Tools and Templates
(these tools and templates have been conceived as guiderails for product-based planning[PBS])
First things first: GDPR still applies — or the UK’s own flavour of it, now we’re outside the EU. I’ve pulled together a separate page on the common myths (And yes, there’s always a chorus of “experts” squabbling over the small stuff, like demigods bickering over who gets the last seat on Mount Olympus).
I am formally trained in GDPR (certificate filed somewhere safe, naturally}; it was necessary to lead a multi-country alignment project for a telecoms provider, making sure the data practices played nicely across markets. And yes, local variations do exist! NOTE: always consult the latest versions and organisational specific implementations.
🥉🥈🥇 Medallion Architecture (best practice data pipeline pattern)
🧩 TL;DR: Medallion Architecture — Clean Pipes, Trusted Insight (click to open)
It lets us work with data without battering the operational systems — just copy, stage, refine, and serve. The result? Trustworthy flows that actually stand up to scrutiny.
🟫 Bronze — raw but structured; facts intact, no polish
⚪ Silver — context added; joins to master data, payment terms, org charts
🟨 Gold — where meaning lives: KPIs, reports, insights that stick
It’s not wizardry — just clean pipelines, solid logic, and the discipline to do things in the right order.
🔄 TL;DR: Medallion in Practice — The Heart Beat (click to open)
We start with messy inputs — 🗂️ SAP, 💼 Workday, 🔌 APIs, 📄 PDFs — or any of usual suspects
Then we layer it — method beats mayhem:
- 🟫 Bronze — structured landing zone, unvarnished truth
- ⚪ Silver — adds logic: joins to master data, hierarchies, cost centres
- 🟨 Gold — transforms into KPIs, trial balances, insight-ready reports
✨ Not magic. Just smart plumbing, clear thinking, and no shortcuts.
🧱 TL;DR: Medallion Architecture – Realistic Context (click to open)
📥 Data Sources: SAP (MM, FI/CO), Workday, time tracking systems, and vendor APIs — each bringing their own quirks, formats, and favourite file types (CSV, PDF, JSON...).
⚙️ Ingestion Layer: Whether it’s Azure Data Factory (ADF), Glue, or Dataflow, we copy data as-is from source systems. No interference. Just structured lifts from the operational stack into the cloud zone.
🥉 Bronze Layer: Raw data, cleanly ingested but untouched. Think of it as well-behaved chaos: labelled, timestamped, and stored — ready for later reckoning.
🥈 Silver Layer: Here's where the elbow grease comes in. We link employees to org units, vendors to terms, journals to cost centres. Not perfect, but perfectly accountable. This is the layer where data stops being “raw” and starts being “useful.”
🥇 Gold Layer: Fully cleansed, cross-joined, and curated — ready to drive KPIs that actually hold up in meetings. You’ll find spend analysis, payroll trends, trial balances — the grown-up stuff.
📊 Analytics: Finally, we serve it up through tools people already know: Snowflake marts, Power BI, Tableau, Looker, Qlik. Each department’s preferred dashboard survives — but now it's running on a shared, structured source of truth.
It’s not just architecture — it’s diplomacy, wrapped in pipelines. And it works.
🧠 TL;DR: BI Tool Use Is Tribal not just Technical (click to open)
Qlik and Looker often show up strong in PTP because they evolved with procurement and operations in mind. Power BI and Tableau, meanwhile, lean naturally into HTR and RTR domains — HR and finance love them, and it shows.
That’s not to say you can’t use one tool across the board. But in practice, when Big Data finally brings everything together, what it really reveals is how BI adoption grew in silos — each function picking what it liked, often based on local preference or available skillsets, not enterprise alignment.
It’s less a flaw and more a reflection: tools evolve where they’re loved, not always where they’re architecturally ideal.
💡 TL;DR: Cloud: The Art of Non-Interference (click to open)
Cloud simply copies the data as-is — straight from the source, in its raw operational state — and takes it elsewhere for processing. Only then do we clean it, transform it, validate it, and make it useful.
That’s why the data behind your BI and AI needs to be squeaky clean, scrupulously accurate, and telling the truth. No Walter Mittys. No “I-read-it-in-the-pub” pundits. Just data that stands up to scrutiny — and gives insight, not fiction.
