Upgrading to Vista HRMS 4.0

Monday, March 24, 2008 at 2:15 (CST) Beta copy of Vista HRMS 4.0 installed
Friday, June 20, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (CST) Official Release of Vista HRMS 4.0
Friday, June 27, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (CST) IMA is live on Vista HRMS 4.0
Monday, June 30, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. (CST) TeddiAnne Krehbiel sleeps like a baby

While it is very exciting to be one of the first clients to have hands-on experience, it was also a little intimidating. The first few weeks of testing involved trying to familiarize myself with the new product layout. At times I felt like I was wearing a blind fold. Where in the heck did they move Report Maintenance? What happened to the monitor? Can someone send me some documentation?

If you've ever been a tester, you know there is a lot of starting, documenting, waiting, and re-testing. The positive side is that you learn quickly about the application and where to find what you are looking for. You also learn to keep going! If something isn't working, switch to something else and keep plowing through. Otherwise, you are never going to make the deadline you've set (or that deadline that someone has set for you)!

All of the testing we were doing was truly no different than preparing for an upgrade. Can we process a new hire? Does the termination process work correctly? When we make a change to a recipient's benefit plan, does the benefits processing do what it should? If I log in as a self-service user, am I seeing everything and is there any extra help documentation that needs to be addressed? As always, the ultimate test is will the payroll run and does it balance?

Just like our upgrade with the 3.x series, and preparing for the roll out of self-service, function had to come before form so I was left scrambling at the end to get the look I wanted. However, with the introduction of style sheets, making it look like IMA was much easier (especially once I figured out how to work the style sheets)! The new concept of “themes” is exciting and once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.

Are there any “gotchas” with 4.0? Not really. It isn't like the change from the 2.x series to the 3.x series. The concept of “Contacts” and “Associated Parties” does take a little studying. It forced me to do some database cleanup that I had been putting off. I felt confident that even though some of the functionality had improved, and there were a few new bells and whistles, other than cosmetics, everything works in much the same manner. The proof was in how it was presented, (and more importantly…how it was received).

I had a brief meeting with the Human Resources staff the day before we did the upgrade. While Payroll and Benefits had logged in to do their testing, they really hadn't had the opportunity to review all of the new functionality, and the rest of the Human Resources staff hadn't even seen it! For our self service users….I sent two e-mails; one to all associates introducing the new version and outlining the new look to “Pay History,” and another “follow-up” to managers. Did my phone ring off the hook? No. Did people like the new look? Absolutely!

Read the Release Notes! They highlight each of the changes.
Have your dba study the latest web.config documentation and file. There are quite a few new settings that make the Vista HRMS environment look the way you want it. For example, by changing our “Person_Name_Display, I can look up someone's distribution code without even opening their record! This is pretty handy when coding bills!
Read the theme documentation before you create your own theme. Additional information will be added in the future outlining the various coding in the style sheets and what each style sheet controls.
As with any upgrade, carefully read through the install document before starting.
Test…Test…Test!!!

4.0 will be the highlight of the upcoming UGA which will be held in Jupiter, Florida, September 21-24, 2008. I look forward to talking with you about your successful upgrade stories!