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Modernizing legacy Oracle Student Records System
into a modern cloud platform
Client’s Detail
    
Technologies & Use Cases
      
Modernizing legacy Oracle Student Records System into a modern cloud platform
Client’s Detail
    
Technologies & Use Cases
      
  Top Outcomes at a Glance
Faster, more reliable university systems for students and staff
New visibility into workflows through process mining
Low-risk modernization path with zero data loss
Proactive, data-driven optimization instead of reactive troubleshooting
Interview with Dr. Arthur Clune
CTO at University of Sheffield
Dr. Arthur Clune discusses Sheffield’s modernization journey and the role of PITSS.CON in managing complex Oracle environments.
“PITSS.CON has enabled us to just enable a config switch for more logging and then analyse that later, and then see where our processes get stuck, where our data goes, and use that to then redesign those processes to be more efficient.”
Dr. Arthur Clune
CTO, University of Sheffield
Interview with Dr. Arthur Clune
CTO at University of Sheffield
Dr. Arthur Clune discusses Sheffield’s modernization journey and the role of PITSS.CON in managing complex Oracle environments.
“PITSS.CON has enabled us to just enable a config switch for more logging and then analyse that later, and then see where our processes get stuck, where our data goes, and use that to then redesign those processes to be more efficient.”
Dr. Arthur Clune
CTO, University of Sheffield
  The Challenge
Two decades of legacy infrastructure struggling to support modern academic operations
The University of Sheffield, a leading research-intensive institution in Northern England with approximately 35,000 students specializing in science, engineering, and medicine, found itself at a technological crossroads. At the heart of its academic operations sat a mission-critical student record system built on Oracle Forms—a system that had faithfully served the university for nearly 20 years.
This core system managed the complete student lifecycle: from initial applications and admissions through year-to-year progression, exam tracking, results management, graduation, and post-graduation records. While functionally sound and operationally stable, the system had become increasingly complex and outdated over time.
Key Challenges Identified:

> Legacy Oracle and Forms versions running on outdated infrastructure
> Period of underinvestment had left the system “a little bit behind the times”
> Aging on-premise hardware limiting reliability and performance
> Growing complexity making maintenance increasingly difficult
> Limited ability to support future innovation and modernization
Despite these challenges, the system remained operational and critical to the university’s daily operations. CTO Dr. Arthur Clune characterized it as “very large, very complex, but it works”—a testament to its robustness even as modernization became increasingly necessary.
  The Solution
A comprehensive modernization strategy leveraging PITSS.CON, AWS cloud, and Oracle APEX
    1. Automated Forms Upgrades
>  PITSS.CON’s first major application at Sheffield was streamlining Oracle Forms version migrations. The platform enables structured, automated upgrades that are “quicker, reliable, and easier to scale” across multiple systems.
For this project, Sheffield engaged both the PITSS.CON software and the PITSS professional services team, who worked as an extension of their internal team to execute the Forms upgrades.
    2. AWS Cloud Migration
>  The university transitioned from aging on-premise hardware to running natively in AWS. This migration encompassed upgrading to the latest Oracle and Forms versions while completely re-architecting the system’s infrastructure.
The cloud migration delivered immediate benefits in speed and reliability for end users. More strategically, it provided an opportunity to map out system architecture, redesign integrations, analyze data flows, and establish a foundation for future innovation.
    3. Oracle APEX Integration
>  Originally a pure Forms environment, Sheffield’s system evolved to incorporate Oracle APEX and Java components. APEX was introduced specifically to leverage existing PL/SQL business logic while modernizing the user experience—an incremental approach the team describes as “a better user experience while keeping that well-tested, well-used core logic the same.”
This strategy allows Sheffield to avoid discarding decades of proven business logic in Forms and the database. Instead, APEX provides a lower-risk upgrade path with improved UX, reusing existing logic that’s been refined over 20 years of operation. The first APEX application deployed was a research grant and costing tool, demonstrating how data flows seamlessly between APEX apps, the database, Forms applications, and Java components.
    4. Process Mining & Analytics
>  With such a complex, interconnected system, tracking data and process flows across multiple applications presented significant challenges. PITSS.CON’s process mining capabilities enable Sheffield to trace user journeys across the entire ecosystem—from APEX apps into the database, through Forms applications, potentially to Java apps, and back again.
The implementation is elegantly simple: enable tracing via a configuration switch at deployment, then analyze the collected data to identify bottlenecks, unused code, and opportunities for optimization. Dr. Clune notes this is “”key for us to be able to identify high impact areas where we can put the effort in to make the experience better.”
Discover Process Mining capabilities 
  The Results
Measurable performance gains and a sustainable path forward for continuous improvement
Enhanced Performance & Reliability

The migration to AWS delivered immediate, tangible improvements in system speed and reliability for all end users. Moving from aging on-premise hardware to cloud-native infrastructure eliminated performance bottlenecks that had accumulated over years of operation, providing a noticeably better experience for both students and staff.
Operational Intelligence Through Process Mining

Even in the early stages of implementation, process mining has revealed previously invisible workflow inefficiencies. The university can now track complete user journeys across their multi-application environment, identifying where processes become stuck, which code paths are no longer used, and where optimization efforts will have the greatest impact.

This capability transforms system management from reactive troubleshooting to proactive optimization, enabling data-driven decisions about where to invest development resources.
Low-Risk Modernization Path

By integrating Oracle APEX with their existing Forms and PL/SQL infrastructure, Sheffield has established an incremental modernization strategy that doesn’t require discarding two decades of proven business logic. This approach significantly reduces risk compared to a complete system replacement while still delivering modern user experiences.

The university can now modernize components progressively, keeping what works while improving what needs updating—a sustainable strategy for long-term system evolution.
Long-standing Partnership with PITSS
Sheffield’s relationship with PITSS spans 10-15 years, with PITSS.CON becoming integral to managing their evolving Oracle technology stack. The platform has been essential for enabling development velocity and managing the complexity of a system now encompassing Oracle Forms, Oracle APEX, Java components, and extensive PL/SQL code.

According to Dr. Clune, PITSS.CON “helps us tie those things together and understand what’s going on, make upgrades easier” across their diverse technology ecosystem.
Technologies That Powered the Modernization
 
PITSS.CON
Modernization & Analysis Tools
  Automated Oracle Forms analysis
  Process mining and data flow tracking
  Code cleanup and optimization
  Upgrade acceleration
 
Oracle APEX
Modern Application Platform
  Low-code UI framework
  Seamless PL/SQL integration
  Runs alongside Oracle Forms
  Modern user experience
 
AWS Cloud
Cloud Infrastructure
  Improved performance
  Enhanced scalability
  Superior reliability
  Future-ready architecture
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