The goal is to stay ERP-agnostic — but SAP gets the nod because it’s walked the cowpath, paved it, and slapped a process hierarchy on top. SAP arguably set the bar for enterprise processes.
Besides, the lines between ERP, BSS, and OSS are blurring fast — so the models need to speak all dialects without picking sides.
Think of these models as well-informed sketches, not blueprints carved in stone—they’re here to guide, not to dictate. [Note: When an entity appears in more than one ERD model, the description is in the use context of the process.]
Click on diagrams to expand ERD.
Generic Define to Account ERD
Finance & Controlling (Fi/CO)
Record to Report (R2R)
Hire to Retire (H2R)
Procure to Pay (P2P)
Source-to-Pay (S2P)
Materials Management (MM)
👇 👇 Click on an 'entity box' to get more details. 👇 👇
AcctBal
Definition: Account Balance – Tracks opening balances, debits, credits, and closing balances by customer or GL account. Used for reconciliation and financial reporting.
BnkAcc
Definition: Bank Account – A financial account used to issue or receive payments. Captures account details, currency, and institution for processing transactions.
CusSeg
Definition: Customer Segment – The recipient group of services or goods. Includes segment classification (e.g., B2B, B2C), contact information, and lifecycle status such as prospect, active, or churned.
ConAgr
Definition: Contract Agreement – A formalised agreement between a customer and the organisation, detailing key dates, SLAs, billing terms, and other contractual obligations.
EmpDet
Definition: Employee Details – Information about a person employed by the organisation, including skillset, cost rate, work location, and time availability. Relevant for HR and cost allocations.
GLAcc
Definition: General Ledger Account – Records financial transactions such as income, expenses, and asset movements. Each GL account has a name, type (e.g., revenue, expense), and balance. Typically owned by an Organisation Unit.
InvNte
Definition: Invoice Note – A document issued to request payment from a customer. Includes billing amount, applicable taxes, currency, due date, and reference to the corresponding contract or usage.
NtwAst
Definition: Network Asset – A physical or logical network component such as routers, switches, servers, or virtual nodes. Tracked for service delivery, monitoring, and maintenance.
OrgUnt
Definition: Organisation Unit – A functional or departmental group within the enterprise. May include details such as managerial responsibility, cost centre ownership, and GL account relationships.
PayTxn
Definition: Payment Transaction – A financial event that settles one or more invoices. Contains payment method, amount, date, and the associated bank account.
PrdCat
Definition: Product Catalogue – A master list of goods or services offered by the organisation. Includes pricing, dependencies, bundling rules, and supplier associations.
SvcOrd
Definition: Service Order – A request raised by a customer for a product or service. Often initiates workflow, logistics, fulfilment, and billing processes.
SvcUsg
Definition: Service Usage – A log of services consumed by a customer. Includes usage timestamp, duration, consumption details, and associated costs.
SupDet
Definition: Supplier Details – Captures information about external providers of products or services. Includes compliance data, banking information, and contract status.
TrbTck
Definition: Trouble Ticket – A record of a problem or complaint raised by a customer. Tracks issue details, resolution status, severity, and related service data.
WhsStk
Definition: Warehouse Stock – Represents inventory on hand. Tracks product, location, quantity, and reorder thresholds to support fulfilment and supply chain planning.
WkOrdr
Definition: Work Order – A job issued to employees or contractors. Represents service, installation, repair, or inspection tasks. May be linked to customer requests or internal schedules.
WkflCs
Definition: Workflow Case – A structured case that tracks progression through a business process such as onboarding, issue resolution, or approvals. Includes status, owner, and SLA target.
BnkAcct
Entity:BankAccount
Definition: Bank Account details for outgoing/incoming payments. Tied to payment methods and house banks used by the organisation.
CmpCd
Entity:CompanyCode
Definition: Company Code is the legal and fiscal unit within SAP for which balance sheets and P&Ls are prepared. Key entity in all FICO postings.
CstCntr
Entity:CostCenter
Definition: A Cost Center is a management accounting entity that captures costs for departments or functional units. Helps monitor internal cost flows.
CustSeg
Entity:Customer
Definition: A Customer represents a party that purchases goods or services. In FICO, they relate to receivables, dunning, and credit control.
