Oracle Forms to APEX – WEBINARS – Q&A
Your Questions and Answers about the Migration from Oracle Forms to APEX
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Your questions from the webinar ORACLE FORMS TO APEX – A JOINT SUCCESS STORY
Is there option available for migrating Forms to Apex? Earlier version was having option but in new version not able to see the option
We know Apex can replace forms, but what about Reports, is there any approach to replace it also?
Is it possible to separate APEX DB from the Data DB?
How to use jasper report with apex?
How can APEX be used for "Power Users" who only/mostly work with Keyboards?
How do I convert Oracle Forms that currently use the functionality of webutil to access client resources and network resources?
How streamlined is the conversion process. Do we need to move most of the business logic first to the back-end?
- can be delivered in phases?
How to deploy Apex in github
Follow our methodology of those five steps: There is a brilliant paper from Oracle written by Steve Muench. How to migrate from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX?
Are there tools to migrate?
Yes – PITSS Forms2APEX Modeler.
How does APEX handle converting complex Forms and Reports with multiple output file formats?
Primarily the focus of the migration is from Forms to APEX. Even Complex Forms could be handled in APEX with multiple pages and numerous events.
Migrating Reports to APEX depends on the use cases of those reports. Some of them could be migrated to native APEX, for others a migration to a dedicated report framework like Analytic Publisher, APEX Office Print or Jasper is more appropriate.
What is the HA architecture for APEX?
For an HA architecture of your APEX Application use RAC on the database end. In addition, deploy multiple ORDS instances with a load balancer. See this references:
https://www.oracle.com/docs/tech/developer-tools/apex-rac-technical-brief.pdf
https://docs.oracle.com/en/solutions/deploy-ords-ha-oci/index.html
How did you approach integrations with local systems that normally are done with WebUtil?
Some of those functions are covered out of the box like File upload or download. An integration with Office Products like Word, Excel, etc. is available. For others you could deploy a small node.js on client side and communicate via Javascript with your APEX application.
What is the percentage of migration from Forms 6i, 11G, 12C to APEX with PITSS?
The answer really depends on the Application which is considered. Putting the focus on PL/SQL-Code we first improve code quality and maintainability by removing redundancy. All Units with more than 80% Redundancy to any other kind of unit may be a candidate. In a second step we move PL/SQL Code to the database to save the investment of implementation by following APEX best practices. These two steps don’t “migrate” any line of code to APEX but are a huge timesaver.
From the objects we cover 100% of Blocks to regions, nearly 95% of all items (depending on the type), 100% of canvases to Pages, but on the other hand 0% of key triggers, because we try to find a better solution with the customer. So a percentage in total is not valid to consider.
In all cases the source of the Forms version is not relevant.
How to migrate forms 6i to APEX ?
In the same way as all other Forms Versions. See question 1.
How is the method to determine complexity and resources for a successful migration?
In the Analysis we measure three different metrics. Complexity of documentation, that is, how long does it take as developer to understand the purpose of that module. Second we measure code complexity based on well defined maintainability metrics. Last but not least we measure layout complexity given by the layout and design of the canvases. All together with the identification of obstacles (code which doesn’t leave an easy solution in APEX) determine the complexity of a module, from which we derive all ressources.
What are the benefits of APEX?
The advantages of APEX are mightyful. The first advantage is cost. There are no licensing costs associated with Oracle APEX. Oracle APEX is a feature of Oracle Database. If you have a license for Oracle Database you already have Oracle APEX. Another advantage of APEX is that there is no client software required, unlike in Forms where every developer needs Form Builder software installed on their computer. To build applications with APEX all you need is a web browser. Once the development environment is configured, your developers only need the URL to access the dev environment . They can start building applications right away. That’s one paint point lesser to getting started. APEX is a comprehensive platform which means you can build UI, manage database objects, create and use restful services and migrate data. All this without leaving the APEX ID. APEX is a complete package with all the tools you would need to build applications. The next benefit of using APEX is UI. Customers are looking to build browser agnostic. Operating system agnostic applications. To take it a step forward they also want their applications to be accessible not just on high resolution devices, but also on devices that fit in your hand. APEX uses a universal theme which guarantees responsiveness. Applications built using APEX, use universal themes out of the box. The universal theme is designed by UX experts on the APEX team, making sure that all the web design standards are met. Developers don’t have to worry about writing explicit CSS to make their applications responsive. APEX also has the pwf feature which builts web applications, are installable on mobile devices and are coming towards auditory Forms customers. The biggest advantage you get with APEX is reusability. All the underlying database programs like packages, functions, procedures can be easily called directly from Oracle APEX. Therefore, you do not need to write extensive database business logic which you are already using in Oracle Forms.
