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Oracle expert Günther Stürner in interview with Bernd Frost, Head of Consulting PITSS GmbH

Oracle expert Günther Stürner
in interview with Bernd Frost,
Head of Consulting PITSS GmbH

In the service of successful customers

Bernd Frost is a member of the management team at PITSS GmbH, Stuttgart, and is responsible for the consulting division.

PITSS is one of the leading software houses specializing in the analysis and modernization of Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports systems. PITSS products and services are offered worldwide.


Modernization

Why and how to modernize legacy applications efficiently

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Sponsorship project

PITSS is awarded a BMBF funding project for digital software documentation

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Günther: PITSS was founded in 1999 by Andreas Gaede, the current CEO, among others. May I first ask what the abbreviation PITSS stands for?

Bernd Frost: The abbreviation stands for Professional IT Software and Service. At the very beginning of PITSS, our colleagues used to answer the phone in the pronounced form, until the long name was replaced by the abbreviation “PITSS”. Today, our customers no longer know what the letters stand for. What is much more important, however, is that the idea behind this name has been pursued without interruption and continues to describe what we do and is well expressed in the vision and mission statements: “Software develops Software” and “Simplifying Complexity”.

Just one year after PITSS was founded, the product PITSS.CON was launched on the market. With PITSS.CON it was not only possible to analyze and visualize ORACLE FORMS software but also to optimize it. With each release, additional functions were added, initially functions to automate the ORACLE FORMS upgrade and later the migration to ADF, and relatively early on the migration to ORACLE APEX was supported and parallel solutions for the modernization of ORACLE reports.

Günther: As Head of Consulting, you are responsible for the second ‘S’ of PITSS, Service?

Bernd Frost: Yes, my area is the projects that we carry out for customers. From quotation to acceptance. From small projects to very large projects; from projects around the corner to projects in the USA or anywhere else in the world. We may not be a very large company, but our software products and services are not only in demand locally.

Günther: You worked in the consulting environment at IBM for a long time. What motivated or inspired you to take over the consulting division at PITSS?

Bernd Frost: This is a mixture of my personal history and what PITSS offers as a company.  The founders of PITSS and I developed an ERP system based on the ORACLE database and ORACLE FORMS together in a software company in Stuttgart in the early years of our IT careers and implemented it for customers. Although our professional paths parted, we always stayed in touch and so I knew the high and low lights from the history of PITSS and they made me want to work together again.

In addition to the emotional excitement of being able to go “back to the future”, there were also objective reasons: The performance of a product like PITSS.CON opens up incredible potential, especially when used in projects. In addition, it is much more exciting and satisfying to work on a success story in a small company than in a much larger one.

Günther: What kind of projects do you carry out with your teams?

Bernd Frost: In January 2023, Gartner published the article: “How to Choose the Right Approach for Application Modernization and Cloud Migration” (Note on the source: 23 January 2023- ID G00772600- By Stefan Van Der Zijden, Howard Dodd”)

It mentions: Rehost, Replatform, Rearchitect, Rebuild, Replace.

As PITSS, we not only have the right products and services for each of the alternatives mentioned, we also have and had projects that we execute with our method and with our expert teams. We have also coined an additional term, Regain, to express the fact that we also have the right offer for customers who do not yet want to start with one of the other steps. By this we mean projects that focus on the optimization of Forms applications. Here, existing Forms applications are analyzed with PITSS.CON, weak points and errors are localized and corrected. This also applies to Oracle Reports applications. We proceed in the same way here.

This process can be imagined as a ring process that can be repeated periodically. Ideally, this process is integrated into the development process. Here we are usually involved in the initial projects as a consulting partner and the subsequent optimizations are carried out by the customers themselves. Regain is intended to reference this: The customer regains full control over their application.

The use of our PITSS.CON product suite plays a decisive role in all projects. 

Günther: So the customer has bought your “toolbox” and uses it himself?

Bernd Frost: Yes, this is a typical scenario that many customers use in exactly the same way. The customer buys our product and uses it with their team. In the beginning, many customers want support from PITSS experts or for us to take over certain tasks. Later, expert support is often sufficient.

Günther: You mentioned other cases of use

Bernd Frost: Let’s stay within the scope of the term Regain. This also includes the Forms upgrade. These deployments were the bread and butter business of PITSS years ago and, as mentioned above, one of the first functions of the PITSS.CON product suite. At this point, it is worth explaining a little about how PITSS.CON works.

Only when the customer systems are understood in detail is it possible to display correlations, automatic optimization steps, and a highly automated upgrade. To create this understanding, PITSS.CON reads the source files of the customer application. A parser breaks these down and stores everything in the PITSS.CON DataCube. All PITSS.CON products work based on the data – we like to say “the knowledge” – in the DataCube.

With this knowledge, we can:

  • Perform and visualize source code analysis, as well as dependencies between different application components.
  • Optimize code to increase maintainability and reduce the associated costs, e.g. detect and automatically remove unused code. In applications that have grown over many years, a dead code share of up to 30% is not uncommon. Detect redundancies, display them and simplify their removal, and also automatically move business logic from the FORMS modules to the database.
  • Generating new code is what our code modelers do. The simplest case is the Forms to Forms Modeler, which generates the code in a higher FORMS version. However, we can also generate code fragments in other technologies and thus significantly accelerate migration and modernization projects. Code modelers in other technologies are ORACLE Reports to Jasper Reports and FORMS to APEX.
  • Recognize and visualize business processes in customer applications and thus create the basis for improving the business processes that are mapped in an application.

With these skills, we can significantly improve efficiency in all the above-mentioned types of migration and modernization projects. It’s not just me saying that, you can read about it on our homepage in the References section.

Günther: So by migration and modernization projects you mean a [a2]  technology change from forms or reports to another new technology?

Bernd Frost: Exactly. Many Forms customers are currently considering migrating their Forms applications to Oracle APEX. When it comes to reports, the preference is for JasperReports.

Günther: Such migration projects are not the most straightforward. Why do customers take such a step?

Bernd Frost: Forms applications are widespread in the Oracle environment and it is often the core systems that are implemented in this technology. FORMS is a technology that has been around since the 1990s and, although it has always been developed further, the question now is whether it will continue to be the appropriate technology in the long term.

We know from customers that there was some uncertainty as to whether FORMS 14 would actually come and how long the technology would be in maintenance. ORACLE has now answered this question. Since core systems with many hundreds of FORMS modules of varying size and complexity cannot be converted to a new technology at the snap of a finger, the answer to the question: “Should we use the time that FORMS 14 gives us to switch to a new technology gradually and in a planned manner?” is a clear “yes”. We are only talking about operational reliability for the time being.

In addition, APEX provides functionalities out of the box that are not available in FORMS. The use of application parts on mobile devices is a good example. Features such as artificial intelligence are provided by ORACLE in APEX, no longer in FORMS. The customers who want to use something like this to increase efficiency both in application development and in the business processes supported by the application need to take action. And since APEX follows a similar approach to FORMS, it is only logical that APEX is seen as the new target technology. In addition, the business logic that has already been implemented in the ORACLE database can simply continue to be used. This makes the switch even more attractive.

But it is true that migration projects are demanding and yet they are usually much cheaper and less risky than a completely new development. In addition, the involvement of customer personnel in migration projects can be significantly lower than in new development projects. This not only saves costs, but customers can continue to concentrate on their business and still bring their IT applications up to date. With our approach, our first-class products, and the experience of our teams, we can ensure that we complete the project at the contractually agreed time and that an operational and modern system can be handed over to the customer at that time.

One more thing is important. We do not have to carry out these projects as big-bang projects. Parallel operation of existing Forms and new APEX modules, old and new, is possible. This is also often requested by customers and is recommended by us as a procedure. It works!