FIDoc
Entity:FIDocument
Definition: A Financial Document stores accounting entries — debits, credits, line items — generated from transactions across SAP modules.
FILnItm
Entity:FI_LineItem
Definition: FI Line Item captures the individual debit or credit row within a financial document. Used for detailed reconciliation and reporting.
GLAcnt
Entity:GLAccount
Definition: General Ledger Account that records core financial postings. Used across modules to reflect company-wide financials and balances.
IntOrdr
Entity:InternalOrder
Definition: An Internal Order captures project-like costs that need tracking outside regular cost center structures. Often used for campaigns or short-term efforts.
PayTxn
Entity:Payment
Definition: A Payment in FICO represents the clearing of vendor or customer open items through manual or automatic payment runs.
PrftCntr
Entity:ProfitCenter
Definition: A Profit Center reflects a business unit's revenues and expenses, enabling profitability tracking across product lines or divisions.
Vendr
Entity:Vendor
Definition: A Vendor is a supplier of goods or services. Holds contact, tax, banking, and reconciliation details for payable processing.
Ast
Entity:Asset
Definition: A fixed or intangible resource owned by the company. Includes depreciation tracking and capitalisation.
CmpCd
Entity:CompanyCode
Definition: Legal entity with its own financial books. All transactions are posted within a company code context.
Crncy
Entity:Currency
Definition: ISO currency codes used in valuation and posting. May involve base, local, and transaction currencies.
CstCntr
Entity:CostCenter
Definition: Collects costs by department, function, or project. Enables internal cost allocation and control.
CustSeg
Entity:Customer
Definition: Represents receivables and revenue recognition. Used in balance sheet, collections, and analysis.
DocTyp
Entity:DocumentType
Definition: Classifies financial documents by purpose (e.g., invoice, accrual, adjustment). Used for audit and control.
FiscPrd
Entity:FiscalPeriod
Definition: Represents the accounting calendar period for posting. Key in period closing, reconciliation, and reporting.
GLAcnt
Entity:GLAccount
Definition: Records financial postings in the general ledger. Core to financial statements and used across modules.
JrnlEnt
Entity:JournalEntry
Definition: Header record that contains a set of JournalLines. Drives debits and credits posted to the GL.
JrnlLn
Entity:JournalLine
Definition: Individual debit or credit line in a journal entry. Used in reconciliation, reporting, and audit.
PrftCntr
Entity:ProfitCenter
Definition: Groups revenues and costs to reflect profitability of product lines or business segments.
Vendr
Entity:Vendor
Definition: Represents payables and expense allocation. In R2R, used in liability management and AP subledger.
Cntrct
Entity:Contract
Definition: Employment agreement including start date, type (permanent/fixed term), salary, and working conditions.
EmpDet
Entity:Employee
Definition: Represents a person employed by the organisation, linked to a position, with personal, contractual, and payroll data.
EmpTrng
Entity:EmployeeTraining
Definition: A record of an employee’s attendance or enrolment in training events. Tracks completion and certification.
XPrs
Entity:ExitProcess
Definition: The process followed when an employee leaves the organisation. Includes resignation, exit interview, and system offboarding.
Jb
Entity:Job
Definition: A general classification of work (e.g. “Software Developer”). Multiple positions can be linked to the same job title.
LvRq
Entity:LeaveRequest
Definition: A formal request submitted by an employee for time off. Includes type (e.g., annual, sick), duration, and approval status.
OrgUnit
Entity:OrgUnit
Definition: Organisational Unit representing a functional department or team. Used in reporting lines, headcount, and cost structures.
PyrllRec
Entity:PayrollRecord
Definition: Payroll result for a given pay period including earnings, deductions, tax, and net pay. Linked to employee and contract.
Pstn
Entity:Position
Definition: A specific instance of a job within an organisation unit. Positions are filled by employees and tracked for vacancy management.
TmEnt
Entity:TimeEntry
Definition: Log of hours worked or absences recorded against a position or project. Used in time tracking and payroll integration.
Trng
Entity:Training
Definition: Formal or informal development activities offered by the organisation. Includes title, duration, and objectives.
BnkAcct
Entity:BankAccount
Definition: Used for initiating vendor payments. Linked to company code and payment method in payment configuration.
CmpCd
Entity:CompanyCode
Definition: The legal entity responsible for procurement. Used for posting all P2P financial transactions.
