Don’t Break the System: Epicforce Tech’s Strategy for Safe Epicor® Custom Code

Don’t Break the System: Epicforce Tech’s Strategy for Safe Epicor® Custom Code

Blog Article

Introduction: Custom Code Should Empower, Not Endanger

Epicor® is one of the most flexible ERP platforms on the market. That flexibility allows businesses to extend and enhance their systems through custom code—making the ERP better suited to unique workflows, complex rules, and specialized reporting.

But there’s a catch: custom code can break your system.
Poorly planned or implemented customizations often result in:

• Broken upgrades

• System downtime

• Sluggish performance

• Security vulnerabilities

• High dependency on one developer or vendor

At Epicforce Tech, we believe custom code should be a strategic advantage—not a liability. That’s why we’ve developed a clear, proven methodology for creating safe, sustainable, upgrade-ready customizations in Epicor®.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through our full strategy—from discovery to deployment—and how we help clients get the most from their custom functionality without putting system stability at risk.

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Section 1: Why Most Epicor® Customizations Fail

Customization failure doesn’t always mean something stops working—it often means the solution is unscalable, hard to manage, or breaks silently during an upgrade.

Common problems include:

• Direct changes to Epicor® base code

• Lack of version compatibility documentation

• Hardcoded logic tied to specific data structures

• Use of deprecated APIs or scripting methods

• No source control or testing framework

These issues cause long-term tech debt, making upgrades painful, increasing downtime, and putting critical business processes at risk.

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Section 2: The Epicforce Tech Philosophy — Code with Confidence

At Epicforce Tech, we’ve seen every type of customization challenge—from broken BPMs to undocumented integrations. Our approach focuses on five core pillars:

1. Business-aligned

Custom code should serve a clear, validated business need—not just a feature request.

2. Upgrade-safe

All solutions are architected to survive future Epicor® updates with minimal rework.

3. Modular

Custom logic is isolated, portable, and built for reuse—not hardcoded.

4. Documented

We create detailed technical and functional documentation for every customization.

5. Owned by you

Our code is written transparently and handed off with full source control and training.

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Section 3: Our Safe Custom Code Framework for Epicor®

Here’s how we ensure your Epicor® customizations are not only functional, but future-ready.

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Step 1: Strategic Discovery & Justification

We begin with a deep dive into your requirements.

We ask:

• What process are we solving or improving?

• Can it be addressed through Epicor® configuration or BPM tools?

• What would success look like?

• How often will this logic need to change or scale?

• What are the risks of NOT customizing?

This step ensures we build only what’s necessary—and that we don’t duplicate existing Epicor® functionality.

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Step 2: Design Around Epicor®’s Extensibility Tools

Whenever possible, we use Epicor’s built-in extensibility features:

We build around the Epicor® framework—not through it.

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Step 3: Isolate & Modularize All Logic

When true code is required (C#, scripts, DLLs), we:

• Create self-contained modules

• Avoid referencing base system files directly

• Structure logic in reusable methods and classes

• Enable unit testing and API endpoint validation

• Store in a version-controlled repository (Git, Bitbucket, etc.)

This makes the code easier to maintain and upgrade—and far less likely to break.

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Step 4: Validate with UAT + Real Business Scenarios

Before deployment, we validate all custom code in a dedicated UAT environment using:

• Full process walkthroughs

• Department-specific usage testing

• Data entry simulations and edge case tests

• Integration mocks or real payload tests

• Performance benchmarks on large datasets

We ensure your custom logic holds up under real business pressure—not just in theory.

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Step 5: Prepare for the Next Epicor® Upgrade

All our custom code is packaged with upgrade-safe practices:

• Clear version documentation

• Epicor® release compatibility notes

• Test cases to re-run after any upgrade

• Scripted backups and redeployment tools

• Alert systems if key endpoints or logic change in new versions

This ensures smooth transitions between Epicor® versions, even years after go-live.

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Section 4: Real-World Example — Custom Logic Without the Risk

Client: Global manufacturing firm with Epicor® Kinetic

Challenge: Needed custom job scheduling logic that prioritized machines based on energy usage, not just availability.

Risks:

• Epicor® didn’t support this logic out-of-the-box

• Existing custom code was undocumented and broke during upgrades

• Previous vendor modified system tables directly

What We Did:

• Replaced legacy code with modular logic in C#

• Called the logic via BPM triggers from the job scheduling screen

• Stored scheduling rules in UD tables editable by users

• Documented all functions and trained their admin team

• Simulated future upgrades in a sandbox environment

Results:

• Custom logic survived two Epicor® releases

• Reduced production energy costs by 15%

• 0% downtime from scheduling module

• Fully documented for future scaling or change

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Section 5: When to Rebuild Unsafe Custom Code

Not all code is worth saving. If your current customizations meet any of these criteria, we recommend a rebuild:

We can refactor legacy logic using safer, scalable methods—without disrupting your operations.

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Section 6: Tools & Practices We Use for Safe Development

We follow strict development and deployment practices that reduce risk and improve maintainability:

• Source Control: Git-based repositories with version history

• Unit Testing: Where applicable, to test logic independently

• Epicor® Test Environments: Dev, UAT, and Prod segregation

• Code Review: All code reviewed by senior architects before deployment

• Documentation: Functional + technical for every deployment

• Rollback Strategy: Recovery steps for every customization

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Section 7: Post-Deployment Support & Optimization

Even with clean code, business needs evolve. That’s why we include:

• 30/60/90-day review checkpoints

• Change tracking with re-validation

• Performance monitoring on custom queries

• Helpdesk support for training or behavior updates

• Reusable code libraries for new departments or sites

Customizations should grow with your business—not slow it down.

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Section 8: Empowering Your Team to Manage Custom Code

We don’t believe in vendor lock-in. Epicforce Tech provides:

• Admin training to read, test, and deploy new versions

• Developer guides for your internal teams

• Epicor® customization “cookbooks” with step-by-step patterns

• Access to versioned code libraries

You should own your ERP environment. We simply help you future-proof it.

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Ready to Customize Without the Risk?

Custom code doesn’t have to be a liability. When done right, it becomes a strategic advantage that improves operations, reporting, automation, and compliance—without breaking the system.

At Epicforce Tech, we specialize in Epicor® customizations that are safe, scalable, and upgrade-ready. Whether you need a fix, a rebuild, or a new solution—our team is ready to help you build smarter.

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Conclusion: Epicforce Tech Builds Customizations That Last

ERP customization should unlock performance—not trap your business in technical debt.

At Epicforce Tech, we’ve helped companies around the world extend Epicor® safely—with code that’s documented, scalable, and ready for the future. We don’t take shortcuts. We build smart, sustainable solutions that evolve with your business.

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