Günther: How do you proceed with such projects? If a customer contacts you today and says that they have a Forms environment that is used as a central company application by a large number of users and plans to replace this entire system with APEX. What steps do you take?

Bernd Frost: First, we analyze the application with the help of PITSS.CON. Then we know how complex the application is and what special features are built into it. From this, we can derive the migration effort. We present the result to the customer and recommend how PITSS would carry out the migration if we were commissioned to do so. This is a standardized process that we can carry out within two weeks.

The customer then decides whether to purchase only our product and, if necessary, start-up support or whether to have the migration carried out by PITSS, or a mixed form. If the customer decides to have the migration carried out by PITSS, we clarify the parameters: Big bang or cluster-wise migration, migration or modernization, and duration. With these parameters and the results of the analysis, PITSS submits an offer and the project starts after the contract is signed.

We use our tried and tested method in the project. As befits a proper method, it not only contains a description of what is to be done and in what order but is also backed up with a description of the “how”. This enables us to quickly integrate new team members into the project.

Günther: And how much does it cost? How do you determine the price? With fixed-price projects, you have to be very sure of what you’re doing!

Bernd Frost: The price depends on the factors mentioned above. In the analysis, we determine the complexity of the application in so-called weight points. This is comparable to story points from SCRUM. The main difference is that PITSS calculates the weight with an algorithm that is applied to the detailed data of the application stored in the PITSS Data Cube. In SCRUM, the developers estimate and assign the story points along the Fibonacci sequence. There is no other way to do this for new developments, but it can be done much more precisely when migrating an existing application.

This also enables us to offer fixed-price projects if the other parameters also fit. If the scope is clear and the desired duration is of a magnitude that we can cope with, then we can offer a fixed price with a clear conscience.

Günther: Other companies are also active in this market segment. What is the main difference in the PITSS approach compared to the competition?

Bernd Frost: I would like to start by emphasizing once again that we are talking about the migration or modernization of an existing application. Today, this application is used to map a company’s business processes. The application should also map the business processes after the migration or modernization.

Why am I emphasizing this? There have always been consultants in IT who explain to customers that they are making a big mistake if they do not put all business processes to the test at the same time as the IT measure and ideally change/optimize them. Not a week goes by without LinkedIn showing me articles with this advice. If this is done, work is initially carried out against an unknown scope. The new business processes first have to be developed and coordinated within the company. Then you are in a new development project and no longer in a migration or modernization project.

PITSS calculates the cost of migration based on the existing application using an algorithm that has been continuously improved over the years. We take into account the optimization measures that can be carried out with the help of the PITSS.CON product suite: Removing dead code and redundancies, moving business logic to the database, ignoring FORMS code that is no longer necessary in APEX because APEX has standard features for it. We also include the savings from the generation of code fragments in the target architecture, which is achieved with the PITSS.CON FORMS2APEX Modeler. This results in a complexity figure that you can rely on. Multiplied by a velocity, we calculate the effort required. Depending on whether the customer wants to carry out the migration themselves or we do it, we set a different velocity.

Of course, our experience means that we are faster than a customer team that first has to familiarize itself with the system. Of course, we can also take modernization components into account. If it is already clear before the start of the project that some business processes need to be changed, then we can use PITSS.CON Profind to identify the code of the process to be changed and surgically separate it cleanly from the application and implement it differently in APEX. But then only exactly the necessary parts. This is much more efficient than tearing everything down and redoing it.

Above all, the customer can continue to receive a fixed price for the migration parts. We only offer time and material as a service for what needs to be re-specified together and therefore the implementation scope is not yet clear. Last but not least: With us, the customer has the choice of carrying out the project themselves with PITSS.CON or commissioning us to carry out the project.

Günther: So the PITSS.CON toolset is something like the magic ingredient in such projects?

Bernd Frost: Simply: YES, the reason for the “YES” has, I hope, become clear from all that has been said before. PITSS.CON makes the difference, starting with the accuracy of the project calculation, through the reduction of work and duration of the project and thus directly in the reduction of project costs. In addition, the tools integrated into the Code Modeler help with quality assurance and progress control.

Even if I repeat myself: PITSS.CON is not a tool with which only PITSS is able to accelerate projects. PITSS.CON is a product that enables the customer to carry out the project themselves. Of course, I’m delighted when a customer commissions us for the migration. But I am also pleased when PITSS.CON enables a customer to be successful on their own because this confirms the PITSS strategy mentioned at the beginning. We cannot carry out all upcoming migration projects ourselves. But with PITSS.CON, we can help all upcoming migration projects to succeed.

Günther: That’s a nice way to end! Thank you very much and good luck for the future.

Your Contact

Uta Daniels
Assistant of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com

+49 711/914-012-12











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ORACLE REPORTS TO JASPER – Q&A

ORACLE REPORTS
TO JASPERSOFT – Q&A

Your Questions and Answers
about the Migration from
Oracle Reports to Jaspersoft

In our Oracle Reports to JasperReports projects and webinars, we receive numerous questions about the migration. These are questions about the technologies, the migration process, the methodology, the automation, the resources, the effort, the know-how, the organization, and much more.

We have compiled the most urgent questions and answers for you here. If your question is not included, please write to us. Our experts will be happy to help you!

  • 1. Can we integrate Jaspersoft with Oracle Forms?

    Yes, that’s possible. In general there are three different layers, on which you can communicate to the Jaspersoft Server. The easiest one is to build an URL and call the Report via WEB.SHOW_DOCUMENT from the Forms module. The second approach allows more options for treating the output. You could consume the REST-API (described in our BLOG: Jasper Reports – Javascript & PL/SQL Integration) inside any PL/SQL Package.

    If you need to run the Reports asynchronous in the background, JasperServer provides a CLI, which you could integrate via DBMS_SCHEDULER as a one-time job or on a regular base.

  • 2. How does the cost of Jaspersoft compare to the cost of a Oracle Analytics Publisher license?

    Roughly speaking, for Oracle Forms customers with a valid support contract, Oracle Analytics Publisher (nowadays called Analytics Publisher) is part of the Forms/Reports FMW license.

    If you like to use them outside the Forms ecosystem, you have to purchase a license via BI Suite or as a standalone component. Jaspersoft is basically an open source tool without any license fees. You can purchase a support contract for error handling and maintenance.

    Beside Oracle Analytics Publisher, Jaspersoft provides different editions with diverse functionalities. Out of our experience the Community Edition (open source) of Jaspersoft covers all functionalities you got with Oracle Reports as well. The most complex edition is a full BI Solution comparable to Oracle´s BI Suite.

  • 3. Does Jaspersoft have any limitations that Oracle Analytics Publisher does not have?

    The functionality of the Community Edition covers the possibilities of Oracle Reports, but has less functionalities than the Oracle BI Publisher. Oracle BI Publisher provides features like self-service portals, reusable data models, multiple delivery channels, etc. If you need those functionalities you can consider the commercial version of JasperReports that has more features and is similar to BI Publisher. If you need more information, request our whitepaper “JasperReports vs Oracle BI Publisher” at customerservice@pitss.com

  • 4. What´s the difference between Jaspersoft and Oracle Reports?

    When you run the JasperServer you will see a similar concept. You need a WebServer that can be a lightweight one (TomCat), define some data connections and manage a repository, where you deploy your Reports in. If you like to leave Oracle Forms as well, Jaspersoft provides an alternative infrastructure with the server as a JAR-Library that you could deploy next to your application code.
  • 5. What is the most important thing to validate before the change or migration?

