The JD Edwards mobile strategy has changed. Your experiences and feedback, along with the emergence of Orchestrator as the preferred method of connecting user interfaces to JD Edwards data and logic, inspired the formulation of Oracle’s strategy.

Trends Impacting Software Development

Rhodes started by sharing trends that have a significant impact on software development, one of which is low code/no code platforms. It used to take a team of architects and developers to create any type of digital solution, which is relatively expensive. Now, with low code/no code platforms, you have easy access to platforms that will help simplify application development, avoid manual type work, and provide simple interfaces to help build new apps at a low investment of not only money but also time and special skills. According to the experts, these low code/no code platforms are here to stay and will only continue to grow in popularity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to reimagine their models for customer engagement. So, that means that designing software with user experience in mind is critical for customer-facing products and services. This allows companies to both retain and grow their customer base in today’s digital economy.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are another trend that is impacting industries. A PWA is a type of application software that is delivered through the web. When you combine these with low code/no code technologies, the rapid expansion of PWA usage enables the development of more cross-platform applications. Some good examples of PWAs would be the Starbucks or Uber mobile apps.

A few benefits of PWAs include:

• Low development cost (3-4x times lower than developing a native mobile app)
• No long, complex installation process
• Better performance (improved running speed, quick operation)
• No concern over deploying to Apple Store, Google Play, etc. (so no concern over being removed)

JD Edwards Mobile Strategy

The JD Edwards Mobile strategy is aligned with:

• Customer requirements
• Industry direction toward low code/no code tools
• JD Edwards alternative UI strategy
• Oracle’s overall user experience direction for mobile and web application development

When Oracle spoke with customers, they learned that a lot of customers were looking for a specific user experience and functionality to meet their specific use cases. The bottom line is that they wanted to have choice and control. As a result, the out-of-the-box applications that Oracle delivered were being extended in one way or another.

The industry is moving toward lightweight UI development tools. These tools are generally REST-enabled and can connect with other REST-enabled applications, like JD Edwards.

JD Edwards has been working for the last five years to deliver a digital platform that enables customers to leverage low code/no code development tools to create their own UIs while connecting to JD Edwards data and logic via Orchestrator.

JD Edwards looks to leverage any opportunity that they have to utilize Oracle technologies, like Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS) or Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA).

Some key points of the JD Edwards Mobile Strategy include:

• Customers and partners can leverage their choice of front-end development tool, such as VBCS, and connect to JD Edwards logic and data through orchestrations
• Support running JD Edwards Applications on iPad
• Deliver high-value mobile applications for common use cases that customers would normally not customize

Benefits of this mobile strategy include:

• Allows flexibility, choice, and control so you can deliver the right user interface for the use case and the user
• You own the UI, so you can quickly and easily react to change
• You own the orchestrations, so they can be reused regardless of the front-end tool

Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS)

VBCS is Oracle’s cloud-based drag-and-drop development tool. With VBCS, you can create, extend, and customize mobile and web applications. You can also create PWAs with VBCS. Some highlights of VBCS include:

• Drag-and-drop visual development
• No coding required
• Works with SaaS or on-premises
• Connect to any backend systems
• Rich library of components
• Native look and feel for iOS and Android
• Build complex, multi-screen apps
• Browser-based environment
• In-browser app preview
• Deploy on-device to Apple and Android platforms
• Access to auto-generated code

A Visual Builder subscription is required for developers to build and deploy Visual Builder mobile applications. Customers and partners can get started with the VBCS Trial Edition.

Licensing

As far as licensing goes, there is no change. Users have two options:

1. Base Application Users: Users that are licensed for the based application are licensed for mobile applications that use the base application data and logic.
2. Mobile-Only Users: Users who will access JD Edwards via a mobile device only must license JDE Mobile Access.