How to extract business rules out of Forms?
With the product Application Engineering from PITSS you have the possibility to evaluate each PL/SQL Unit, if this is a candidate for running inside the database rather in Forms or APEX. The code will get refactored to consider potential context information, like Items, Globals, Parameters and the customer could ensure its own package structure and naming convention. Once configured, this can run for one unit or the entire application.
Do we have to rewrite the business logics which are part of the Oracle Forms 10g and written in the form of Procedure, Function and form level triggers?
No – in general a lot of them could be moved to database packages and then reused in APEX.
How to call an external API?
Depending on the nature of the external API? Everything which is accessible from the browser could be directly integrated into the APEX application. You could use WebServices or JavaScript to access external providers or libraries.
Is there a VOD I can watch in case I can't make it?
Yes, please get in contact with us
Is it convenient migration of complex functional Forms?
“Convenient” is somehow very individual. For an experienced APEX developer it is convenient, while for a Newbie it is nearly impossible. The most significant answer is: APEX could cover any requirement which is solved with Forms and the migration is calculable without any surprises in technology or budget.
How to migrate Oracle Forms to Apex with security? Is Oracle ADF a good alternative or not?
There are more and easier security solutions available in APEX rather than in Forms. No matter if you talk about Menu-Security, Authentication, Authorization or any other concept, this will be covered in the architectural phase of the Modernization Methodology.
From our perspective ADF is not a valid option due to less support of Oracle for such a framework.
Is a transfer possible?
Yes, follow Lisa’s talk and get inspired from her point of view. Request Video
I need to see examples about Forms code being migrated to an APEX environment.
This depends on the nature of the code. We believe that the best way is to prove the “usability” of the generated fragments and the overall methodology directly on your application. For this we provide a Workshop
There is no “fix migration”, that implies that all APEX applications, which are generated with PITSS Forms2APEX Modeler are looking the same! The result highly depends on your code and your choices during the Architectural phase.
What should we do with Forms built-ins i.e go_form, form_success, set_object_property, etc... .?
As you enumerate, that depends on the nature of the Built-In and the place where it’s used, especially in which trigger. In some cases it becomes a single property of an APEX object, sometimes it becomes a one-liner in JavaScript, sometimes it could be ignored, because APEX already does what you want to do, sometimes its a definition of Style, etc.
This is typically the task between the architectural phase and the implementation phase.
What about code that must be replaced with javascript and should be put before and after pl/sql code?
If this is necessary, you will see each place as a microtask for the developer in the implementation phase.
Can the functionality of Forms and APEX be used in parallel?
Yes. That is the reason why we try to move them to the database, to make them reusable for Forms, APEX and any other client that might use the same functionality. It is best designed to use them in parallel. There are possibilities to call APEX from Forms and the other way around. You can share information from the client side, and share information from the database side. That works side by side very well and allows you a running application during the migration.
Does APEX support Forms, or is it a complete rewrite?
APEX is not able to “run Forms-Code”. It’s not necessary to re-write everything, the Forms2APEX Modeler from PITSS helps to reduce the effort and ensure a consistent quality in your APEX application.
Is APEX easy to use or complex?
From our perspective it’s a typical LOW-CODE Framework which is easy to understand. Experts could do more fancy things, but there is a fast learning experience.
Can we shift the same Forms on APEX like 10g to 11g?
No, a migration to APEX is more complex than compiling Forms 10g modules with Forms 11 compiler.
Role of Apex in Oracle EBS?
APEX can be used to extend EBS applications. For more detail see:
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/apex/learnmore/apex-ebs-extension-white-paper-345780.pdf
How to convert fmb and rdf with triggers in APEX pages?
The answer depends on whether you consider forms-Trigger or RDF-trigger. Even for Oracle Forms Trigger the answer depends on the purpose of the trigger and at least of the implementation inside the trigger. Take the typical WHEN-VALIDATE-ITEM-TRIGGER in Forms. If it’s just a check if e.g. a date is not in the past, this will be a JS-expression in APEX, if it’s instead a 60+ liner with huge SQL Statements, best will be a database package procedure which will be called on page submit. There are over 90 different triggers only in Forms, in which your PL/SQL code could have one of various scopes (navigation, transaction, UI-Changes, validation, value-changes, etc.) With this you come very fast to more than 500 combinations. PITSS Forms2APEX Modeler allows you to calculate these matrices especially for your application and guide you through possible decisions.
