Why do ERP systems get slow?

When a company decides to implement ERP software, it is because it wants to put its processes in order. Centralize the management of all flows and departments in a single platform, to facilitate and speed up access to information of all kinds. And it is that all this is possible thanks to the different modules that can be configured on this platform, adjusting to the particular needs of each company.

But it can happen that, several weeks after the implementation, the ERP system starts to fail and becomes a bit slow. This generates disappointment in companies since they precisely sought this platform to streamline all their processes and now they are obtaining the opposite.

But what makes an ERP run slowly?

It is very important that you address these ERP system speed problems immediately as this directly affects the productivity of your team. And there can be many reasons why this platform is failing and we are going to talk about it next.

“The ERP system allows you to store and process company data. Issues can be local, appearing on local servers, or cloud-based. Speed ​​is determined by how well the system handles databases, particularly the amount of work being done by the server and its computing power. As it is always a complex system, it is impossible to predict everything in advance. In almost any implementation, something can go wrong and you will have to find and fix the problem”, explained an article published by Fiducia Soft on this subject. 

You have to check the speed of the server

When checking server speed, there are some of the main questions you can ask to diagnose the problem: How long does it take to log in? How long does it take to open a screen? How long does it take to process a client record? How much do these results differ if run directly on the server or on the workstation? Are the speeds of all workstations consistent?

When you identify the problem in some of these aspects, have your team resolve them and retest to see if the speed of operations has returned to normal.

Check if there are problems with the database

Since ERP systems work hand in hand with databases, if this database fails, then this platform will fail: “It is always essential to manage your database code and data in the most efficient way possible. clean as possible. You can use the database reports to troubleshoot,” they emphasized.

Pay attention to this too

Network issues: If you don't have enough bandwidth, your ERP software may be running slowly. You have to check two things, how much bandwidth your ERP needs and how much bandwidth you have available in your company.

Hardware issues: “It is essential to check the storage space of the server and the processing capabilities of each workstation to run the software. You must investigate the hardware and find the weakest point in the system that cannot function to its full potential”, they warned at Fiduciary Soft.

Structural problems could be affecting the speed of the ERP

Gabriel Paunescu, a graduate with a master's degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, explained in the Quora forum that structural problems also slow down ERP: “The most common reason for delays in ERP implementation is related to problems structural. Even with planning, sometimes these problems cannot be foreseen. There are all kinds of internal problems in terms of infrastructure that can occur at any point in the ERP implementation process. And normally, they appear at the hardware level. In this case, the type of ERP implementation doesn't really matter, because even the cloud-based installation can have various structural problems.”

In this same forum, the developer Jas Brar also highlighted aspects such as database and server: “There are many variables in this, the server could be slow or the database is taking too long to return the results. General software and database settings may be misconfigured.”

Importance of testing and planning

The slowness in an ERP software can be detected in the software testing stage, that is why it is so important to perform them. Incomplete testing can cause the system to fail within the first few weeks of use by the company's team.

“Whether it's an out-of-the-box ERP system or one highly customized to meet your company's unique requirements, testing is the cornerstone of any successful ERP implementation. All the departments that will touch the ERP must participate in the tests using scripts created with business processes that help define”, pointed out an article from the PSGi portal.

Just as an ERP software allows you to organize all the flows of a company... when implementing it, organization and planning is essential: "In short, planning analyzes forecasts, customer orders, purchase orders and inventory to recommend purchases and manufacturing orders. Settings and master data can be adjusted to provide actionable insights, but in many places these processes are not adjusted and employees are overwhelmed by data.

In any case, when you choose to work with an ERP in your company, try to choose a platform that focuses on offering an excellent user experience to your employees. That they feel comfortable working in this system. "It is imperative to study how people use the system at work (...) usability becomes as vital as the accuracy of the system, because accurate data is useless if no one can use it," they emphasized on the Unit4 portal.

Does your company need an ERP system? Let's talk!

We recommend you on video