With new support dates, customers can feel confident in upgrading to A9.4 due to its long Premier Support time. Prior to this announcement, JDE users were delaying their decision to upgrade to World A9.4 because of what was then a relatively short Premier Support window. Premier Support is guaranteed through at least April 2022, with extended support through 2025. Even if you are on a more recent version like JDE World A9.3, it's a good idea to upgrade.
JDE products are moving to a Continuous Delivery program, with customers getting smaller and more timely product innovations without the cost and potential disruption of a major upgrade. These incremental enhancements are easier to consume and users can choose and control when to add new functionality.
World A9.4 updates will be delivered as needed throughout the year. These deliveries will keep your A9.4 environment up to date. These updates are where Oracle will be putting all of their time and effort for World, with A9.4 being the only platform to receive new deliveries in the future.
If you’re running JD Edwards World along with IBM i, it’s important to know that IBM i OS 7.3 is compatible with World versions A9.4 and A9.3V1. So, if you are running OS 7.2 and are hoping to upgrade to 7.3 or 7.4
Also, if you’ve been using IBM i Access for Windows, you will need to migrate to IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) as it includes support for Windows 10 and will be the only product to be kept updated. Of course, ACS requires a newer version of IBM i OS.
World A9.4 introduced some new features for manufacturing, sales and procurement, and financials users, including:
If you’re upgrading from A9.3, you’ll get all of these new features. But if you’re updating from an even older version, just think of all the new functionality you’ll gain access to, by upgrading to A9.4. You could have the features from A9.3, A9.2, and more at your fingertips -- along with these latest offerings.
While we’re all fans of World, it may make sense for your organization to migrate to JD Edwards EnterpriseOne in the future. Upgrading World to A9.4 is a great choice in that case, as A9.4 has a direct data migration to EnterpriseOne. That way, when the time is right, you’ll be poised for a more seamless migration.
As a best practice, JDE recommends that customers maintain their environment and stay current. The best way to do this is to upgrade to A9.4, where JDE is releasing World updates as they are needed. According to a recent Oracle Announcement, "Future enhancements, regulatory updates, and technology improvements will be delivered on the JD Edwards World A9.4 code line in accordance with the recently announced Premier Support timeline."
No matter the version, a JD Edwards upgrade is always a challenge. Our clients often look for outside help, and we’re happy to lend a hand in the upgrade process. Contact our experienced team for help planning or executing your next upgrade. We can help you make the upgrade.
Editor's Note: This blog was originally posted in November 2017 and has been updated with new information.
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