How to get buy-in from older Forms developers to switch to APEX?
It’s been great for our teams. The highly experienced software programmers can now focus on more technically difficult challenges, which they like. Our consultants are happy to build new skills in APEX, to address more minor issues, since it is a low code/ no code platform.
What are the Benefits for clients?
Enhancing the customer experience through awesome usability features, and enhancing security features within the applications, are both benefits of APEX that are exciting for customers. Larry Ellison speaks to these benefits in his Cloudworld 2022 presentation as well from October 2022.
How is the upgradability of the auto generated code?
100%. We don’t integrate proprietary code and follow APEX best practices.
How long does such a migration take/ effort? Was it automated?
The effort and time highly depend on the Forms Application, its consistency and the Team which is responsible for the remaining work in the implementation phase. After an Analysis we could precisely calculate this.
What other skills besides Apex skills do I need to migrate Oracle Forms to APEX?
Generell none beside PL/SQL, which may be obvious. Depending on the needs, you may enhance some business processes, which require Business know how. If you like to do more experienced things, you come to the point where you like to use JavaScript, CSS and perhaps on plugin Development. But it’s not mandatory.
What is the best solution to accommodate accessing client-attached devices (scanners, check endorsement devices, etc.) from a browser application like APEX?
That depends. That depends on which device you are trying to access and whether the browser itself has exposed APS to make it possible. However, APEX also has a plugin framework, so even if some features like accessing a certain client detached device is not implemented out of the box in APEX you can implement the same, using the webbrowser APS and generalize this particular implementation as a plugin. APEX facilitates that. I would also like to mention APEX.world which is a website having plenty of plugins created by the APEX community. If you are trying to configure a specific client device you can go there and check if there’s already a plugin available and import that into your APEX application.
Is it possible to reverse engineer 100% functionality?
Yes, in general we cover 100% of your existing code and parse them successfully.
Do you sell migration software or methodology ?
Yes, both of them.
Is APEX scalable and secure as Oracle Forms?
Toufiq Mohammed: The short answer is yes.
APEX architecture provides scalability out of the box. As long as you use out of the box components in APEX they are developed keeping security in mind.
APEX also provides various options like authorization schemes, authentication schemes to help you implement security in your apps.
What is the best long term solution for Oracle Form migration?
You won’t get an answer from Oracle for this. Our personal advice is to consider a modernisation with APEX
What is the biggest challenge in migrating complex Forms with many tabs/windows and lots of inter field validation?
In such a case, the biggest challenge is to decide, which of these validation is necessary on field navigation and could that be solved without page submit. Sometimes users are teached to use the Forms in a way, because Forms don’t allow or the developer decides to implement, no other usage. This has to be reviewed.
What is the most blocking point for Oracle Forms developers to learn Oracle APEX?
We don’t see a really blocking point. Most irritating is the stateless behavior of APEX which sometimes creates some questions.
Do APEX applications comply with OWASP Top 10?
Yes. For each of the ten points in the OWASP document, APEX has ways to implement them. APEX also has an advisor utility built in which can help identify security issues upfront. For more information follow: https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/apex/22.2/htmdb/running-advisor-to-check-application-integrity.html
What is the recommended best practice for architecting an APEX installation/node on a stand-alone server that can query data from multiple Oracle databases?
Due to the fact that you could either use database links or WebServices, this decision is not depending, where you deploy your APEX application. This has to be decided according to the accessibility and availability of your APEX application.
How is it possible to run APEX out of our transactional database where all the data is? I know about using database links with all the limitations but using a data model based on external services (like REST) would make APEX much more flexible. So, should we expect APEX to become more independent from the underlying database like utilizing APEX Restful Data Services and be used more and more as a front end development environment for various backend systems?
This is definitely one of the possible deployment options of APEX. The solution depends on the requirements of the Application and sometimes it’s really oversized to install a second database for APEX only and consume data from another database via REST which is stored on the same machine.
How complicated Forms screen/canvases are migrated? Child/parent blocks? Do you have to redesign the screens?
In general a modernisation is forced by the possibility to enhance the capabilities of the screens. So a redesign of the screens is a usual step in the modernisation, but it’s not forced. More important is that the underlying data, business rules and validation are captured well.
What about the code that exists in the Forms and not on the database, is it transferable? Does APEX support PL/SQL?
Yes in both cases. First choice is to move as much (and that’s more than you expected) into the database. At the end, you have to adjust code, but APEX work pretty well with PL/SQL.
How do you address the data block object in Forms? Did you choose IR and Form or IG?
