NetSuite Implementation Guide

A comprehensive guide for consultants and self-implementers navigating NetSuite implementations from discovery to go-live.

Industry Quick Start

Click your industry to see recommended focus areas and key chapters

๐Ÿญ
Manufacturing
BOM, Work Orders, Shop Floor

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • WIP (Work in Progress) accounting and GL impact
  • Costing methods: Standard vs. Average for assemblies
  • Lot/serial tracking for traceability
  • MRP and demand planning integration
๐Ÿ“ฆ
Wholesale / Distribution
Inventory, EDI, Drop Ship

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • Drop ship and special order workflows
  • Multi-location inventory and transfers
  • Landed cost tracking
  • EDI compliance (850, 810, 856)
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Retail
POS, E-commerce, Multi-channel

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • Multi-channel inventory synchronization
  • POS integration and cash reconciliation
  • Returns and exchanges workflow
  • Promotional pricing and discounts
๐Ÿ’ป
Software / SaaS
Subscriptions, Revenue Recognition

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • SuiteBilling for subscription management
  • Revenue recognition schedules (ASC 606)
  • SaaS metrics: MRR, ARR, churn, CAC
  • Usage-based billing models
๐Ÿ’ผ
Professional Services
Projects, Time & Billing

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • Resource management and capacity planning
  • Time tracking and approval workflows
  • Project profitability analysis
  • Expense management and reimbursement
๐Ÿค
Nonprofit
Fund Accounting, Grants

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • Fund accounting and restricted funds
  • Grant management and compliance
  • Donor management and stewardship
  • Form 990 and FASB reporting
๐Ÿฅ
Healthcare
Compliance, HIPAA

Key Phases

Special Considerations

  • HIPAA compliance and data security
  • Patient data handling restrictions
  • Revenue cycle management
  • Regulatory audit trails
0

Foundation

Understanding the NetSuite Platform

  • 0.1

    Cloud ERP overview, unified platform concept, how it differs from legacy systems, Oracle relationship.

  • 0.2

    Partner network, SuiteCloud platform components overview, SuiteApp marketplace, implementation resources.

  • 0.3

    Starter, Standard, Premium, Enterprise editions. User types, module licensing, cost considerations.

  • 0.4

    Production, Sandbox, Development, Release Preview accounts โ€” when and how to use each.

  • 0.5

    SuiteBuilder, SuiteFlow, SuiteScript, SuiteTalk, SuiteAnalytics โ€” conceptual overview of customization options.

1

Discovery

Understanding the Business

  • 1.1

    Waterfall vs. Agile vs. Hybrid approaches. When to use each, project governance structures, timeline planning.

  • 1.2

    Identifying decision makers, subject matter experts, change resistors. Building your project team.

  • 1.3

    Interview techniques, documentation standards, prioritization frameworks (MoSCoW), requirements traceability.

  • 1.4

    Current state vs. future state analysis. Process documentation, identifying pain points and opportunities.

  • 1.5

    Native vs. configuration vs. customization decisions. Build vs. buy analysis, SuiteApp evaluation.

  • 1.6

    Industry-specific requirements, common patterns, and key considerations for your vertical.

    Manufacturing Wholesale Retail Software Services Nonprofit Healthcare
2

Design

Architecting the Solution

  • 2.1

    Account types, numbering schemes, multi-subsidiary considerations, mapping from legacy systems.

  • 2.2

    Subsidiaries, locations, departments, classes, custom segments โ€” when to use what, reporting implications.

  • 2.3

    Customers vs. leads vs. prospects, contacts vs. sub-customers, vendor structure, partner relationships.

  • 2.4

    Item types selection, naming conventions, hierarchy design, pricing structure planning.

  • 2.5

    OTC, PTP, RTR mapping to NetSuite transactions. Process flow documentation.

  • 2.6

    Roles, permissions, restrictions, custom roles design. Principle of least privilege implementation.

  • 2.7

    Identifying integration points, middleware decisions, API strategy, data flow mapping.

  • 2.8

    Industry-specific design decisions and architectural patterns for your vertical.

    Manufacturing Wholesale Retail Software Services Nonprofit Healthcare
3

Configure

Building the Foundation

  • 3.1

    Company information, preferences, features enablement, initial configuration checklist.

  • 3.2

    Accounting periods, fiscal calendars, accounting preferences, GL configuration.

  • 3.3

    Creating accounts, account types, account numbers, mapping from legacy COA.

  • 3.4

    Multi-subsidiary setup, intercompany transactions, elimination subsidiaries, location hierarchy.

  • 3.5

    Segment configuration, hierarchies, restrictions, reporting implications.

  • 3.6

    When to create custom segments, configuration options, performance considerations.

