Dorel Juvenile

Dorel Juvenile Group has been running Oracle JD Edwards since 2004 – starting with version 8.0 and recently having upgraded to 9.0. In planning for the upgrade, Dorel realized that the time that would be needed for converting their data (about 300GB) would be about 60 hours; however they only had a window of 36 hours to do so. This was obviously going to be a problem. In addition, with the normal increase in the size of the data files that are part and parcel of running a transaction based system, batch jobs and reporting via ad hoc tools and Business Intelligence systems were being impacted by slower performance. A solution had to be found.

Time to Purge

“We considered creating our own programs to handle this,” stated Steve Kriegel, Applications Development Manager at Dorel. “We actually started a process to do so in 2008, but we realized we did not have the manpower to properly get the job done. Our users were also very concerned about the integrity of the data and that it be maintained as part of any purge that was done. We also needed to have simple and easy access to archived data.” Dorel eliminated the built in purge routines in EnterpriseOne as not being comprehensive enough to safely do the job.

The upgrade project to EnterpriseOne 9.0 began just after the investigation into purging the data had started. This further complicated the purge project plan – not only did the need suddenly become more urgent, but the Dorel staff availability would be severely restricted. An alternative needed to be found – one that would be ‘bullet proof’ and quick to implement.

The Alternatives & the Selection

“When we went to market to find a solution that would work for us, we had a clear idea as to what was needed to meet our needs” indicated Steve Kriegel. Their list included:

• It had to be comprehensive and yet easy to use.
• It had to be able to handle the main tables in JDE and the relational nature of JDE for the data across the systems.
• We had to be able to access the archived data in a simple yet effective manner – we did not want to mess around with OCM mappings, security implications and the like.
• We needed the solution to be turnkey – we did not have the luxury of a huge staff or the time to make this happen.

After reviewing the alternatives, Dorel chose the Purge-it! product

“It ticked all the boxes for us – simple yet powerful, easy access to data once it was archived, low consulting requirements. Being built right into EnterpriseOne and having the same look and feel made it more attractive to both us and our user community.”

Rapid Implementation, Superb Service

Dorel elected to purge data from the main ‘culprits’ in their list of systems – General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Purchasing and Sales Order Processing.

Dorel’s staff installed the ASU for Purge-it!, and obtained a quick (a few hours) training session on Purge-it! to cover the basics of the product and configure it. They tested the solution in a DV environment, and analyzed the exceptions that came from the audit reports within Purge-it!. Buy in and approval was obtained from the business users, then the project moved through the PY, QA and then production environments. All in all, the process took about 3-4 weeks, and staff worked on it plus other projects (as is the case for most customers no doubt!). This encompassed 5 years of data, processing one year at a time.

Final Thoughts & Benefits

When all was done, Dorel had reclaimed about 63% from the main tables they purged. Going forward, they keep the ‘house’ clean with annual purges. They have also added the module that allows for purging of custom tables in JD Edwards. "Purge-it! far surpassed our previous solution – there is no comparison,” stated Steve Kriegel. “Our system is running more effectively, and the business staff enjoy the fact that they are able to see the archived data immediately and from within JDE. They also feel secure knowing the integrity of the data has been maintained.”

“The support for Purge-it!, both for the product itself and on the JDE side, was amazing – one of the best experiences we have ever had with a supplier and partner. An investment in Purge-it! is a wise decision – we all know we need to purge and archive but we allow the fear of the project to hold us back. Purge-it! removes that fear and gives you peace of mind. I recommend Purge-it! without hesitation.”
Steve Kriegel, Applications Development Manager, Dorel Juvenile Group