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What are the benefits of OpenERP’s modularity for the University of Namur?

François DegravePhD in Computer Science

Responsible for software architecture

www.unamur.be

Context

● Finance: Software developed internally (80's)– Last major changes in 1992

• Outdated technology, servers, architecture...

● Education: developed internally in 1999● Plans for a merger of universities in 2008

– Freeze of any new development !– Common projects with the other partners

● The merger failed in Dec. 2010● Catch up on lost time !

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Requirements

● More integrated approach● More participation of users● Larger an extensible functional scope

– Accounting, purchases, sales, budgets– Education management– ...

● Short delay : – 01/01/2013 for finance

– 2013/2014 academic year for education

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Why OpenERP?

● FOSS philosophy– Control over our data– Advanced adaptations for specific usages

● Major actor in open source ERP software● Belgian editor● Many active partners

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Timeline

● Education offer: 10/2012● Accounting, sales, purchases: 01/2013● Student registrations: 03/2013● Budget monitoring: 04/2013● Student registrations payments: 06/2013● Student social funding: 07/2013● Student careers: 09/2013● ...

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OpenERP modules

Shared objects academic years, identities, entities...

noe_utilsLDAP, encryption

noe_login

Education managementOffer, registrations, student careers

noe_eduAccounting and sales adaptations

noe_accountPurchases adaptations

noe_purchase

Financial aspects of education

noe_edu_account

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OpenERP modules

● Dependencies:– OpenERP: account, purchase, l10n_be– Noviat: CODA import, payments– Syleam: JasperReport (for all reporting)

● No need to modify/patch the existing code (server or modules)– Except monkey patch :-)

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Finance

● Adaptations of existing modules

● Analysis with a partner– Strong knowledge of standard processes and “best

practices” in finance and ERPs

● Implemented and deployed by us

Analysis Implementation Deployment

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Finance: main functionalities

● Budget management– Use of budget accounts– Actual vs committed amounts

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Finance: main functionalities● Multiple business entities

– Budget responsibility– Sales / Purchases approval process– Different rights for budget/purchase

● Heavy adaptations of analytic accounts

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Finance: main functionalities● VAT computation

– Deductible, not deductible, pro-rata, not taxable

– Can be different for each invoice line...

– Taxes are supported by the entities● Advances on expenses

– Help for complex process

– Many moves, statements and reconciles involved● Internal invoices

– Simplified invoices between departments

– Particular accounts for internal transfers

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Finance: success!● Learning curve was fast● Many improvements vs. legacy system

– Coda, payments

– Decentralized processes

– Much less file transfers between entities

– Real-time follow-up for budget managers● Successfully revised by company auditors !!

– Approbation processes of documents

– Trustworthiness of the figures

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Finance: some figures● ~16,000 invoices, on avg. >600/week

– Students excluded (~10,000 a year)

● ~150,000 journal items, on avg. >5700/week● ~2,000 purchase orders

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Education● From scratch!● Different development methodology

● Completely separated project, same OpenERP instance

● All by ourselves

AnalysisDesign

Implementation

Specific subject Validation

Customer's requirements

Workshop

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Education: offer● Many different objects

– Programs, reforms

– Courses, subjects groups, allocations

– Teachers ( Identity User)→ →● Many different access rights

– Secretaries for each faculty

– Teachers (own courses only)

– Education administrators

– Assignment managers● Multiple languages● Web publication

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Education: offer

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Education: registrations● Encoding of >6,000 applications / year (growing)

– Particular stress on speed and responsiveness!● Track all the required documents to claim/produce

– Depending on each student profile

– >10 documents / student

– Parametric “ rule engine” for documents/claims

Growing use of e-mails

– 18,000 sheets of paper spared in the last 2 days !

– Uncountable hours spared...

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Education: registrations

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Edu.: registrations accounting

● ~10,000 invoices (6,000 in Sept, 4,000 in July) ● Amount depends on

– Registration type

– Student profile

– Students funding● Parametric “payment rules engine”

– Automatic generation of invoices● Much time spared

– Invoices sent by e-mail

– Automatic reconciliations

noe_edu noe_account

noe_edu_account

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Edu.: registrations accounting

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Education: student career● Students custom programs and exams

– Constraints● Exam sessions and registrations● Successes, failures, automatic re-registrations,...

– Very complex and time-consuming

– Automate everything possible !● Ongoing developments, due in September 2013

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Education: student career

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Ongoing and future work

● Students fundings and loans– Ongoing work, subcontracted to Audaxis

● Many requirements coming everyday!– New functionalities in existing modules

– Points of sales• Books stores

• Central store of office supplies

– Student housing management

– Assets management

– ...

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Ongoing and future work

● Technical stuff– Testing framework

– Migrations...

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OpenERP modularity...

● ...allowed us to:– Work on different aspects with separated teams– Start the applications at different moments in the

same instance– Link the different aspects afterwards through new

modules– Cleanly re-use and modify existing modules– Subcontract the creation of new modules