GdsRcp
Entity:GoodsReceipt
Definition: Confirmation that ordered items have been received. Drives inventory and triggers invoice matching.
Inv
Entity:Invoice
Definition: Financial document from the vendor requesting payment. Matched against PO and goods receipt.
Mtrl
Entity:Material
Definition: An item that can be purchased, stored, and tracked. May be raw, semi-finished, or finished goods.
PayTxn
Entity:Payment
Definition: Disbursement of funds to a vendor. May be done manually or automatically via payment runs.
Plnt
Entity:Plant
Definition: A physical location where materials are received, stored, or consumed. Key to inventory, procurement, and logistics.
PO
Entity:PurchaseOrder
Definition: Legal contract to procure goods or services from a vendor. Issued after requisition approval or sourcing.
POItm
Entity:POItem
Definition: Individual line item within a Purchase Order. Contains product, quantity, price, delivery, and tax details.
PRItId
Entity:PRItemId
Definition: Line-level identifier within a Purchase Requisition. Contains material, quantity, and account assignment.
PRqst
Entity:PurchaseRequisition
Definition: Internal request to procure goods or services. Triggers the sourcing process and approval workflow.
Vendr
Entity:Vendor
Definition: External supplier providing goods or services. Maintains contact, banking, and tax information.
GR
Entity:Goods Receipt
Definition: Confirmation that ordered goods have been received.
Invoice
Entity:Invoice
Definition: Vendor billing document for goods/services delivered.
Payment
Entity:Payment
Definition: Financial settlement of the vendor’s invoice.
PO
Entity:Purchase Order
Definition: Legally binding order for goods or services.
PR
Entity:Purchase Requisition
Definition: Internal request to procure goods or services. Not legally binding.
Quotation
Entity:Quotation
Definition: Supplier’s response to an RFQ. Includes pricing and delivery terms.
RFQ
Entity:Request for Quotation
Definition: Invitation to suppliers to submit competitive offers.
SES
Entity:Service Entry Sheet
Definition: Confirmation of services performed as per purchase order.
Vendor
Entity:Vendor
Definition: External party supplying goods or services. Includes financial and contact details.
Mtrl
Entity:Material
Definition: An item tracked in inventory, which may be procured, stored, or sold. Includes type, unit of measure, and identification code.
Plnt
Entity:Plant
Definition: A physical site such as a factory, warehouse, or distribution center. Acts as an organizational anchor for inventory and procurement.
StLoc
Entity:StorageLocation
Definition: A sub-location within a plant where stock is physically stored and managed. Useful for granular inventory control.
Vendr
Entity:Vendor
Definition: An external supplier who provides goods or services. Associated with purchase orders and invoice transactions.
PRqst
Entity:PurchaseRequisition
Definition: An internal request to procure materials or services. Kicks off approval and sourcing workflow.
PRItm
Entity:PRItem
Definition: Line item within a purchase requisition. Specifies material, quantity, and requirements.
PO
Entity:PurchaseOrder
Definition: Formal document issued to vendors to procure goods or services. Includes pricing, terms, and delivery info.
POItm
Entity:POItem
Definition: Line-level entry in a purchase order. Links back to requisitions and contains material, quantity, and price.
GdsRcp
Entity:GoodsReceipt
Definition: Record of goods received into inventory. Tied to PO items and affects stock levels and valuation.
Inv
Entity:Invoice
Definition: Vendor’s request for payment based on delivered goods or services. Matched against PO and GR.
Whse
Entity:Warehouse
Definition: A structured facility within a plant for storing materials. Includes zones and storage types.
StTyp
Entity:StorageType
Definition: Logical section of a warehouse, such as bulk, shelf, or pallet area. Helps manage layout and retrieval.
StBin
Entity:StorageBin
Definition: Specific address within a storage type. Represents a precise location to store material.
Qnt
Entity:Quant
Definition: Represents a quantity of a specific material in a specific storage bin and batch. Used in WM tracking.
TOrdr
Entity:TransferOrder
Definition: Instruction to move stock from one bin to another. Key for picking, putaway, and internal movement.
👇 👇 Click on a 'TL;DR' to get more details. 👇 👇
TL;DR:D2A
This ERD captures a generic enterprise backbone from product definition to billing and financial settlement.
