Top 10 Features of JD Edwards Release 24 to Make Your Life Easier

What better way to ring in the new year than with JD Edwards’ Release 24? Over the past year, Oracle has been developing numerous features, culminating in this highly anticipated release that not only marks a significant advancement in the JDE framework but also introduces transformative elements, particularly in Orchestrations, workflow monitoring, and notifications.

In this blog we’ll discuss the new features of Release 24 overall, and some specific features to look out for on both the technology and the applications side of JD Edwards.

Orchestrations and Workflow Evolution

By now you are aware of the streamlining and automation capacity found within Orchestrator Studio. Users can create workflows – Orchestrations – all on their own, simplifying the process and getting rid of the middleman that is extensive coding. Release 24 introduces some key new and refined features within Orchestrator.

Task Tracking Enhancements

One of the noteworthy additions in Release 24 is the enhanced Task Tracking functionality. This feature, when combined with Orchestrations, workflow monitoring, and notifications, provides unparalleled visibility into applications and metadata. The question arises: Why is this advantageous?

Task Tracking allows organizations to move beyond automating individual tasks to addressing entire workflows and business processes. This shift offers additional insights into day-to-day operations, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of system activities.

Handling Exceptions with Finesse

By delving into the entire workflow, businesses can identify exceptions and bottlenecks. The granular visibility provided by Task Tracking facilitates the development of more efficient processes and workflows, reducing the time and effort spent on addressing issues.

UX1 Dashboards: A User-Centric Approach

JD Edwards UX One finetunes the user experience, utilizing the ‘alert, analyze, act’ design principles, which allows all users to maximize their individual productivity and efficiency. The original Home dashboard provides quick access to the most-used services. Release 24 brings additional  UX1 Dashboards, providing basic examples tailored to more than 50 different roles. However, the challenge lies in the diversity of businesses – each with different versions, data sets, and monitoring requirements. Crafting and testing these dashboards becomes imperative to ensure their effectiveness across diverse landscapes.

Technological Advancements and Cost Efficiency

One of the significant technological advancements in JD Edwards is the transition from traditional windows-based servers to a web-based infrastructure. This evolution, initiated over several years, opens up possibilities for automated processes and notifications, reducing dependency on conventional windows servers.

Update Manager: Handling Large Sets of ESUs

Release 24 introduces the Update Manager, a game-changer for handling large sets of ESUs (Electronic Software Updates). Cumulative updates, such as Update 8, encompassing a year's worth of fixes from Oracle, can now be seamlessly executed in the web environment.

Object Usage Tracking and Automation

The synergy of Update Manager with Object Usage Tracking (OUT) introduces a revolutionary approach to change management. This five-year-old feature logs every application, batch job, and function a user runs. By leveraging this information, Update Manager streamlines testing cycles, automates change management processes, and significantly reduces the time required for updates.

Centralized Configuration for E1

Oracle's focus on Centralized Configuration for E1 is a significant leap. Storing technical information in databases rather than files enhances flexibility. This evolution, initiated for web servers last year and extended to enterprise servers this year, streamlines and simplifies the configuration process.

Application Improvements and Enterprise Automation

The essence of JD Edwards Release 24 lies not only in application improvements but also in its role as a catalyst for enterprise automation. Businesses can move from robotic automation at a task level to insights-driven processes, eventually scaling up to visionary enterprise automation. With more data and automation at their disposal, businesses can explore machine learning and AI use cases, minimizing manual intervention.

The intricate dance between technological enhancements and functional operations is a testament to Oracle's two-pronged approach.

Business Automation

Technology improvements, especially in the realm of updates and object development, empower businesses to automate processes efficiently. By taking updates faster and automating change management, organizations can expedite their journey to realizing the benefits of JD Edwards.

Oracle's strategic approach to enhancing the technical side of JD Edwards paves the way for creative minds to leverage business technology. The dream of optimal efficiency involves moving away from mundane tasks and allowing human capital to engage in more critical, intelligent, and brain-powered activities. In the application domain, specific features exemplify enterprise automation. Pre-built processes with built-in notifications for exception handling and critical workflow events transform the procurement and transformation landscapes.

Automated Safety Stock Calculation

The introduction of automated safety stock calculation is a boon for inventory management. JD Edwards can now dynamically calculate and populate safety stock levels, preventing stockouts and excess inventory. This system-driven planning reduces reliance on manual planners, optimizing working capital.

Blend Management Module

The Blend Management Module facilitates efficient tracking of entire lots of inventory, from raw materials to finished goods, across the supply chain. This functionality streamlines inquiries, responses to health and safety incidents, and inventory audits, contributing to a more responsive and agile supply chain.

Inventory Location Holds

The ability to put inventory locations on hold with a single action is a crucial control, especially for industries like pharmaceuticals and food. This feature streamlines processes for isolating inventory for audits, discrepancies, inventory counts, and safety and health regulatory checks.

Embracing Release 24 for the Future

While there might be initial reluctance among users to embrace updates, the feedback from those who have adopted yearly updates is overwhelmingly positive. The continuous delivery model ensures that updates are smaller and more frequent, reducing the resistance associated with massive changes after long intervals.

From both an application and technical perspective, Release 24 is one of the most feature-packed releases JD Edwards has released in recent years. As you are planning your journey to upgrading, depending on your business circumstances, that could be a very easy process, or something that requires a bit more involvement. Either way, it’s good to have someone to help navigate the complexities and fully unlock the potential of this release.

That’s what we do here at ERP Suites. Reach out to see if we can help make 2024 your most optimized year yet.