    Three things to keep in mind:

    • Migration is a project and you should treat it seriously. It’s not only a click on a button and runs next to the daily work
    • Take the chance to improve your reporting landscape. Jaspersoft provides concepts of reusability that aren’t available for Oracle Reports. Harmonizing the layout, consolidating queries and functions increases the maintainability afterwards
    • Destress yourself and run a fine grained stage approach. You can migrate and deploy one Report after the other, because the customer cannot figure out if the PDF comes from Jaspersoft or Oracle Reports
  • 6. Is the Reports2Jasper Modeler an automated tool with minimum interaction from a developer?

    Yes, that is our “WHY”, so the reason why we do it.

    Our product addresses the three most important issues during a migration:

    1.) #SimplifyComplexity: Finding patterns in 1000 of Reports, proof assumptions of all code fragments before deciding on a new direction, show and follow global dependencies that aren’t calculatable for a developer

    2.) #LegacyCodeMatters: If you start to develop from scratch, you may miss requirements, fail during implementation of complex queries and functions and face a huge test effort. Taking care of the existing code base as a baseline or springboard, reduces the risk and effort.

    3.) #DontRepeateYourself: However, you develop and will reach a point where you step into repeatable actions. That is a point where our product supports generation capabilities that could be highly customized.

  • 7. How long to convert per Report?

    That depends on the complexity of the existing Report. We saw implementations with dozens of queries, nearly infinite loops of repeating frames and thousands of LOC inside functions.

    In some cases, not only the amount of objects derives the effort of finalizing the Report. The question is if the existing code (and requirements) addresses an existing solution in Jaspersoft or not. As an example – DML inside a format trigger is easy in Oracle Reports, but it’s not a good idea in Jaspersoft.

    Before you even calculate your project, our product can easily calculate the effort and obstacles of the migration, based exactly on your sources. Check it out!

  • 8. Does Jaspersoft use the existing FMW Weblogic infrastructure?

    Theoretically speaking yes – you could also deploy Jasper Server on WLS, but I haven’t seen any customer doing it yet. With a lightweight WebServer, the administration overhead is even smaller than with a WLS instance. Beside starting and stopping the managed server there aren’t any benefits for this infrastructure, isn’t it?

  • 9. What about our Oracle Reports that we are executing in batch files? Do we have the same functionality with Jaspersoft?

    Yes – you could run Jasper also from command line

  • 10. What are the componants required to convert from Oracle Reports to Jaspersoft? (server, license, cost, integration time frame, etc….)?

    The typical starting point is: Tomcat with Jaspersoft Server, Jaspersoft Server in open-source community edition, integrate via WebService. Time Frame depends on the complexity of your reports

  • 11. Could you connect more than one database to one report?

    Yes!

  • 12. How does Jaspersoft handle dashboards?

    From the Jaspersoft Server User Guide: “A Jaspersoft Dashboard displays several reports in a single, integrated view. A dashboard can include other dashboards, input controls for choosing the data displayed in one or more frames, and custom frames that point to URLs for other content. By combining different types of related content, you can create appealing, data-rich dashboards that quickly convey trends.”

  • 13. How long does it take for an Reports developer to become competent with Jaspersoft?

    I take a 5 day training and I’m able to migrate the simple reports. My colleague, which are more familiar, have a very cool learning curve and after 2-3 month they are ready to take the biggest one. It’s importent to train on the job and start with the easy once.

  • 14. How to connect with oracle database before migration?

    Use setup database connections via JDBC inside the IDE. The report reference to the name of the db-connection, which could differ from IDE to test and production environment.

  • 15. Are there any Oracle Reports features that the conversion tool has difficulty converting? Such as conditional formatting, Graphs, etc?

    We don’t cover matrix reports by now (matter of not realy used by the customers so far) and we advise to redo graphics, because they are cool in Jaspersoft and fast to setup.

  • 16. Is it possible to send a Jaspersoft report directly to a specified printer ?

    That is typically a task for a java post processing implementation. There is no out-of-the box solution in the Jaspersoft server, but this could be easily enhanced.

  • 17. We call and use a lot of database functions, can they be called and used in Jaspersoft?

    Yes – in the query and within the scriplets.

  • 18. Does Oracle Apex have a report development tool? Can it create complicated reports like Oracle Reports and Jaspersoft?

    There is no APEX internal reporting tool available. You could use the export functionalities of Interactive Grids. Oracle tend to integrate AOP.

  • 19. Is the development tool for the Pro and Community versions the same? Does it have the same functionality?

    If you cover the functionalities from Oracle Reports the „basics“ in Community and Pro are enough and the same. There are some addons in the Pro, which enhance the functionality (e.g. customizable Dashboards, etc.) but we do not rely on this in the migration. Most of our customer use the community edition.

  • 20. Can Jaspersoft reports be called from Oracle Forms? We need to embed Jaspersoft or whatever reporting tool we use into our application.

    Yes – you could integrate this via WebServices and Web.Show_Document features in Oracle Forms.

  • 21. Does Oracle Analytics Publisher have a true development tool like Jaspersoft and Oracle Reports?

    Oracle Analytics Publisher provides three different ways to create a layout for a designed data model:

    1.) There is a webbased online design tool for simple reports. It’s easy to use but with limited functionalities.

    2.) Microsoft Word. With this you create a RTF Template in the way you create classic form letters in Word.

    3.) Direct writing of XSL without an IDE.
    From the developer point of view, none of them is an IDE like Oracle Reports developer or Eclipse.

  • 22. You said that Jaspersoft is open source but on jaspersoft.com I see only a “Try Jaspersoft Free for 30 Days”. It’s open source or not?

    There are different downloads on the Jasper WebSite. There is a community edition and a pro edition available.

  • 23. Beside Oracle Application server also a Jaspersoft Server is needed?

    You could integrate Jaspersoft as a Java-class in your application or you could use the Jaspersoft server. This is usualy deployed on a lightweight server like TomCat or in Forms environment also on a WLS.

  • 24. How the reports can be integrated into our current Banner CIS system and how we can create a Jaspersoft Dashboard to run the reports?

    Jaspersoft typically provide two different ways of integration. On one hand you can use the Jaspersoft Javaclasses and embedding them into a Javabased application. With the API you could run the reports. On the other hand you could use the Jaspersoft Server and communicate with them via webservices.

    Jaspersoft Dashboards are a functionality of the Server and you could configer them directly in the WebUI of the server.

    JasperReports Dashboards are a functionality of the Server and you could configer them directly in the WebUI of the server.

  • 25. Is character based printing (invoices, pay checks) possible?

    Yes, you could also create reports like invoices, pay checks, etc. with Jaspersoft.

  • 26. Is there a way of automatic conversion?

    Yes, try our Reports2Jasper Modeler!

  • 27. What about licensing to Jaspersoft? What about Oracle Analytics Publisher/OAC and another open source reports options?

    Jaspersoft provides different versions (community, professional, etc.) which have different licence costs. The community edition is the only free version of those you mentioned. Oracle Analytics Publisher and OAC are not free and need a licence of the server or the cloud offerings. If you like to discuss other reports solution (BIRT, AOP, PLPDF, etc.) or if you are interested in any kind of licence, please get in contact with sales@pitss.com

  • 28. Is there any solution in APEX that will replace printing with Reports in Forms?

    The answer could be given in two levels of complexity. If reporting is very easy, like a tab report of a query, you could use export functionality of an APEX grid. This allows you to create HTML, Excel or PDF Formats which could slightly be customized.

    If reporting is getting more complex and see a lot of implementation in Oracle Reports, you should consider a separate solution. Preferred frameworks are Jaspersoft, Oracle Analytics Publisher or AOP.

