Epicor Kinetic Upgrades and Refactoring Checklist

Overview

Upgrading to Epicor Kinetic is more than a technical migration. Successful upgrades require reviewing customizations, BPM workflows, dashboards, reports, integrations, and user processes to ensure compatibility with the modern Kinetic platform. For technical discussions and answers, visit the EpiUsers

Organizations that treat upgrades as an opportunity to simplify and modernize their ERP environment often experience smoother deployments, lower maintenance costs, and improved long-term supportability.

1. Inventory Existing Customizations

Start by documenting all existing customizations, including:

• Classic UI customizations
• BPM Method Directives
• Data Directives
• Epicor Functions
• BAQs and Dashboards
• SSRS Reports
• REST and external integrations
• UD tables and fields

Many companies discover that a significant portion of their customizations are no longer required because Kinetic now provides equivalent standard functionality.

2. Review and Rationalize Customizations

For every customization, ask:

• Is it still actively used?
• Can Kinetic standard functionality replace it?
• Should it be rebuilt using Application Studio?
• Can the logic be moved into Epicor Functions?
• Does the customization still support current business processes?

Avoid migrating obsolete customizations that add complexity without business value.

3. Convert Classic Customizations

Classic customizations often require review after conversion. While Epicor provides conversion tools, some components may need manual updates or redesign within Application Studio.

• Review conversion logs.
• Test converted layers.
• Validate screen behavior.
• Refactor unsupported functionality.

Many organizations use the upgrade process as an opportunity to simplify user interfaces and remove years of accumulated modifications.

4. Review Integrations

Legacy integrations should be reviewed carefully during upgrades.

• Validate REST API integrations.
• Review external DLL dependencies.
• Update authentication methods.
• Verify third-party system compatibility.
• Test EDI and external interfaces.

Cloud and modern Kinetic environments often require different integration approaches than older on-premise deployments.

5. Validate Dashboards and Reports

Dashboards and reports are common sources of upgrade issues.

• Verify BAQ performance.
• Test dashboard functionality.
• Review calculated fields.
• Validate SSRS reports.
• Check security permissions.

Many upgrade projects include dashboard cleanup efforts to reduce complexity and improve performance.

6. Perform User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Testing should include representatives from every department:

• Sales
• Customer Service
• Purchasing
• Production
• Shipping
• Finance
• IT

Use documented test scripts to validate critical business processes before go-live. Organizations that invest in structured testing generally experience fewer post-upgrade issues.

7. Train Users on Kinetic

One of the largest upgrade challenges is user adoption. The Kinetic interface differs significantly from Classic screens, making training essential.

• Provide role-based training.
• Demonstrate Application Studio enhancements.
• Create updated process documentation.
• Allow users to practice in test environments.

Many organizations gradually transition users from Classic to Kinetic to reduce resistance and improve adoption.

Final Upgrade Checklist

• ✓ Audit all customizations
• ✓ Review BPMs and Functions
• ✓ Validate integrations
• ✓ Test dashboards and reports
• ✓ Verify security roles
• ✓ Complete user acceptance testing
• ✓ Update documentation
• ✓ Train end users
• ✓ Create rollback plans
• ✓ Execute go-live validation