Profiles In JDE

On this page we feature several people who have made JDE their career.  These profiles will help you understand the different types of jobs in the JDE ecosystem, and whether or not JDE could be the right fit for you!

Dana Priscila Sanchez

Prior to getting a job supporting JDE at my company, I was a Senior Customer Service Representative. While I was involved in two migrations from a different ERP system to JDE as Subject Matter Expert (SME), where I worked closely with our JDE Business Analysts, my curiosity and thirst for JDE knowledge started to grow. Suddenly, a position was opened in the IT Department for the internal JDE Helpdesk, and although I was not sure what the job entailed, I was lucky enough to be approached by the IT manager who suggested that I apply for the position, and lucky me, I got the job!

My career started then and there, I had jumped from Customer Service to IT, isn’t that great? Since then, I have been exposed to sales and distribution, as well as manufacturing, there and back again!

I started unlocking records and resetting passwords, but with attending JDEtips training, providing real hands on support, and projects inside my company for different business units, I have grown in the JDE world.

With every new thing I learn, I am convinced that my future is in the JDE world.

I work in the IT department for a large BioTech organization.  The area that I specialize in is ERP Business Analysis. I enjoy dealing with real-life business problems and translating those into great IT solutions. I have worked with many levels within organizations and I enjoy the challenge of bridging the technology gap. I have spent the last 6 years working on business-to-business integrations in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and contract manufacturing. I find this work very dynamic and rewarding.

My company has manufacturing plants all over the world. The main objective of my job is to be a continuous improvement partner with the business function leaders.  I do a lot of research and discovery about our products and what drives improvement in each of the business functions.  I also immerse myself into their activities and look for ways to match up opportunities for improvement with sound IT solutions.

Once the groundwork has been laid and the relationships are strong and there is mutual trust between IT and the business leaders, I begin work on improving their processes.  I follow a standard, the Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC.  The most critical part of SDLC is making sure that I listen carefully to the key functional users and that the requirements that I document are complete, accurate and most importantly, agreed upon by all the stakeholders.
The rest is easy!  I apply my many years of IT experience, execute the implementation plan and deliver on time or ahead of time every time.  This further strengthens the relationship and proves my capabilities for next time.  Then the cycle starts over again.  IT Business Analysis is very interesting and rewarding work.

Sarah Mills

I fell in love with JD Edwards as a user back in 2004, when I was a Revenue/Inventory Accounting Manager.  I was lucky to have some great friends in my company’s IT department who fed my hunger for JDE knowledge, and patiently explained the workings of the software to me.  I quickly became a power user, serving as an informal help desk for my co-workers and working with IT on upgrade and security projects.

When my company was purchased, my passion for JDE allowed me to switch careers, into a JDE Business Analyst role for a local government running JDE.  (To give an idea of the financial benefits of working with JDE, I was given a relocation package and my salary nearly doubled!)  I began supporting modules I had never seen before, such as Human Capital Management and Capital Asset Management.  My previous JDE experience as a user of Distribution and Financials gave me a solid grasp of the fundamentals of the software, which was perfect for my new employer’s needs.  I quickly learned those new modules, and discovered a passion for “training and explaining”, teaching users to fish using JDE.  I learned a lot from my users, too!

I became active in the Quest International User Group community – serving on the board of JDE regional user groups and JDE product special interest groups.  I wrote articles for JDEtips, presented at conferences, and championed the JDE community whenever I could.  I made a lot of good business contacts, and some great friends along the way.  This led to my current role as Senior Application Consultant, working for an Oracle partner.  I am able to help multiple clients on a daily basis with a variety of problems, enhancements, research, and solution design – all using the software I love, JD Edwards.

Aravind Palakurissi

I currently work as a JDE Business Analyst with a leading manufacturer and supplier of automotive components in Northville, Michigan.  I have an engineering degree in Computer Science and I recently enrolled for a Masters Degree in Program and Project Management.

I started off my career with an IT consulting company in India where I learned AS 400 based programming. I learned CL, RPG, RPGLE, etc. there. I got my first exposure to an ERP system around the same time. Our client, Polo Ralph Lauren, was using an AS/400 based ERP system named Island Pacific Merchandising system (IPMS). I saw firsthand how a retail business uses business systems to efficiently run their business. I saw how every store sent their cash register transactions to one centralized ERP system and how that system uses the information to help business users make efficient decisions on sales, forecasting, purchasing, etc.

