Marty Zigman on "Approach for Major NetSuite Form Tidy Up Efforts"

Approach for Major NetSuite Form Tidy Up Efforts

By Marty Zigman , on October 29, 2022

This article is relevant if you desire a significant and meaningful cleanup of NetSuite form layouts.

Background

In our NetSuite Systems Integration Practice, we encounter many different situations. We are often invited to help clients with their NetSuite innovation and support after they go live. With all the concerns to address when going live on Netsuite (see my recent 2022 article about considerations in a complex NetSuite implementation), the need to get NetSuite transaction and entry forms are often prioritized as a “nice to have.”

When we think about adoption, much of the user experience has to do with how the day-to-day use of the system is presented. Users fundamentally work with NetSuite entry and transaction forms. An intelligent layout of form fields and sublists can help give users confidence and thus comfort when they use NetSuite — this promotes willingness and better moods.

However, while NetSuite’s Form Builder layout tools get the job done, the clean-up tasks will be a significant undertaking if there is a lot of work to do and many forms.

Major Approach to Tidy Up NetSuite Forms

Recently, a client engaged us to assist after a dissatisfactory GoLive with another well-known NetSuite partner. While the thrust of the work required was to fix the revenue-cash transaction cycle, the client wanted to demonstrate to the users its commitment to the end user to “make all things good.”

Thilo S., a new Associate with our firm, was tasked to help our client clean up all the forms. Thilo insisted on thinking about the form clean-up challenge in a manner that would assist in discussions and coordination with the client sponsor. Consequently, he came up with the following approach:

Form Definition Download: by downloading the Form definition XML, the metadata could be brought into a spreadsheet for inspection and manipulation. We thus were not bound to NetSuite’s Form Builder presentation layout to conceptualize the challenge.
SQL Data Usage Inquiry: using SuiteQL (see article on how to Get License Free Tools to Link NetSuite Saved Search / SQL to Extend Data Reach), we could query the database to assess how much data is being referenced with forms– thus helping us remove unnecessary fields.

Thilo then put all the information into a Google Sheet to collaborate with our client sponsor in a comfortable setting. Once the collaboration was completed, Thilo could take the traditional approach to work with the form builder. Most of the real tidy-up work would be one in one major swap versus the tedious onesie-twosie approach without the analytical work.

Watch NetSuite Form Clean-Up Video (6:37)

Thilo was working with Chidi O, a Senior Technical Consultant with our firm, when he recognized the brilliance of Thilo’s approach. Thus, we wanted to bring that approach to you.

Click here to watch the (6:37) video directly.

Learn from Talented NetSuite Professionals

I was delighted with Thilo’s leadership when he invented this NetSuite form clean-up method. He exemplifies the type of talent committed to helping our clients get the most out of their NetSuite investment. Since I formed the firm in 2003, holding our high standards for expertise and ethics has proven to be the right mix to attract ambitious professionals and client organizations seeking superior experiences.

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Marty Zigman

Holding all three official certifications, Marty is regarded as the top NetSuite expert and leads a team of senior professionals at Prolecto Resources, Inc. He is a former Deloitte & Touche CPA and has held CTO roles. For over 30 years, Marty has produced leadership in ERP, CRM and eCommerce business systems. Contact Marty to set up a conversation.