Guide
Connecting ERP and MES without a data project
A read-only path from first connection to trusted number, and the four places teams usually lose months.
9 min read
Start read-only, always
A read-only connection changes the conversation with IT from a risk review to a permissions request. Nothing in the source system can be modified, so the worst case is a query load question.
Write-back is worth having, but earn it later — after the read side has already proven a number people trust.
Do not model the whole plant
The classic failure is a six-month effort to define every entity before anyone sees a result. Model only what your first question needs: usually order, product, line and time.
The model grows question by question. Each addition is cheap. The upfront version is expensive and usually wrong.
Reconcile against something people already trust
Before publishing anything, compare your number against the spreadsheet it replaces, for the same period. Explain every difference. A number that disagrees with the incumbent without explanation is dead on arrival, even when it is correct.
Where the months usually go
Waiting for a data warehouse that is not needed. Defining OEE across sites before delivering anything. Building a permission model before there are users. Choosing a visualisation standard before there is a question.
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