Epicor has announced the upcoming major product upgrade of Epicor Kinetic 2021.1 in April 2021. This upgrade not only represents a major milestone in the advancement of manufacturing solutions from Epicor, but also a complete rebranding of the Epicor ERP solutions as Epicor Kinetic.
Epicor Kinetic 2021.1 represents decades of the Epicor manufacturing expertise fully reimagined for today’s modern workforce and digital business. Given such depth of enhancements in this upgrade, the standard testing timeframe for customers on cadence has been extended from four weeks to seven weeks.
What’s New in Epicor Kinetic 2021.1
More details will be released, but a few highlights include:
A Transformed User Experience
Enjoy the fresh look and intuitive design of all your most-used screens and forms – now accessible in a web browser – as the user experience transformation is getting closer to completion.
Expanded Capabilities of Application Studio
Your daily users will appreciate what your power users already know – This robust low/no code toolset is more feature-rich and intuitive to help even the casual user personalize screens to work faster and smarter.
Improved Help & Support Panel
With so many new features, it’s important to have quick and easy access to help when you need it. The Help & Support panel now features familiar type-head predictive search results and more ways to personalize your favorite topics.
Important Dates For Epicor Kinetic Upgrades
For cadence customers
Date |
Event |
Details |
|---|---|---|
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 |
Data Refresh in Pilot | For all live Public Cloud customers staying on cadence, your pilot database will be automatically refreshed this day. Additional environments are not automatically refreshed, but if you would like them to be, please submit a case in EpicCare by Friday, April 9.
For implementing customers staying on cadence, your pilot database will not be automatically refreshed, unless you submit an EpicCare ticket requesting a refresh by Friday, April 9. Please note that you will not be able to have your database refreshed from Production to Pilot during the upgrade testing period. |
Thursday, April 15, 2021 |
Data Refresh in Pilot for MT/Express |
For all legacy Multi-tenant and Express customers, your pilot database will be automatically refreshed this day. |
Friday, April 16, 2021 –Saturday, April 17, 2021 |
Pilot System Upgrade to 2021.1 | During this time, your Pilot system, Education environment, and additional environments will be unavailable while Epicor performs your upgrade, but don’t worry—your Production system will not be affected by the new release. Once it is complete, log in to your Pilot system (and other environments) to start exploring what’s new. |
Sunday, April 18, 2021 –Friday, June 4, 2021 |
Extended Testing Timeline |
There are seven weeks to test in Pilot. Between the upgrade from Pilot to Production, there will be two updates for customers on cadence. |
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 |
Pilot System Update to 2021.1.2 | Your Pilot system and additional environments will be updated to include quality enhancements. |
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 |
Pilot System Update to 2021.1.3 |
This will be the second and last update before the upgrade to Production |
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 |
UBC Opt-In Deadline |
|
Saturday, June 5, 2021 –Sunday, June 6, 2021 |
Production System Upgrade to 2021.1.3 |
Your upgrade weekend arrives! While Epicor upgrades your Production system to Epicor Kinetic 2021.1.3, your system will be unavailable for several hours during this time. |
Flex Customers
Date
Event
Details
Friday, April 9, 2021
Deadline for Flex Customers Deadline for customers purchasing the Flex option to submit an EpicCare ticket indicating your preference to defer your upgrade to one of the alternate upgrade dates listed below. Week of June 21, 2021
Flex Option #1:
Pilot System UpgradeFor Flex Option #1 customers, your Pilot system, Education environment, and additional environments will be unavailable while Epicor performs your upgrade, but don’t worry—your Production system will not be affected by the new release. Once it is complete, log in to your Pilot system (and other environments) to start exploring what’s new. Week of July 19, 2021
Flex Option #2:
Pilot System UpgradeFor Flex Option #2 customers, your Pilot system, Education environment, and additional environments will be unavailable while Epicor performs your upgrade, but don’t worry—your Production system will not be affected by the new release. Once it is complete, log in to your Pilot system (and other environments) to start exploring what’s new. Friday, July 24, 2021 –
Saturday, July 25, 2021
Flex Option #1
Production System Upgrade to 2021.1Flex Option #1 customers: your upgrade weekend arrives! While Epicor upgrades your Production system to Epicor Kinetic 2021.1, your system will be unavailable for several hours during this time. Friday, August 21, 2021 –
Saturday, August 22, 2021
Flex Option #2
Production System Upgrade to 2021.1Flex Option #2 customers: your upgrade weekend arrives! While Epicor upgrades your Production system to Epicor Cloud ERP Kinetic 2021.1, your system will be unavailable for several hours during this time.
Note that dates are subject to change.
How To Prepare
Epicor will upgrade your Pilot system and any additional environments seven weeks before Production for customers on cadence. This will provide an opportunity to explore the functionality updates in 2021.1.1 without affecting your Production system.
As a best practice, please use this time to review and make any necessary changes to your Unique Business Components (UBCs)—custom reports, BAQs, BPMs, User Interface customizations, etc.—to ensure everything continues to operate as expected. There will be more information regarding sample test plans and more that will be made available to you on EpicWeb Documentation.
Flexing Your Epicor Kinetic Upgrade
Subscribers to the Epicor Public Cloud Flex Option can follow the same schedule, but you have the option to defer your upgrade to Epicor Kinetic 2021.1. Below are the two date options for your flex upgrade. Please note the deferred upgrades still have the usual four weeks to test. If you are a Premium Flex Test subscriber, please communicate your preferences by the same deadline and process below.
| | Pilot | Production |
| Option 1: | Week of June 21, 2021 | July 24-25, 2021 |
| Option 2: | Week of July 19, 2021 | August 21-22, 2021 |
Pilot upgrade dates will be communicated closer to the date.
If you choose to defer, you must submit an EpicCare ticket by Friday, April 9 with your selected upgrade date (Option 1 or Option 2) and we will send you a personalized confirmation with your instructions. We must receive your deferral no later than Friday, April 9. If you do not choose to defer, we’ll keep you on cadence and automatically upgrade your system in June 2021.
Note: If you choose to defer your upgrade, you will not receive any 700.x updates after the 10.2.700.12 update. We only host the upgrade webinars on April 6 and April 7, but replays are accessible at any time afterwards as documentation on EpicWeb. If you defer, you are strongly encouraged to either attend or watch the replay so you are aware of the upgrade process.
Next Steps
1. Watch the “What’s New in Epicor Kinetic 2021” Webcast Replay
The webcasts were held in early April. If you were not able to attend or need a refresher, we encourage you to watch the replay to understand how to prepare, ways to leverage the new functionality for driving business growth, and be aware of the upgrade process. The link to view on demand is coming soon!
2. Before Your Upgrade
Take a look at all of your Epicor Kinetic 2021.1 resources in Documentation – available mid-April. Particularly useful documents include:
- What’s New via the Feature Summary
- Upgrade Guide
- Change list in the Release Notes document
3. During Your Testing Window
- Resolve any issues with your configurations
- Test your business flow in critical areas
*Testing tip: print customer-facing documents - Review daily, weekly, and monthly processes
And as a reminder, reach out to your Encompass CAM or EpicCare anytime you have a question or need application support.
About Encompass Solutions
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of Industry.
