Hosted by Chandra Wobschall and Paul Houtkooper

Hey JDE Connection listeners – Chandra and Paul here! We’re back with Part 2 of our “FDA for BAs” series, diving even deeper into Form Design Aid (FDA) and how Business Analysts can use it to trace data, troubleshoot issues, and uncover what’s really happening behind the scenes in JD Edwards. In Part 1, we learned how to open applications, explore event rules, and identify where the logic starts. This time, we took it further—following that logic all the way down through functions, parameters, and table updates to find out exactly where data gets written.

The Mystery of the Meter Readings

We picked up where we left off in the Meter Readings (P12120) application—trying to answer a deceptively simple question: “Where does this data actually go?”

As Paul showed, the Cross Reference tool wasn’t giving the full picture. The key clue came from spotting a Suppress Update rule in the event logic—meaning the application wasn’t writing directly to the table. That meant the real action was happening somewhere else. So, we followed the breadcrumbs.

By exploring the event rules in FDA, we could see the application calling named business functions (N1300210 – Write Meter Reading Transaction). From there, we stepped through data structures and function parameters—identifying which values were being passed in and which tables were getting updated.

It turned out those meter readings weren’t just going to one place. They touched multiple tables, including the F1202 and F0911, depending on what kind of transaction was being processed.

From FDA to the C Source

Once we found the named function, the next step was to open up the C source code. And don’t worry—you don’t need to be a developer to make sense of it. As Paul explained, the trick is to ignore all the symbols and focus on the structure and keywords. Look for recognizable items like variable names, function calls, and comments. Once you find the parameter you care about (in our case, Meter Amount), you can trace where it’s written and under what conditions.

That’s how we discovered that meter readings update different columns in F1202—like amount prior year, amount net posting, or amount beginning balance—depending on the transaction type and period.

In other words, you don’t have to guess which table or field holds your data. With a little curiosity and persistence, you can trace it step by step from the application to the database.

Why It Matters for BAs

Understanding how applications write data isn’t about turning Business Analysts into developers—it’s about empowerment.

When you can trace logic yourself, you:

• Diagnose issues faster
• Communicate more clearly with developers
• Validate assumptions before opening a ticket
• Build better orchestrations and reports

As we said in the episode, you don’t need to code to comprehend. FDA gives you visibility, and visibility leads to insight.

A Little Holiday Flavor

Of course, we didn’t end the episode without a little fun. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we traded marathon talk for holiday favorites—and Paul shared a passionate defense of one classic casserole that can spark as much debate as a code review. Let’s just say… some things are best left the way Grandma made them.

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

Toodles!

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