It was amazing to see how an ERP system chews through 100,000 or more transactions everyday and gives you meaningful information. After spending 3 years working with IPMS, I moved to my present employer. They had another AS/400 based ERP named BPCS (Business Planning Control System) and they were migrating to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. That’s how my JD Edwards journey began.

Now let me give you an overview of our company and what I do here.  We supply electric automotive components to leading automobile manufacturers. We have four locations—two being manufacturing plants (Mason, OH and Maysville, KY) and two are sales/remanufacturing locations (Huntington Beach, CA and Northville, MI). Since I am the only IT person supporting business systems in the Northville location, I have multiple roles on the IT team. I am the EDI coordinator, responsible for setting up new EDI customers as well as supporting EDI issues for existing customers. Electronic data interchange (EDI) is an electronic communication method that provides standards for exchanging data via any electronic means. By adhering to the same standard, two different companies can electronically exchange documents (such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and many others).

I also write DSI Barcode scanning scripts for all four of our locations. I have also been getting into additional JDE modules, such as Demand Scheduling, Sales Order Management, and Warehouse Management.

I have learned how critical it is for IT to be involved in the business side of the company. I have seen firsthand how JDE’s ERP system enables business processes in my company. I learn something new every day.

I see the technical side of things when I write a barcode scanning script to help the business take advantage of automated warehouse technologies, and I see the functional side of it when my programming actually helps increase efficiency or improve traceability on the shop floor.

I am excited to be part of the JD Edwards family and I look forward to increasing my knowledge in JDE since I believe JDE has a great future in the coming years.

Kimberly Jacot

JD Edwards is superior in many ways, as shown, simply by the people you’ll meet along the way.  They’ve made the product what it is today.  I’ve been developing JD Edwards applications and integrations for 18 years, with a dabble here and there with other products (including EBS, PeopleSoft, and MicroSoft Dynamics).  I never stray too far because JD Edwards is a great product, with great clients.  I started out working for JD Edwards in 1997, moved into consulting, found that my heart was truly with JD Edwards as a company, so I went back.  But I have since moved into consulting again.  I find my job to be very rewarding.  Solving even the seemingly simple issues makes for a great feeling.

With any great product, there are always opportunities for change.  Custom development is exciting and never the same every time.  With an ever changing world of technology, there are abundant opportunities to help my clients get to the next level and become the best of breed in their business.  Working with JD Edwards has allowed for me to apply for and be granted multiple patents as well as given me the opportunity to write about the product for Oracle Press/McGraw-Hill.

When developing within JD Edwards, you’re not limited to just their proprietary toolset.  I work with other tools such as, BI Publisher, Java, C++, ODI and ADF.  It all depends on what my clients are trying to accomplish.  My job is to find the most efficient and effective way to provide that, all the while, following a standard software development lifecycle.

I never fail to learn something new every day.  With JDE101, you’ll have opportunities aplenty.  It’s not every day that those opportunities come around.  JDE101 provides you with the tools needed to be successful in the JD Edwards space by giving you access to resources with years of experience.  I truly believe that Together. We are. JDE.

Bonnie Goldenhar

I am a JD Edwards Enterprise One functional lead (application consultant) and project manager working on a multi-phase implementation of the following modules:

General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Fixed Assets, Inventory, Procurement, Sales Order, and Service Billing.

Previous to working with JDE, I was a Microsoft consultant for many years, implementing various Financial software packages.  Then I took on a consulting position to find and help implement the best ERP solution for a company of over 700 users. The software solution that matched most of our requirements was JD Edwards. It beat out SAP and Microsoft Dynamics.

I had to learn the software very quickly and indeed I did. I found the software to be quite flexible and easily modifiable without the need for those “bite you down the road” customizations.  I have been under contract at this company since 2009, implementing new JDE enhancements and modules as the company grows.

Best career change I’ve ever made!

 

Together. We are. JDE.

Want to be featured on this page?  We need a few more profiles–especially those of you near the beginning of your JDE career.  Contact for more information.

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