BYU Dining Services: Full Eatec ERP go-live across campus dining operations.
A large institutional dining operation needed to replace on-premises legacy systems with a modern cloud ERP. The project covered full Eatec implementation — SOP development, SQL data migration, staff training, and stakeholder coordination across multiple campus dining locations.
Executive Summary
BYU Dining Services ran on aging on-premises systems with no path forward for reporting, procurement, or inventory visibility at scale. Blake led the full Eatec ERP implementation — managing cross-functional stakeholders through system configuration, SOP creation, on-premises to cloud data migration, and hands-on training delivery across campus dining teams. The project produced 25 SOPs, 50+ training videos, and a fully validated migration of legacy databases to the new cloud system.
Situation
Legacy on-premises systems with no reporting or inventory visibility.
Campus dining operations ran on legacy on-premises software that had accumulated years of institutional data but lacked the reporting, procurement automation, and inventory controls the operation needed to run efficiently at scale. The system couldn't grow with the organization.
Leadership had selected Eatec as the cloud ERP replacement. The challenge wasn't choosing the platform — it was executing a migration without disrupting daily food service operations, and making sure teams could actually use the new system from day one.
Constraints
Operational continuity across a high-volume dining environment.
- Campus food service could not pause — operations had to continue throughout the transition
- Years of legacy data requiring validated SQL migration to the new cloud platform
- Cross-functional stakeholders across dining, procurement, and operations with different system expectations
- Frontline dining staff requiring hands-on training before go-live
Systems Involved
Approach
Configuration and SOPs built in parallel. Training before go-live, not after.
The first step was mapping how dining operations actually worked — procurement cycles, inventory workflows, and reporting needs — so Eatec could be configured to reflect real operations rather than vendor defaults. This shaped both the system setup and the SOPs.
SOP development ran concurrently with configuration. As each module was set up, corresponding standard operating procedures were written and validated with the teams who would use them. Training videos were produced at the same time, so staff had reference material available from day one rather than waiting for post-implementation documentation.
Data migration was treated as a validation exercise, not just a technical transfer. SQL transform scripts were written to move legacy data to the new cloud structure, and each dataset was reconciled against source records before the cutover.
Implementation Details
What was built and delivered.
25
Standard Operating Procedures
Written and validated with operational teams before go-live
50+
Training Videos
Module-specific instructional content for dining staff
Full
On-Prem to Cloud Migration
Legacy databases migrated with validated SQL transform scripts
Cross-functional
Stakeholder Management
Dining, procurement, operations, and IT coordinated through go-live
Business Outcome
Cloud ERP live. Teams trained. Legacy data fully migrated.
BYU Dining Services moved from aging on-premises software to a fully operational cloud ERP without disrupting daily food service. Staff entered go-live with documented SOPs and training videos already in hand.
The validated data migration meant no reconciliation surprises after cutover. Legacy records were available in the new system from day one, with discrepancies caught and corrected during migration rather than discovered post-launch.
Lessons
What this means for similar organizations.
The most expensive mistake in ERP implementation is treating training as an afterthought. Concurrent SOP development — built alongside configuration rather than after go-live — is the single change that most improves adoption. Staff who have reference material before they need it perform measurably better than those who receive it after.
Data migration is never just a technical lift. Validated SQL transform scripts caught discrepancies that would have created weeks of manual reconciliation work had they been discovered after cutover. The investment in pre-migration validation pays back immediately.
Best Fit
This case study is relevant if your organization...
- Is replacing aging on-premises software with a cloud ERP
- Needs data migrated from legacy systems without post-go-live surprises
- Has operational teams that require training and documentation before launch
- Has multiple departments with different workflows that need to run through one system
- Had a previous implementation where training was built after go-live
Facing a similar situation?
The Systems Diagnostic maps exactly where your systems are creating operational friction — before any implementation begins.