Rapidly Develop JD Edwards-Driven Apps with Active Query Builder

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Leverage the Active Query Builder SQL interface and .NET data access to create data-driven WinForms and ASP.NET apps backed by JD Edwards.

Write standard .NET to expose JD Edwards data through an SQL interface: Active Query Builder helps developers write SQL interfaces; the CData ODBC Driver for JD Edwards enables standards-based access to JD Edwards. This integration uses the Microsoft ADO.NET Provider for ODBC as a bridge between the ODBC Driver and the Active Query Builder objects to build a visual SQL composer.

Connect to JD Edwards as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

The driver connects to JD Edwards through your Application Interface Services (AIS) Server. Set the following connection properties:

  • URL: The base HTTPS URL of your AIS Server (e.g., https://jde-ais.example.com:8300).
  • User: Your JD Edwards username.
  • Password: Your JD Edwards password.
  • Environment (optional): The JD Edwards environment to use (e.g., PD920 for production or DV920 for development). If not specified, the AIS Server's default environment is used.
  • Role (optional): The JD Edwards role for the session. If not specified, the AIS Server's default role is used.
  • DeviceName (optional): An identifier for the connecting device or application, used for auditing and logging on the AIS Server.
  • Jasserver (optional): The specific Java Application Server (JAS) instance to route requests through, useful in clustered environments.

Choosing Which Data Is Exposed

JD Edwards organizes tables and business views by System Code, and the driver exposes each System Code as its own schema. Use these properties to control which schemas are available:

  • DataModel: One or more ERP modules (comma-separated) whose System Codes are exposed as schemas, or All to expose every System Code in the connected instance. Defaults to FinancialManagement.
  • SystemCodes: A comma-separated list of additional System Codes to expose alongside those from DataModel (e.g., 42,43).

When you connect, the driver sends your credentials to the AIS Server to obtain a session token and caches it. The driver requests a new token automatically before the session expires.

Use SQL to Interact with JD Edwards

Follow the steps below to create a WinForms visual query builder.

  1. Open Active Query Builder for .NET WinForms. Opening Active Query Builder.
  2. In the new Windows Forms project go to the "File" menu and click "Connect..."
  3. Under Database Connections, click "Add..." Adding a new Connection.
  4. Set your desired Connection Name (e.g. CData JD Edwards), set Connection Type to "ODBC" and locate your previously configured DSN in the "User/System" DSN dropdown. Selecting a previously configured DSN (Amazon Athena is shown).
  5. Click "OK" to save the new connection.
  6. Back in the Database Connection wizard, select the newly created connection and click "OK." A newly added Connection (Amazon Athena is shown).
  7. Click "File" > "New Query" to create a QueryBuilder

You can now build queries visually: Double-click a table in the Columns Pane Area and an entity/relationship diagram is displayed in the Query Building Area. Columns that you select in the diagram are added to the query.

Building queries interactively with Active Query Builder.

Ready to get started?

Download a free trial of the JD Edwards ODBC Driver to get started:

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Learn more:

JD Edwards Icon JD Edwards ODBC Driver

The JD Edwards ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from JD Edwards, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access JD Edwards data like you would a database - read JD Edwards AccountLedger, ProposalofPayment, ContractRevenueSummary, EmployeeEnrollment, RentIncreaseAmounts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.