The Industry’s Best Kept Secret: Maximizing Project Management with Integrated Spreadsheets in Oracle Fusion Cloud

Uncover efficiencies by seamlessly integrating Excel spreadsheets within Oracle Fusion Cloud, revolutionizing the way you manage projects.

Oracle claims that Fusion Cloud ERP provides ready-to-use Excel spreadsheets for data uploading. However, when users implemented the product, they quickly learned that they would have to adjust their expectations because Oracle’s product was not as user-friendly as they were led to believe.

Oracle offers free data loading tools for Fusion Cloud such as VBAFE, ADFdi, and FBDI. Unfortunately, Oracle’s ERP tools for data uploads and downloads are complex and difficult to tailor to your specific needs. So, are these Oracle tools really free?

Let’s delve into the mass upload options Oracle has provided for Cloud.

File-Based Desktop Integrator (FBDI)

FBDI is an offline workbook intended to be broadly available and a basic tool for data migration purposes. Beyond being used for data migrations, FBDI is not a suitable tool for users performing BAU tasks.

The drawbacks of using FBDI for BAU are as follows:

• You can only create new versions and there isn’t an ability to update
• Since the spreadsheet is not connected to the instance, pre-upload validation doesn’t exist
• The layout isn’t flexible so the columns must be included in their current position
• There is no form support for data entry
• No download features 
• Multi-step upload and import processes
• Error correction is done in a separate application 
• Multiple linked sheets are required for complex objects
• It is too complex for BAU users as it requires a specialist or IT support

Application Development Framework Desktop Integration (ADFdi)

ADFdi is the successor to Oracle’s Web ADI for E-Business Suite. It is unstable and hard to use because it writes to old-school interface tables rather than the new REST web services.

The ADFdi integrator isn’t robust and you often see application errors while uploading, and copying data from one row to another is problematic for users.

Visual Builder Add-in for Excel (VBAFE)

VBAFE is a semi-development platform Excel add-in provided by Oracle. It is better suited to less complex objects and allows organizations to use superior REST web services that enable real-time data loading, validation, and feedback. However, since VBAFE is a platform, you must custom-build your applications. Oracle supports the platform and the web services, but not the build of the Excel data integration spreadsheet.

Even though, VBAFE is free, here are the reasons why most choose not to use it:

• Needs custom development
• Multiple sheets are required for parent/child relationships, which makes for a difficult UX

At More4apps, we strongly believe users should be able to do their work in forms or high-quality mass upload tools, whichever is most efficient for the task at hand. Solutions like More4apps allow users to carry out mass uploads and updates easily and accurately. Therefore, returning control of the data to its business owner, rather than relying on specialists, IT teams, or Oracle support.

Let’s explore the key benefits of implementing More4apps tools for Oracle Fusion Cloud for managing and maintaining businesses’ ERP data as their single source of truth.

• Seamless integration – More4apps tools seamlessly integrate with Oracle and Excel, allowing users to extract, upload, and manipulate data directly from their familiar Excel interface. Therefore, streamlining the data management process and eliminating manual data entry, saving time, focusing their resources on value-added activities, and reducing the risk of errors. Furthermore, More4apps products are specifically built for ERP systems, leveraging the existing security measures that Oracle has in place.
• Minimal training – More4apps tools require minimal training, as the software is user-friendly and easy to navigate, and data owners don’t have to rely on their IT department for customizations. Users know and prefer Excel as their data front-end, making More4apps an easy preference.
• Advanced data validation – Empower users to ensure the accuracy and completeness of their data before uploading it into their Oracle systems with advanced validation. With built-in validation rules and customizable data templates, users can identify and correct errors in real-time, minimizing the risk of data discrepancies and ensuring data integrity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, implementing More4apps tools for data loading processes can help organizations streamline their operations, enhance productivity, and maintain data integrity in a simple and user-friendly manner. This, in turn, leads to increased efficiency and accuracy in business processes, ultimately contributing to the overall success and competitiveness of businesses in today’s fast-paced environment.

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