You could decide this in the architectural phase. The PITSS Forms2APEX Modeler advises the best option, but you could block per block overwrite to IG, IR, CR or Forms Region.
Where do you advise to install APEX in production? Same Oracle database server or application server where Forms is running?
Would you put the links to those learning channels in the chat?
If we have about 600 Oracle Forms with various application modules, how do you go about converting them to APEX? Big bang conversion or one application module at a time? Please note that these modules interact with each other and navigation exists between them.
What is the nature of the generated code? Once converted to Forms how are future upgrades handled (DB and APEX) - does the code make it trickier?
Can you go over a typical workflow for remote developers developing APEX apps on their workstations and deploying them to on-prem production servers?
What APEX version is currently used in the PITSS migration tool?
What about server sizing? In Forms we can compute the amount of memory for a specified number of users expected. Can we do that with APEX?
Reports in APEX?
How this work?
Project Plan?
Reports conversion to Forms?
Migration facility?
Source control version, database structure and applications
License costs and needed environment for APEX (on premise, cloud, Database version etc. )"
Forms is more manageable?
APEX or another platform…?
El esfuerzo comparado con la migración de Forms 6i hacia Forms12c, como podemos considerar el esfuerzo para migrar de Forms12c hacia APEX?
Oracle Forms to APEX migration?
In the Savantage case, how many Forms were migrated to APEX and what was the percentage of automatic migration and manual rewriting.
Why not Forms? Why APEX?
I want to learn about your experiences and recommendations, but I'm concerned about the sizing of the server and scalability.
https://joelkallman.blogspot.com/2014/03/finallythe-official-sizing-guide-for.html
What are the benefits for your client and for you as a company?
Lisa Kazor: Enhancing the customer experience through awesome usability features, and enhancing security features within the applications, are both benefits of APEX that are exciting for customers. Larry Ellison speaks to these benfits in his Cloudworld 2022 presentation as well from October 2022.
How was your development team reacting to the decision to go with APEX? Did they fear to lose Forms or are they excited to step into APEX?
Lisa Kazor: It’s been great for our teams. The highly experienced software programmers can now focus on more technically difficult challenges, which they like. Our consultants are happy to build new skills in APEX, to address more minor issues, since it is a low code/ no code platform.
What is the best solution to accommodate accessing client-attached devices (scanners, check endorsement devices, etc.) from a browser application like APEX?
Toufiq Mohammed: That depends. That depends on which device you are trying to access and whether the browser itself has exposed APS to make it possible. However, APEX also has a plugin framework, so even if some features like accessing a certain client detached device is not implemented out of the box in APEX you can implement the same, using the webbrowser APS and generalize this particular implementation as a plugin. APEX facilitates that. I would also like to mention APEX.world which is a website having plenty of plugins created by the APEX community. If you are trying to configure a specific client device you can go there and check if there’s already a plugin available and import that into your APEX application.
How do you develop as a team in Apex?
APEX also has a team open module which the entire team can track their bugs and milestones in APEX. I also want to suggest you take a look at a technical whitepaper published by my colleagues’ team. This whitepaper contains a detailed explanation of how developers can work as a team in APEX. It explains even the CICD processes that you can ?? with APEX.
All sources that Toufiq suggested:
APEX Foundations : apex.oracle.com/go/foundations
Hands on Labs : apex.oracle.com/hols
Forums: apex.oracle.com/forum
Office Hours : apex.oracle.com/officehours
Youtube : apex.oracle.com/youtube
Blogs: apex.oracle.com/blog
Do we have to rewrite the business logics which are part of the Oracle Forms 10g and written in the form of Procedure, Function and form level triggers?
Stephan LaRocca: The answer is no and yes. It depends. With our product we have the possibility to evaluate each function and each trigger on its possibility to be moved to the database. That means we have to refactor them in a way that references to blogs, items, parameters and a subset of built-in functionalities could be replaced if we move them to the database. But as I said before, there will definitely be code left that has to be re-written in APEX in either PL/SQL as well or JavaScript, whatever is better in that case. With our assumption and calculation there is roundabout 30-40% which will be moved to the database and can be saved that way.
What about the upgradability of the auto generated code?
Stephan LaRocca: That’s easy to answer: It’s 100%. The auto generated code is exactly the same like you work on a regular base with APEX. We use the regular import functionality to import the code into your generated APEX application. We follow APEX best practice. As the day after, some developers open the APEX page designer there should not be any bite that decides and allows him to identify if that is generated with our product or if it’s handmade. So there is no generated code which has to be updated in a different way. We generate APEX to use their core functionality and it’s in the same new life or you will code your application.
for an Oracle Forms to APEX migration?