  • 29. We use hyperlinks to drill down between the reports. Is that possible in JasperSoft Reports?

    Yes, Jaspersoft will also support hyperlinks to drill.

Your answer was not included?
Then please feel free to ask us your question:

Your Contact

Uta Daniels Assistant
of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com

+49 711/914-012-12











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Revitalize OracleForms Q&A

Revitalize Oracle
Forms Q&A

The expert advice you need
to revitalize Oracle Forms
successfully

Companies around the world are looking for ways to maintain and optimize the Oracle Forms applications they have been using for decades. Right now – in the run-up to the launch of the new Oracle Forms 14 release – is the perfect time.

In connection with the new Oracle Forms Release 14.1.2 – as well as the modernization and optimization of your current Oracle Forms application – we have received numerous questions. Together with Oracle Senior Principal Product Manager Michael Ferrante, we provide you with the most important answers on this page.

If your question is not included, please write to us. Our experts will be happy to help you!

REVITALIZE ORACLE FORMS Q&A

Answered by:

Michael Ferrante
Senior Principal Product Manager, Oracle
Oracle Forms expert since ’99. He is responsible for the further development of Oracle Forms and is a regular speaker at big Oracle events all around the world.

 

Stephan La Rocca

Business Development Manager, PITSS

Stephan has been helping companies to bring their Forms applications to the next level and maximize profit for over 20 years. He can be seen presenting innovative solutions for Oracle applications at events such as the DOAG (German Oracle Users Group) Conference.

 

  • 1. What will be the new features of Oracle Forms 14?

  • 2. How long will Oracle Forms be supported?

    As for Oracle Database there is no “desupport-notice” for Oracle Forms existent. Oracle Forms is not desupported!
  • 3. How to apply new features to previous Forms 10g / 12c?

    You could rollout them very easy to your entire application with PITSS.CON. Otherwise you could implement and use new features manual Forms by Forms.
  • 4. How is the upgrade from Forms 12c to latest Forms release?

    In the same way as from 11g or 12c to the latest versions.
  • 5. In mid term we want to replace Forms. In the meantime we need to keep the application running.

    Good decision. Let’s go. Start with an Status Quo Analysis for Oracle Forms and Reports. The insights will help you and show you what to do.
  • 6. Oracle Forms vs APEX? What’s the difference?

    Oracle Forms needs an Oracle WLS as middle tier and Java on the client side as infrastructure. Oracle APEX on the other side is a pure Web application, running on each browser with native HTML, JS, CSS.
  • 7. Oracle Forms 14 with weblogic 14 compatibility?

    Certification Matrix will be updated as soon as Oracle FMW 14 will be released. It’s very likely, that Forms 14 require WLS 14.
  • 8. What does reliance on Java look like in 14.1.2 ? Are we still only supporting Java 8?

    Will be updated in the Certification Matrix if available.
  • 9. Oracle Forms 14 will still use Java on client?

    Yes.

Want to know what’s best for your Forms application?

  • 10. Currently our oracle forms applications run with java webstart. Will Forms 14 x version run with java webstart?

    Yes.
  • 11. Upgrade path from 12c Forms?

    Just compile the modules with the latest version. To benefit from the new features, consider PITSS.CON Products for application wide rollout possibilities. In addition it’s a very good opportunity to remove technical dept like dead code, redundancy and refactoring with PITSS.CON Products: https://pitss.com/product-overview
  • 12. What is the update path from Forms to Angular/Spring Boot?

    There is no direct update path from Oracle Forms to another Framework, like Angular/Spring Boot. We would advise considering PITSS.CON Products for analyzing the Oracle Forms application, refacture PL/SQL Logic either into database or web services and generate template based fragments.
  • 13. Forms compatibility with DB2 and Postgres?

    There is no native access to DB2 or Postgres. Oracle Forms 14 will provide accessing data via webservices, which won’t be a replacement for selecting mass data via an Oracle Block. For integrating DB2 or Postgres we would advise to use Oracle Database capabilities to access those database providers.
  • 14. Should I still switch to APEX?

    Depends on your requirements.
  • 15. I have moved from oracle forms 10g to 12c.. With oracle forms 12c I have started from scratch with oracle DB 19c, weblogic 14, and oracle forms 12c and the reporter server. Can connect to the DB, compile, debug, and deploy Forms with Reports. Everything is working well. With Oracle Forms 14, do I need to start again from scratch to avoid unexpected issues?

    Even from 10g to 12c you were not forced to start from scratch. If you have problems with infrastructure or updates, we are out here to help. Please get in touch with us. We will save you a lot of time and trouble.
  • 16. Nowadays users use mostly xls sheets and pdf files. They expect their applications to read data from these files and insert them into the DB. Retrieve the uploaded data to do some very minimal changes and verification. Is this possible? Is there any built-in calendar? I have one written purely in pl/sql.Next pcs are already kept in fixed places whereas with mobile devices we can move and wifi to connect to the DB which is ok. However in some instances we load the data on screen and go offline for example if I’m inside a container to verify goods. Will Oracle Forms 14 run on mobile devices either in offline or online mode? Or in this case do we need hybrid applications – that is Oracle Forms and html pages?

    These are a couple of questions. In detail:

    • In general Excel and PDF Documents could be loaded into the database (independent from Oracle Forms). Based on the structure of the data and the information you like to select out of them, various techniques are available.
    • No. There isn’t a calender built in available in Forms. If you like, we could provide a library to use one.
    • Oracle Forms won’t run on mobile or offline devices. Therefore you need a hybrid approach. With PITSS.CON Products we could support by extracting logic out of your application and help to keep such hybrid environment in synch.
  • 17. Reports migration to what ?

    Oracle itself advises to Migrate to Oracle Analytics Publisher. On the other hand,PITSS.CON Products support you to go to other technologies like Jasper Reports, Birt or AOP.
  • 18. Will Oracle Forms be completely web-based?

    No. Just require an Java-Client.

Find out the status for your Oracle Forms & Reports

  • 19. Images handling improvement?

  • 20. What is changed in Oracle Forms Release 14.1.2?

  • 21. Using Oracle Forms with different databases?

    No other databases have native support. Please see question 13.
  • 22. Can APEX run in a parallel DB along with the Main DB?

    Yes.
  • 23. How do we modernize the look and feel of Oracle Forms?

    There are a lot of new features in Oracle Forms 14.1.2 which allow us to create a more modern user interface. To roll out them consistently and fast to your entire application, we advise to use PITSS.CON.
  • 24. We are using Forms 12c, every application with image and communication with cellphone, does this work easily?

    If that works in Forms 12c it will also work in Forms 14.1.2.
  • 25. Is Forms 14 version scheduled to launch?

    Planned for CY2024. Refer to the Middleware Statement of Direction: https://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/middleware/fusion-middleware-statement-of-direction.pdf
  • 26. Why does Oracle Forms have to disappear ?

    No reason!
  • 27. Can I run my Oracle Forms using any browser?

    No. You need Java-Support on your client.

Get to know all about your application

Structure, Scope, Measurements, Values, Weights, Complexity, Technical Depts, Redundancies, Dead Code, Simplified Maintenance, Improvement Potential, Modernization Options & more…

  • 28. Should I migrate to another language?

    Only if you have requirements, which couldn’t be solved by Oracle Forms.
  • 29. Is Reports available in the new version?

    Yes. Reports is planned for 14.1.2.
  • 30. Will Forms Reports Builder 14c support to read and write source files as .xml ..instead binary files like .fmb .rdf etc?

    Reports 14 is planned to be exactly as it is in 12.2.1.19
  • 31. Will all these new UI Features have proper scaling (and HiDPI) support?

