Understand the improved features and functionality with the latest release for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.
This article is based off the Syntax eBook, The State of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. View the complete guide, download now.
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne provides an integrated suite of ERP applications for a comprehensive solution that combines business value, standards-based technology, and deep industry experience with a low total cost of ownership (TCO). With continuous enhancement releases, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne enables companies to adopt modern best practices.
The competitive dynamics of the global economy are changing. That is why many of the upgrades to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne in version 9.2 are focused on ease of use. User interface and experience features enable employees to train quickly during onboarding so they can begin using and receiving value from the ERP system immediately. A changing workforce needs to be up and running quickly. Gone are the days of spending months reading thick manuals and training to be an ERP expert.1
New User Interface Features for JD Edwards 9.2
Oracle has tailored JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.2 features to bridge the growing IT skills gap. To offset the need for specialized technical knowledge, the theme guiding JD Edwards 9.2 is usability. Oracle recognizes that no two employees are alike. With JDE, Oracle listens to what their users want and makes changes to accommodate them. The latest version of JD Edwards, for instance, is designed with user-friendly navigation, which enhances employee productivity.
New JDE 9.2 user experience features include:
- Mobile Cloud Service (MCS): With MCS, you can track and analyze mobile application use as well as easily build mobile applications.
- Mobility, Tablet, and Smartphone Applications: Employees can work with their device of choice using a modern user interface for role-based applications.
- UX One: When employees receive alerts about conditions, UX One provides the analytics necessary to take the appropriate actions. The system also offers a path to the applications needed to respond to the conditions. Real-time information enables employees to make complex business decisions quickly.
- One View Reporting: An intuitive interface enables employees to access and personalize transactional data into lists, charts, graphs, and tables. There are 20 out-of-the-box Functions Areas Reports Packages available and the tool is designed to be used by end users.
EnterpriseOne Pages in JD Edwards
EnterpriseOne Pages (E1 Pages) has come a long way since it was first developed to make use of the white space left by moving menus to the top of the screen. Like many of the new features in JD Edwards, E1 Pages empowers users to customize their workspace in minutes to enhance their experience.
E1 Pages lets users display navigation or information pages. With the E1 Page Composer, end users can design personalized layouts, including applications, watchlists, and reports. Key advantages over “generated E1 Pages” include:
- Reduced build time from hours to minutes.
- No coding experience required.
- Eliminates the need for HTML developers.
- Robust capabilities for end users.
- Leverages existing UDO (User Defined Object) functionality.
The E1 Page Composer is a component of the user interface and is not external to EnterpriseOne. End users can select from a variety of elements to add to a composed page, including:
- URL
- OBIEE
- EnterpriseOne Forms
- Freestyle Form
- Legacy E1 Pages
- One View Reporting Pages
- Portlet Page
- E1 Navigation
- Data Visualization Tool Frame
How to Deploy and Use Café One in JD Edwards
The Composite Application Framework for EnterpriseOne (Café One) is a user interface (UI) framework that enables users to dynamically define and work with multiple sources of content across multiple page layouts within an EnterpriseOne application form. This content can be aggregated into a single view within a single browser window. Layouts can be shared by setting up publication lists that include specific roles within an organization.
Café One supports the inclusion of multiple sources of external and internal content in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne application forms. It has evolved into a tool that delivers a level of functionality and flexibility that helps JD Edwards earn its leading ERP status. The content can include just about anything that can be called by a URL and can automatically link to content of the primary page.
Information can be displayed vertically or horizontally in a frame, sized to fit the available space, and mapped so that the content dynamically changes as data values on the form change. The enabled form is fully functional, and a specific version can be specified.
With the release of JD Edwards 9.2, Café One gains unified lifecycle management through the enhanced User Defined Objects (UDO) tools. Like many of the tools in JD Edwards 9.2, Café One bridges the technology skills gap that many companies are facing. It enables line of business employees to design customized layouts that simplify workloads without knowing how to code.
Getting on Board with RedStack
Oracle retired support of BlueStack on September 30, 2016. Also known as Technology Foundation, BlueStack provided a prepackaged database and middleware for JD Edwards. With RedStack, users need to run their ERP on Oracle platforms and middleware instead of those from IBM.
End-of-service Options:
BlueStack customers have several go-forward options, some of which are more easily executed in the short term and others that will better position them for the future. These options include:
- Purchase RedStack from Oracle and move to a new platform.
- Cancel Technology Foundation licensing with Oracle and purchase WebSphere software and support from IBM or a reseller.
- Purchase WebLogic from Oracle and use it to meet your webserver and future middleware needs.
Switching to RedStack:
Purchasing WebSphere presents some advantages over moving to an Oracle product. You can maintain your current implementation. The only change is where you acquire the license and get support. No migration or testing is necessary.
RedStack with WebLogic or an Oracle DB presents certain advantages over retaining or implementing WebSphere. If you plan to include in your IT infrastructure other Oracle products (SOA, OBI, etc…), you should consider WebLogic.
The Internet of Things (IoT) and JD Edwards
Gartner forecasts that 14.2 billion connected things will be in use in 2019, and that the total will reach 25 billion by 2021, producing immense volume of data.2 The sensors and beacons in connected devices generate tons of data. To mine this data for valuable insights and use it to your advantage, your business needs the right tools. Only then can your company start transforming your business processes.
Oracle has upgraded the IoT Orchestrator to Orchestrator Studio for JD Edwards 9.2. With Orchestrator, you can devise processes called orchestrations that consume raw data from disparate devices and transform the data into actionable business processes in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.
With Orchestrator Studio, you can create rules, cross references, and service requests for connected objects. You can locate equipment, measure how it is being used, and determine whether assets are operating at their full potential. Alerts can be sent for preventative maintenance to avoid equipment downtime.
Use Orchestrator Studio to create the following components:
- Orchestrations: Are the master components that provide a unique name for an orchestration process. This is where you define the expected incoming data from an IoT device.
- Service Requests: Are a sequence of actions to perform a specific process in EnterpriseOne.
- Rules: Are a set of conditions where inputs to the orchestration are evaluated to produce a true or false state.
- Cross References: Are a set of data relationships that map third-party values to EnterpriseOne values.
- White Lists: Contain a list of values permitted in the orchestration. It terminates the orchestration process if the data is not recognized.
JD Edwards and Cloud Deployment
JD Edwards is a cloud-friendly application. Customers realize superior performance when using a cloud architected specifically for JD Edwards. Characteristics that you want to look for in a cloud solution for JD Edwards include:
- High performance servers that are properly sized with the right amount of RAM
- Flash storage that is managed automatically
- Backups that include copying to disk and ultimately to tape with offsite storage
- Flexible managed services for infrastructure, CNC, and applications for a single vendor solution
- Scalable infrastructure that can grow instantly when you need it
- Best-in-class security for the data center and environment
The future of JD Edwards and Syntax
With JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.2, Oracle continues to invest in functionality that creates a competitive advantage for JD Edwards customers in focus industries like engineering and construction, manufacturing, distribution, and asset-intensive industries.
You can make the most of JD Edwards by working with a 3rd party that has the right industry experience. Syntax has been providing business solutions built around JD Edwards applications since 1997. They have supported and implemented the entire suite of applications, as well as delivered development projects, integrations, and upgrades.
Next Steps
Contact us today to understand the latest updates to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.2 and how Syntax can enable your JD Edwards Managed Services and EnterpriseOne 9.2 migration.
Download the eBook. This article is based off the Syntax eBook, The State of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. View the complete guide for even more information about the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.2 release.