And yes, you can now ask an AI "What's our inventory level for part X?" and get a live answer from JDE.
If you've been in the JD Edwards world for any length of time, you've probably had this conversation: "Can we just connect [insert shiny new technology here] to JDE?" And the answer is usually some variation of "Yes, but it'll take 6-12 months and cost more than your first house."
Well, I'm genuinely excited to share something we've been working on at Fusion5 that changes that equation entirely.
The Problem We All Know Too Well
JD Edwards is a phenomenal system of record. It's robust, it's proven, and it holds the truth about your business. But let's be honest — it wasn't built for the age of conversational AI. If you want to:
- Let a business user ask a quick question about outstanding invoices
- Have an AI assistant pull live order data for a customer service rep
- Automate a workflow that needs real-time JDE data
...you've traditionally been looking at custom development, middleware, orchestrations, and a lot of billable hours.
Meanwhile, AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and others are revolutionising how people interact with systems. But they can't just "talk to" JDE. They don't understand PS_TOKENs, Julian dates, or why your customer table is called F0101.
Enter the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
For those who haven't come across it yet, MCP is an open standard developed by Anthropic that essentially creates a universal adapter between AI agents and external systems. Think of it as USB-C for AI — a standardised way for any AI to connect to any data source.
The catch? Nobody had built one for an ERP system. Until now.
What We Built
We've developed what we believe is the world's first MCP server for an ERP platform — specifically for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne.
Without getting into the weeds (this is a blog, not a technical manual), here's what it does:
It translates AI requests into JDE-speak. When an AI agent asks for "customers in Australia with outstanding invoices over $10,000," our MCP server figures out that means querying F0101 for country code AU, joining to F03B11, filtering on open amounts, and handling all the Julian date conversions along the way.
It handles authentication properly. Every action happens under a real user's identity. No shared service accounts, no security shortcuts. Your JDE role-based security still applies — if a user can't see payroll data in JDE, the AI can't retrieve it for them either.
It speaks JDE fluently. We've embedded comprehensive metadata about JDE's tables, fields, and business functions. The system knows that ALPH means "Alphabetic Name" and that F4211 is your Sales Order Detail. This means the AI can understand business terms and translate them correctly.
It covers the full AIS API. Data queries, form services, file attachments, business functions, reports, orchestrations — if JDE's AIS can do it, our MCP server can expose it to AI agents.
What Does This Actually Look Like?
Here are a few scenarios that are now possible:
Conversational queries: A finance controller asks their AI assistant: "Show me all customers in Australia with outstanding invoices over $10,000." The AI calls our MCP server, which handles the multi-table query, and returns a formatted summary. No JDE screens opened. No SQL written.
Report generation via chat: A sales manager says: "Generate a PDF sales report for January 2025." The AI finds the appropriate JDE batch report, submits it with the right parameters, waits for completion, and returns a download link.
Business function execution: A customer service rep asks: "Calculate the shipping cost for sales order 12345 with express delivery." The AI calls the appropriate JDE business function and returns the calculated freight amount — using JDE's own logic, so the numbers are correct.
Data discovery: A power user building a report asks: "What fields are in the Purchase Order header table?" The AI returns a list of fields with their business descriptions, making JDE's data model more accessible.
Why This Matters
JDE becomes AI-enabled without a replacement project. You don't need to migrate to a new ERP or wait for Oracle to build this. Your existing JDE investment gains AI capabilities today.
The UI becomes optional. Not every interaction needs to go through JDE screens. Business users can get what they need conversationally, through Teams, through Power Platform, through whatever interface makes sense for them.
Development time collapses. Integration projects that would have taken months can now be achieved in weeks. The MCP server handles the complexity — you just need to configure and connect.
Security stays intact. This isn't a backdoor into JDE. It's a secure, auditable extension that respects your existing security model.
The Bigger Picture
This is part of a broader shift we're seeing in how enterprises interact with their systems of record. The AI doesn't replace JDE — it makes JDE more accessible, more useful, and more integrated into modern workflows.
For JDE shops that have been worried about being "left behind" in the AI wave, this is significant. Your ERP can now participate in AI-driven processes alongside your newer cloud systems.
What's Next?
We're continuing to enhance the platform — multi-environment support, bulk operations, real-time event feeds, and tighter integrations with Power Platform and Microsoft Copilot are all on the roadmap.
If you're interested in learning more about what this could mean for your organisation, reach out to Fusion5's Innovation Labs. We're genuinely excited about where this is heading.
Shannon Moir is Director of AI at Fusion5. When not connecting legacy systems to futuristic AI, he can occasionally be found explaining to people that F0101 is actually a very sensible name for a table.
