Infor CloudSuite is a powerful and dynamic ERP platform built to help organizations address use cases across many functional areas, including Financials & Supply Management (FSM), Human Capital Management (HCM), and Workforce Management (WFM).
Within each functional area is a unique Birst analytics module that features purpose-built data models, ETL logic, and dashboards to help users report on and visualize key metrics.
This modular approach gives organizations flexibility, enhances the end-user experience, and ensures that the analytics engine evolves separately from the core ERP.
No doubt, it’s a powerful analytics platform—and since it’s cloud based it can be updated to scale with your business.
Updates are not all made equal, however, as Infor delivers two distinct types of updates that impact analytics and understanding how they differ is key.
Below, we break down what you need to know about the different types of upgrades and how to go about moving forward with a Birst analytics upgrade.
Monthly CUs vs. Biannual Content Releases
Monthly Cumulative Updates (CUs) are critical for keeping the Birst application running smoothly and happen automatically.
No action is required from organizations, and the changes do not affect customized content.
Biannual Content Releases (Major Product Enhancements) on the other hand are a different story. In addition to the Monthly CUs, Infor also releases critical Birst content updates twice per year, April and October, known respectively as the April and October CUs.
These updates introduce feature enhancements such as new businesses classes, increased reporting capabilities, and granular dashboard configurations.
Unlike monthly CUs, the bi-annual April and October CUs include optional content upgrades that can alter and change custom configurations.
Why Aren’t Biannual Content Updates Automatic?
Because content updates often include critical application enhancements that could overwrite prior configurations or conflict with your current setup, Infor requires clients to formally request updates before they’re applied.
Most analytics environments are carefully tailored to each organization’s use case, built with modified ETL logic, custom business classes, dashboards, and reports.
For that reason, Infor will only deliver upgrades after you’ve confirmed compatibility and selected which features you want.
So, if you’re getting ready to upgrade your Birst environment with content from an April or October CU, follow the steps below to ensure a successful upgrade.
Step 1: Thoroughly Review Birst Upgrade Release Notes
Before initiating an upgrade, review the release notes to determine:
- Does the new content add value?
- Does it overlap or interfere with custom structures?
- Will existing dashboards or reports benefit from the enhancements?
Step 2: Track Your Customizations Before Upgrading
During an upgrade, custom content must be manually incorporated into the upgraded spaces. To streamline this work, be sure to maintain a clear inventory of:
- Custom ETL scripts
- Added/extended user fields & business classes
- Custom facts, dimensions, and calculated measures
- Modified KPIs or filtering logic
- Role-based security rules
- Custom dashboards and reports
Clear and consistent documentation makes upgrades faster, safer, and far more predictable.
Step 3: Watch for Overlap with New Infor-Delivered Content
If you’ve added custom modules or business classes to your Birst environment, the latest content release may now include these areas out-of-the-box. During the upgrade, compare your custom work with Infor’s delivered content and decide whether to:
- Keep your custom model
- Migrate to the delivered structure
- Update dashboards to take advantage of new functionality
This is an opportunity to reduce long-term maintenance and simplify workflows.
Step 4: Choose Your Upgrade Method
Infor provides two upgrade methods to satisfy your environment’s unique needs:
Rip-and-Replace
- Re-provision all Birst spaces
- Overwrites all customizations
Only recommended forfully out-of-the-box environments
Side-by-Side Upgrade (STC)
- Infor provisions shadow spaces (small-scale databases developed for end users) complete with the updated content
- Clients manually merge customizations into the upgraded spaces
- After validation, Infor performs a controlled Copy Space
This approach keeps guardrails in place within your custom environment, preserving data integrity.
Step 5: Submit a Request
Every upgrade starts with a ticket to Infor. Regardless of the upgrade path you choose, the process begins in the same way:
- Submit a ticket to Infor requesting a Birst content upgrade
- Specify which upgrade path you want to use (Rip-and-Replace or STC)
- Specify which tenant environments (DEV, TST, PRD, etc.) should be upgraded
- Provide any relevant scheduling or blackout windows
Infor will then review the request and coordinate provisioning and scheduling.
Get Help with Your Birst Upgrade
Upgrading Birst analytics allows organizations to take advantage of new dashboards, improved data structures, and enhanced reporting capabilities. A clear upgrade strategy, supported by documentation, planning, and the right technical expertise, allows organizations to adopt new content safely while preserving the customizations that matter.
As an established Infor partner, RPI Consultants has extensive experience helping organizations plan, execute, and validate Birst analytics upgrades. We deliver readiness assessments, content merging, ETL and data model alignment, and support end-to-end dashboard remediation, validation, and go-live support.
So, if your organization is preparing for an upcoming Birst upgrade, RPI Consultants can help you throughout the process and determine what updates you should implement.
To learn more about Birst and how RPI can help you, contact us below
