Hosted by Chandra Wobschall and Paul Houtkooper

Hey JDE Connection listeners – Chandra and Paul here! We’re back from INFOCUS 2025 in Denver, and what a week it was. Between the packed sessions, the hallway conversations, the bling, and even a little cribbage, this year’s conference reminded us once again why this community is so special.

Conference Hangover (and COVID)

Paul recovered from the usual post-conference fatigue with a good run. Chandra, on the other hand, came home with a scratchy voice and COVID. Not exactly the souvenir she wanted in the middle of her training cycle—but she’s back at the mic, powered by naps and determination.

Different Lenses, Same Takeaway

One of the things we love about doing this podcast together is how differently we experience these events:

• Paul spent much of the week in customer meetings and partner conversations, hearing firsthand about business needs, competitive challenges, and where JD Edwards investments are paying off.
• Chandra dove into education sessions, vendor meetups, and SIGs—gathering ideas, seeing new tools in action, and finding inspiration for future podcast topics.

Different paths, same result: both of us walked away energized about the innovation and collaboration happening across the JDE ecosystem.

Highlights That Stood Out

• The Roadmap Keynote – New features are on the way, and the live demos were a hit. But let’s be honest: synchronized sequined jackets and Mambo #5 might have stolen the show.
• Education Sessions – From Clayton’s system administration roadmap to Adam Gauthier’s “Log Literacy,” to modernization strategies with Chris Noack, the learning was nonstop.
• Our Live Podcast – Together with Clayton, we unpacked impact analysis, showing how newer tools make it far less intimidating. The room was engaged, the questions were sharp, and the Midwesternism “making a mountain out of a molehill” fit perfectly.
• Community Connections – SIG meetings sparked new topic ideas, vendors and customers connected over cribbage (cutthroat style, no less!), and hallway conversations turned into new partnerships.
• AI on the Rise – Leon Hogarth wowed the crowd with how Adnams is using AI and Orchestrator, proving just how much innovation is happening right now in the JDE space.
• The AMA (Ask Us Anything) – Sarah and AJ knocked it out of the park again, bringing humor, energy, and honest answers to close out the week.

Gratitude Where It’s Due

We can’t say thank you enough to:

• Quest Oracle Community for pulling off another fantastic event (two conferences in the span of 4 months is no small feat).
• Oracle product teams for delivering sessions, demos, and roadmaps.
• JD Edwards community members who presented, asked questions, and shared their stories.

Midwestermism of the Week

Our Midwesternism of the day describes what we saw and experienced throughout the conference – our customers, leaders, and even first-time attendees coming away ready to invest in Oracle JD Edwards, energized by the community, and eager to bring fresh ideas back to their businesses.

INFOCUS really does feel like a framily reunion (friends + family), and we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Until next time, let’s keep learning, sharing, and laughing together.

Toodles!

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Learn More

Quest Oracle Community is where you learn. Ask questions, find answers, swap stories and connect to other JD Edwards customers and product experts in the JD Edwards Community, where you can also check out what’s happening in the Business Analyst SIG.