In a nutshell
Developed by SQORUS, ASK EBS enables business teams to query Oracle E-Business Suite using natural language, without needing SQL skills and without exposing ERP data to the AI model.
For an industrial group, SQORUS implemented ASK EBS, a generative AI assistant integrated with Oracle E-Business Suite. Users type their questions in French or English, and ASK EBS returns the corresponding data, filtered according to their access rights. No data from the ERP is transmitted to the AI model.
Why EBS Data Remains Difficult to Access
In an industrial company, Oracle E-Business Suite supports the bulk of operations, from purchasing to accounting, including inventory and production. The answers to the business teams’ questions can be found there—but you still need to know where to look for them.
To generate a list of overdue orders or sort suppliers by amount paid, you need to be familiar withEBS tables, know how to query them, and write SQL. As a result, most users turn to the IT team or a consultant, even for simple questions.
Language models are now capable of converting a question into an SQL query. In an ERP system that contains a company’s financial and sales data, the challenge is to do so without compromising security. That is where we have focused our efforts.
ASK EBS in Practice: One Question, One Answer
ASK EBS opens from within Oracle E-Business Suite without requiring a new login, thanks to EBS SSO. The user selects a domain—for example, sales orders—and then types their question in French or English: “Show me the list of orders with shipping delays.”
The result is displayed in a table. The “Explore” button opens it in an interactive grid for sorting and filtering, and the “Explain” button shows how the result was obtained. Authorized users can also view the generated SQL.
The conversation stays on track because one question can build on the previous one, until the user starts a new one. Finally, a dedicated page lists, by domain, the data that can be queried.
About ten areas are currently covered, each with its own AI profile. Here are a few examples of questions:
| Domaine métier | Exemple de question |
|---|---|
| Achats | « Donne la performance de livraison à l’heure par fournisseur. » |
| Commandes clients | « Quelles sont les commandes en retard pour le client X ? » |
| Logistique et stocks | « Affiche le nombre d’articles en stock par organisation et sous-inventaire. » |
| Fabrication discrète | « Quels ordres de fabrication doivent démarrer aujourd’hui ? » |
| Maintenance | « Liste tous les ordres de travail en cours. » |
| Coûts de revient | « Quelle est la valeur des encours de production par article ? » |
What if your teams could query Oracle EBS on their own?
Find out how ASK EBS can make it easier to access your business data—without SQL and without exposing your ERP data.
What Happens Between the Question and the Answer
ASK EBS is built entirely on Oracle services: APEX for the user interface, Autonomous Database and Select AI to generate the query, and OCI Generative AI for the language model. Our key architectural decision was to completely separate query generation from query execution.
The model uses only metadata to generate the SQL query based on the question. The data is read only at runtime, directly from EBS and in accordance with its security policies.
The accuracy of the responses depends primarily on the context provided to the model. We have therefore created an AI profile for each domain, so that the model sees only the views from the selected domain. This reduces the risk of incorrect queries.
The columns are described in the user vocabulary. Their descriptions also include some guidelines for the model, such as how to handle dates or compare text. Each query is then validated by the application before it is executed.
The data remains under EBS’s control
The model receives only the user’s query and the descriptions of the views and columns. TheAutonomous Database contains no business data, and the results never pass back through the model.
The query runs in EBS with the permissions of the logged-in user. The user’s permissions and VPD rules filter the returned rows. Therefore, no one can see anything in ASK EBS that they would not be able to see in EBS.
Only SELECT queries are executed—using a read-only schema—on dedicated views from which sensitive columns have been excluded. Data transfers are encrypted using TLS, and data and backups are encrypted at rest.
ASK EBS: A Scalable and Extensible Solution
We have identified three ways to extend ASK EBS, ranging from the least invasive to the most invasive. The first involves enriching the column descriptions without altering the model. Explaining what an internal code means, for example, helps users better interpret the questions.
When information is missing, you can add columns or views to an existing domain. The new data then becomes searchable.
To address a new business requirement, we finally create an entire domain, complete with its views, AI profile, and security rules. This is the most complex change, as it affects both EBS andthe Autonomous Database.
Are you using Oracle EBS 12.2?
The same approach can be applied to other Oracle E-Business Suite environments, using the domains and terminology specific to each company.
This requires EBS version 12.2.7 or later, running on Oracle 19c or a newer version.The ERP can be hosted on-premises or on OCI, and the solution uses the Autonomous Database and OCI Generative AI services.
If you’d like to see whatASK EBS could do for your teams, contact us for a demo.
Do you have a project? A request? Any questions?
FAQ
What is NLQ in Oracle EBS?
NLQ (Natural Language Query) allows business teams to query Oracle E-Business Suite in French or English without writing an SQL query. The results are retrieved from the ERP system and filtered according to each user’s access rights.
Is data from Oracle EBS sent to the AI model?
The language model receives only the question asked and the necessary metadata, such as descriptions of views and columns. Business data from the ERP is never transmitted to the AI model.
What are the prerequisites for deploying ASK EBS?
ASK EBS requires Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.7 or later, as well as at least an Oracle 19c database. The ERP can be hosted on-premises or on OCI. Oracle Autonomous Database and OCI Generative AI services are also required.
