Demystifying RPA and JD Edwards Orchestrator
As technologies like Robotic Process Automation continue to make an impact on business processes, it’s important to know when to use RPA and JD Edwards Orchestrator, and instances to apply both to a process.
RPA and JD Edwards Orchestrator
JD Edwards Orchestrator is an integration and workflow engine that can help automate your JDE business processes, data collection and analysis, and integration to 3rd party systems which streamlines your JD Edwards instance towards automation.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) helps with emulation of manual tasks though the user interface, automating activities across multiple functions and departments.
Integration of data from multiple systems and the RPA software acts as hands, feet and eyes… not the brain. RPA helps in cost reduction, improved quality, increased speed, better compliance, reduced risk, improved scalability.
Orchestrator, as it exists within the JD Edwards platform, can also be used as an automation tool. Organizations (and JDE users in general) can now automate tedious processes like creating a sales order, address book record, and employee master record one by one. For JD Edwards users that want to automate existing business processes, one big question remains – when do I use one or both of these applications? In this article, we’ll explore the popular uses of each technology, and examples of when we have specifically combined RPA and JD Edwards Orchestrator.
When to Use Orchestrator
The Orchestrator platform has 4 key functionalities that help bring automation to your ERP system:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
If you want to introduce automation to your business processes while staying within the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne platform (thus maximizing your JDE investment), Orchestrator is the feature to use. You can record and replay most of the mundane and repetitive activities done by your uses on JD Edwards.
When to Use RPA
Now, let’s say there are other processes within your business you wish to automate, such as HR onboarding, accounting payroll, or customer service. Other forms of software automation, like Robotic Process Automation (RPA) may be a smart investment for your organization to explore.
RPA, as a form of software automation, serves to streamline step-by-step processes through the use of digital software bots. This alleviates hours of work from human staff, and frees them up for more innovative tasks. It is especially important to understand the basic functionalities of RPA when evaluating a potential integration. Here are some out-of-the-box functionalities of RPA:
All of these features can be leveraged to maximize the efficiency of various applications. Certain industries and uses cases are more susceptible to RPA than others. Here are some practical use cases of RPA implementation, and a resource link to explain the example further:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
If you want to apply automation across various systems and platforms, using an RPA tool like UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate can be considered. RPA provides you the power and flexibility of seamlessly integrating multiple systems and processes.
Using Orchestrator with RPA
Now, what if you wish to leverage JDEs built-in functionalities, AND integrate business processes outside of JDE with an added layer of software automation to fully automate your systems? As both an Oracle Gold Partner and RPA implementation partner, our JD Edwards consultants understand the potential need for using both Orchestrator and RPA technology.
An example of utilizing Orchestrator and RPA in unison would be the use case of automating a manufacturing system. The IoT devices frequently used in this industry send production information from manufacturing systems to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. It’s here that Orchestrator interacts with the EnterpriseOne manufacturing application and processes the data further. When work orders are produced, an Orchestrator process can push the work order out, leaving RPA to take over the next steps outside of JDE in processing the order.
In the Orchestrator platform, there are a few functions that especially pair well with 3rd party applications like RPA. Here are some of these functions, and a link demonstrating process:
We’ve helped various organizations identify if their processes are an “automation blend” candidate so they use both Orchestrator and RPA in unison. Some of these use cases include:
KEY TAKEAWAY:
If you want to introduce a deeper level of automation across multiple systems, and leverage the built-in functionality of JD Edwards, pairing RPA with the capabilities of Orchestrator might be a fit for you. Therefore, Orchestrator + Automation = Efficiency!
Where Can Smartbridge Help?
Smartbridge can help you evaluate your RPA requirements, build your RPA Center of Excellence (CoE) and help you along the path of automation. Through our subject matter implementation knowledge on technology like RPA, we can introduce out-of-the-box solutions to your organization to make your existing processes more efficient.
Our expertise with JD Edwards related to standard business processes, Orchestrator and IoT integrations can help streamline your automation needs both within and outside JD Edwards, pushing you along your automation realm.
Keep Reading: JD Edwards Orchestrator as an Automation Tool
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