EPM Upgrade Pitfalls
Avoid the common traps associated with an EPM upgrade
Posted on 1/28/2007 (originally published in print on 3/1/2004)
by Andrew Spidle
With the release of PeopleSoft's EPM version 8.8, there was the usual excitement around new and improved functionality. This time PeopleSoft had an additional goal, not explicitly stated for EPM, but nevertheless an underlying theme of an easier upgrade. Based on my recent eleven week race to production, it appears that PeopleSoft has delivered. With two major EPM upgrades and several minor tools releases under my belt, I hope my lessons learned can help you avoid the pitfalls of the upgrade process.
Every good project begins with a good plan. Upgrading EPM is no different. It is important to establish and review all the necessary steps for the upgrade with the project team. A detailed, well-defined plan is a must. This is just good project management, which I cannot emphasize enough. Good project management has led to success or prevented disastrous results many times for me. The specific methodology is not necessarily important. Structure, communication and understanding are the keys to making the process move smoothly. Now, let me jump off my soapbox and get down to business.
After planning has taken place, it is time to start the process. So let's break out those shiny CDs and execute those scripts. Wait a minute not so fast; those scripts are for vanilla only. Are there any customizations that have been added? PeopleSoft strives to make the upgrade scripts bulletproof and comprehensive. However, the developers cannot anticipate every situation or convolution a customer faces. Thoroughly understanding one's current environment is key to avoiding the customization pitfall.
Customizations are a necessary part of any application supporting today's enterprise. A data warehouse, such as EPM, is no exception. The important factor is how the customizations were applied. Adequate documentation and naming standards contribute to easily identifying specific customizations. PeopleSoft suggests a Z_ naming preface to modified and custom objects. This approach works well. The compare reports pop out all the differences where customizations exist. However, then a decision exists of whether or not to keep each customization. What will you do? This is obviously a decision based on functionality and many cost-benefit analyses.
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