JD Edwards users are always looking for ways to streamline processes, reduce reliance on custom development, and deliver faster results to their teams. At INFOCUS 2025, Angie Cornelison, Business Analyst at Mueller Water Products, shared how her organization leverages form extensions in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 9.2 to simplify work, empower users, and cut down on development bottlenecks. 

Who is Mueller Water Products? 

Before diving into the technical side, Cornelison gave attendees a glimpse into Mueller’s legacy. With more than 165 years in business, Mueller produces fire hydrants, pipe connectors, leak detection systems, and other water infrastructure products across North America, Israel, and the UK. Their plants supply everything from hydrants above ground to critical connectors below it, all supported by long-standing expertise in foundry work and advanced sensor technology. 

What Are Form Extensions? 

Form extensions, introduced in EnterpriseOne 9.2 around late 2018, are a low-code/no-code tool that allows users to personalize JD Edwards applications. Instead of relying on developers to create custom reports or programs, business analysts can extend forms themselves by: 

• Adding fields to headers or grids 
• Rearranging or hiding existing fields 
• Creating simple rules and validations 
• Linking logic through orchestrations or form interfaces 

The biggest win: no custom code is required, making this a faster, lower-risk alternative to traditional customizations. 

Benefits of Form Extensions 

Cornelison emphasized several advantages: 

• User- or role-specific personalization – Fields like customer credit limits can be visible only to select roles. 
• Rapid deployment – Changes can be made directly in production or promoted through development environments. 
• Reduced developer dependency – Business analysts can deliver improvements without waiting in IT queues. 
• Improved efficiency – Users get the information they need directly in the applications they already use. 

Key Considerations and Pain Points 

While form extensions are powerful, there are a few rules to keep in mind: 

• One extension per form – Only one user can reserve and edit a form extension at a time. 
• Security requirements – Access must be granted by system administrators. 
• Publishing process – Depending on company policy, extensions may require request-to-publish workflows and approvals before sharing broadly. 
• Care with headers – Adding fields to form headers can overlap existing elements if not carefully placed. 

Orchestrations and Form Extensions 

Form extensions can integrate with orchestrations, allowing automation directly from forms. For example, buttons can trigger orchestrations to email invoices, run purchase order prints, or even connect with external systems like Salesforce. At Mueller, Cornelison’s team is beginning to experiment with orchestration integration to further reduce manual steps and errors in their processes. 

Publishing and Security 

Once created, form extensions can be: 

• Saved and published directly by authorized analysts 
• Routed through approval processes 
• Secured by user or role to prevent cluttered or unauthorized screens 

At Mueller, one central person often handles publishing, but analysts also have authority when needed to keep projects moving. 

Lessons Learned from Mueller’s Journey 

Cornelison’s biggest takeaway is that form extensions aren’t as intimidating as they seem. With clear communication between users and analysts, a bit of planning, and careful attention to permissions, form extensions can unlock faster delivery, cleaner processes, and more empowered users. 

As JD Edwards continues evolving, tools like form extensions and orchestrations provide a path for organizations to innovate without heavy custom code — proving that sometimes the simplest solutions make the biggest impact. 

Want more?  

Explore more content and resources to help you get the most from your JD Edwards investment:  

• Be sure to check out the INFOCUS 2025 Event Hub (coming soon) for presentation slides – available exclusively to Quest members.  
• Explore the JD Edwards Orchestrator Strategic Content Center for more Quest-exclusive resources.  
• Visit the Quest Learn Library for blogs, how-to demos, and on-demand sessions.  
• Connect with peers in one of our Quest JD Edwards Community User Groups to swap stories, ask questions, and share tips with other users facing the same challenges.  

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