  • 3.7

    SuiteTax setup, nexuses, tax codes, tax schedules, exemptions.

  • 3.8

    Multi-currency setup, exchange rate providers, triangulation, revaluation.

4

Entities & Items

Master Data Setup

  • 4.1

    Customer forms, stages, statuses, custom fields, credit management.

  • 4.2

    Vendor forms, payment terms, 1099 tracking, three-way matching setup.

  • 4.3

    Employee records, expense management, time tracking, supervisor hierarchies.

  • 4.4

    Contacts vs. sub-customers, contact roles, relationship mapping.

  • 4.5

    When to use partner records, commission tracking, competitor tracking.

  • 4.6

    Inventory, non-inventory, service, other charge, discount, payment, group, kit items.

  • 4.7

    Assembly items, bill of materials, phantom assemblies, revision control.

    Manufacturing
  • 4.8

    Parent/child relationships, item options, matrix setup and management.

    Retail
  • 4.9

    Price levels, quantity pricing, customer-specific pricing, promotional pricing.

  • 4.10

    Industry-specific item configuration patterns and best practices.

    Manufacturing Wholesale Retail Software Services Nonprofit Healthcare
5

Transactions

Business Process Configuration

  • 5.1

    Order types, pricing configuration, inventory commitment, approval workflows, credit management.

  • 5.2

    Invoice creation, billing schedules, progress billing, consolidated invoicing, invoice delivery and automation.

  • 5.3

    PO creation, approval workflows, drop ship, special orders, blanket POs, vendor management.

  • 5.4

    Bill entry, three-way matching, payment processing, payment runs, vendor credits.

  • 5.5

    Adjustments, transfers, inventory counts, bin management, lot/serial tracking.

    ManufacturingWholesale
  • 5.6

    Manual journals, recurring entries, statistical journals, intercompany journals, reversing entries.

  • 5.7

    Customer returns, RMAs, credit memo creation, refund processing, return authorization workflows.

  • 5.8

    Customer deposits, vendor prepayments, deposit applications, prepayment tracking.

  • 5.9

    Intercompany sales/purchases, elimination entries, transfer pricing, cross-subsidiary workflows.

  • 5.10

    Month-end close, accruals, deferrals, revaluation, reconciliation, period locking.

6

Forms & UI

User Experience Design

  • 6.1

    Custom transaction forms, layout and tabs, field configuration, form assignment.

  • 6.2

    Customer, vendor, employee forms, field placement, tab organization.

  • 6.3

    Sublist configuration, line-level fields, custom columns, filtering.

  • 6.4

    Search-driven forms, dynamic sublists, inline editing, KPI data.

  • 6.5

    Advanced PDF/HTML templates, BFO syntax, conditional logic, custom layouts.

  • 6.6

    Transaction emails, marketing templates, merge fields, conditional content.

  • 6.7

    Role-based dashboards, KPI portlets, custom portlets, dashboard publishing.

7

Automation

Workflows & Scripts

  • 7.1

    API versions, script types, governance model, when to use code vs. configuration.

  • 7.2

    beforeLoad, beforeSubmit, afterSubmit entry points and use cases.

  • 7.3

    Browser-side validation, field changes, page initialization, line-level events.

  • 7.4

    Time-based execution, batch processing, scheduled integrations.

  • 7.5

    Parallel processing for large data sets, getInputData, map, reduce, summarize.

  • 7.6

    Custom UI pages, REST API endpoints, external integrations.

  • 7.7

    SuiteFlow basics, states, transitions, actions, conditions, approval workflows.

  • 7.8

    Sublist actions, scheduled actions, custom action scripts, best practices.

  • 7.9

    No-code automation with formula fields, conditional logic, calculated values.

8

Advanced Modules

Extended Functionality

  • 8.1

    Multi-location inventory, bins, lot tracking, serial numbers, expiration dates.

    ManufacturingWholesale
  • 8.2

    Mobile RF scanning, picking strategies, wave management, put-away rules.

    Wholesale
  • 8.3

    Work order management, routing, WIP accounting, shop floor control.

    Manufacturing
  • 8.4

    Employee management, payroll processing, time tracking, benefits administration.

  • 8.5

    Webstore concepts, catalog management, checkout flows, customer portals.

    Retail
  • 8.6

    Project management, resource planning, project billing, profitability analysis.

    Services
  • 8.7

    EPM concepts, budget creation, forecasting, variance analysis.

  • 8.8

    Audit management, compliance tracking, documentation, regulatory requirements.

    Healthcare
  • 8.9

    ASC 606/IFRS 15 compliance, revenue elements, SSP allocation, performance obligations.

