How can you ensure reliable data between ERP and EPM?

Define the flow precisely

Each feed should have a shared description:

• Source and destination application.
• Entities and periods covered.
• Extracted data and level of detail.
• Frequency and availability time.
• Transformation rules.
• Owners of processing and checks.

Also specify whether each load replaces previous data or adds new transactions. Ambiguity can cause duplicates.

Control mappings

ERP and EPM may use different structures: accounts, cost centres, projects, entities or analytical dimensions.

Mapping tables must be documented, versioned and approved by the relevant owners.

For example, a new account appears in the ERP without an EPM mapping. Define the expected behaviour in advance: rejection, holding for review or an explicitly flagged temporary allocation.

A silent allocation can conceal an issue.

Check at several levels

Technical checks: did processing start and finish? Is the expected file present?

Structural checks: are required fields, formats, periods and reference data valid?

Reconciliation checks: do amounts and volumes match the source over a comparable scope?

Business checks: is data consistent with business rules and expected changes?

For each check, define a rule, any threshold, an owner and an action for discrepancies.

Organise issue handling

An alert should identify the affected data, reason, impact and expected action.

The process should track corrections and allow processing to restart without loss or double counting. Users must know whether displayed data is complete, partial or awaiting validation.

Maintain usable traceability

For every load, retain the data origin, date, mapping version, rejected records and check results.

When adjustments are made in EPM, distinguish ERP-sourced data from added corrections, including justification and approval.

This traceability helps explain figures and resolve discrepancies.

Do your teams rework data at each close? Let’s identify the causes and checks needed to make your flows reliable.

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