It ties together master data, service fulfilment, and accounting operations.
TL;DR:FCO
FI/CO is the financial backbone of SAP, linking every transaction to company codes, GL accounts, and core master data.
• FI handles the official recordkeeping — ledgers, tax, AR/AP, and audit trails.
• CO tells the internal story — tracking costs, profits, budgets, and performance.
TL;DR:R2R
R2R captures, classifies, and reports financial transactions across company codes.
It's where the books are balanced and closed, turning raw postings into structured financial reports, ledgers, and compliance artefacts.
Think of it as the digital double-entry bookkeeper who never sleeps.
TL;DR:H2R
H2R guides the path from hiring talent to retiring them with dignity. It’s the enterprise’s people backbone — making sure every contract, role change, payroll run, and benefits update finds its rightful place. If business was a novel, H2R would be the cast list, the character arcs, and the epilogue — capturing the full story of people in the organisation.
TL;DR:P2P
P2P manages the journey from identifying material needs to paying suppliers. It's a tightly coupled logistics and finance workflow, ensuring what you ordered is what you received — and paid for.
If supply chains were emails, P2P would be your inbox rules.
TL;DR:S2P
S2P extends Procure-to-Pay (P2P) upstream, adding strategic sourcing, RFQs, supplier onboarding, and contract management.
It connects key entities where P2P handles the transactions, and S2P defines the relationships — who you buy from, why, and under what terms.
TL;DR:MW
Materials and Warehouse Management gets goods in, moved, stored, and paid for — all in the right place, at the right time, and fully traceable.
It spans requisitions, POs, receipts, and transfers, with warehousing providing structure through plants, bins, and locations.
It’s logistics meets finance — barcode in one hand, invoice in the other.
👇 👇 Click on a 'process step' to get more details. 👇 👇
💼 FI/CO Process:
5 Steps to manage a company’s financial accounting and controlling—helping track money in, money out, and how it’s all structured.
Step 1: Capture Financial Transactions (click-2-expand)
Technical: Subledger and G/L entries from AR, AP, etc.
Example: A customer payment triggers AR and GL updates.
Step 2: Allocate Costs & Revenue (click-2-expand)
Technical: Cost centers, internal orders, profit centers used.
Example: Allocate overheads based on headcount or floor space.
Step 3: Period-End Close (click-2-expand)
Technical: Run accruals, depreciation, FX reval, etc.
Example: Post accruals for utility bills.
Step 4: Consolidate & Report (click-2-expand)
Technical: Use FS versions, legal/management views.
Example: Run P&L and BS for all company codes.
Step 5: Audit & Compliance (click-2-expand)
Technical: SOX/IFRS/GAAP audit logs and activity trails.
Example: Provide logs for manual journal entries.
💼 R2R Process
9 steps to capture, validate, and report financial activity so organisations can close their books accurately and comply with regulatory requirements.
Step 1 Capture Transactions (click-2-expand)
We record everything that moves money—sales, purchases, payroll, etc. It's the financial diary of the business.
💼 Technical Description:
Transactions flow from source systems (e.g., SAP, Workday, Concur) into finance subledgers (AP, AR, GL) via APIs, batch feeds or middleware. Each entry posts to chart of accounts.
🎯 Scenario:
A sales invoice from the CRM triggers a revenue entry in AR, which flows to the GL via integration middleware (e.g., SAP PI or Azure Data Factory).
Step 2 Validate & Post Journals (click-2-expand)
Adjustments and manual entries are checked and added—think of it like proofreading and pencilling in the gaps before finalising the books.
💼 Technical Description:
Journal entries are entered manually or loaded via spreadsheet/API. Validation rules (e.g., debit = credit, open period, valid account) are enforced before posting to the general ledger.
🎯 Scenario:
Finance enters a journal to reallocate marketing spend between business units, using a pre-approved journal template in Oracle Cloud.
Step 3 Reconcile Accounts (click-2-expand)
We double-check that what’s in the system matches the real world—like checking your bank app against your receipts.
💼 Technical Description:
Subledgers are reconciled with the general ledger. Bank, vendor, and intercompany balances are matched to ensure completeness and accuracy before closing the period.