    Software/SaaSServices
  • 8.10

    Asset lifecycle, depreciation methods, multi-book support, disposals, ASC 842 leases.

    ManufacturingHealthcare
  • 8.11

    Product configuration, pricing matrices, guided selling, quote workflows, approval routing.

    ManufacturingSoftware/SaaSWholesale
  • 8.12

    Technician scheduling, dispatch, mobile work orders, service contracts, warranty tracking.

    ManufacturingServicesHealthcare
9

Analytics

Reporting & Insights

  • 9.1

    Search creation, filters, formulas, expressions, summarization, highlighting, scheduling.

  • 9.2

    Standard reports, customization, Financial Report Builder, report scheduling.

  • 9.3

    SuiteAnalytics Workbook, dataset creation, multi-dataset joins, pivot tables, visualizations.

  • 9.4

    Data warehouse concepts, dashboard creation, cross-subsidiary reporting.

  • 9.5

    ODBC/JDBC connections, SuiteQL queries, data extraction for BI tools.

  • 9.6

    Industry-specific KPIs, metrics, and reporting requirements.

    ManufacturingSoftwareNonprofit
10

Integrations

Connecting Systems

  • 10.1

    Point-to-point vs. middleware, iPaaS options, integration patterns, error handling strategies.

  • 10.2

    SOAP web services, authentication, common operations, best practices.

  • 10.3

    REST API concepts, record operations, SuiteQL via REST, OAuth 2.0.

  • 10.4

    Custom REST endpoints, use cases, security considerations, deployment.

  • 10.5

    Import templates, field mapping, scheduling, error handling, best practices.

  • 10.6

    AI integration capabilities, MCP standard tools, use cases.

  • 10.7

    Salesforce, Shopify, Amazon, banking integrations, payment processors.

  • 10.8

    Digital invoicing standards, compliance requirements, configuration.

11

Data Migration

The Critical Path

  • 11.1

    Planning approach, big bang vs. phased, historical data decisions, timeline planning.

  • 11.2

    Source system analysis, data quality evaluation, volume estimation, complexity assessment.

  • 11.3

    Deduplication strategies, standardization rules, enrichment, validation procedures.

  • 11.4

    Dependency mapping: Lists โ†’ Items โ†’ Entities โ†’ Open Transactions โ†’ Historical data.

  • 11.5

    Standard import templates, field mapping, data transformation, common pitfalls.

  • 11.6

    Iterative testing approach, validation procedures, performance testing, rollback planning.

  • 11.7

    Opening balances, inventory valuation methods, reconciliation, cutover timing.

  • 11.8

    Timeline creation, go/no-go criteria, rollback plans, communication strategy.

  • 11.9

    When to migrate detail, GL rebuilding approaches, posting date decisions, legacy archive access.

  • 11.10

    OneWorld sequencing, shared vs. subsidiary-specific records, intercompany balances, consolidation validation.

  • 11.11

    Partial fulfillments, deposits, unapplied payments, vendor credits, deferred revenue, prepaid expenses.

12

Testing

Quality Assurance

  • 12.1

    Test phases, environment setup, test case management, documentation standards.

  • 12.2

    Configuration validation, script testing, workflow testing, formula verification.

  • 12.3

    End-to-end process testing, integration validation, data flow verification.

  • 12.4

    UAT planning, test scripts, user involvement, sign-off procedures, defect management.

  • 12.5

    Load testing, script optimization, governance monitoring, bottleneck identification.

  • 12.6

    Release preview testing, upgrade validation, customization compatibility.

13

Training & Change

User Enablement

  • 13.1

    Stakeholder communication, resistance handling, executive sponsorship, change champions.

  • 13.2

    Role-based training plans, materials development, train-the-trainer approach.

  • 13.3

    Delivery methods, scheduling, hands-on exercises, reinforcement techniques.

  • 13.4

    User guides, quick reference cards, video tutorials, knowledge base creation.

  • 13.5

    Post-go-live support structure, escalation paths, ongoing enablement.

14

Go-Live

Launch & Stabilize

  • 14.1

    Comprehensive checklist, timeline finalization, communication plan, team assignments.

  • 14.2

    Step-by-step cutover procedures, validation checkpoints, issue resolution.

  • 14.3

    Hypercare support, issue triage, escalation procedures, quick wins.

  • 14.4

    First week priorities, first month milestones, first close procedures.

  • 14.5

    Documentation handoff, lessons learned, knowledge transfer, project celebration.

  • 14.6

    Post-implementation roadmap, continuous improvement, optimization opportunities.

Browse by Module

Find guidance for specific NetSuite modules and functionality areas.

Implementation Checklists

Interactive checklists with progress tracking. Your progress is saved locally and persists between sessions.