MYOB has introduced a remarkable suite of new features in the 2024.1 Spring Release. This blog will delve into the latest platform enhancements and functionalities for MYOB Acumatica.
By integrating multiple Generic Inquiries (GIs), users can utilise the results of existing GIs, passing parameters through the structure to generate comprehensive outcomes.
Generic Inquiries (GIs) serve as the foundation for numerous visualizations and workflows. They supply the data that fuels dashboards, pivot tables, notifications, business events, and even external systems like Power BI and Tableau.
In this release, you can use the output from one Generic Inquiry as the input for another. This stacking of GIs unlocks a myriad of possibilities, enabling you to address more intricate use cases, such as calculating ratios and percentages.
The primary benefits of this feature include:
- Enhanced Productivity: By streamlining the query-building process, users can save time and concentrate on more critical tasks, thereby boosting overall productivity.
- Superior Data Visualization: The results from these layered generic inquiries can be utilized in dashboards, pivot tables, notifications, business events, and external systems like Power BI and Tableau, offering extensive data visualisation options.
- Versatility and Reusability: Generic inquiries can be reused and adapted for various purposes, providing flexibility in data management and reporting.
NOTE: While the output of layered Generic Inquiries (GIs) offers a wide range of functionalities, it currently does not extend to Business Events. This feature is planned for a future release, so stay tuned for updates!
Example of Feature use in MYOB Acumatica
A user can calculate a company's Current Ratio and post it to a Financial Dashboard by creating two Generic Inquiries (GIs) to list current assets and liabilities, then using the results from these GIs to compute the current ratio.
NOTE: The 3rd Inquiry ‘Master Fin. Period’ is used to help convert the financial period to a date which will be used in the Dashboard.
Business Events, when activated, validate conditions and can trigger notifications, import scenarios, actions, and more.
Business Events enable customers to automate processes and workflows without requiring any coding. These events can be triggered by a schedule, an action, or data changes.
The 2024.1 release has enhanced trigger conditions by allowing the use of formulas, such as arithmetic, logical, comparison, and date/time, and by enabling dialog box inputs within Business Events. This improvement addresses the previously time-consuming setup that necessitated a Generic Inquiry.
In earlier versions, changes to dialog box inputs allowed customizers to configure these dialog boxes within a workflow, enabling users to specify certain values in the dialog box elements at a later stage. However, if a system administrator created a business event, these specified values could not be utilized in the subscribers to that business event.
The primary benefits of this feature include:
- Increased Efficiency: Streamlines processes by ensuring that only relevant users have access to necessary actions, reducing clutter and complexity for other users.
- Customisable Permissions: Allows administrators to configure action visibility based on user roles and permissions, providing flexibility in managing who can see and execute specific actions within business events.
- Consistency and Reliability: Ensures that workflows are executed consistently by authorized personnel, enhancing the reliability of business processes.
Example of Feature use in MYOB Acumatica
A Business Event allows users to notify others about opportunities using an action on the Opportunities screen.
The Action will show a dialog box so the user can select the recipient, type of notification and a short message. The values in the dialog box will be used by the Business Event.
The ability to automatically execute an action following the trigger of another action.
The 2024.1 release introduces a 'sequential action' feature that removes the need to define 'conditions' for triggering sequential actions. This enhancement allows actions to run in sequence, with or without conditions, thereby streamlining the process and reducing the required processing.
Previously, users had to define conditions for sequential actions, which was less efficient and more complex to configure. Now, sequences can be executed sequentially, regardless of conditions.
Consider the example below for the Shipments workflow, where conditions are not necessary to manage sequential actions. Conversely, conditions may be required for managing Cases and Invoices.
The primary benefits of this feature include:
- Reduced Manual Intervention: Automates the execution of actions in a predefined sequence, minimizing the need for manual input and reducing the likelihood of human error.
- Improved Workflow Efficiency: Ensures that actions are performed in the correct order, streamlining processes and saving time.
- Enhanced System Performance: By optimizing the execution of workflow actions, the system's overall performance is improved, leading to faster and more reliable operations.
- Flexibility in Workflow Management: Allows developers to specify the order of actions, conditions for execution, and field assignments at the screen configuration level, offering greater control and customization of workflows.
Example of Feature use in MYOB Acumatica
A user wants the Case status to automatically change to Open when the Case is assigned to them, removing the need for the manual step of selecting Open.
Currently, the standard workflow involves two steps: Take Case and then Open. This enhancement would streamline the process into a single step.
With a minor customisation, the workflow runs sequentially and includes both actions automatically after selecting Take Case. The user is then presented with a dialog box showing the actions taken.
MYOB Acumatica has upgraded various forms to more effectively present summary and total data across Finance, CRM, Inventory, Order Management, and Projects.
The MYOB Acumatica 2024.1 release improves user interaction with standard forms by emphasizing relevant summary and total data, ensuring users have access to the most critical information when reviewing records.
The primary benefits of this feature include:
- Enhanced visibility of information in the summary area of forms such as Opportunities, Sales Quotes, Invoices, and Memos.
- Precise calculations of totals, including discounts, taxes, and margins.
- Streamlined financial reporting by ensuring all pertinent financial data is included in the summary area.
- Minimised manual calculations and potential errors by automating the computation of key financial metrics.
The MYOB Acumatica 2024.1 Spring Release brings a wealth of innovative features designed to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and improve data visualisation and management. By leveraging these new capabilities, businesses can achieve greater efficiency and accuracy in their operations. Whether you're looking to optimise your financial reporting, automate business events, or improve workflow management, these updates provide the tools you need to stay ahead in a competitive market.
For a deeper dive into how these updates can benefit your specific operations, explore our other blogs covering Finance, Sales and Customer Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Production, Field Services, and Platform Enhancements.
Additionally, you can access the full release notes here for a complete overview of all the new features and improvements.
