1 Understanding the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Internet of Things (IoT) Orchestrator

This chapter contains the following topics:

1.1 Overview

Companies use devices such as sensors and beacons ("things") to monitor everything from the performance of machinery, temperatures of refrigerated units, on-time averages of commuter trains, and so forth. Capturing the data from these devices traditionally involves a complex integration using specialized hardware, expensive network connectivity, and high system integration expenditure to build the machine information into an enterprise business process. Even with a complex integration in place, an operations manager or controller still might have to manually enter the data into a spreadsheet, a software program, or an application in an ERP system. Regardless of the method used, it takes time to transfer the raw data into information that can be acted upon in a way that provides value to the business.

For JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, you can devise processes called orchestrations that consume raw data from disparate devices and transform the data into actionable business processes in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. The EnterpriseOne IoT Orchestrator processes these orchestrations to enable the immediate, real-time transformation of raw data to valuable and transaction-capable information in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. For examples, you can create orchestrations that enable EnterpriseOne to:

  • Alert users to a required activity.

  • Alert users to perform preventative maintenance to reduce equipment downtime.

  • Provide audit data for safety compliance and security.

1.2 How It Works

The illustration in Figure 1-1 shows how the IoT Orchestrator processes data from external devices and transforms it into data that can be consumed by EnterpriseOne.

Figure 1-1 EnterpriseOne IoT Orchestration Processing

This image is described in surrounding text.

This illustration depicts how third-party devices and a gateway collect and process information from one or more devices, converts the information to a platform-independent format and communicates this information over the internet. The gateway usually deploys intelligence to filter sensor data, secure data transfer, automate software updating, run diagnostics, start or stop the device, and support other features.

The IoT Orchestrator uses the five components described in the following list to transform raw data into data that can be used by EnterpriseOne. To create an orchestration, you define each of these components in separate XML files and then place them in an IoT orchestration directory.:

  • Orchestration. The master process that provides a unique name for the orchestration process in the IoT Orchestrator. The orchestration uses the next four components in this list to run a single orchestration instance.

  • White List. An initial rudimentary pass/fail check of the incoming message's device signature against a predefined list of signatures. A white list provides an additional layer of security to the IoT Orchestrator security.

  • Rules Engine. A set of conditions against which the input from the IoT devices is evaluated to produce a true or false state. Rules can be nested to produce complex evaluations. You design the rules that the engine uses to determine how to act upon the data at runtime. You can also use custom Java to define additional rules.

  • Cross-Reference. A set of data relationships defined by the designer of the orchestration that enriches the minimal input from devices. For example, a cross reference can convert an incoming ID into an EnterpriseOne value for use in service requests.

  • Service Request. An invocation of a JD Edwards EnterpriseOne interactive application or a Java application via a REST service call to the EnterpriseOne Application Interface Services (AIS) Server.

Also, you can use custom Java to create custom client applications (that run on the AIS Server) for viewing and working with the filtered IoT data. You can create a custom Java application to perform a specific business process or a process for storing the data in another database outside of EnterpriseOne.

1.3 EnterpriseOne Architecture for IoT

The IoT Orchestrator uses the Application Interface Services (AIS) Server as its foundation. The AIS Server is a REST services server that when configured with the EnterpriseOne HTML Server, enables access to EnterpriseOne forms and data.

For an illustration of the AIS Server architecture, see "AIS Server Architecture" in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools System Overview Guide.

For instruction on how to deploy the AIS Server through Server Manager, see "Create an Application Interface Services (AIS) Server as a New Managed Instance" in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Tools Server Manager Guide.

This guide contains information about Server Manager AIS Server settings that are used to manage an IoT configuration. See "Managing IoT Orchestrations".