About Salto: Salto helps you and your team deploy, track, and manage your NetSuite customizations effortlessly. Learn more here.

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After leading numerous NetSuite implementations, I realized there were a number of SuiteApps I relied upon in any NetSuite environment. While a large number of SuiteApps are not available in the “Search & Install Bundles” menu as they require a paid subscription with a NetSuite partner, this article focuses on 6 key SuiteApps that are available to install, for free.

Some NetSuite SuiteApps are required in order to use specific NetSuite functionality (e.g., the Electronic Bank Payments bundle is required for generating payment files within NetSuite). The following SuiteApps should be considered optional but recommended given the functionality offered at zero cost.

Salto Suite Tip: You can access the complete list of SuiteApps available to your NetSuite environment by following this menu path: Customization – SuiteBundler – Search & Install Bundles - Search

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App 1 – Subsidiary Navigator (25k+ installs)

Bundle ID: 44281

The Subsidiary Navigator SuiteApp can be very useful when using NetSuite OneWorld. Once installed, the App allows you to quickly filter key reports and metrics to specific NetSuite subsidiaries or groups of subsidiaries. Another great thing about this App is that it sits as a portlet on your dashboard, which makes for easy navigation and the ability to quickly toggle between subsidiaries.

Imagine a single click that will filter all reports to reference data only for a given subsidiary vs having to modify the subsidiary filter on every report.

It is worth noting that you can technically achieve the same functionality without the need to install the SuiteApp. The SuiteApp mimics the behavior of the “Restrict View” functionality within each individual user’s preferences. Navigate: Home – Set Preference – Restrict View – Subsidiary – Save. The SuiteApp is far easier to navigate and you will be less likely to forget which subsidiary filter you have active when it sits on your dashboard vs hidden in a user preference setting.

Lastly, the Subsidiary Navigator SuiteApp also includes a group structure chart, which saves on managing outside of NetSuite. 

Salto Suite Tip: Managing your group structure outside NetSuite can give you a friendlier user interface and also allow you to export.

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App 2 – Application Performance Management (20k+ installs)

Bundle ID: 67350

The Application Performance Management SuiteApp is a must have for any NetSuite administrator wishing to better understand their NetSuite environment as it relates to system performance.

In a matter of seconds, the SuiteApp will summarize which NetSuite records and processes are taking the longest to execute. Better yet, you can then drill down into each of those records to understand which specific scripts and workflows are the root cause of any performance issues.

Having this SuiteApp in your tool kit allows for immediate value-add initiatives. Once scripts and workflows have been identified as causing performance issues, they can be targeted for thorough review to either make them operate more efficiently or deprecate if the functionality is no longer required. Further, if you receive pushback on making any changes, you can speak to the specific performance impact of that customization to allow business users to assess if it is still necessary—perhaps that additional 5 seconds to save every sales order isn’t worth the customized behavior that was implemented (for example).

If you are looking for further information on the NetSuite Application Performance Management SuiteApp, please refer to this article.

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App 3 – International Tax Reports (15k+ installs)

Bundle ID: 43003

The International Tax Reports SuiteApp is another App that can be very useful when using NetSuite OneWorld. Once installed, the App allows you to report on country specific VAT and GST filing requirements (e.g., VAT Returns), in addition to generating cross-border reports (think EU Sales and Intrastat).

More and more countries are moving toward “Making Tax Digital”. The UK is a great example. NetSuite allows you to establish online filing to report on VAT requirements, sourced directly from your ERP. Other countries such as Austria, Belgium, and Germany are also available. Make sure to review the release notes for each NetSuite release, as this is an area NetSuite continues to expand upon with each release.

Another benefit of installing this App is that NetSuite will automatically generate new preconfigured tax codes for new tax jurisdictions (nexuses) added to the system. This will typically happen when a new subsidiary is created and has a unique country assigned. These tax codes are configured to meet the filing requirements for each country, so if you’re not sure which check boxes to check on a given tax code, you might try leveraging this SuiteApp instead. Note tax codes are not created retroactively.

Salto Suite Tip: Note this SuiteApp is not compatible with the NetSuite SuiteTax feature, so double check prior to installing.

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App 4 – File Drag and Drop (15k+ installs)

Bundle ID: 41309

The File Drag and Drop SuiteApp is pretty self-explanatory in that it allows you to drag and drop files to specific NetSuite records vs manually adding them via the communication subtab on each record. This could save considerable time, especially in NetSuite environments working with large volumes of transactions on a daily basis.

You are able to configure the App to allow drag and drop functionality for all record types or sets of specific record types. Further, you can designate the folder in the file cabinet that files are stored in for each given record type and apply security permissions to that folder if access to the underlying files should be restricted.

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App 5 – Navigation Portlet (30k+ installs)

Bundle ID: 186103

The Navigation Portlet SuiteApp is an enhancement of the “Shortcuts” dashboard portlet.

Navigating NetSuite can be challenging even for more well-versed users, so it is always recommended to set up shortcuts to pages you frequent often. The challenge then becomes how to navigate your shortcuts portlet when you only have a single text reference. This is manageable if you have less than 20 shortcuts, but anything more can lead to challenges finding the appropriate shortcut.

This SuiteApp allows you to create shortcuts in a hierarchy of categories, groups and shortcuts. In addition, you can add icons to each shortcut to easily distinguish one shortcut from another. The other key benefit to the App is that these shortcuts can be shared across multiple roles, without the need for a complete dashboard refresh (needed when publishing dashboards).

Salto Suite Tip: After installing the Navigation Portlet SuiteApp, simply navigate to your NetSuite dashboard, add a custom portlet and select “Navigation Portlet” as the “Source”. You can then select the category to display and the portlet will refresh with all applicable groups and shortcuts.

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App 6 – Salto - Speeding up your deployment process

Bundle ID: N/A - Install via SuiteApp Marketplace

The Salto SuiteApp helps NetSuite developers and Admins manage NetSuite customization in a more automated way by speeding up the deployment process. Many NetSuite Admins today will migrate NetSuite development from one environment to another manually due to challenges faced when using SuiteBundler or SDF. This works, but it can be time consuming and more prone to error (due to the manual effort required).

In addition, you have the ability to compare NetSuite environments to easily identify differences between them, which definitely helps save some time. Not only can you identify differences between environments, but you can navigate parent/child relationships between records to locate dependencies. You can also quickly roll back to older versions of NetSuite configuration, which can be a life saver during an erroneous production deployment.

Another helpful tool within Salto is the ability to set up notifications that are triggered when particular records and/or settings are modified in a given NetSuite environment. This can be especially helpful when you have concurrent development work being performed in a NetSuite Sandbox or NetSuite development environment and want to ensure that changes made by one team do not impact the other.

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Final Thoughts

NetSuite SuiteApps can be a real game changer for enhancing the basic, out of the box NetSuite platform. To use certain functionality, you will inevitably need to install specific bundles, but there are others that are purely optional add-ons that can still have a significant impact for NetSuite developers and administrators.

As a best practice for change management, always plan to install each bundle in Sandbox prior to installing in Production.