Yardi Support for Custom Reports in Voyager: Custom Data Fields

http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - Yardi support for Custom Reports in Voyager - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains how to develop custom data fields in a  Yardi Voyager custom report.

Get a free ebook with tons more helpful information about Yardi Voyager custom reporting from David Wolfe at this site: http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports

From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Custom Reports for Voyager: Process for a Custom Report

http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - Tips for Yardi custom reports for Voyager from David Wolfe of Lupine Partners - the process for creating a Yardi Voyager custom report from scratch.

Get a free ebook with tons more helpful information about Yardi Voyager custom reporting from David Wolfe at this site: http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports

From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Voyager Software Implementation: Training and Database

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi Voyager Software training help from David Wolfe of Lupine Partners: the trainer should ask the database before the Yardi Voyager software training

Get a free ebook with tons more helpful information about Yardi Voyager software implementation training from David Wolfe at this site: http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training

From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Voyager Training Help: Limit Access Before Training

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi Voyager property management software help and tips from David Wolfe of Lupine Partners: should users 'play aound' in Yardi Voyager before training.

Get a free ebook with tons more helpful information about Yardi Voyager software implementation training from David Wolfe at this site: http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training

From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Consulting on Voyager: Customization of Training Agenda?

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi consulting for Yardi Voyager training agenda customization, software implementation, and Yardi help from David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners for your Yardi Voyager real estate property management software implementation.

 From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Property Management Voyager Voyager Software Training Help

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi property management Voyager software training help and tips from David Wolfe of Lupine Partners: 'train the trainer' vs end-user training.

 From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Systems Voyager Software Training Help: Training Off-site

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi Systems Voyager property management software training help and tips from David Wolfe of Lupine Partners: pros and cons of off-site training room.

 From the Lupine Partners Web Site:

"Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals."

Yardi Dallas Consulting: Yardi Voyager Training Tips and Help

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi Dallas software consulting implementation training tips and help from David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners: the secret of how to use the 'parking lot' in your Yardi Voyager real estate property management software implementation training sessions.

 Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals.

 

Yardi Implementation Tips: Voyager Training Internet Connection

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi implementation training tips and help from David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners: the pros and cons of having internet connectivity during your Yardi Voyager real estate property management software implementation training sessions.

 Lupine Partners is a boutique consulting firm with unique expertise in the selection, implementation, and customization of industry-leading real estate property management and accounting software packages, and the systems that support them.   Our mission is to provide premier information system solutions and consulting services to the real estate and public housing communities nationwide.

 While Lupine certainly enjoys a reputation for expertise in real estate property management software packages, what is of equal value to our clients is our clear understanding of the importance and intricacies of planning, management, and process in the attainment of business goals.

 

Yardi Voyager Training Strategies for Software Implementation

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi Voyager training protocols and tips from David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners to mazimize your Yardi Voyager software implementation training.

Below are some of the tips included in the video:

 

• Write down your questions.  Do not interrupt the instructor as they are going through the training.  There are more people in the room besides you.  We will get to your questions at the appropriate time.  (Discussions on the use of a ‘parking lot’ are forthcoming…)

• No side conversations, meaning with your neighbor.  Besides being rude it prevents the person you are talking to from hearing the training.  Side conversations are extremely disruptive.

• No cell phones, for what I hope are obvious reasons:  they are disruptive to you and the entire class when they ring.  And there is no better way to ensure your own failure than to spend your training time texting…You can return calls during break.

I see most training sessions break down due to a lack of discipline.  These sessions are short bursts of concentrated activity.  One way to ensure that everybody maintains focus is to tell the users that they will be tested at the end of the training.  Then test them.

 

 

Yardi Software Voyager Training Tips: Remote Training by Phone

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi software training tips for Voyager implementation from David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, explains why it does not make sense for trainees to attend training by phone for your Yardi Voyager real estate property management software implementation.

In order to get more people trained, does it make sense for some of the trainees to listen in by phone?

This does not work. Period.  The people on the phone will be checking email and working on their regular job tasks.  No training will have occurred.  You are better off not having them attend by phone at all.  If they attend the training by phone, in their mind they will have been trained.  There may be a check box marked off by their name, but they will not actually have the required software knowledge.   Resist the temptation to save money on training.  If you want to cut corners, do so elsewhere.  Invest as much money as you can here – have more sessions, not less.  Have smaller classes, not bigger.  Be smart about this, always keeping in mind that a failed implementation is much more costly than a few extra training classes.

