Qlik with JD Edwards...Data Dictionary help??

[azimuthbrett]

I could really use some help from anyone able to point me in the right direction with respect to understanding and working with JDE tables. I have a potential client engagement that will entail rebuilding a legacy Qlikview data environment in Sense. The legacy environment was poorly structured, and the implementation consultant is no longer available. It needs to be rebuilt from scratch to be more efficient and scalable.

*I have ODBC connectivity to the source JDE database. I can see tables and columns, and load them into an application.*

Here's the issue:  the JDE table names are inscrutable (e.g. 'F58492', 'F0006', 'F0012LB'...). Ditto with column names ('VQACOM', 'VQACUNC', 'VQBACK'...).

I'm not really looking for a costly connector etc, as I have the ability to access the data. What I need is some sort of data dictionary that can tell me just what the heck, exactly, these tables and fields mean. The previous dev has locked up all of the extract scripts within the apps, so I'm not able to go in and look at how they pulled a given table, renamed or formatted certain columns, etc.

I've poked around the interwebs without success finding anything that provides clear information about how the data is structured within this system. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it very much. I've worked with a number of different databases, but this one is reluctant to give up its secrets. I need a Rosetta Stone!

[bhaskar_sm]

Hi,

you can use the following website to look for the tables and fields information that you require.

http://jderef.com/

http://www.jdetables.com/

you may find some tables in JDE where metadata or schema information is stored.

Regards,

Bhasker Kumar

[azimuthbrett]

Awesome, thank you! There are some tables/fields that don't show up in that, which are in the source database, but overall it looks like it provides a pretty good understanding of what is going on.

[parkera]

Hello,

Apologies for the tardy reply. JD Edwards World Software was written to be efficient, and to save computer disk space on the, as then AS400, now IBM i-Series/Series-i. Which, at the time you could buy a new car for less than upgrading. When the product was ported to Windows as the now known EnterpriseOne the configuration remained largely the same. This means that you have to know what you are doing to retrieve data from JDE/JD Edwards but also to understand which tables to use for transactions and balances, as well as history. Then interpolate them using various additional tables.

This means that the process is slow. And knowing the table names etc, will not make the process much faster, just less complex. In 2010 Differentia Consulting built a tool for Qlik called the JDE Script Builder to deliver the Qlik script required in the format needed to speed up and make consistent the extraction of data from DBE/SQL/Oracle databases. This tool and the pre-built JD Edwards #SmarterBI Apps are used by many customers around the world. You can find more about them here: https://www.differentia.consulting/smarter.bi/solutions/smarter-jde-powered-by-qlik/

If anyone is using JDE World or E1 with Qlik and needs help or would like to see the Script Builder or the pre built JDE Apps for Qlik Sense and QlikView please email  info@differentia.consulting  or call us in the UK on +44 (0)1494 622600