How to Combine Data from Multiple ERP Systems
Most businesses start with one ERP system.
As they grow, things become more complicated.
Perhaps you’ve acquired another business.
Opened another division.
Inherited a different accounting system.
Added specialist software for manufacturing, warehousing, field service or eCommerce.
Now your business data is spread across multiple systems.
Management wants one report.
Instead, they receive five.
Business Doesn’t Always Run on One System
It’s rare for a growing SME to rely on a single application.
You might use:
- Sage for finance.
- A warehouse management system.
- Manufacturing software.
- Job costing software.
- Payroll software.
- Stock control software.
- eCommerce platforms.
- Time and attendance systems.
- CRM software.
- Bespoke databases.
Or perhaps you’ve acquired another company that uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Exchequer, Pegasus Opera, SAP Business One, Xero, Oracle NetSuite or another ERP altogether.
The challenge isn’t collecting the data.
It’s bringing it together in a way that actually makes sense.
One Business Shouldn’t Have Five Versions of the Same Report
We’ve worked with businesses where every company within the group produced its own reports.
Finance spent days combining spreadsheets.
Sales produced another set of figures.
Operations maintained separate reports again.
By the time everything had been merged together, the information was already out of date.
One Group Finance Director told us:
“Consolidating reports took longer than analysing them.”
That’s surprisingly common.
A Real Customer Story
A growing group of companies contacted Illuminis Insight Software after acquiring several businesses over a number of years.
Each company had retained its own ERP system.
Some used Sage.
Others used different accounting and operational systems.
Every month the finance team manually exported reports from each system before combining everything in Excel.
The process took several days.
It was repetitive.
It was difficult to maintain.
And every month there was the risk of someone copying the wrong figures.
We spent time understanding how each business operated and what information management actually needed.
Rather than forcing every company onto the same ERP system, we built automated data extraction into Octelas, bringing information together into a single reporting platform.
Management could view the entire group…
Or drill into individual companies…
Using exactly the same dashboards.
The Group Managing Director later told us:
“For the first time, we could see the whole business without waiting for someone to merge spreadsheets.”
Integration Doesn’t Always Mean Replacing Systems
One of the biggest misconceptions is that businesses need to replace their ERP systems before they can improve reporting.
In most cases, that’s simply not true.
We’ve helped customers combine information from multiple ERP systems while allowing each business to continue using the software that’s right for them.
That means less disruption.
Lower costs.
Faster implementation.
And significantly better reporting.
The Finance Director of one customer summed it up perfectly:
“We didn’t need a new ERP system. We needed our existing systems to talk to each other.”
We Integrate More Than ERP Systems
Although ERP data is usually the foundation, many businesses also need reporting from other systems.
For example:
- Payroll.
- HR.
- Warehouse management.
- Manufacturing.
- Field service.
- Transport.
- Budgeting software.
- eCommerce platforms.
- Excel workbooks that still contain important business data.
Our job is to bring that information together into one reporting platform so your managers don’t have to switch between systems or manually combine reports.
Built Around Your Business
Every business has a different technology landscape.
Some have grown through acquisition.
Some have specialist manufacturing software.
Others have legacy systems that still perform an important role.
That’s why Illuminis Insight Software doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all integrations.
We begin by understanding your business.
Your systems.
Your reports.
Your decision-making process.
Then we build automated data extraction and reporting around the way your business already operates.
Your Long-Term Data Partner
Connecting multiple systems isn’t a project you do once.
Businesses continue evolving.
New acquisitions happen.
New software is introduced.
Reporting requirements change.
That’s why we become your long-term reporting and data partner.
Need another ERP integrated next year?
We’ll do it.
Need to add a warehouse management system?
No problem.
Need to bring manufacturing data into your management dashboards?
We’ll build it.
Your reporting grows as your business grows.
One Business. One Reporting Platform.
Your managers shouldn’t have to combine spreadsheets just to understand how the business is performing.
The information should already be there.
Octelas, developed by Illuminis Insight Software, automatically extracts and combines data from Sage, Microsoft Dynamics, Exchequer, Pegasus Opera, SAP Business One, Xero, Brightpearl, Oracle NetSuite and many other ERP systems, along with operational and third-party business applications, into a single reporting platform.
Instead of manually merging Excel spreadsheets from multiple systems every month, your business gains one trusted source of information that supports faster decisions, reduces administration and gives every department a complete view of performance.
That’s why businesses across manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, engineering, construction and professional services choose Illuminis Insight Software as their trusted reporting and data partner—because your business may use multiple systems, but it should never need multiple versions of the truth.