Yardi Training Voyager Tips: Advanced and Beginner Users

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - Yardi training advice on the question: What is the problem with putting beginner and advanced users together in a training session? David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, warns of issues combining beginning and advanced users in a single training session classroom.

All of us have been on one side of this over the years where you’re the smart person and there are newbies in the class and you are bored.  Or you’re the inexperienced one and everything is going over your head.  It’s the same with Yardi - if you make the mistake of combining groups with varying levels of experience or interest, you run the risk of one side being bored while the other side is overwhelmed.  This is a question and analysis you need to do in advance because your goal is to get everybody trained.  You may think you are saving money by putting everyone in the same class, but only half the class is really being trained.  In the end, you have not furthered your goal of getting everyone trained on Yardi Voyager™.  You didn’t really save any money if one group did not get what they need.

Yardi Voyager Implementation Training Tips: Remote Training

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training  - Voyager implementation Yardi training questions answere by David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, advises on remote vs on-site Yardi Voyager training.

Can the training for your Yardi Voyager implementation be done remotely or should the trainer be ‘in the room’? Final end-user training must be done in person.  You have to be able see students’ reactions and monitor the room to see what’s going on, while they must be able to see your face as you’re teaching the product.  Even with new technology there are some things that still must be done face to face to effectively communicate person to person.  Remote training can be used to work through particular software or user issues, but it’s not a full end-user training.  Don’t try to save money by not having the instructor be in front of your people who need to be trained.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: Report Implementation Dallas, TX

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners, Dallas, TX, explains the implementation method for deciding when to develop Yardi Voyager Custom Reports.

 

One of the things we ask clients to do during the module design and configuration meetings is bring all of the reports they are currently using to the meeting.  These reports could be from their existing system or ‘offline’ reports, such as side Excel sheets.    All these reports are taken and broken into a spread sheet with three columns:

• There is a match with an existing Yardi canned report (no cost)

• There is a match with an existing Yardi canned report that needs some modifications (cost)

• Or there is no match and there needs to be a custom report (cost)

From there, a time estimate is normally given for each report.  The estimate is given to the client, and they decide whether a custom report will be developed.  After seeing the amount of effort required to create a particular report, it is not unusual for a client to decide to use one or more canned reports to fulfill the reporting requirements.

 

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: Crystal vs Excel Report Output

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners discusses customization reporting output forms for Yardi Voyager real estate software Custom Reports - Crystal or Excel?

There are advantages to both.  If you output to Excel, you can further manipulate the data and you can create macros to automate some tasks.  You also get the use of Excel’s formulas and formatting, which most people are familiar with.  With Crystal you can’t further manipulate the data.  A fair number of our clients don’t want the end users to have the ability to manipulate the financial statements.  In Crystal, you get the use of subreports which gives you the ability to do some pretty interesting programming.  And there are formulas conditional of formatting in Crystal just like Excel.  You should know that if you have outputted the report to Crystal, it does not format well to Excel from there. You are better off going directly to Excel if that is your goal or end medium.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Use Your Own Data or a Training Database?

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, explains the pros and cons of using your own data or a sample training database during Yardi Voyager software implementation training.

Ideally you should use your own, but practically speaking this is difficult to do and it’s usually not cost effective.  The reason this is typically not cost effective is because your database must be set up to be meaningful in a training environment.  The necessary setup would include being able to demonstrate various functionality in the software, and sample or training data has already been set up to accomplish this.  ‘Your’ data is usually the remnants of the data conversion orchestration effort and probably has not been set up in a useful way.  The question is this:  What is the cost/benefit to setting up your database for training just so the users will recognize the properties, units, and tenants?  Yes, they are more familiar with the data, but does it actually help them learn the software faster or better?  My thought is no…. you can spend your finite time and resources in other areas on the implementation.  Just use a training or sample database.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Use Training Guides and Student Aids

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, talks about the importance of user guides and study aids in the training phase of Yardi Voyager software implementation.

