in Jira.
• Dynamic field mapping which enables the client to apply future updates without code changes. This gives them the tools to run without needing third-party expertise in the future.
• All functionality configured within ServiceNow with no Jira updates needed. All updates automatically go from Jira into ServiceNow. This removes the need for Jira development experts and, with all information now stored in one place, it means it can be managed by one team instead of two.

The Benefits

The project was completed in 10 working days and provided the following key benefits to the client:

• Time saved by the business teams who now no longer need to manually update Jira as ServiceNow represents a single point of management. Previously, tickets had to be raised manually on Jira.
• Improved efficiency and communication between business and development teams due to mirrored updates between Jira and ServiceNow.
• Reduced reliance on Jira development experts.
• On-going ability to apply future updates without third-party help.

“Inetum UK&I listened to and fully understood the business challenges we were facing. The integration they performed, between ServiceNow and Jira, was completed in 10 days and has saved our internal teams valuable time. The Inetum UK&I consultants are very professional. The integration they performed between ServiceNow and Jira means we are seeing increased business efficiencies. I feel a valuable relationship and trusted partnership growing between our organisations.”

Leanne Peters

Companies House

Why Inetum UK&I

Inetum UK&I delivers best practice implementations that solve our clients’ problems now and into the future. We focus on data-driven mappings rather than hard coding, giving clients the ongoing ability to run on their own, and improve DevOps practices, without needing additional help from specialists.

The post Companies House increases collaboration and developer efficiency by integrating ServiceNow and Jira with Inetum UK&I appeared first on ERP Today.

Training every functional employee to use SAP or finding temporary workers with SAP experience can be difficult and expensive. Automate Studio eliminates this challenge by enabling business users to run and manage SAP ERP tasks simply and securely from Excel. Once a script is created, it can be deployed to specific users, departments, or groups who can execute them from within Excel. Because Automate Studio adheres to all SAP security, user, and business rules, you can rest assured that no unauthorized activities will happen in your SAP system. Finally, Automate Studio helps minimize the impact of mass SAP data queries on system performance by limiting who, when, and how much data users can extract.

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“When we started CloudPaths in 2017, we had a vision and dream to serve our customers well,” said Jay Paramasivam, Chief Revenue Officer and KV Subramaniam, Chief Operating Officer of CloudPaths. “The recognition for a second year and being named #533 on the 2024 Inc 5000 list is a true honor.”

The Inc. 5000 class of 2024 represents companies that have driven rapid revenue growth while navigating inflationary pressure, the rising costs of capital, and seemingly intractable hiring challenges. Among this year’s top 500 companies, the average median three-year revenue growth rate is 1,637 percent. In all, this year’s Inc. 5000 companies have added 874,458 jobs to the economy over the past three years.

“Expert implementation of technology solutions that streamline businesses is what our team at CloudPaths strives for in our customer engagements,” said Tushar Bhalla, Chief Technology Officer of CloudPaths. “Cloud based SaaS solutions that are well implemented are the game changers and CloudPaths delivers these every day for our customers.”

For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, go to www.inc.com/inc5000. All 5000 companies are featured on Inc.com starting Tuesday, August 13, and the top 500 appear in the new issue of Inc. magazine, available on newsstands beginning Tuesday, August 20.

“One of the greatest joys of my job is going through the Inc. 5000 list,” says Mike Hofman, who recently joined Inc. as editor-in-chief. “To see all of the intriguing and surprising ways that companies are transforming sectors, from health care and AI to apparel and pet food, is fascinating for me as a journalist and storyteller. Congratulations to this year’s honorees, as well, for growing their businesses fast despite the economic disruption we all faced over the past three years, from supply chain woes to inflation to changes in the workforce.”

About CloudPaths

CloudPaths provides cloud applications expertise and services to transform and optimize enterprises. Headquartered in Newark, CA, with regional offices across the globe, CloudPaths has rapidly become the SaaS partner of choice for fast growing enterprises. For more details, please visit www.cloudpaths.com.

Contact

Jimmé Peters
503.816.0500
jimme@cloudpaths.com
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award- winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion on this and other prestigious Inc. lists, such as Female Founders and Power Partners, gives the founders of top businesses the opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala, to be held from October 16 to 18 in Palm Desert, California, please visit http://conference.inc.com/.

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