The JD Edwards (JDE) EnterpriseOne Orchestrator is an enhanced integration platform among JD Edwards cloud services, third-party applications, custom programs and more. Orchestrator uses the EnterpriseOne application interface services (AIS) server as its foundation. It processes orchestrations saved to the AIS server to transform external data into actionable business processes.

For organizations using versions of JDE EnterpriseOne earlier than Release 9.2.2.4, creating a new service request required a technical developer. Let’s say you wanted to create a sales order in JDE. The developer followed a series of steps: Create a JSON format to structure data, create a service request to fetch values from a target system and then create a sales order in JDE. With Release 9.2.2.4, things have changed substantially. Now, a process recorder within the JDE Orchestratorautomates the service request process and automatically creates a service request in Orchestrator, putting the enterprise on the path of autonomous ERP. Among the top attractions of the JDE Orchestrator is the fact that the process and service request is designed by business analysts using the friendly interface of the Orchestration Studio.

This means any business user from finance, purchase, projects and supply chain can work independently to create any service request, without the need for advanced development skills.

Take the simple example of the finance function needing to use the latest exchange rates to make payments. Before JDE Orchestrator, this would have meant manually fetching the latest exchange rates from a bank portal or an exchange rate provider, polling it from a Z-file within JDE or creating a service request by the developer. These processes can be replaced and can be automated without manual intervention. Using the latest real-time JDE Orchestrator, business analysts can directly create the service request using a process recorder option. Once the request is created, the parameters can be passed to fetch live exchange rates directly from third-party providers like OANDA, Reuters and EuropeanBank by providing the URL. The finance executive needs to only use the process recorder feature to replicate the manual process of creating the service requests by the developer.

Process recorder is a new and user-friendly feature. It simplifies the process of generating form requests and automates the process of “capturing parameters” (such as exchange rates) required to trigger any process. The process recorder creates and executes service requests directly using AISto communicate with third-party systems.

Voice commands do the trick

However, JDE Orchestrator can be made simpler and more adept at creating and executing processes. This can be done by allowing the business user to communicate via a chatbot or voice devices like Alexa or Google Mini.
With a chatbot, the user can say, “Add a user to the address book”—an action performed often by JDE administrators. Creating a user requires the following steps: Add user record in Address Book>> Create a user profile >>Set up a role. This action can be performed quickly using chat conversations in conjunction with the Oracle Intelligent BOT service and orchestration.
The chatbot technology can be applied to several repetitive and manual business processes within JDE. For example, the chatbot could open a multi-step process using a progressive conversational interaction. In the following case, the user focuses only on inputs and the system executes the repetitive steps on the backend:

User: Create user John
Chatbot: What is the address book number?
User: AB# 1001
Chatbot: What is the alpha name?
User: ‘John’

A bright future for Orchestrator

The benefits of a process record feature go beyond the fact that this involves less development effort. With the process recorder feature, the process can be completed faster by non-technical users, saving hours and often days of resource time, with a reduced error rate. The system performs repetitive tasks like filling forms, completing documents, generating alerts when inventory is low or when credit limits need to be extended, etc., allowing the user to focus on exceptions and complex business conditions. The orchestrator uses verb-based commands like “Alert credit limit”, “Alert me when inventory is low”, “On-board employee” or “Create a sales order” making it easy to use without the need for extensive training.
JDE Orchestrator is now a very powerful tool. With the latest features and the ability to create an autonomous, voice-based ERP, those using versions of JDE EnterpriseOne earlier than Release 9.2.2.4 can truly open the doors to the future.