At INFOCUS 2025, John Giesen shared a practical deep dive into how JD Edwards (JDE) users can take ownership of their ERP experience through personalization tools. His session, “Personalizing JD Edwards: From Quick Tweaks to Form Extensions,” focused on giving both everyday users and power users strategies to streamline work, simplify screens, and add functionality—all without writing custom code. 

Why Personalization Matters in JD Edwards 

One of JDE’s biggest strengths lies in its flexibility. But that flexibility often comes at a cost: default applications include fields, grids, and exits that not every user needs. Without personalization, employees waste time scrolling, searching, and repeatedly entering the same queries. 

Giesen explained how JD Edwards’ UX One tools—such as queries, grid formats, personal forms, and form extensions—empower organizations to boost efficiency while reducing dependency on developers. These tools not only simplify the user experience but also help companies stay code current by eliminating costly customizations that complicate upgrades. 

User-Level Personalization Tools 

Three of the most accessible personalization options are available to end users: 

Saved Queries 

Queries allow users to define search criteria once and save them for repeated use. This reduces repetitive data entry, ensures consistent results, and helps teams standardize their approach when queries are shared across departments. Best practices include keeping query names descriptive, avoiding overly complex filters, and regularly cleaning up unused queries. 

Grid Formats 

Grid personalization gives users control over how data displays on the screen. With grid formats, columns can be hidden, reordered, frozen, resized, or color-coded—similar to Excel. These changes improve visibility, reduce endless scrolling, and make important data stand out. Users can also save multiple formats for different use cases and share them with colleagues for consistent teamwide reporting. 

Personal Forms 

For an even more tailored experience, personal forms allow users to rearrange and relabel fields, hide unused inputs, resize entry boxes, and even set fields as required. These changes transform a standard JDE application into a streamlined version that matches how an individual or team works. Personal forms can be saved per application version and shared within a role, although governance around naming and default settings is crucial to avoid confusion. 

Company-Level Enhancements with Form Extensions 

While queries, grid formats, and personal forms live at the user level, form extensions go a step further. These are typically managed by IT or power users and apply changes company-wide. 

With form extensions, teams can: 

• Add hidden business view fields to a form without custom development. 
• Introduce new buttons that trigger orchestrations, notifications, or logic extensions. 
• Manage and extend form and row exits to embed additional functionality. 
• Associate descriptions with coded values, improving clarity for end users. 

Giesen shared a practical use case from his organization: printing purchase orders. Previously, users had to navigate a menu of print versions and risked selecting the wrong one, generating blank PDFs. With a simple form extension, they added a “Print” button directly to the purchase order inquiry screen. Behind the scenes, an orchestration automatically determined the correct print version based on order type and business unit. This eliminated errors, reduced wasted time, and improved compliance across international sites. 

Best Practices and Governance 

Personalization can quickly spiral without governance. Giesen emphasized: 

• Use clear, consistent naming conventions so everyone understands the purpose of shared queries, grid formats, and forms. 
• Limit shared defaults. If a default is shared system-wide, it overrides personal preferences and creates frustration. 
• Document thoroughly. Especially in multinational environments, clear documentation prevents duplication and confusion. 
• Define approval workflows. Decide whether users can promote personalizations directly in production or if they must pass through testing and IT approval first. 

Ultimately, personal forms improve productivity at the individual level, while form extensions deliver process improvements across the enterprise. Together, these tools reduce reliance on developers, cut costs tied to retrofitting customizations, and allow organizations to stay agile and code current. 

Final Takeaway 

The ability to personalize JD Edwards is no longer just about convenience. It’s about enabling users to work smarter, aligning ERP workflows with business needs, and giving organizations the freedom to innovate without breaking their upgrade path. Whether through quick tweaks like saved queries or enterprise-wide enhancements with form extensions, personalization is a cornerstone of modern JDE strategy. 

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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