Different ERPs in the M&A operations
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Dear all,
I have experienced in my career some cases where two companies merged, and as they were using different ERPs, there was a huge problem in comparing figures and metrics.
What is your experience with that? Any factual hints?In my opinion ERP misalignment is a common—and often underestimated—challenge in post-merger integration. When two systems can’t communicate or reconcile metrics easily, it slows down financial reporting, clouds decision-making, and frustrates leadership. Early alignment on reporting definitions and a strong data governance team can prevent costly missteps. Don’t rush full ERP integration—stabilize critical reporting first, then scale.
That’s a great point—and one I’ve seen firsthand as well. When two merging companies operate on different ERPs, even basic reporting becomes a challenge. I’ve worked on a project where one side used SAP and the other used Oracle, and reconciling financials, headcount, and even customer data was a nightmare for the first few quarters.
One factual hint I’d offer is to establish a unified data dictionary early in the integration process. Even if systems can’t be merged right away, aligning on definitions (e.g., what counts as “active revenue” or “customer churn”) helps teams compare apples to apples.
Curious if anyone else has seen success with a phased ERP integration strategy—or if full migration is the only way to go.
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