Apple iPad Now Runs JDE E1

October 11, 2011 Alex Woodie

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne users take note: the ERP suite’s screens are now accessible from the Apple iPad, according to Oracle‘s announcement last week. Oracle says that it has achieved a first in the industry by making the entire ERP suite available on the popular tablet computer, as opposed to publishing just a “handful of specialty mobile apps.”

Oracle is rarely one to boast. But it made a point last week at its OpenWorld conference to highlight the unveiling of the entire JDE EnterpriseOne ERP suite running on the iPad. Of course, only the user and administrative screens are on iPad, since the idea of running big database, application servers, storage, and network workloads on the diminutive device is absurd.

The Pleasanton, California, company claims that it is “the first and only vendor to deliver a comprehensive enterprise suite on the iPad.” This shows how much Oracle loves JD Edwards, as its other tier-one ERP suites–Oracle E-Business Suite and PeopleSoft Enterprise–still don’t have comprehensive iPad interfaces.

Oracle dismissed the idea of specialty mobile interfaces, but it still delivered some targeted capabilities in its E1 iPad interface. For example, the new E1 iPad app includes some application-specific gestures, which Oracle says helps to “create intuitive and efficient interactions.” It also created a separate Field Service Work Order app, which includes specialized functions for field techs, such as one-touch access to technical manuals and Google Maps.

The new E1 iPad supports customer demands for mobile connectivity, says Lyle Ekdahl, the group vice president and general manager for Oracle JD Edwards. “Customers do not want to develop costly customized applications to meet increased demand for anytime, anywhere access to important business data,” Ekdahl says in a press release.

The new software uses standard JDE E1 security and deployment tools. Context-sensitive help is built into the software. The software requires an Internet connection, and does not work in disconnected mode.

The new E1 iPad interface is delivered as part of a regular tools update for EnterpriseOne releases 8.12 or 9.0, although the new Field Service Work Order app is only available for release 9.0. Implementation of the update “was a snap” according to one EnterpriseOne user, Don Sauve, who’s a programmer/analyst at aluminum machinery manufacturer Wagstaff.