    Check out the clientDPIRatio feature added in 12.2.1.19
  • 32. Instead of Weblogic server, can it be used in Tomcat etc?

    No.
  • 33. The REST Call are sent from client computer or from Weblogic server to outside url?

    REST call as made from mid tier
  • 34. Will Forms be database independent?

    You can avoid using a DB if you fully use the new REST support.
  • 35. In report builder can we get the data in excel format?

    Excel support already exists in Reports 12.
  • 36. We get notification from ORACLE that support forms will be discontinued from 2025Is it true now?

    Not true. Fake news.

Your Contact

Uta Daniels Assistant
of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com

+49 711/914-012-12











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Oracle expert Günther Stürner in interview with Andreas Gaede

Oracle expert Günther Stürner
in interview with Andreas Gaede,
CEO PITSS GmbH

Oracle Forms, APEX, PITSS.CON, the three musketeers!

Andreas Gaede is one of the founders and today the sole CEO/GF of PITSS GmbH, which has its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Further locations are Paderborn, Germany, Henly-on-Thames, UK and Troy, USA. PITSS is one of the leading software houses specializing in analyzing and modernizing Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports systems. Its products and services are offered worldwide.


Modernization

Why and how to modernize legacy applications efficiently

Read more


Sponsorship project

PITSS is awarded a BMBF funding project for digital software documentation

Read more

Günther: Mr. Gaede, with your software system PITSS.CON you are a global player in the analysis and migration of Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports systems. Are you a typical Swabian IT SME?

Andreas Gaede: If you consider a typical Swabian medium-sized company to be highly innovative and reliable, offers great products, first-class service and completes even difficult projects on time and budget, then I would be honored to be portrayed as such.

But yes, we are on the road worldwide with our software and carry out projects wherever customers use Oracle Forms applications that either need to be improved in terms of quality or, as is currently increasingly in demand, where customers want or need to migrate their outdated Oracle Forms applications to Oracle APEX.

Günther: You develop software to analyze other software. What motivated you to tackle such a specialized field?

Andreas Gaede: PITSS was founded in 1999 as a service provider in the areas of ERP development and implementation, such as the Oracle E-Business Suite EBS and as an experienced Oracle specialist. The aim has always been to offer professional IT solutions in the form of software products and services, PITSS for short.

It was also the time for many Oracle Forms customers to modernize their server-side, character-based applications towards client technology with Forms 4.5, 5, or even 6. For this reason, many companies turned to us for help in upgrading their legacy business applications to the latest Forms release.

Günther: Did they need support to upgrade to a new release? Was it that complicated?

Andreas Gaede:
Oh yes, it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t just a software upgrade that was imported and then everything was done. The step from character-oriented to GU-oriented and later from client-server to a three-tier architecture were complex challenges that pushed some CIOs and their teams to their limits.

However, the production engineer and passionate computer scientist in me were reluctant to have this task carried out manually for each customer by many IT specialists in a laborious yet error-prone manner. This is how our mission is to develop intelligent products such as PITSS.CON, which can load and understand enormous amounts of data in the form of program code, procedures, functions, and even database tables, not just for one, but for many different, industry-specific applications as metadata, was born early on.

Günther: So that was the idea of using software to analyze other software?

Andreas Gaede:
Yes, exactly. Even with our first product, which we completed in 2001, we performed a comprehensive, machine-supported analysis before almost every action. Analysis was the magic word. Analyzing and understanding the systems was and is an important basic principle of our approach.

The analytically prepared data could be changed at will, maintained in a cost-conscious manner and to the latest versions. In this way, we deliberately went against the usual, lucrative IT service model, which aims to keep as many resources with customers for as long as possible.

Certainly one reason why we have been able to successfully install our products and complete projects in over 40 countries.

Günther: How should one imagine such an analysis of an Oracle Forms or Oracle Reports application? How do you or your customers go about it?

Andreas Gaede:
In principle, the sequence is relatively simple. As a minimum, a customer provides us with the Forms .fmb file, which is the source code of a Forms application. In the best case scenario, they provide us with their entire application, namely all program sources, i.e. .fmb for Forms, .pll and .olb as libraries, .rdf for reports, .sql for all accompanying SQL programs through to ASCII files such as ProC and a structure dump of the database. Important you do not deliver any data, these files are broken down by our PITSS.CON parser into their components and these are stored in our PITSS.CON data cube, within an Oracle database. It is still the same application. However, we have changed the ‘aggregate state’. The entire Forms application is now in a state that allows it to be analyzed according to all the rules of the art of SQL. Mind you, we don’t need any customer data for this exercise and we don’t change the application in any way during this phase.

Günther: How does the customer benefit from having his Oracle Forms application available in this form?

Andreas Gaede:
As mentioned, the customer has the opportunity to evaluate and assess their application according to all the rules of the art. We provide a large number of predefined analyses and evaluations. They receive detailed documentation of their application and a list of weak points, some of which can be eliminated in the next step with a high degree of automation. The result would then be a completely overhauled, improved, streamlined new version of the previous Forms or Reports application.

Günther: This is indeed a priceless advantage for large systems. A black box becomes a transparent glass cube?

Andreas Gaede:
Yes, this information is difficult to obtain without the use of PITSS.CON, is very cumbersome and usually not complete. Once has been broken down and loaded into the data cube, the forms system can be examined from different angles. In our view, this makes our product a quality improvement tool, provided it is used permanently. You can even go so far as to say that there should be no more changes without these changes being quality-checked in advance with the help of PITSS.CON. Even after changes have been made, PITSS.CON can be used for optimal test support. In this case, the changes in the process can be shown in such a way that targeted and time-saving testing of the application is possible. However, it is of course up to the customer to decide how to handle this in practice.

Günther: What do you mean by quality-tested?

Andreas Gaede:
For example, it needs to be clarified where a change in an application or the data structure has an impact everywhere. In a larger system, this very quickly leads to many places that need to be adapted accordingly. Providing this type of information is a trivial task within PITSS.CON. Without such assistance, it is a challenge to say the least. This eliminates many sources of error and significantly improves the quality of the system.

Günther: I interrupted you, we were just talking about the transparent cube…

Andreas Gaede:
Yes, but this is only one side of the coin. Once a Forms or Reports application has been broken down into its components, analyzed, and possibly modified, it is possible to generate a software system from this data again, provided that the appropriate rules are in place. Decomposing a Forms application is therefore not a one-way street. Regenerating it back into a Forms application after a clean-up or renovation is just as possible as generating it for another platform.

This is exactly the idea we pursue when migrating from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX or Oracle Reports to Jasper.

Günther: May I summarize this in my own words: You take an Oracle Forms application, have it disassembled by your software, analyze make some improvements, press the button and get an Oracle APEX application?

Andreas Gaede:
The ‘press the button’ is correct if you want to generate a Forms or Report program from a cleansed Forms or Reports database.

When migrating to APEX or Jasper, it’s not quite so easy. Although we are very good at implementation and we are getting better and better from version to version, it is not possible to completely convert a Forms application to APEX and it does not always make sense to create native APEX code to ensure optimum maintainability afterward. This is particularly the case in the front-end area, as the number of options is many times greater with APEX than with Oracle Forms. In this area, manual intervention is necessary and desired by us, as it usually is by the customer.

Despite good software support, migration projects, especially those involving large systems, cannot be successful without a stringent process model and first-class project management. This is our second core competence: project control and project management. A high degree of automation through our PITSS.CON toolset and good project management are the key to successful projects. Our customers particularly appreciate the fact that our calculated project durations are very precise. This is also the reason why we can also offer and carry out such projects as fixed-price projects.