I think it is a terrific idea.  Even though user guides are provided by Yardi, the fact of the matter is most people won’t use them.  It’s not because they’re not well written - they’re thick and daunting and most people just want a quick guide to show them how to do what it is they are going to be doing day after day after day.  People will use index cards or one page documents showing them how to do repetitive tasks.   Part of your training implementation program should be having these guides and or aids created.  They can be passed out during the training session, after each training module, or at the end of the entire training process.  When trainees go back to their desks after going through the Voyager™ training they will have these guides available to use during the first few weeks.  After that, most of the repetitive tasks have been memorized and the materials will no longer be needed.  (But they can be used by new employees – don’t throw them away!)

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Convert Static and Varibale Data

http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion -  David Wolfe of Lupine Partners gives advice on whether or not you have to be technically inclined to do the exports/imports during the data conversion for a Yardi Voyager software implementation.

 To create new ones, yes.  You need to have some abilities in Transact-SQL, know the Yardi schema, and have some abilities and experience in using Yardi scripting. To actually import the files, no.  You just need training on how to navigate the import function in Yardi Admin.

 

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Mid-Year Conversions and 1099's

http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners discusses the implications of a mid-year Yardi Voyager software data conversion on year-to-date vendor payments and 1099's.

We’ve seen this both ways.  It’s easier to do two 1099s, because there aren’t any conversion ramifications. (You just print a 1099 from each system.)  This is fine with the IRS. Remember that 1099s are not part of the company’s mission - it is a reporting requirement by the IRS with a $50 fine per vendor if you don’t do it. If you decide to produce the 1099s for the entire year out of Yardi, then the best use-of-time strategy is to wait until after the implementation is done to import and validate the data. It’s not necessary to have imported Year-to-Date vendor payments as part of a core go-live strategy.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reporting: Reports in Ad Hoc vs Crystal

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners outlines the pros and cons of real estate software report writing Yardi Voyager Custom Reports in Ad Hoc or Crystal.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: Reporting YSL vs SQL Scripting

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains if reporting with YSL or SQL scripting is better for Yardi Voyager implementation Custom Report development.

Neither is better.  YSL is a little more user intuitive because it uses Excel as a foundation, which most people are familiar working with.  It works best with financial statements, although it can be used in a limited fashion for non-financial reports.  SQL cripting is generally more powerful.  You have to get the training on SQL, and then learn how to use that knowledge within Yardi’s SQL scripting rules.  Both are successful approaches.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Personal Computers in the Training Classroom

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, discusses the pros and cons of each trainee having their own computer during Yardi Voyager software training.

Definitely.   With software it doesn’t translate to just watching what is being done.  And sharing doesn’t really work either because the ‘buddies’ will talk among each other.  One person in the pair will become the teacher while the other becomes a student, but both need to be students. It is just not a good dynamic to pair up and ‘watch’ a software training session.  You must have hands on keyboards…

Yardi Voyager Tips: Implementation Training Santa Barbara CA

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, gives advice on the ideal size of your Yardi Voyager software implementation training class, Santa Barbara, CA.

I would say between one and ten.  Once you get over ten, even the most disciplined groups will break down and begin having side conversations.  Once they begin having side conversations they obviously are not listening to the trainer.  The trainer is now training two to three different groups, all of which are having various conversations. So, the smaller class results in higher focus of the attendees.  If you want to train more than ten people, I recommend breaking it into two or more sessions.   Even though it is more expensive, I would always lean toward having smaller groups…more learning will occur.  Remember, if you go through the process and the system users do not learn the software you run the costly risk of a failed implementation…

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Converting GL History

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners discusses how much GL or general ledger history should be converted during a Yardi Voyager software implementation data conversion.

There is no right answer here, but it is a big time cost/benefit issue.  In other words, is the time it takes to enter and validate all this data worth it?  And, more importantly, are you actually going to use this information?  Clients have had their initial go-live date moved back because the project moves faster than their ability to convert and validate the data -- validation of the general ledger history taking the longest time. This can be compounded even more if you are changing your chart of accounts, because you are validating accounts and balance information, but the GL accounts are no longer the same. What do we see most often?  Answer:  summarized GL history for the current fiscal year and one prior fiscal year, so our client can facilitate current and prior year comparative reporting.

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Converting Tenant Information

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion  -  David Wolfe of Lupine Partners addresses strategies for converting tenant information during Yardi Voyager software implementation data conversion process.

