It’s a running joke that “JDE is the best ERP system no one ever bought.” Popular ERPs like SAP and Netsuite get a lot of attention and have massive customer bases. However, JDE is arguably one of the finest ERPs on the market. The idea that it’s becoming obsolete or no longer well-supported isn’t valid. In fact, it is better than ever and Oracle offers solid support. In this second part of our series, we provide some of the strongest evidence that JDE is in it for the long haul.
Another issue that put JD Edwards on the “critical list” in the eyes of many was the announcement that Oracle was sunsetting its entire JDE mobile app portfolio in the fall of 2020. This library of mobile applications had low adoption rates, with some apps not being used by any customer…ever. This wasn’t because the apps didn’t work. It was because users wanted apps built based on their specific work processes and roles, not based on generic functionality.
Facts: Oracle admittedly fell short in designing mobile apps that nobody wanted. But throwing in the towel on JDE’s own mobile apps doesn’t mean JD Edwards ERP has no future in a mobile-first world. Because of the functionality provided by the Orchestrator tool, JDE is ideally positioned for mobile app development using intuitive, low code front-end tools like Oracle’s Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS) to extend the JDE ecosystem.
Developing mobile apps using this blended approach is actually a great example of how far the technology has come in the past ten years.
Acumatica is a good example of a cloud ERP that is built specifically to leverage an “app marketplace” and integration ecosystem. They don’t try to “do it all”, and they are proud of that fact. JDE struggled with integration in the past and may seem more monolithic as a result. There has always been a way to get info in and out of the system via SQL. This wasn’t really the best approach since it meant bypassing the security built in at the application level and could violate data integrity between tables.
Z files offer a better approach, but they must run in batches instead of in real-time. They aren’t available everywhere for standard apps, and have only predefined functions. Business Services using SOAP offered better interoperability and work at the business function level, maintaining at least some data integrity (but with less validation than at the application level). However, any customization for Z files or Business Services is costly, time-consuming and offers a lower level of serviceability to accommodate future requirements.
Facts: With Orchestrator, integration with virtually any outside system is not only possible, but fairly simple to accomplish. It cuts development time by about 90% compared to other methods. All the data integrity is preserved by going through the application level, and all the security is inherited as well.
Orchestrator uses REST, the same modern tech that all cloud apps are using to communicate with each other, whether Salesforce, Amazon, Shopify, etc. Plus, it lets citizen developers such as business analysts build no-code integrations and automations with ease. Once again, Orchestrator is the hub of modernization and digital transformation using JD Edwards, letting users push or pull data anywhere.
The Orchestrator can be used to build real-time integrations that replicate data directly from the source just like other integration tools including Mulesoft, Jitterbit, or Boomi. With Orchestrator, not only can customers build what they need at no additional cost, but more importantly it works at the application level which means we get all of the security, validation, and auto-population of fields for free which is functionality that the other tools can’t match.
It’s probably not a surprise that Orchestrator is the supreme example of how JDE technology is more modern than other ERP systems. People who use other systems wish they had Orchestrator in their ERP. JDE can be integrated with anything to add a massive amount of functionality, often without requiring a developer to get the job done. It is an API factory and robotic process automation (RPA) engine combined in a single tool that can be used to satisfy requirements across countless business use cases.
Because Orchestrator is leveraging new technologies like REST, Groovy, and more, it is attracting younger people back into the JDE ecosystem giving it a broader base of talent and future advocates. JD Edwards isn’t dying, or even retiring anytime soon. Instead, it is being reborn in a younger generation that will carry the JDE torch for years to come.
If you missed Part 1, you can catch up by clicking the button below.
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