🎯 Scenario:
Finance runs a daily reconciliation comparing GL cash accounts with imported bank statements, flagging unmatched entries for review.
Step 4 Adjust & Reclassify (click-2-expand)
If something’s in the wrong bucket—or needs tweaking before closing—it gets sorted here.
💼 Technical Description:
Adjustments are made via journals to correct errors or reclassify spending into the right cost centres, profit centres, or accounts. These may be accruals, deferrals, or FX revaluations.
🎯 Scenario:
An incorrect travel expense charged to ‘Training’ is reclassified to ‘Consulting Travel’ using a correcting journal.
Step 5 Close Subledgers (click-2-expand)
We shut the tap on individual books—no more changes allowed to AP, AR, or Inventory.
💼 Technical Description:
AP, AR, Fixed Assets, and Inventory subledgers are closed for the period. This locks down the data and ensures GL isn’t updated by late transactions.
🎯 Scenario:
The AP team closes July’s subledger so no new invoices can be posted. A warning message appears if someone tries.
Step 6 Close General Ledger (click-2-expand)
This is the financial freeze-frame—once closed, the month is done and dusted.
💼 Technical Description:
General Ledger period is closed. This prevents new journals being posted. Consolidation systems are triggered for group-level reporting.
🎯 Scenario:
The GL period for July is closed. Finance now prepares consolidated reports across all business units.
Step 7 Consolidate Results (click-2-expand)
For groups with multiple entities, we roll it all into one picture—removing duplication and converting currencies if needed.
💼 Technical Description:
Financials from subsidiaries are consolidated into group accounts. Intercompany transactions are eliminated, and FX translation is applied for foreign subsidiaries.
🎯 Scenario:
UK, EU, and US subsidiaries are consolidated using OneStream, applying standard eliminations and FX rates from the group finance model.
Step 8 Generate Reports (click-2-expand)
Here’s where the charts, dashboards, and regulatory filings come from. Strategy, compliance, and investors all want their copy.
💼 Technical Description:
Reports are produced from the GL and consolidation systems. This includes statutory accounts (GAAP, IFRS), management dashboards, ESG disclosures, and regulator-specific formats (e.g. XBRL, XML).
🎯 Scenario:
The finance team generates monthly P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow for the CFO using Power BI linked to the consolidated ledger.
Step 9 File & Comply (click-2-expand)
Final submission to tax authorities, investors, and regulators—our official financial statement to the world.
💼 Technical Description:
Submissions made to regulators (e.g., HMRC, SEC, Companies House) using digital filing formats. Audit evidence is archived. Compliance checks (e.g., SOX) logged.
🎯 Scenario:
The Group Controller files audited year-end accounts via iXBRL to Companies House and sends final tax computations to HMRC.
🧑💼 Hire-to-Retire (H2R)
6 Core Steps – Click to Expand Manages the full employee journey — from recruitment to exit, including payroll and performance.
🧠 Step 1: Workforce Planning (click-2-expand)
Example: Planning to recruit 3 software engineers in Q1 based on roadmap.
📋 Step 2: Recruit & Onboard (click-2-expand)
Example: Candidate applies via portal, is interviewed, and receives onboarding checklist.
🔁 Step 3: Manage HR Lifecycle (click-2-expand)
Example: Update job title and salary after promotion; log maternity leave.
💷 Step 4: Payroll & Benefits (click-2-expand)
Example: Monthly payroll run deducts PAYE and adds childcare vouchers.
📈 Step 5: Performance & Development (click-2-expand)
Example: Line manager logs performance review and suggests technical course.
🚪 Step 6: Exit & Offboarding (click-2-expand)
Example: HR triggers exit checklist, IT revokes access, and final pay is settled.
🧾 P2P: Procure to Pay
6 Steps to Control how goods and services are requested, bought, received, and paid for.
Step 1 Request Purchase (click-2-expand)
Someone in the business needs to buy something and raises a request.
🧠 Technical Description:
A Purchase Requisition is created in the ERP system, capturing item, quantity, cost centre, and delivery details.
🎯 Example Scenario:
A team lead raises a request for 5 laptops in SAP S/4HANA.
Step 2 Approve Requisition(click-2-expand)
A manager checks and approves the request based on cost and need.
🧠 Technical Description:
Workflow routes the PR to approvers based on cost thresholds and department rules.
