In many companies, the data already exists, but decisions are still slow because insight is fragmented across reports, spreadsheets, and inconsistent dashboards. Operations teams need daily visibility, finance needs KPI control and trend monitoring, leadership needs a single version of truth, and supply chain needs forecasting to avoid overstock and stockouts. Kinetic Business Intelligence & Analytics Suite is designed to address this in a structured, scalable way, moving from operational reporting to descriptive, diagnostic, and predictive analytics, all within the Epicor Kinetic (Epicor ERP) ecosystem.
A four-layer analytics model you can adopt progressively
Epicor structures analytics capabilities in Kinetic into four complementary layers:
- Operational Reports & Dashboards – daily control and real-time monitoring
- Descriptive Analytics – short-term trends, self-service visualization, fast exploration
- Diagnostic Analytics – answer “why” using long-term aggregated analysis, KPI/scorecards, and what-if
- Predictive Analytics – forecasting and inventory optimization for more precise decisions
This approach is practical because organizations can start with immediate operational needs and mature into deeper analytics, without waiting for a large data program to finish.
1) Operational Reports & Dashboards: real-time daily control
The first layer focuses on understanding what is happening right now across the business.
Business Activity Query (BAQ)
BAQ is Epicor’s query engine, built using a drag-and-drop wizard. Epicor notes that you can create your own queries or adapt hundreds of standard queries, then use them for SSRS reports, query grids, and visualizations.
Microsoft SSRS
For structured, professional reporting output, Epicor uses SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), supporting operational reporting and template-driven documents (including forms printing/routing).
Trackers & Role-based Dashboards (Home Page)
Kinetic’s Home Page can combine widgets for inquiry, ad hoc reporting, graphical analysis, and alerts, using a role-based approach so users see what matters most to their daily execution.
2) Descriptive Analytics: self-service BI for faster adoption
Once operational reporting is stable, the next step is enabling business users to explore trends and patterns with less dependency on technical teams.
Grow (Epicor Solution for Business Intelligence)
Grow is positioned as an all-in-one cloud BI solution: connect data, blend, cleanse, filter, store, and visualize it in dashboards and reports. Epicor highlights 75+ data connectors to cloud applications and databases, low-code (SQL) capabilities for technical teams, and no-code transforms for non-programmers. Grow also provides content packs across areas like Sales, Production/Project, Material, Financial, Field Service, and Maintenance.
Epicor Data Discovery
Epicor Data Discovery provides real-time visualization driven by BAQs, similar in spirit to pivot tables, but more visual and with drill-down capability to ERP transaction details. Epicor emphasizes cross-device accessibility (desktop, browser, tablet, smartphone).
IoT Data Discovery Widgets (shop floor context)
Epicor also highlights Epicor IoT integration with Microsoft Azure IoT Hub to monitor sensor data and combine it with Kinetic production context. IoT widgets on the Home Page can generate real-time KPI-based alerts (for example, a permitted temperature range).
3) Diagnostic Analytics: answering “why” with deeper analysis
When the organization needs root-cause insight and longer-horizon trending, Epicor points to more advanced diagnostic analytics.
Epicor Data Analytics (EDA) – powered by Phocas
EDA is designed to turn Kinetic data into actionable insight through interactive dashboards with drill-down to transaction level. Epicor positions it as an intuitive, warehouse-based approach that helps reduce costs, uncover opportunities, and accelerate decision-making.
Advanced MES + EDA Dashboards (OEE, scrap, yield, dll.)
Epicor notes that real-time data from Advanced MES can be analyzed for trending and diagnosis, covering OEE, run rate, scrap, yield, energy/material consumption, and even investigating late shipments (production issues vs supplier issues).
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
For budgeting and planning, Epicor references FP&A options (such as Epicor Financial Planning and Analysis, Epicor Financial Planner, Spreadsheet Server) to support budgeting control and what-if scenarios.
4) Predictive Analytics: forecasting and smarter inventory optimization
At the highest layer, the focus shifts to what’s next, and what action makes the most sense, especially for supply chain and inventory.
Smart Demand Planner
A cloud-based statistical forecasting solution that selects forecasting models per item (considering trends, seasonality, and promotions/events), supports collaboration and consensus planning, and measures forecast accuracy.
Smart Inventory Optimization
Helps set safety stock, reorder points, lead times, and order quantities by balancing service levels against cost (holding, ordering, and stockout costs). Epicor also references support for multiple inventory policy scenarios for alignment and decision-making.
Smart Operational Analytics
Cloud reporting designed to provide a “360-degree” view of inventory conditions, supplier lead-time performance, and cross-facility rebalancing opportunities, helping uncover the root causes of operational inefficiency.
Why this matters for Manufacturing & Distribution ERP
This suite supports data-driven execution across functions, shop floor (IoT/MES), supply chain (demand and inventory), and finance (BI, FP&A). Most importantly, it can be implemented in stages: start with operational dashboards for quick wins, then mature into diagnostic and predictive capabilities as data maturity increases.
If you run Epicor Kinetic (Epicor ERP) and want a structured, measurable path to Business Intelligence & Analytics, from BAQ/SSRS and role-based dashboards to Data Discovery/Grow, then EDA and predictive demand & inventory. KANO can help define KPI priorities, design the analytics model (BAQ/Data Discovery/EDA), and build a pragmatic Implementasi Epicor Kinetic roadmap tailored for ERP for Manufacturing and Distribution.
