What Is Epicor BPM (Business Process Management)?
Also known as: Epicor Kinetic BPM, Epicor method directives, Epicor data directives
Definition
Epicor BPM is the rules layer in Epicor Kinetic and Epicor 10 that intercepts business object methods and data changes. Method, Data and Base Processing directives run conditions and actions, such as validation, field updates or emails, without altering base code.
Epicor BPM (Business Process Management) Explained
Epicor BPM is configured in the Business Process Management area through the Directive Maintenance, with the Actions and Conditions designer. Method Directives attach to server methods such as SalesOrder.Update or JobEntry.Update, running Pre-Processing, Post-Processing or Base Processing logic. Data Directives fire on table changes regardless of which screen caused them, and Base Processing Directives alter standard method behavior.
Within a directive you build conditions (for example, ordered quantity exceeds a limit) and actions such as Show Message, Set Field, Send Email, Call Custom Code or Invoke BO Method. Where the visual designer reaches its limits, the Custom Code action supports C# with access to the dataset and the Db context, and Functions in Kinetic provide reusable server-side logic.
Care is needed. Directives run for every user and integration touching the method, so a heavy query can slow the whole system. Order of execution, transaction scope and interaction with Customization and Personalization on the client are common debugging topics. Kinetic upgrades require retesting directives, especially those calling custom code.
Why It Matters
- A large share of Epicor customization is BPM, so understanding it is central to upgrades from Epicor 9 or 10 to Kinetic.
- Poorly designed directives are a known cause of slow saves and deadlocks.
- Data directives enforce rules even for integrations and EDI, making them the right control point for data integrity.
- Documenting what each directive does is a prerequisite for any AI or automation layer that writes data.
In Practice
A distributor wants to block shipping on customer accounts on credit hold. A Method Directive on CustShip.Update, pre-processing, checks the customer credit hold flag and raises an exception with a message. The same rule applied as a Data Directive on ShipHead would also catch updates from EDI and Kinetic web services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Method Directive and a Data Directive?
A Method Directive runs when a business object method is called. A Data Directive runs when a table row changes, whichever path caused the change.
Does Epicor BPM survive upgrades?
Directives are carried forward, but they must be retested, particularly when they call custom C# code or depend on changed methods.
Can BPM call external systems?
Yes, through custom code or Functions, though external calls inside a transaction should be kept short and handled carefully.
Related Terms
SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) Compliance
SOX compliance is a US public company's obligation under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to establish, document, test, and certify internal control over financial reporting, including the IT general controls and segregation of duties in the systems that produce financial data.
Middleware
Middleware is software that sits between applications and handles the communication, transformation, routing, and reliability concerns of moving data between them, so that the applications themselves do not need to know about each other directly.
REST API
A REST API is a web interface that exposes application data as addressable resources over HTTP, using standard verbs such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE, stateless requests, and conventional status codes, typically exchanging JSON.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is integrated business software that runs finance, manufacturing, supply chain, sales, and HR processes on a single shared database, so a transaction entered once updates every dependent function in real time.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices between trading partners in a standardized structured format, without human intervention.
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