3 ms·

> It's 2020 and one would hope software companies realize the value of a good, clear, effective user interface. Nope. Forget about it! :-) I think another pr

> It's 2020 and one would hope software companies realize the value of a good, clear, effective user interface. Nope. Forget about it! :-) I think another problem with these horrific ERP's is that their tentacles are everywhere in the org. Oracle EBS, my personal "favorite", runs PLM (product lifecycle management), inventory, order management, work orders, customer install base, finance, purchasing, AND PTO entry, F.M.L. ! We can't have nice things in, say, PLM because the whole damn system is tied up tight as "modules" in Oracle EBS. Any kind of change or request involves, at a minimum, harassing a overworked guy in India who is constantly dealing with battle-axe personalities in finance and order management. Things that SHOULD be taken for granted, like being able to create a hyperlink to the bill of materials for any part number-- that's seriously impossible, it's like a freaking moon shot for them (or so they say).

kumarvvr 7y ago
> Things that SHOULD be taken for granted, like being able to create a hyperlink to the bill of materials for any part number-- that's seriously impossible, it's like a freaking moon shot for them (or so they say). One of pain points I was talking about. I'm not sure how a screen/module is developed in SAP, but there are huge inconsistencies in various interactions I come across. I am inclined to believe that the third party developer of the screen ought to do some wiring to, say enable hyperlinks, or do logical linked screens but somehow the QA is so bad that it's frustrating. For example, in our company, when I search for a Material code, there is no way / menu / system to automatically list all Purchase Orders, that contain that Material Code, sorted by date / department. I am guessing that the 3rd party developer ought to have built that functionality, but then what would be the point? After so many years in the ERP domain, shouldn't SAP have an automated system to do that?
- dfox 7y ago
  If you think, that SAP's UI is inconsistent then you haven't seen the above mentioned EBS ;) Input boxes behaving as buttons, tabs either changing behavior of UI components that are clearly drawn as being outside of the tab, or outright behaving as buttons that cause random actions, loads and loads of nested modal dialogs...
cc81 7y ago
I won't disagree with you when you say they are horrible but there is also a difference between lets say the user interface of something you rarely use and something that is your job. I've never worked in SAP myself but I've seen others do things very quickly in that ugly user interface just because they have learned how to jump around quickly and what fields to fill in. It might still be bad but for them it works pretty well after they have learned it. As a counter they think my writing commands in a shell as an incredibly bad interface while I think it is very efficient because I've learned it.

kumarvvr 7y ago

> Things that SHOULD be taken for granted, like being able to create a hyperlink to the bill of materials for any part number-- that's seriously impossible, it's like a freaking moon shot for them (or so they say). One of pain points I was talking about. I'm not sure how a screen/module is developed in SAP, but there are huge inconsistencies in various interactions I come across. I am inclined to believe that the third party developer of the screen ought to do some wiring to, say enable hyperlinks, or do logical linked screens but somehow the QA is so bad that it's frustrating. For example, in our company, when I search for a Material code, there is no way / menu / system to automatically list all Purchase Orders, that contain that Material Code, sorted by date / department. I am guessing that the 3rd party developer ought to have built that functionality, but then what would be the point? After so many years in the ERP domain, shouldn't SAP have an automated system to do that?

dfox 7y ago
If you think, that SAP's UI is inconsistent then you haven't seen the above mentioned EBS ;) Input boxes behaving as buttons, tabs either changing behavior of UI components that are clearly drawn as being outside of the tab, or outright behaving as buttons that cause random actions, loads and loads of nested modal dialogs...

cc81 7y ago

I won't disagree with you when you say they are horrible but there is also a difference between lets say the user interface of something you rarely use and something that is your job. I've never worked in SAP myself but I've seen others do things very quickly in that ugly user interface just because they have learned how to jump around quickly and what fields to fill in. It might still be bad but for them it works pretty well after they have learned it. As a counter they think my writing commands in a shell as an incredibly bad interface while I think it is very efficient because I've learned it.