🎯 Example Scenario:
The request exceeds £5,000 and requires finance approval.
Step 3 Create Purchase Order(click-2-expand)
A formal order is sent to the supplier after approval.
🧠 Technical Description:
Approved PRs are converted into Purchase Orders with supplier, price, delivery, and terms.
🎯 Example Scenario:
IT creates a PO in Dynamics 365 and emails it to the laptop supplier.
Step 4 Receive Goods (click-2-expand)
The goods are delivered or the service is performed, then checked.
🧠 Technical Description:
A Goods Receipt (GR) or Service Entry Sheet (SES) is logged in the ERP to confirm delivery.
🎯 Example Scenario:
The laptops arrive and the IT team records a GR in Oracle.
Step 5 Receive Invoice(click-2-expand)
The supplier sends a bill for what they delivered.
🧠 Technical Description:
Invoices are captured and matched against the PO and GR (3-way match) or just PO (2-way).
🎯 Example Scenario:
The invoice is scanned and matched to the PO and GR in Coupa.
Step 6 Approve & Pay Invoice(click-2-expand)
Finance checks and pays the invoice according to agreed terms.
🧠 Technical Description:
Once approved, the invoice is scheduled for payment via integrated banking systems and recorded in GL.
🎯 Example Scenario:
The invoice is approved in SAP and paid via BACS, with automatic GL posting.
🧾 S2P: Source to Pay
7 Steps to transact strategic sourcing, supplier selection, contracting, and purchasing through to payment.
📌 Step 1: Identify Need (click-2-expand)
Someone in the business realises they need to buy goods or services — the spark that kicks things off.
Technical Description:
Business unit defines the need and scope, often leading to a purchase requisition or sourcing request in the ERP or procurement system.
Example:
Marketing team identifies the need for promotional merchandise and logs a requirement for branded water bottles.
🔍 Step 2: Source Suppliers (click-2-expand)
We figure out who can supply what we need — and what kind of deal we can get.
Technical Description:
Sourcing includes identifying potential vendors, sending RFQs or RFPs, evaluating bids, and initiating negotiations or eAuctions.
Example:
Procurement invites three suppliers to submit bids for IT equipment and compares pricing and terms.
✍️ Step 3: Negotiate & Contract (click-2-expand)
We agree terms and lock in the relationship — legally and commercially.
Technical Description:
Contracts are created, reviewed, and signed with selected vendors. Managed in contract lifecycle platforms or ERP contract modules.
Example:
A one-year contract for software licenses is negotiated and signed with a preferred vendor, including SLAs.
🧾 Step 4: Create Purchase Order (click-2-expand)
We send the supplier an official order to deliver the agreed goods or services.
Technical Description:
Purchase Orders (POs) are generated in ERP systems and shared with the vendor. POs link to requisitions, contracts, and budgets.
Example:
A PO is created for 100 laptops based on a signed hardware contract and approved requisition.
📦 Step 5: Receive Goods/Services (click-2-expand)
The items arrive or service is delivered — and someone checks it’s what we asked for.
Technical Description:
Goods Receipt (GR) or Service Entry Sheet (SES) is posted in ERP to confirm delivery. Triggers downstream invoicing and 3-way match.
Example:
The warehouse confirms receipt of materials and enters a GR against the PO in SAP.
🧮 Step 6: Receive & Match Invoice (click-2-expand)
The supplier sends the bill — we check it matches what we ordered and received.
Technical Description:
Invoice is captured via OCR, EDI, or manual entry. Matched against PO and GR/SES for quantity, price, and terms before approval.
Example:
An invoice for stationery is matched against the PO and GR — everything lines up, so it proceeds to payment.
💸 Step 7: Pay Supplier (click-2-expand)
The money leaves our bank and lands in the supplier’s — all squared.
Technical Description:
ERP triggers payment runs based on due dates and terms. Payments are executed via banking interfaces and posted to accounts.
Example:
Accounts Payable runs the weekly payment batch, transferring funds to suppliers by BACS.
🏗️ Materials Management & Warehousing
6 Core Functions To track what stock we have, what we need, and where it's moving — across procurement, storage, and production.
📇 Step 1: Material Master Data (click-2-expand)
Before you can store or move a thing, you need to know what that thing is — and that means data.