It’s an approach that has some merit.  What it allows you to do is to enter or import a minimum amount of information required in order to save a tenant record in Yardi.  Once a tenant record is saved in Yardi, the system assigns a tenant ID. When tenant IDs are established, you can go work on other areas of the data conversion that relate to a tenant.  It just depends on the implementation plan, and what you are trying to accomplish.  For example, if a primary goal of the implementation is the have the work-order history entered early in the process, then you need to have a tenant record established. Later on you can bring in the less important information.  It’s a time-saving strategy. Establishing tenant records early (even if you don’t have all of the desired tenant information) can free you up to work on other areas of the implementation.  The down side to this approach is that you are now doing two imports.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Module Setup Training vs End-user Training

http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, talks about the differences between module setup training and end-user training for a Yardi Voyager software implementation.

Yes.   Module setup is training at the beginning of the implementation to show the points in the software where decisions have to be made by users to determine how they want to use the flexibility in Yardi Voyager™. As I’ve said many times before, there is good news and bad news when it comes to using Voyager™. The good news is it has terrific flexibility.  The bad news is it has terrific flexibility.  You, the user, have to determine how you are going to set up and configure the system so it works for your organization. It really isn’t even training. It’s a demonstration of flexibility which leads into a decision making process of how you want to set up the software.  End-user training occurs at the end of the process.  It shows how to use the software in your daily, weekly, monthly, and annual work activities.

 

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Data Mapping Consultant Tips

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains data mapping in reference to Yardi Voyager data conversions.

First of all, it’s important to realize your old software system and Yardi Voyager store data differently - they are different systems.  So, in order to electronically convert the data, the fields in the old system must be mapped to the fields in Yardi system.  Most users are going to need help doing this, because they are familiar with the schema of the old system, but not necessarily with Yardi’s.  If you are in charge of mapping the data, it is best to work backwards from Yardi’s schema to the source system’s schema.  This is due to Yardi being the ‘catcher’ of the data - the source system being the ‘pitcher.’  Since we are migrating to Yardi, then its schema and data rules are what will dictate during the mapping process.  Begin with the mandatory columns for a table in Yardi and work backwards to an equivalent column in the source database.  If a column is in Yardi but not in the source database, then this is considered a ‘gap’.  Gaps can be ignored, or the relevant data can be compiled outside of the source database and entered/imported into Yardi.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: Is SQL Required for Reporting

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners addresses Yardi Voyager Custom Reports and if SQL is a requirement in custom reporting.

It is, to an intermediate level.  The better question is:  How hard is it to learn SQL?  The answer to that question is:  Not too hard.  The basic elements can be grasped in a day.  The most important thing to know is what the Yardi Voyager™ database schema is. All databases have tables, and within each table there are columns.  If you know SQL but you don’t know where the data is, then you are not going to be able to develop reports in Yardi.  Both the knowledge of SQL and the Yardi schema is attainable in a fairly short period of time.  It does help to go to a training class which will shorten your time frame with both efforts.

 

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: In-house Reporting Capabilities

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains the importance of having Yardi Voyager Custom Reports development capabilities within your company.

Without a doubt, this should be a goal for your organization.  You’ve made a large investment in Yardi and you need to be able to control your destiny.  You must be able to get the data out of the system in the format you want in the time frame you want. You don’t necessarily always want to rely on outside consultants and the support desk at Yardi.  If you do decide to get that expertise in house, be sure you get two people who have this knowledge, not just one.  Otherwise you can get yourself in a ‘hostage’ situation with that particular employee.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Training During Final Data Conversoin

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, discusses the advantages of conducting Yardi Voyager training during the final data conversion effort of your software implementation.

In my opinion -- yes. And this is something Lupine has been able to accomplish a large number of times over the years. There are two goals:  1) to maximize resource usage – the people doing the data conversion are not the same people who are leading the training effort, so you can have simultaneous efforts, and  2) to reduce the amount of time for end-users to forget their training.  Ideally the system users go to training, get out of training, and then go live with Yardi Voyager™.  If they go right into using the system (and not back to the original, old system), everything they learned is fresh and quickly reinforced.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports: Do You Need One?

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains the method of determing if Yardi Voyager custom report development is necessary for your implementation.