Günther: What are the reasons that prompt companies with a functioning system, be it Forms or Reports, to consider a migration? Despite massive software support, such projects are always interventions in a company’s processes. You don’t just do it on a whim.

Andreas Gaede:
Oracle Forms is a great product, but it’s getting on in years. Graying with age, you could say. Just like the majority of Forms developers. In plain language, this means that many new technologies, especially in the front-end area, cannot be used or can only be used in a rudimentary way. Visually, Forms applications often look like ‘yesterday’s news’. The use of applications on different devices is also rather difficult. You will search in vain for a Forms app on a smartphone or an iPad.

Oracle APEX as the new target platform for migration is in a completely different league. The development concept is similar to Oracle Forms, which simplifies migration. However, APEX is state of the art in terms of front-end technology and the result is state-of-the-art systems that can run on all devices.

The second reason why Forms customers are considering migration is the declining number of Forms experts. Some companies are afraid that one day they will be left without development support. Here, too, we find exactly the opposite trend in the APEX world. The APEX developer community is huge and still growing rapidly. From our point of view, APEX is the ideal future platform for Oracle Forms applications. There is also no question within Oracle: APEX is the future.

Günther: Forms to APEX migrations are therefore not ‘push-button’ projects. A Forms customer could also start a completely new project to benefit from the latest software trends. Wouldn’t that be a better and more innovative way?

Andreas Gaede:
Completely redeveloping an application package is of course always an option. It is always an option when the existing system, processes and workflows have to be opposed to the current Forms system. For whatever reason.

In most cases that we know of, however, this is not the case. Here, the minimally invasive procedure of migration is the better way. What is still good is used instead of reinvented. Here the data model and the countless PL/SQL procedures and functions should be mentioned in particular, which can usually be adopted. Reuse of well-tested code wherever possible, instead of a green field. Another interesting point for our customers is the possibility of successive migration during operation. Individual modules that are logically related or related in the business context, such as warehouse programs, are migrated, made available to end users, and quickly put into operation, while other modules continue to run with Forms technology until it is their turn to be converted. This also makes time-consuming and cost-intensive prototypes that are never used obsolete and replaces them with new, quickly productive sub-applications that lead to an early and enthusiastic buy-in from the responsible stakeholders.

From a cost perspective and in terms of risk minimization, it makes a huge difference whether you plan and implement a completely new development or aim for a migration. With a clear advantage for the migration.

Günther: We talked about your PITSS.CON toolset, but also about projects, especially migration projects. Is your company more of a product company or more of a project and consulting company?

Andreas Gaede:
We are both. A software company that develops an innovative software package – PITSS.CON – and sells it to customers. However, we are also a consulting company that carries out migration projects as well as other projects in the area of forms, reports, or APEX. If a migration customer is already using PITSS.CON, we also use this license for the migration project. Otherwise, we make PITSS.CON is available for the duration of the project. We therefore use our own product intensively in our customer projects. Some say that you can see that in the product. In a positive sense. A migration project without PITSS.CON is not an option that we offer.

Günther: Finally, a question about the future of your product. Where is your PITSS.CON toolset heading?

Andreas Gaede:

Andreas Gaede: In addition to our customers who use PITSS.CON, we ourselves are a major PITSS.CON user in many of our consulting projects. This always results in new requirements that are incorporated into the new versions of our product. The new releases of our target systems such as APEX or Jasper must also be reflected in our new versions. We have already released two new versions this year. It’s all very dynamic.

The BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany) has also recognized that we are very innovative in the field of software product analysis.

In 2021, we won our first funding project, which dealt with the identification of business processes in existing, self-developed applications. This funding project added another extremely powerful module to our PITSS.CON product suite, which has been marketed as ProFind since 2023. With ProFind, the processes implemented and operated by specialist departments come to the fore when optimizing and modernizing applications. Legacy issues, such as functions that are no longer used or poor or overloaded programming, are filtered out, leaving the focus on what is needed.

The second, currently ongoing funding project is concerned with autonomous or semi-autonomous adaptations or autonomous reactions of an application. Very exciting.

The funding projects as well as other internal PITSS developments driven by market requirements and technical possibilities have led us to a more fluid patch process for our products. Partial solutions are removed from development projects at an early stage and integrated into the primarily cloud-based products after testing. This allows our customers and projects to benefit quickly from new innovations.

We will continue to pursue this level of innovation and our status as a thought leader in the field of application modernization.

Thank you, Mr. Gaede, for your time and all the best for your team.

Further information:

PITSS Corporate Communications

Cathrin Cambensi

ccambensi@pitss.com

Your Contact

Uta Daniels
Assistant of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com

+49 711/914-012-12











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Q&A Forms 2 Apex – A jont success

Oracle Forms to APEX –
WEBINARS – Q&A

Your Questions and Answers about the
Migration from Oracle Forms to APEX

In our Oracle Forms and APEX projects and webinars, we receive numerous questions about the migration from Oracle Forms to APEX. These are questions about the technologies, the migration process, the methodology, the automation, the resources, the effort, the know-how, the organization, and much more. We have compiled the most urgent questions and answers from our recent webinar: ORACLE FORMS TO APEX – A JOINT SUCCESS STORY.

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


    The integrated APEX function to load Forms Modules into an APEX repository is no longer available. Oracle advice to get in contact with Partner like PITSS which provide solution for this.
  • We know Apex can replace forms, but what about Reports, is there any approach to replace it also?

    Depending of the complexity and usage of the Reports you could consider APEX Regions like Interactive Report or classic Report. In addition you could consider tools like AOP or Jasper Reports which could be smoothly integrated into the APEX App.
  • Is it possible to separate APEX DB from the Data DB?

    Yes – that is possible. The application Database with the APEX repository has not to be in the same database as the application data. You could consume data from different databases via DBLINK or WebServices, which itself could easily created by ORDS Tools.
  • How to use jasper report with apex?

    You could integrate Jasper reports via WebServices into your APEX app.
  • How can APEX be used for “Power Users” who only/mostly work with Keyboards?

    Depending on the way how keyboards is used. You could mimik a lot of Function-Keys and HotKeys with JavaScript, but this should be an exception. Is nowadays a huge amount of user input still necessary (RPA) and isn’t there a good point to improve the overall process?
  • How do I convert Oracle Forms that currently use the functionality of webutil to access client resources and network resources?

    Depending on the kind of resources which are used. Form e.g. “File upload” which is available in APEX, or Office Integration (like APEX Office Edit) which could be extend as a plugin to custom solution via nodeJS is everything solvable.
  • How streamlined is the conversion process. Do we need to move most of the business logic first to the back-end?

    This refactoring of PL/SQL logic will save your invest and is a adviced first step, which could be highly automized.
  • – can be delivered in phases?

    Yes – a staged approach, in which Forms and APEX running side by side is the best way to go.
  • 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.
  • 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?

  • 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?

    Both. The APEX repository is part of the database where ORDS will be deployed on the application server.
  • Would you put the links to those learning channels in the chat?

    They are also given in this Q&A
  • 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.

    We advise a staged approach. With our Product we could determine all dependencies and advise the best clustering approach.
  • 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?

    It’s pure, proprietary free APEX code – as if it were written by the best APEX developers available.
  • Can you go over a typical workflow for remote developers developing APEX apps on their workstations and deploying them to on-prem production servers?

    Please follow the blogpost from Steve Muench from Oracle: https://blogs.oracle.com/apex/post/application-development-lifecycle-technical-paper
  • What APEX version is currently used in the PITSS migration tool?

    We could generate any code from 5.1 until the latest version.
  • 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?

