Introductions Key Points Function Over Form Which parts of the ERP to mobilise? Technical Options Impact Assessment Skills Requirement How to make mobile adoption successful

1. Choosing the Right Approach for Mobile ERP
APPS17 – December 2017
Speaker:
Michael Lane, Claremont

2. Agenda

3. Agenda – How to choose the right approach to mobile ERP
• Introductions
• Key Points
• Function Over Form
• Which parts of the ERP to mobilise?
• Technical Options
• Impact Assessment
• Skills Requirement
• How to make mobile adoption successful
• Questions & Answers

4. Introductions
Michael Lane, Claremont Technical Lead
• Working with Oracle Technology since 1994
• EBS Developer, Technical Lead, Project Manager, DBA, Consulting Technical
Practice Lead
• Roles centred mostly around the implementation, upgrade, extension or
integration of E-Business Suite from versions 9 to 12.2

5. About Claremont
Claremont Background
• Founded in 2004 delivering
business transformation to
FTSE350 enterprises using
Oracle technology
• The only Oracle Gold
partner with a focused
Maintenance, Property &
Asset Management
capability
• UK offices in Guildford and
Newcastle
• Circa £10m Annual
Revenues, UK headcount 60
• Focused on helping
customers maximise their
investment in Oracle
technology
Oracle Professional
Services
Claremont are the leading
independent Oracle
specialist in the UK,
dedicated to providing
quality Oracle Services.
Quality and accreditation
Mark Vivian, CEO
Oracle E-Business Database Managed Services

6. Key Points
Mobile ERP Apps are subtly different from most of the apps on your phone right now.
An ERP app is an end-point to a service provided by the ERP application
It should have enough functionality to make it usable.
(Especially if you’re building apps which work stand-alone)
But, don’t get carried away – the hard work is still done in the back-end
It is an extension to your ERP application (just like any other CEMLI) and should be treated as such.
So consider:
• How are you going to build it?
• How are you going to support it?
• How is the app going to keep pace with the changes in the ERP application?

7. Function over Form
ERP applications are not known for their engaging user interfaces – EBS is a great example of this
Most obvious reason: these are business applications, built to perform business functions
How it looks is a secondary consideration
ERP Mobile Applications should follow the same model
Again, the EBS mobile applications are a good example:

8. How to go mobile?
1. Choose a role
Obvious point no.1: Who works away from a desk?
• Service Engineers
• Warehouse Operatives
• Accommodation Managers e.g. in housing associations/hotels/rented
accommodation on a medium-large scale
• Any role where the user is 1st point of contact for your company
2. Pick your functions
• Be very specific about what the app should do
• You should be able to perform the function on the app in 30-45 seconds*
• Any longer and the process becomes frustrating, bad for your health and you look like you’re on
Facebook.
• Examples: Stock taking, taking notes (e.g. CRM), updating a repair, placing a sales order
* There is no scientific study to back
these numbers up. Just my opinion.

9. How to go mobile?
3. Buy or Build?
Or Download for FREE 
• E-Business Suite mobile apps are free in a lot of cases if you have a module license
• E.g.

10. Technical Options – Native App Development
For native app development you can choose from:
• Android
• iOS
• (Forget about Windows)
• Bring your own device (BYOD) magnifies the disadvantages (lots of platforms to support)
• The alternative is PSE (Pay Someone Else) to build your apps for you:
• Plus side: you don’t need the skills, just the money
• Minus side: someone need to support the app post go-live – support costs
Advantages:
• Coding in the device’s own
language, full access to device
features
• Highly polished apps are possible
Disadvantages:
• You need skills in the specific languages:
• Android: Java
• iOS: Objective C & Swift
• Windows: C#, C++, JavaScript

11. Technical Options – Device Agnostic Development
Features of Device Agnostic Development:
• You develop in a framework tool, not directly in the native language
• The framework is an app in its own right
• The framework takes care of translation between the development language and the device
language
Disadvantages:
• ‘Lowest common denominator’ approach
• Device features from latest version
upgrades may not be accessible
• * Be careful of your definition of anywhere
• Bear in mind: you’re building business apps to perform a function, not trying to win design awards
Advantages:
• Build once, deploy anywhere*
• You can choose a development platform
closer to your existing skill set

12. Device Agnostic Development – Preferred Approach for ERP mobile
Some Example Platforms:
Oracle Mobile Application
Framework (MAF)
Xamarin
Platforms:
Platforms:
MS Visual Studio
Platforms:

13. Technical Option: Application Express
Oracle Application Express (aka Apex) not often considered as a mobile platform
An easy way to develop engaging web-based applications
However, these are just web sites
Unless…..
You follow Neath Port Talbot Council’s example:
Situation:
Custom app required for engineers
Lots of PL/SQL & CSS skills already in
house
App required to work off-line
Discounted Java development due to
skills gap
Rugged Tablet
Oracle XE Database
Running locally
Apex App
Oracle Enterprise Edn.
(Back End)
DBMS_COMPARISON
PL/SQL Package

14. Impact Assessment
The impact on your existing application landscape is key
Think of mobile apps like customisations
• Business Benefits?
• Can your team support it?
• Do you need new skills/training to build and support it?
• If the answer is yes, is it really worth doing?
What will you technology stack look like
after you’ve deployed your apps?

15. Skills Gap – ERP vs Mobile
Bridging the gap between ‘traditional’ ERP skills and mobile technologies is a perceived challenge
E-Business Suite example
• An average developer would have:
• SQL, PL/SQL, JDeveloper, Workflow, BI Publisher, Forms & Reports
The perception problem is that these skills are out of date for delivering mobile apps
However if you go down the route of platform agnostic development, the gap isn’t that big

16. Technical Skills
Claremont choose MAF for mobile EBS app development
MAF apps are developed in JDeveloper
• This IDE is already very familiar to EBS developers from OAF extensions
• MAF apps have similar declarative structures to OAF pages
MAF has access to the main device features directly
• Camera, email
And to other device features via Cordova plug-ins
• Bar code scanner
Build once* deploy anywhere**
* A bit of fiddling is required between iOS and Android
** iOS, Android or Windows

17. Making Mobile Adoption Successful
1. The app does not have to be pretty but it does have to be useful:
• It needs to fill a real business gap (sadly you can’t build these things because its fun to do)
• Make use of the device features – barcode readers, cameras, email integration etc.
• i.e. make your app a bit more than a mobile web site
• Off-line capabilities
3. Retain the terminology from your main ERP functions
2. Maximum reach = device independence
4. Give it a little bit of style
• MAF offers options for easy visual customization – custom splash page etc.

18. Summary
Mobile applications for ERP are entry-points to existing functions
They don’t need to be pretty, but they do need to fill a real gap
• Otherwise you app will get downloaded, used once and that’ll be it (and you don’t get to build
any more)
Technical choices:
• Native platforms vs device agnostic frameworks
Treat the mobile app like another extension to your ERP, consider:
• The skills gap (it doesn't have to be that big)
• Your existing support capabilities – can you look after the apps?
• Does the introduction of mobile complicate your tech stack unnecessarily?

19. Keeping in touch with Claremont
Questions and answers? Come
see us
claremont.co.uk
@ClaremontOracle
/claremont_oracle
Michael Lane
Technical Lead,
Claremont
+44 7885 149654
michael.lane@claremont.co.uk
www.claremont.co.uk
Check out Claremont website
and social feeds for regular
Oracle news and commentary