This is an important question.  A more important question is this one:  Do you need one all-inclusive report or will a combination of existing (free) reports do the trick?  You need to do a cost/benefit analysis determining whether the internal and external costs of developing a custom report are worth it.  You only have a finite amount of time and money.  Is the benefit of having a custom report worth the internal/external costs?  I have written reports that have cost the client over $5,000 (due to their complexity).  They could have the same information at no cost just by using 2 canned reports.  The goal should be to have the information necessary to make decisions - period.

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Importing Data and Transactions

 http://lupinepartners.com/data-conversion - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners answers a basic Yardi Voyager data conversion question about .csv files and their relevance to importing data and transactions into Yardi Voyager.

 .CSV stands for comma separated value.  If viewed in a text editor, such as Notepad or Wordpad, the information comes across as a string of data separated by commas.  This is relevant to Yardi, because the Yardi scripting engine was originally written to only import .csv files.  Although Yardi was later updated to include .xml files as well, most companies still use .csv, because it is easy to save and view the data in Excel.

Yardi Voyager Custom Reports:Why are Specifications Necessary?

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/custom_reports - David Wolfe of Lupine Partners explains what Yardi Voyager Custom Report specifications are and if they are necessary for your implementation.

 

Report ‘specs’ give the report developer the Who, What, When, and Where of the report. It basically draws a box around what the user is requesting for a report .

The specifications outline the purpose of the report -- what you are trying to get done and any sort of special logic that the report developer needs to take into account as he’s developing the report.  Without the report specifications the developer is just guessing.  

Sometimes, even a minor change can be a complete redo ($$!!) of the report because of the approach taken.  I’ve had instances where I would have developed a report differently had I had all of the desired/required information from the start.

 

Yardi Voyager Data Conversion: Compatible Software Systems

http://www.lupinepartners.com/data-conversion -  David Wolfe of Lupine Partners answers the question "Is there a list of software systems that Yardi Voyager can convert from?, " and offers some insight for Yardi Voyager data conversions.

 Using their ETL tool, Yardi has the ability to natively go into several software packages and extract data. Generally speaking, Yardi can electronically convert from any system that has the ability to produce certain source reports directly to Excel.  The Excel files are an intermediate step between the initial data extract from the source system and the import of the file into Yardi.  Once the data has been saved as .xls file, then the user can manipulate the extract further.  Manipulation examples would include tasks like formatting dates a certain way, adding constants, and deleting NULL values.  Once the .xls file is formatted, it will be saved as a .csv file and imported into Yardi.

 

 

Yardi Voyager Tips: Implementation End-User Training Timing

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - 

David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, explains the importance of proper timing for the end-user training and how it can affect your Yardi Voyager software implementation.

Ideally right at the ‘Go Dark’ time period.  ‘Go Dark’ is when you are taking down the old system and right before you go live with the new one – it is the time period when you have no active system.  There is typically a two to three day period when your data is being converted from the old system to the new.  During that ‘dark’ time period is the ideal time to train your users.  When the training is over, the data from the old system has been converted and everything is ready to go.  The users can then begin going through the list of items and tasks that need to be covered while they were off at training.  (Because for that 2-3 days there will have been no system and any transaction that occurred during those 2-3 days will need to go into Yardi Voyager™…).  So the final answer: User training should be as close as possible to the go-live deadline.  If it is more than two weeks before go-live, everyone will probably forget what they learned in training and you run the risk of having to retrain.

Yardi Voyager Tips: Costs of Improper Implementation Training

 http://www.lupinepartners.com/yardi-training - David Wolfe, President of Lupine Partners, discusses high costs of failure from users not being trained properly for your Yardi Voyager software implementation.

You run the risk of the entire implementation effort being all for naught if the users cannot use the system in the manner it was intended.   Any custom reports that have been created, the entire data conversion effort, and the setup of the individual modules will be a throw away if the users cannot use the system.  You run the risk of the entire implementation being deemed a failure - I’ve seen this happen.  Generally you have about a 45 day window for the user base to say either 1) they love the software or 2) they hate it.  Once they’ve made that emotional decision, it is tough to change their minds.  Bottom line here is don’t go cheap on the training.  It is the last piece to the entire implementation effort, but if it is done poorly then everything that preceded it could possibly be time wasted.