    Oracle Forms and Oracle APEX are different architecturally. So compute wise sizing may vary as Oracle APEX uses highly scalable 3 tier architecture. Whereas the memory calculations for a given set of concurrent users should be same for both forms and APEX. For more information consider: https://joelkallman.blogspot.com/2014/03/finallythe-official-sizing-guide-for.html
  • License costs and needed environment for APEX (on premise, cloud, Database version etc. )”

    NA – I assume, this question is dedicated to the specific environment of Savantage.
  • El esfuerzo comparado con la migración de Forms 6i hacia Forms12c, como podemos considerar el esfuerzo para migrar de Forms12c hacia APEX?

    No sé cómo migraron de Forms 6i a 12c. Si ocurrió con PITSS.CON, el esfuerzo no fue tan elevado. En general, sin embargo, una migración de Forms a APEX es más difícil que una actualización dentro de la pila de Forms.
  • In the Savantage case, how many Forms were migrated to APEX and what was the percentage of automatic migration and manual rewriting.

    Not allowed to answer due to NDA.
  • Why not Forms? Why APEX?

    To get rid of the Java-dependency of the client and allow access from tablets and smart devices. In addition to profit from the possibility of responsive design, new UI components and being part of an agile and fast growing Low-Code Framework.
  • I want to learn about your experiences and recommendations, but I’m concerned about the sizing of the server and scalability.

  • 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?

    Toufiq Mohammed: APEX makes it possible for multiple developers to work on the same application without stepping on each other’s shoes. A page log in APEX provides a feature called page log in. If a developer is working on a page he can log the page so that other developers cannot edit it. Every attribute in APEX has an update production. If I am updating a particular attribute and other developers are also working on the same attributes he gets an error message saying that this is already modified by another user. All these features prevent a developer writing over other developers code.
    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.
  • Need to know about the whole cycle

    Please follow our description on: hForms2APEX Modeler
  • What are the lessons learned?

    Having the right partner for such a project is the key. The unknown – how developers as well as clients expect and experience the new look and feel in APEX – has gone extremely well.
  • Why Forms to APEX? Is it really necessary?

    Only dying is necessary.
  • Everythings made in Oracle Forms, is it possible to replicate it in APEX?

    With more or less effort, with more or less necessity, yes.
  • Would be interested to know how APEX handles Master-Detail- setup. That is already solved with APEX 5.1

    That is already solved with APEX 5.1
  • Want to see the integration

    There are different ways of integrating Forms and APEX depending on the specific business need. Please contact, if we should design for your specific application.
  • Are there any considerations to migrate from Oracle Forms 6i to APEX, mainly because the application makes intensive use of user_exit calls?

    No. You have to define a new “home” for such C-Routines behind the User-Exits and depending on the target, you could integrate the call into your APEX application.
  • The biggest hesitancy for moving forward is from a production/operations point of view at this time?

    Request – Why?
  • What about Oracle Forms Web? Isn’t it a better solution than APEX?

    No – none of the advantages of APEX could be fulfilled with Oracle Forms Web.
  • We are still using Forms 6i client/server on several applications and slowly migrate to web applications (Java based).

    Lucky guy – should we help to speed up?
  • As it is keeping our Oracle database outdated, we need a fast way to migrate our legacy systems?

    Start with an analysis to calculate your project plan.
  • Is the best solution APEX or a newer version of Forms Web?

    Depends on your need. If you’re in a situation like Lisa, APEX is the best solution.
  • Can you elaborate more on PITSS tool move form to APEX, any licensing or ACM, timeline to convert around 500 Forms?

    In such case please contact: sales@pitss.com
  • Do we have a date from Oracle when they will sunset Oracle Forms platform?

    No – Oracle won’t plan to sunset for Oracle Forms. You will see that release planning of APEX is totally different to Oracle Forms.
  • How can I get virtual work on my pc for training?

    We advise you to choose one of the pre-built Virtual Machines from Oracle.(https://www.oracle.com/downloads/developer-vm/community-downloads.html)
  • Has PITSS looked at providing the ability to convert from other Oracle development tools (OAF/OC4J), etc. to APEX as well?

    A good question. Not by now, but it’s worth it. Do you have a need for this, contact us.
  • 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?

    Yes – but this could be automated with our product.
  • 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?

    No – if such changes where necessary, they are requested by the user.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Your Contact

Uta Daniels Assistant
of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com

+49 711/914-012-12











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RETROGRADE PROCESS ANALYSIS MADE EASY

RETROGRADE PROCESS
ANALYSIS MADE EASY

SoftProc makes even highly individualized software understandable, because it analyzes and visualizes implemented applications from the program code to the productive process from within the running application. This seamless, digital documentation makes their modernization easier, faster and more cost-effective.

Software modernization is indispensable to remain secure and functional. Especially when individual software can assure a company a unique selling proposition. But it is also necessary in order to be able to meet the requirements of increasing digitization, which include a change in user behavior. Financial and insurance advisors are a classic example of this. For decades, they have been using desktop-oriented software simply because of regulatory requirements. In order to be able to use this on mobile devices when visiting customers, the software had to be modernized. But the company processes themselves are also subject to permanent change. For example, the increasing interconnection of business partners often justifies the need to modernize. In this case, applications have to be modularized, split and converted. Another reason to renew individual software is that the older the software, the higher the maintenance effort. The reason: The knowledge of the code has long since been retired along with the programmer.

Process Mining Looks at Business Processes through Data Glasses

Most of the time, modernization is not about switching to a different software. Especially not when a company’s core competence is supported by custom software. The intention behind it is to optimize business processes and make them more flexible for any future requirements, to be able to adapt them to changing market situations and to expand them to incorporate new technologies. However, to ensure that all previous functions are still available completely and without errors after modernization, and to take into account any dependencies on other systems and the influence of special cases, the processes supported by the system must be fully known and documented. In many companies, this knowledge was lost due to fluctuation in IT or was never really available due to missing or poorly maintained documentation. Process mining tools solve exactly this shortcoming: they visualize business processes through a data-driven view and provide complete transparency about their lived reality. Within process mining there are several sub-disciplines. Compliance compares the originally defined process model with the actual process flow by the user. Prerequisite: The definition is recorded somewhere. Process discovery uses log data to draw conclusions about what the process implemented in the software actually looks like.
wants to merge its locations and harmonize the business processes in the course of a software modernization. During the compliance check, it turns out that clicking on the command ‘Execute order’ sometimes triggers different changes in the data model for the employees from the different locations. So there must be a deviation from the originally defined process. But why is this the case? Which one is the right one and therefore needs to be migrated? The answer can be found with Process Discovery. In contrast to the employee at location A, his colleague at location B also looks after customers from abroad, for whom other conditions apply with regard to delivery time, customs, etc. The same command therefore has two different processes. So behind the same command there are two different data models, which must be available again in exactly the same way after the modernization.

On the Track of the Data Model

In order for process mining tools to be able to perform comprehensive process analyses and visualizations, they must, on the one hand, ‘understand’ the data model underlying the software and, on the other hand, obtain the most accurate possible event stream of the process data in the standard XES format from the software systems to be analyzed. For large standard systems with constant data models such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or the Oracle E-Business Suite, there are separate process mining programs that are familiar with the data structure of the standard applications. However, as soon as companies have adapted these standard systems to their requirements, the event stream information required for process mining can no longer be extracted automatically from the application. And thus they face the same problem as users of pure custom software or legacy systems: To get the raw data for process mining, they have to bridge the gap between process and data model themselves.
Currently, there are two ways to do this. The first: Key users and process owners describe the ideal flow of the business processes in extensive interviews. In parallel, the data model is parsed to identify the effects of an input process within the data model. The subsequent analysis of the data model allows an interpretation of the underlying processes, i.e. actions that are caused by changes in the data model and not by direct input. This method is not only very time-consuming. Misunderstandings, misinterpretations or simply unconsciously incomplete information lead to the result being just an assumption and not a fact, which can lead to devastating misinterpretations.
The second – and currently the only software-supported method – was developed by the SoftProc project. Funded by the BMBF, PITSS GmbH and the University of Ulm have developed a software-supported method for retrograde process analysis from a running application. What is special about it is that it recognizes user behavior and, based on knowledge of the table structure, establishes the context between the underlying data models. The context identified in this way now makes it possible to assign an input process to a change in the data model using classic process mining methods – even in custom software.


