“Customers create maintenance nightmares when they don’t fully understand the technical and functional capabilities of their JD Edwards system and end up doing more work than what’s really needed.”
Navigating Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher), formerly known as XML Publisher, can get a little tricky sometimes without the right tools, resources, or personnel for the job. But, luckily for you, we have a BI Publisher expert who makes solving BI Publisher issues seem like a piece of cake.
With more than 3,000 billed hours on twelve different projects for our clients in the past 3 years, this consultant is sure to fit the bill for any of your BI Publisher project needs.
Read on to learn how this expert JD Edwards (JDE) consultant has consistently helped our customers navigate complex reporting issues with the BI Publisher (BIP) tool, manage and merge multiple data sources in a single solution, and more.
A Little About Our Resident BI Publisher Expert…
Extensive programming background, willingness to try his hand at non-traditional JD Edwards development tools, and experience with multiple third-party tools made this consultant the perfect fit for the Oracle BI Publisher world years ago…
And, with more than 25 years of experience in software development and 17 of those in the JD Edwards environment, he is the “bees knees” when it comes to developing new JD Edwards functionality, maximizing the productivity and accuracy of traditional reporting tools, and solving BI Publisher issues quickly and efficiently.
From completing heads-down development work to retrofitting, helping users access and maintain reports, guiding employees through BI Publisher bootcamps, providing ongoing support for clients using BI Publisher throughout their organization, and more, our consultant never fails to provide the highest quality consulting experience possible.
The Issue(s) at Hand…
Throughout his time in the JD Edwards space, and specifically his work with BI Publisher templates, queries, documentation, and reporting solutions, our consultant has been there, done that and solved even the most complicated issues with flying colors.
You name it, he’s done it (and succeeded).
Here are a few of the most common issues our consultant has navigated for clients across a wide range of industries…
Payroll Check Printing
Traditionally, JDE prints only the information that will fit on one full check, and the additional headers, footers, and account and payment information is included on attachments printed or sent with the one-page check.
Essentially, if the necessary information on a check (R04572) exceeded a set number of lines (ex. 12 deduction lines), the JD Edwards system would execute another UBE (Universal Batch Engine); the R04573 print attachments report. This can create formatting issues, lost time for hand collating, and “handcuffing” users to pre-printed check stock.
But, for companies with larger documents and more extensive check printing needs, a single output document format, unnecessary additional attachments, and lost information through check perforation is irritating and can lead to lost or inaccurate checking information.
With traditional tools and printing formats, JDE users (like some of our larger manufacturing clients) suffer from inefficient processes and lost time, however, with the BI Publisher tool and the help of our expert consultant, they can not only improve time-to-value for customers, but also increase output efficiency and reduce risks with minimal impact to Accounts Payable and Payroll departments.
Pagination
When it comes to formatting, numbering, and printing checks accurately and efficiently, functionality in traditional transactional systems doesn’t cut it sometimes…
Outdated systems offer surface-level page sequencing capabilities that typically don’t allow for pages to be numbered in a nonconsecutive manner, making streamlined pagination functions next to impossible.
But, with its updated capabilities and integrations with familiar desktop tools, like Microsoft Word, BI Publisher allows users to automatically generate check and page numbers, print watermarks and logos, and reduce overall costs by eliminating the need for pre-printed check stock. This integration not only helps customers design a custom page format for the first page of a check and a different one for the rest of the pages, but it also only requires employees to run one job in JDE to make collating pages easier and more efficient and reduces the need for complex coding changes.
Our consultant is an expert in BI Publisher-Word integrations, and he can help your company solve even the most complex pagination issues without missing a beat.
Too Much Customization
Different departments, different divisions, different formats…OH MY!
In larger companies with multiple different business units, data models, and other reporting tools, customization can oftentimes be a lot more trouble than it’s worth, especially when there are tools like Oracle BI Publisher that offer a smarter way to customize reports, output formats, and more.
“Some customization is necessary, but there’s a smarter way to make long term maintenance more effective and efficient.”
The way to do that? BI Publisher (and help from our team of expert consultants).
Too often, teams think they understand their JDE system and are setting up unique instances and customized features for each report, invoice format, or department, but, in reality, they only end up causing more hassle for themselves. For example, if your team has a junior developer creating custom delivery channels and invoice formats for each business unit, you could end up with 80+ variations when you really only needed 10 to get the job done.
This gets even trickier when you don’t have the right team in place to handle each customization. But, luckily for you, this is where this senior consultant comes in to save the day. With his skills, experience, and leadership, your team and JDE system will be operating optimally in no time.
The Big 2 Solutions
Regardless of how complex your Oracle BI Publisher needs may seem, we guarantee that our consultant can handle whatever is thrown at him (and find success in doing so).
Let’s take a closer look at two of the main solutions he has outlined and implemented for Surety’s Oracle JD Edwards clients…
BI Publisher Bootcamp
One of the keys to success when it comes to navigating a comprehensive reporting solution, like BI Publisher, is fully understanding your system, each individual data model or source, and any other tools used to access, schedule, and view reports and manage integrations with external web services. And, luckily for you, our expert BI Publisher consultant has just the right tools to help…
“BI Publisher Bootcamp” was initially created to help users transition from tools like Create!form to the Oracle BI Publisher and ensure they have a comprehensive understanding of both their JD Edwards system and the tools included in the BI Publisher solution. The 3-day bootcamp typically taught users about the core functionality within BIP, how to use each tool, how to create reports, purchase orders (POs), or payroll checks, and our consultant ensures that each user understands the solution AND how to use it.
Since its initial creation, the bootcamp has traded its heavy emphasis on BIP implementation strategies for a “Best Practices” approach in an attempt to help users sustain the solution in the long run and withstand change in their own technology and across the industry.
Some best practices included in the bootcamp include…
- Long term maintenance strategies
- How to make use of UBE and JDE logic you already have
- How to take advantage of functionality in Microsoft Word (headers, footers, page numbers, etc.)
- Improved security rules and guidelines for employee, customer, and company data
- How to use sub-templates to create a new report or update an existing one
Supplemental Database
Another important tool our consultant has consistently used to help clients create custom logic, hide and reveal certain elements only when necessary, and outline fields to improve efficiency, accuracy, and productivity within Oracle Cloud BI Publisher templates and reports.
Leveraging a supplemental database enables users to…
- Outline and define fields to organize reports and other data more efficiently
- Create custom logic to remove or add text and placeholders to make creating reports for each separate business unit easier
- Place each data source, field, or point in list format to review more accurately
- Use conditionals to hide or reveal certain elements as they are needed depending on each business unit’s needs
- Control which reports and invoice formats go to each department or printer by using advanced fields and conditional statements
When it comes to making any major changes within the system, clients have to go through complex programming testing checkpoints, however, with BI Publisher functionality and the help of this top-notch consultant, they can make simple changes quickly, easily, and without complex testing requirements.
Getting Started with Us
Whether you’re just getting started with the BI Publisher Enterprise reporting portal, looking to enhance the functionality of your current reporting tools, or interested in integrating BIP work with other functional tasks, our team of senior-level Oracle JD Edwards consultants (like this one) are here to help!
Interested in learning more about our consulting services at Surety Systems? Ready to get started on a project with one of our top-of-the-line consultants?Contact us today!
