Q&A • Issue 4 • 2014

The tech world is no longer an impenetrable rock wall – it’s an ebbing ocean with thousands of tiny ships trying to carve out their own bit. The JD Edwards team recognizes this and is committed to keep the product fresh. As a user it is imperative that you have a sense of where the product is headed, adapting to new trends in the giant tech ocean. When your

company decides to take a leap forward and embrace a disruptive technology like Internet of Things, you must consider how such a strategic change will impact large systems like your ERP. Quest had the opportunity to sit down with Lyle Ekdahl, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Oracle JD Edwards, to discuss not only the future of the software, but to also consider the recent advances in JD Edwards. Mr. Ekdahl also offered his candid opinion on how you can best influence the software you use every day.

What Does Continuous Delivery Mean for Me? If you caught Ekdahl’s keynote at COLLABORATE 2014, you should be very aware that the JD Edwards team is moving full steam ahead with continuous delivery. Unlike more traditional models of product delivery, continuous delivery puts more power in the user’s hands, allowing them to select only what is best for their business. Continuous delivery makes it “increasingly easier to select, evaluate, and ultimately deploy new capabilities,” Ekdahl states. “We want to move away from a reliance on costly, ‘big bang’ upgrades.”

While continuous delivery takes center point in the JD Edwards roadmap, the platform has actually enabled JD Edwards’ customers to cherry pick updates for some time, Ekdahl notes. For those customers already familiar with the concept, moving away from “big bang” delivery cycles will be an easy transition. “[Update delivery] is no longer a multi-year marathon,” Ekdahl notes, “it is a quarterly sprint for customers on our current releases.”

JD Edwards delivers new application modules, mobile apps, and new reports – all critical portions of your ERP – through the

We want to move away from a reliance on costly, ‘big bang’ upgrades.”

By Christopher Walz

“A Development Sprint”The Future of JD Edwards with Lyle Ekdahl

Q&A • Issue 4 • 2014

continuous delivery method. If your business is more accustomed to periodic releases, then the shift could come with a few growing pains. Ekdahl and the JD Edwards team realize this, and have developed a comprehensive resource in LearnJDE (www.learnjde.com), the JD Edwards resource library, to support you in your implementations, upgrades, and ongoing operations.

Ekdahl’s recommendation for embracing continuous delivery? “Plan to understand what there is, what is coming, and create a process to evaluate those changes and take those that advance your business.”

What Are the Big Ocean Changes?

Ekdahl notes that, in his view, there are three big changes happening within JD Edwards: supporting the digital economy, leveraging big data, and improving the overall user experience. The digital economy, referring to the abundant consumerization of information technology, is one in which nearly every buyer has a bit of IT knowledge and a ton of devices. Nearly everyone is plugged into the IT world. For the JD Edwards team this means that they must continue to deliver state of the art apps while also supporting the development community. “We lean into Oracle technologies to ensure we can deliver robust mobile applications,” says Ekdahl. JD Edwards is also producing a “new, lighter weight way to approach APIs,” according to Ekdahl.

The real breakthrough change, however, comes in cloud based interaction with the JD Edwards platform. Users will be able to access their ERP in real time anywhere through the cloud. This change affords users an unparalleled opportunity to embrace mobility.

In the realm of big data, Ekdahl says the JD Edwards team is working to make data visualization not only quicker but also more accessible throughout the organization. An occasional user, for example, can now run personalized ad hoc reports, whereas in years past this would require a more experienced tech lead. “The core of our big data strategy,” Ekdahl notes, “lies in Oracle technologies, specifically In-Memory applications and powerful database software.”

Information technologies have become increasingly more personal, allowing users to customize their experience to fit an exact need or role. Ekdahl and his team are “delivering on an intuitive, easy to learn and use, easy to personalize solution that works on your device of choice” within JD Edwards. “People want to create their own applications,” says Ekdahl.

What’s in Store for JD Edwards?

The Internet of Things, referring to the increasingly connected web of internet ready devices such as temperature sensors and location trackers, has been a hot topic for some time in the tech world, especially for JD Edwards users. The issue faced by many companies, however, is that these devices are proprietary and do not get along well with others, especially in terms of reporting. “We are working on creating a platform to help bridge these systems and to visualize the data they store,” Ekdahl says.

Along with embracing industry-wide changes like the Internet of Things, Ekdahl says that the JD Edwards team will continue to improve upon existing application modules while also developing entirely new functionality, like the recently announced EnterpriseOne Rental Management.

We lean into Oracle technologies to ensure we can deliver robust mobile applications.”

How Can I Stay Tuned In?

In such a fast paced industry changes come often, sometimes with little warning. Ekdahl says that engaging with your community of peers is critically important if you want to keep your head above water. “We firmly feel that Quest members are more satisfied and get more out of their products,” Ekdahl says, referring to participation within the users group.

“We are doubling down our investment with the Quest community,” Ekdahl continues. The JD Edwards team looks toward the user community in order to anticipate, and respond to, the changing needs of users.

The future of JD Edwards is certainly a bright one. As the product continues to ebb and flow along the changing currents of the tech world it is important to stay in the know. Be sure to stay tuned for more JD Edwards product information!

We are doubling down our investment with the Quest community.”

LEARN MORE AT COLLABORATE15.COM