Modernization

Why and how to modernize legacy applications efficiently

Read more


Sponsorship project

PITSS is awarded a BMBF funding project for digital software documentation

Read more

Illustration: All information automatically collected by SoftProc for a process.
Explanation: All information is output in the common data stream format xes.
Meaning: The totality of all information about all processes can be imported and used in a process mining or process discovery tool 

SoftProc Looks at the User, Not Just the Data

But how exactly does this data stream come about in SoftProc? How are user behavior on the one hand and its effects in the data model on the other hand captured? And how can this data stream be used as a transformation link between a custom software and any process mining tool? In order to identify the software processes, SoftProc observes the user as he executes a business process, for example ‘execute order’, via his user interface. There are two different recording variants. In the case of dedicated recording, the user determines the start and end of the business process to be recorded and thus precisely delimits the functionality that constitutes it. In the end, it’s like an interview – only faster and without forgetting a step that is already being executed automatically, so to speak, without having to think about it.
Silent recording, on the other hand, logs the entire use of the application – from the first time the user logs on to the time the application is closed. Machine learning methods can recognize patterns in this recording. To be more precise: they recognize, for example, whether the user has also executed an order. Even if he did so differently than his colleague due to a ‘special case’. Since here patterns are not searched for in the data models, but in the actions of the user, these in turn are linked in SoftProc without any doubt to the application process and the associated data tables. Therefore, in SoftProc, it is possible to understand why a business process was executed differently, even without interviews.
The ability to link to the data is also one of the reasons why SoftProc is so interesting, especially for custom software. SoftProc is based on an Oracle development platform. Therefore, the nomenclature from the user interface of a software also based on Oracle can be taken over directly to get context information from the program and finally merge it with the data. SoftProc speaks the language of the user, so to speak, and therefore every piece of code that was not captured during recording and thus not yet assigned to a business process can be traced back to the dependency in the user interface. And thus valuable functions, which were once programmed elaborately, but for various reasons were never used and therefore did not cause any change in the associated data tables, can be identified and preserved.

Illustration: Example Forms Flow – User behavior in dedicated recording
Explanation: There are many changes between individual forms.
Meaning: User jumps back and forth a lot between the forms – optimization potential for the process becomes apparent in order to simplify or shorten the process flow. 

Illustration: Process flow – what and how were the elements used.
Explanation: Shape, color, size, values provide information about type, interrelationships and weaknesses.
Meaning: Optimization potentials are shown 

Industry-Independent Solution from the Cloud

For whom is the solution now available from the funding project, which can read in, analyze, understand and map applications, suitable? For the time being, for everyone whose application was programmed in Oracle. It is completely irrelevant to which industry the application was tailored. Then, of course, for those who want or need complete documentation of their custom software. SoftProc should be considered by companies who anticipate that modernizations will be imminent, which will be very time-consuming and extensive, but want the application to be available again to the business and/or production processes as soon as possible.
The tool, which PITSS also offers as a cloud solution, is not only helpful for modernizing individual or legacy applications when the former programmers are no longer available. SoftProc also supports those who have already displaced how much time, effort and perhaps nerves they have invested to overcome hurdles in programming. Even if it is perhaps less rocky and one can go thereby now and then a step faster – the way of a renewed programming is the same as the first time. With SoftProc, however, it can be reliably shortened.

Your Contact

Uta Daniels
Assistant of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com
+49 711/914-012-12











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PITSS.CON Release 23.3.1 with an outlook

PITSS.CON Release 23.3.1
with an outlook

Just in time for Advent, PITSS delivers
the first gift – PITSS.CON Release 23.3.1.

In this blog article, we take a detailed look at the outstanding functions of the latest PITSS.CON version as well as the PITSS ‘ “development laboratory”, where the seamless work on the in-house product range continues.

Highlights of PITSS.CON Release 23.3.1

  1. Simplified integration through automatic parsing and loading of modules

    With this release, the integration of PITSS.CON is easier than ever before. Automatic parsing and loading of modules enable a seamless connection and speeds up the workflow for developers significantly.
  2. Code refactoring (BL2DB) for the migration from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX
  3. Another focus is on simplifying the migration from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX. Enhancements in the area of code invoicing (BL2DB) effectively support developers in making a smooth transition.

  4. New “ProFind” module – process detection and documentation of highest quality
  5. The brand new “ProFind” module sets standards in process documentation. It enables detailed recording of all objects, object components, processes and dependencies down to the smallest detail to ensure optimal preparation for modernization projects.

  6. Supports the latest Oracle Forms version 12.2.1.19
  7. The new PITSS.CON version supports the latest Oracle Forms version 12.2.1.19 to ensure that developers can benefit from the latest features and a smooth integration.

  8. Certification on the Oracle Autonomous Database
  9. Release 23.3.1 brings a certification on the Oracle Autonomous Database with it. This underlines the high quality and security of PITSS.CON in the modern database landscape.

  10. Improvements in the generation of APEX applications
  11. The generation of APEX applications has been further optimized to enable developers to work more efficiently and precisely.

  12. Supports the latest Oracle APEX version 23.2
  13. PITSS.CON remains compatible with the latest technologies. Support of Oracle APEX version 23.2 is a clear signal for the innovative capability of the PITSS product.

  14. Extension in project management for Forms2APEX projects
  15. The project management for Forms2APEX projects has been extended to give developers even more control and overview of their projects.

    As a PITSS.CON customer, you can now arrange your individual PITSS.CON New Release Session with your team and one of our experts. Let us show you the new features and how you can benefit from them with your application.

A look into the future: Visionary developments with PITSS.CON

PITSS.CON’s developments are continuously ongoing and a look into the future promises exciting innovations

  1. Pattern and handwriting recognition of developers

    PITSS product developers continue to work on increasing the level of meaningful generation in APEX. This is to be achieved by recognizing patterns and the handwriting of each developer using pattern recognition.

    Possible hurdles and errors in APEX are to be recognized automatically and provided with context help to ensure a smooth development process.
  2. Further development of ProFind through machine learning and AI
  3. ProFind takes itself to a new level by integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence. It will not only analyze tables, but also recognize concepts and layers (bottom-up) to enable a deep understanding of applications.

  4. APEX Project Eye Integration
  5. The integration of APEX Project Eye (APE) will enable comprehensive visualization and monitoring of APEX projects to further optimize the development process. The perfect complement to the ProFind module.

  6. ProcMAPE – Monitoring, analysis, planning and execution
  7. The strategic goal of ProcMAPE development is the implementation of an automated solution approach for monitoring and analysing ongoing processes as well as the planning and system execution of necessary process and code adaptations. Self-learning (implementing self-learning algorithms), self-adopting (adaptation of software to user behaviour) and software development (continuous software development towards more adaptable systems) are components of this development.


Modernization

Why and how to modernize legacy applications efficiently

Read more


Sponsorship project

PITSS is awarded a BMBF funding project for digital software documentation

Read more

Your Contact

Uta Daniels
Assistant of Sales Management

udaniels@pitss.com
+49 711/914-012-12











Continue reading