Hosted by Chandra Wobschall and Paul Houtkooper
Hey JDE Connection listeners – Chandra and Paul here! We kicked off 2026 with a topic that tends to come up whenever we’re at events, standing in hallways, or getting cornered between sessions: “Why doesn’t JD Edwards have mobile apps?” We unpacked where that perception comes from, what actually changed, and why JD Edwards made a deliberate shift toward an enablement-first mobile strategy.
We Used to Have Mobile Apps… Lots of Them
Once upon a time, JD Edwards had over 90 mobile apps. On paper, that sounds impressive. In reality, it created a problem we’ve talked about many times on this podcast: fit for purpose. The apps worked, but they tried to cover too many scenarios. Just like full-featured ERP applications, they included far more fields and options than most users needed for a quick, task-focused mobile experience. And when it comes to mobile, simplicity isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the whole point.
What we saw instead was that customers wanted to customize nearly every mobile app to fit their exact process. That meant low out-of-the-box adoption, high maintenance overhead, and a lot of effort spent supporting solutions that weren’t being widely used.
From Building Apps to Enabling Experiences
That’s when JD Edwards made a strategic pivot. Rather than continuing to build and maintain dozens of mobile apps that customers felt compelled to customize, the focus shifted to enablement and giving customers the tools to build their own mobile experiences on platforms they already use and trust.
This is where Orchestrator became the cornerstone. By exposing JD Edwards functionality through REST services, Orchestrator allows customers and partners to:
- Choose their preferred low-code or no-code platform
- Maintain a consistent look and feel across all mobile apps
- Build task-focused mobile solutions that fit their business
Instead of playing to an empty room, the strategy became about amplifying what customers were already doing successfully.
“So… Do We Have Any Mobile Apps Today?”
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: JD Edwards still delivers mobile solutions where there’s a high degree of consistency across customers. One example we talked about is PO approvals, a use case where most organizations do things similarly and benefit from a simple, focused experience. And importantly, the enablement strategy doesn’t mean “never again.” If there’s strong demand and a clear use case, JD Edwards is absolutely open to delivering additional PWAs in the future.
Where to Learn More (and Where to Ask)
We also shared some practical pointers:
- LearnJDE has resources that explain the mobile strategy and walk through building mobile apps using Orchestrator and Oracle Visual Builder
- Enhancement ideas should start with an SR, then flow through Quest Oracle Community and the appropriate SIG to build community support
- Adoption happens faster when ideas are shared, discussed, and validated together
Midwesternism of the Day
We wrapped up the episode with a story that perfectly fits the theme of tradition meeting experience—one that involved wood paneling, timeless menus, and portions that don’t apologize for themselves.
Let’s just say it’s the kind of place where nothing changes… and that’s exactly the point. Some experiences don’t need modernization; they just need to be appreciated for what they are.
Until next time, let’s keep learning, sharing, and most importantly, laughing together.
Toodles!
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