Technical Description:
Material Master records define product attributes, units of measure, valuation class, storage location, procurement type, and inventory levels. Used across MM, PP, and SD modules.
Example:
A new item — 50L barrels of cleaning fluid — is created in the ERP system with full specifications and safety data.
📦 Step 2: Procurement & Goods Receipt (click-2-expand)
Materials arrive at the warehouse — and someone checks they match the order.
Technical Description:
Goods Receipts (GRs) are posted in the ERP system, referencing Purchase Orders (POs). The system updates stock quantities and triggers downstream processes like quality checks and invoice matching.
Example:
200 metal parts arrive, are checked against the PO, and booked into stock with a timestamped GR document.
🧰 Step 3: Stock Putaway & Storage (click-2-expand)
Now that the items are in, they need to be stored in the right place — not just dumped in a corner.
Technical Description:
Stock is moved to appropriate bins or locations using Warehouse Management System (WMS) logic. Putaway strategies determine where items should go (e.g., based on size, turnover rate).
Example:
Pallets of cables are placed in high shelves, logged in the WMS under zone A3.
🔄 Step 4: Stock Movements (click-2-expand)
Materials don’t just sit still — they get picked, packed, moved, or consumed.
Technical Description:
ERP tracks movements like transfer postings, stock transfers, issue to production, and returns. Every movement updates inventory and triggers audit trails.
Example:
Items are transferred from bulk storage to staging area for a production order, recorded as a stock transfer.
🧾 Step 5: Physical Inventory & Reconciliation (click-2-expand)
What the system says and what’s on the shelf must match — and sometimes they don’t.
Technical Description:
Cycle counts or full physical inventory are performed, and differences are posted in ERP. Adjustments are made based on tolerances and approval workflows.
Example:
A cycle count reveals 5 missing units; an inventory adjustment document is posted to reconcile the book and physical stock.
🚚 Step 6: Issue to Production or Dispatch (click-2-expand)
When it's time to use or ship the material, it’s picked and sent on its way.
Technical Description:
Goods Issue is posted to production orders, sales orders, or cost centers. WMS and ERP coordinate picking, packing, staging, and dispatch documents.
Example:
Material is issued to a production line with a reference to a work order and recorded as a consumption posting.
Crosswalk Data:
As mentioned earlier, the blueprint ERDs are based on SAP, largely due to its functional heritage. To make the ERD models more broadly useful, I’ve produced a crosswalk guide that maps equivalent fields across ERP systems like Oracle, Dynamics, and Workday. This is available as a PDF, so if you need a system-specific view, the download should be safe and straightforward to use.
📜 Downloadable Artefacts: The café chats
Descendant from Hadoop. Apache Spark has arrived!
Databases still like SQL — scaling to meet data needs
A deck to bring an existing team on board with scrum
Common Data Concepts with DataLakes
Clouds like DCs — without racking and stacking
AI Like old-school data science—without the pizza and batch jobs.
A pragmatic overview of the Databricks architecture, illustrating how it unifies business intelligence (BI) and machine learning (ML) on a single, scalable platform. Grounded in real-world use, it outlines a layer-by-layer pipeline—with a narrative that bridges data engineering and business value. This guide is designed to support practitioners seeking clarity and accountability in data platforms.
Outlines the Snowflake architecture in practical terms—how it ingests, stores, transforms, secures, and serves data. Whether you're feeding dashboards, automating reports, or publishing data products, Snowflake sits at the centre, blending performance with governance. The following sections map out the flow and explain each building block using a shorthand, delivery-focused narrative.
Deck created during a lunch break. Fair to say it's a field-tested account of Scrum estimating in the real world. It’s based on what actually happens when diverse, multi-location teams attempt to balance theory with delivery under pressure. The aim is to bridge the knowledge gap many teams face: how to apply Scrum estimating principles in ways that work for them, not just the textbook.
Pragmatic blueprint for a modern data lakehouse unifying structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data on object storage. Walks through Medallion zones (Bronze, Silver, Gold), open table formats (Delta, Iceberg, Hudi), and compute access (Spark, Databricks, Trino) for BI and ML. Covers governance (Unity Catalog, RBAC/ABAC), lineage, sharing, and FinOps, plus orchestration with Airflow/ADF.