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The ERPNext Newsletter September 2020

“A goal without a plan is just a wish” - Antoine de Saint Exupéry


This month, we bring you a couple more updates on what’s being added in version 13, a giant blog on lean manufacturing, a smaller one on production planning, a couple of product videos on data import, customizing, and permission management, a video where the ERPNext architecture is explained in simple words, and more. We’re also expanding. Read on for the updates. 


ERPNext updates

Here’s a roundup of select new updates in version 13 to know while you eagerly wait for the public release:

  1. After a lengthy discussion in the community, the refreshed POS system got merged. It has a new UI that’s simpler to use and find things on. There are also a lot more elements on the screen to control the POS better. Here’s the discussion thread. Thanks to everyone who engaged and contributed to the discussion.
  2. The GitHub issue for Whatsapp integration had plenty of likes. So now, Whatsapp is a new notification channel in ERPNext. You’ll be able to use Twilio and templates to automatically send notifications to WhatsApp accounts. 
  3. Talking about community, we have a community contributed feature—Dunning. With this, you can remind those forgetful suppliers and customers that the due date for payment has passed. What’s more? You can also charge interest. Ouch. Read more here.
  4. Paytm is now a payment gateway in ERPNext. Make and receive payments among suppliers and customers. Read the docs to know more.
  5. There have been some updates around Kubernetes, Docker, and ERPNext. Let's understand some terms first. A helm chart contains files that describe a set of Kubernetes resources. With recent GitHub actions, the Kubernetes Helm Chart for ERPNext will be updated frequently. Since, packaging new versions of helm charts need new versions of docker images, the additional result is that the docker images also get updated. Good thing to know in case you don't use Kubernetes. You can find the new charts updated at helm.erpnext.com.


Blogs

Read on to know more about blogs on lean manufacturing, production planning, and ERPNext vs Odoo.

  1. If you’re a manufacturer, you must’ve come across the concept of lean manufacturing. There are a lot of principles and methods to go lean. Information about lean is spread across the internet in bits and pieces. But what if you had all of them in one place, at least to a beginner level? That’s what I thought before writing Lean manufacturing: The ultimate guide. (Warning! prepare to scroll, a lot)
  2. Are you sold on lean? Maybe, maybe you’ll consider adopting some concepts before scaling your business and truly going lean. Regardless, you need a plan, I’m talking about production planning of course. Check out What is production planning and how to do it? A comprehensive guide.
  3. When looking for an open source ERP, choices narrow down to two—ERPNext and Odoo. Let’s see Is ERPNext better than Odoo? 9 reasons to consider.
  4. Everyone feels different in this lockdown. Lot of us miss the office environment, the commute, and chats with colleagues. Read Rushabh’s experience on Surviving remote work where he shares his perspective.


Videos

Check out the video selection for this month:

  1. There’s a new Data Import system in ERPNext, check out how to use it in Importing Data In ERPNext.
  2. Get familiar with the basic building blocks of each DocType or form in Customizing DocTypes.
  3. Users, roles, and Permissions are always tricky. Learn about it with nice illustrations and examples in this video.
  4. The ERPNext architecture can be slightly confusing. Watch this video to understand The Architecture of ERPNext explained with a simple analogy.


Frappe Cloud

In case you haven’t heard about Frappe Cloud let me catch you up quickly. It’s a hosting service by Frappe where you can launch your own ERPNext instance in a few clicks. Now, let’s see what’s happening in Frappe Cloud.

  1. User documentation is live at https://frappecloud.com/docs/
  2. Custom domains now work and can also be removed
  3. New site jobs will be given higher priority
  4. You can now upload files larger than 5GB 


FOSS Hackathon

You devs out there, did you check out the FOSS Hackathon yet? It’s sponsored by companies like GitHub and Digital Ocean. Not to mention the prize up to ₹10L.

It’s happening remotely on the weekend, September 12th and 13th.


Help articles

Here’s a manufacturing themed help article:

Is it possible to do Manufacturing without creating BOM?

Did you know?

When dealing with a work order, you can backflush extra items when transferring materials. Yes, other than the ones present in the bill of materials. Simply go to Manufacturing Settings and change “Backflush Raw Materials Based On” from “BOM” to “Material Transferred for Manufacture”.

Now you can transfer additional materials in the Stock Entry. 


What’s up at Frappe

We’re expanding. 

In a good way.


The sales team feels better with a leader and some structuring. A couple of new joiners in developer and non-developer functions. This was a much needed and ongoing relief. Honestly, I don’t know how we’ve been able to handle such a large ecosystem with a smaller team so far. But I have my fingers crossed for things to look bright.



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Cheers,

Prasad from Frappe.

erpnext.com


P.S. Thank you Fatih, Greg, Turker, Francisco, Ryan, and others for your kind words of encouragement and feedback on the first newsletter. You made my day. Hope this newsletter also made you smile just a bit.