Need to know about the whole cycle
Implementation steps for Oracle APEX?
What are the lessons learned?
Why Forms to APEX? Is it really necessary?
Everythings made in Oracle Forms, is it possible to replicate it in APEX?
Would be interested to know how APEX handles Master-Detail- setup.
Want to see the integration
Are there any considerations to migrate from Oracle Forms 6i to APEX, mainly because the application makes intensive use of user_exit calls?
The biggest hesitancy for moving forward is from a production/operations point of view at this time?
What about Oracle Forms Web? Isn't it a better solution than APEX?
How large was the Forms installation at this client?
We are still using Forms 6i client/server on several applications and slowly migrate to web applications (Java based).
As it is keeping our Oracle database outdated, we need a fast way to migrate our legacy systems?
Is the best solution APEX or a newer version of Forms Web?
Can you elaborate more on PITSS tool move form to APEX, any licensing or ACM, timeline to convert around 500 Forms?
Do we have a date from Oracle when they will sunset Oracle Forms platform?
How can I get virtual work on my pc for training?
Has PITSS looked at providing the ability to convert from other Oracle development tools (OAF/OC4J), etc. to APEX as well?
Having said that objects that reside locally in Forms will most likely need or be required to be moved to the database for APEX to perform the same as our existing application, do you recommend for the developers to move this code to the database first in preparation to convert to APEX?
Did you have to make changes to a page in terms of functionality that perhaps caused the end user to say they did not recognize the page in comparison to the original form?
What are the benefits for your client and for you as a company?
Lisa Kazor: Enhancing the customer experience through awesome usability features, and enhancing security features within the applications, are both benefits of APEX that are exciting for customers. Larry Ellison speaks to these benfits in his Cloudworld 2022 presentation as well from October 2022.
How was your development team reacting to the decision to go with APEX? Did they fear to lose Forms or are they excited to step into APEX?
Lisa Kazor: It’s been great for our teams. The highly experienced software programmers can now focus on more technically difficult challenges, which they like. Our consultants are happy to build new skills in APEX, to address more minor issues, since it is a low code/ no code platform.
What is the best solution to accommodate accessing client-attached devices (scanners, check endorsement devices, etc.) from a browser application like APEX?
Toufiq Mohammed: That depends. That depends on which device you are trying to access and whether the browser itself has exposed APS to make it possible. However, APEX also has a plugin framework, so even if some features like accessing a certain client detached device is not implemented out of the box in APEX you can implement the same, using the webbrowser APS and generalize this particular implementation as a plugin. APEX facilitates that. I would also like to mention APEX.world which is a website having plenty of plugins created by the APEX community. If you are trying to configure a specific client device you can go there and check if there’s already a plugin available and import that into your APEX application.
How do you develop as a team in Apex?
APEX also has a team open module which the entire team can track their bugs and milestones in APEX. I also want to suggest you take a look at a technical whitepaper published by my colleagues’ team. This whitepaper contains a detailed explanation of how developers can work as a team in APEX. It explains even the CICD processes that you can ?? with APEX.
All sources that Toufiq suggested:
APEX Foundations : apex.oracle.com/go/foundations
Hands on Labs : apex.oracle.com/hols
Forums: apex.oracle.com/forum
Office Hours : apex.oracle.com/officehours
Youtube : apex.oracle.com/youtube
Blogs: apex.oracle.com/blog
Do we have to rewrite the business logics which are part of the Oracle Forms 10g and written in the form of Procedure, Function and form level triggers?
Stephan LaRocca: The answer is no and yes. It depends. With our product we have the possibility to evaluate each function and each trigger on its possibility to be moved to the database. That means we have to refactor them in a way that references to blogs, items, parameters and a subset of built-in functionalities could be replaced if we move them to the database. But as I said before, there will definitely be code left that has to be re-written in APEX in either PL/SQL as well or JavaScript, whatever is better in that case. With our assumption and calculation there is roundabout 30-40% which will be moved to the database and can be saved that way.
What about the upgradability of the auto generated code?
Stephan LaRocca: That’s easy to answer: It’s 100%. The auto generated code is exactly the same like you work on a regular base with APEX. We use the regular import functionality to import the code into your generated APEX application. We follow APEX best practice. As the day after, some developers open the APEX page designer there should not be any bite that decides and allows him to identify if that is generated with our product or if it’s handmade. So there is no generated code which has to be updated in a different way. We generate APEX to use their core functionality and it’s in the same new life or you will code your application.
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