Sheffield Case studie
into a modern cloud platform
Top Outcomes at a Glance |
Interview with Dr. Arthur Clune CTO at University of Sheffield |
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Dr. Arthur Clune CTO, University of Sheffield |
The Challenge> Legacy Oracle and Forms versions running on outdated infrastructure
> Period of underinvestment had left the system “a little bit behind the times”
> Aging on-premise hardware limiting reliability and performance
> Growing complexity making maintenance increasingly difficult
> Limited ability to support future innovation and modernization
The Solution| > | PITSS.CON’s first major application at Sheffield was streamlining Oracle Forms version migrations. The platform enables structured, automated upgrades that are “quicker, reliable, and easier to scale” across multiple systems. For this project, Sheffield engaged both the PITSS.CON software and the PITSS professional services team, who worked as an extension of their internal team to execute the Forms upgrades. |
| > | The university transitioned from aging on-premise hardware to running natively in AWS. This migration encompassed upgrading to the latest Oracle and Forms versions while completely re-architecting the system’s infrastructure. The cloud migration delivered immediate benefits in speed and reliability for end users. More strategically, it provided an opportunity to map out system architecture, redesign integrations, analyze data flows, and establish a foundation for future innovation. |
| > | Originally a pure Forms environment, Sheffield’s system evolved to incorporate Oracle APEX and Java components. APEX was introduced specifically to leverage existing PL/SQL business logic while modernizing the user experience—an incremental approach the team describes as “a better user experience while keeping that well-tested, well-used core logic the same.” This strategy allows Sheffield to avoid discarding decades of proven business logic in Forms and the database. Instead, APEX provides a lower-risk upgrade path with improved UX, reusing existing logic that’s been refined over 20 years of operation. The first APEX application deployed was a research grant and costing tool, demonstrating how data flows seamlessly between APEX apps, the database, Forms applications, and Java components. |
| > | With such a complex, interconnected system, tracking data and process flows across multiple applications presented significant challenges. PITSS.CON’s process mining capabilities enable Sheffield to trace user journeys across the entire ecosystem—from APEX apps into the database, through Forms applications, potentially to Java apps, and back again. The implementation is elegantly simple: enable tracing via a configuration switch at deployment, then analyze the collected data to identify bottlenecks, unused code, and opportunities for optimization. Dr. Clune notes this is “”key for us to be able to identify high impact areas where we can put the effort in to make the experience better.” Discover Process Mining capabilities |
The Results |
Enhanced Performance & Reliability
The migration to AWS delivered immediate, tangible improvements in system speed and reliability for all end users. Moving from aging on-premise hardware to cloud-native infrastructure eliminated performance bottlenecks that had accumulated over years of operation, providing a noticeably better experience for both students and staff. |
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Operational Intelligence Through Process Mining
Even in the early stages of implementation, process mining has revealed previously invisible workflow inefficiencies. The university can now track complete user journeys across their multi-application environment, identifying where processes become stuck, which code paths are no longer used, and where optimization efforts will have the greatest impact. This capability transforms system management from reactive troubleshooting to proactive optimization, enabling data-driven decisions about where to invest development resources. |
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Low-Risk Modernization Path
By integrating Oracle APEX with their existing Forms and PL/SQL infrastructure, Sheffield has established an incremental modernization strategy that doesn’t require discarding two decades of proven business logic. This approach significantly reduces risk compared to a complete system replacement while still delivering modern user experiences. The university can now modernize components progressively, keeping what works while improving what needs updating—a sustainable strategy for long-term system evolution. |
According to Dr. Clune, PITSS.CON “helps us tie those things together and understand what’s going on, make upgrades easier” across their diverse technology ecosystem.
Process mining and data flow tracking
Code cleanup and optimization
Upgrade acceleration
Seamless PL/SQL integration
Runs alongside Oracle Forms
Modern user experience
Seamless PL/SQL integration
Runs alongside Oracle Forms
Modern user experience
Do you also want to be up to date with your Oracle Forms application?
Would you like more transparency for your application?
Would you like more transparency for your application?
Cleaning up your application and upgrading to Oracle Forms 12c will make everything clearer
and manageable again. And you’ll be up to date too!
Successful modernization of a renowned educational institution
Initial Situation
Modernization of a long-standing and complex corporate information system (CIS) based on Oracle Forms technology with a connection to the cloud.
Challenge
Great expectations are placed on system availability, security, system growth, new requirements and changed regulations.
Solution
Upgrade of the application to Oracle Forms 12c with the products from PITSS.CON and efficient re-hosting and support from the experts at PITSS.
What has been achieved and what the future holds
The University of Sheffield has reached an important milestone with its CIS on the latest and supported Forms version 12c. Through efficient re-hosting, with a lift & shift to the cloud, it has succeeded in transforming the CIS to the AWS public cloud. As a result, Sheffield benefits from greater security, cost-effectiveness and scalability for its CIS. The University of Sheffield not only looks back on a venerable past, but also asserts itself as an elite university for the future.
“The collaborative work with PITSS to transition our core systems to a robust and secure cloud-based infrastructure has been a significant leap forward for the University. We’re making our technology future-proof and adaptable to emerging trends and challenges in the years to come. Thanks to the PITSS team and their product, PITSS.CON, we modernized smoothly and quickly while keeping our operations running.”
Director of IT Services,
The University of Sheffield
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