At Quest Forum Digital Event: JD Edwards Week, A.J. Schifano and Channa Reddy Agnal, Product Managers at Oracle JD Edwards, presented on how to reimagine the way you receive information with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Notifications.
Digital technologies have transformed our society and our expectations. If we are hungry or need something, we can order it online and have it delivered to our doorstep. If we must know what the pop stars are doing or saying at every moment, social media will deliver updates right before our eyes. So, why are we receiving critical business information like it was the last decade? Reimagine how you receive and act upon critical business data using EnterpriseOne Notifications!
Schifano began the presentation by theorizing what audience behavior would be like if he were standing on a stage in the same room as his audience. He light-heartedly stated that the audience would be “pretending” to pay attention while actually checking their mobile devices. He claimed their primary focus would regard news updates, social media notifications, incoming personal emails, etc. Each member might be crafting a post for his or her preferred social media site(s). In fact, as you read this post, you are more than likely scrolling through it on your phone or have the device within reach. Today’s culture is hungry for updates, connections, and real-time association to the world.
In similar fashion, notifications in the Oracle JD Edwards system are a feature that users can enjoy exponentially. Notifications keep workers in touch and informed about critical events even when they are away or not signed in to EnterpriseOne. Notifications detect important events or conditions based on JDE business data or external systems. Custom messages and application links are able to be sent to subscribers via the EnterpriseOne User Interface, WorkCenter, and email. Receive alerts for time-sensitive data such as low inventory, shipment arrivals, equipment malfunctions, and any JDE or external data.
Types of Notifications
Types of notification typically fall into one of the following:
Not only can users receive the notification in real-time, but they can also utilize action links from within the notification. They have the ability to act and forward in order to quickly resolve the issue. In this way, notifications can be a method for creating a modern workflow.
Notification Roles
In regard to notification roles, a Business Analyst knows the JDE application and the business process. He will use Orchestrator Studio to create the notification. The business analyst role does not necessitate JDE developer expertise or programming. Instead, this role fits someone who has a good understanding of the business process, information that would be advantageous to send as alerts, the appropriate recipient for the notification, and the events that could trigger the notification. If the notifications are driven by Orchestrations, they are User Defined Objects. Therefore, UDO administration must be approved for sharing by security.
The Assigner is an optional notification role. This individual can assign notifications to an entire group by role. For example, the entire accounts payable team could be assigned to a notification. The assigner decides if the subscriber is allowed to opt-out.
If subscriptions are not assigned and the business analyst has shared them as UDO security enlightened, then the Subscriber can choose to subscribe on their own. This is also how they will choose their preferred delivery method.
Schifano pointed out several data items that are incredibly important to your business, including:
- Customers over credit limit
- Held sales orders
- Unposted batches
- Payee exceptions to approve
- Pending terminations
- Unexpected shortage
- Held purchase orders
- Review bank balance
- Over budget requisitions
- Status update
Imagine receiving notifications every time one of these topics undergoes a noteworthy change. Track this information and respond accordingly.
Schifano went into the Oracle demo system and performed a search on all data items within the system. There were 1,242 data items that returned with the word “status” in the name. For a culture obsessed with sharing and receiving status updates, there is a huge opportunity for tracking data and applying notifications that are meaningful to the user, the customer, and the overall business.
Available Notifications
The image below shows the preconfigured notifications available by JD Edwards. These are available for download and import as ESU.
Using Notifications for Digital Transformation
- Let the information come to you. Reflect on the times you:
- Typed into the query by example row (over and over)
- Created a query (and set it as the default for a form)
- Created a WatchList (and ran back to your desk to watch the WatchList)
- Called your database administrator to create a custom SQL query for you (please, no)
- Build notifications to enable informed action
- Use the power of orchestrations to collect relevant data from EnterpriseOne and beyond
- Put that data in front of your subscribers
- Use multiple links to provide options
- Ninja action: Take action from wherever you have e-mail
- No more “I’ll do that as soon as I get back to my desk.”
- Authentication into EnterpriseOne is still required
- No more “I’ll do that as soon as I get back to my desk.”
Key Takeaways
As mentioned above, notifications can be a method for creating a modern workflow. Let the needs of your business indicate your action. Your proactivity in setting up notifications will allow you to increase the efficiency of your time and resources for the future. Allow the convenience and connectivity of the modern world to seep into your ERP system with real-time status updates. Your business will benefit in astounding ways.
To find out more about notifications, head to LearnJDE.com and type “notifications” into the search bar. The first link under “Implement” will take you to currently delivered notifications. There are also additional demo videos available for viewing.