Blog updated on 22nd February 2021 by Paul Barns
From time to time customers ask us for a comparison of Q&A and EPM. This question is often prefaced by a remark such as "We have Q&A already. What does EPM give us that Q&A does not?" And, to be fair, there is some apparent overlap between these products, so the question is understandable. They are, however, very different.
EPM can present information to users in many ways, including in the form of interactive online dashboards. These dashboards include dynamic filtering and drilldown capabilities. And they are accessible on any device. Q&A is an extension to Microsoft Excel. It also enables drill down and filtering, but you are unlikely to be using Excel on a tablet or on your phone.
Infor Q&A gives you the ability to query and report on SunSystems data, Proactis too, with the appropriate datalink. Infor EPM goes beyond financial reporting. It is designed to gather real-time data from all your financial and business systems, not just SunSystems and Proactis.
Infor EPM goes beyond reporting of historical data. It includes powerful planning and forecasting capabilities. It is, in the jargon, a performance management solution. It can, for instance, help improve decision making by comparing potential future outcomes based on different business scenarios.
EPM uses "in-memory" analytic cube technologies which are configured to anticipate the information you might need and present it almost instantly. This is just another way of saying; it is really fast. In-memory computing also scales well. Infor Q&A, on the other hand, has to work through your database transaction by transaction to pull information together on demand and is limited by the capabilities of Excel.
In summary, Infor Q&A and EPM are very different technologies that serve completely different purposes. Q&A is the operational reporting module for SunSystems. It leverages the Finance team's skills in Excel and offers essential ad hoc reporting and journal upload features. EPM, on the other hand, is designed to help improve business performance. With its broader reach and insightful content, it keeps managers across the business informed, and empowers them to drive future business outcomes.
To find out more, please speak to your LAKE Account Manager or call me now on 0113 273 7788.
by Paul Barns
Blog contributor.
