Oracle Application Express Consolidation / Conversions

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Oracle Application ExpressConsolidation / Conversions

© 2009 Oracle Corporation

MS Access to APEX Migration

Drivers

• Consolidation of departmental applications to centrally managed IT

• Some applications have grown and become mission critical

• Web unfriendly

• Platform dependent

• Poor security

• Limited scalability / excessive network traffic

Challenges

• Effort / business knowledge required to migrate

• Poor data model design

• No documentation

MS Access Migration- SQL Developer and Oracle APEX

• Export MS Access metadata • Migrate the Microsoft Access

database to Oracle • Create an Oracle Application

Express Workspace • Create a migration project • Analyze the Microsoft Access

application • Generate the Oracle Application

Express Application • Customize your Application

Express application



Oracle Forms to APEX ConversionDrivers

• Modernization of software / hardware

• Incorporate Web 2.0 capabilities

• Deliver greater user interactivity

• Utilize existing Database objects

• Can re-use existing IT developer skill-set

• Difficulty finding new Oracle Forms developers

Challenges

• Availability of IT application matter experts

• Conversion is non-trivial, requiring significant effort and resources

• APEX application will not look nor feel like Forms application

Forms Conversion


Why move off Oracle Forms?

• Oracle Forms is NOT going away!

• Forms is an aging pre-client server technology from mid 80’s. Forms runs a Java applet invoked from a browser, not HTML

• Forms is not consistent with today’s modern browser apps


Why Move to Oracle APEX?

• Moves you to modern Web 2.0 based computing• Modernizes applications with innovative capabilities

• “Out of the box” Interactive Reporting & Flash Charting…

• Easy skill transition for existing Forms developers• Both are declarative wizard driven tools with no 3GL compilation• Both are RAD SQL and PL/SQL centric development tools

• Oracle APEX is a no cost Database feature• Requires only the Database


Oracle APEX Forms Conversion

• Conversion IS • A way to jumpstart an Oracle Forms to APEX modernization project• Automatic conversion of Forms components that can be

automatically converted to native APEX components• An easy way to browse your Forms application logic• A convenient tool to track manual conversion of Trigger and other

non-convertible logic

• Conversion IS NOT• A “Silver Bullet”• A Forms emulator• Hard to maintain computer-generated code


The Forms Conversion Project

• Need to treat as a formal project• Prototype representative Forms• Create project plan

• Analysis Scope• Design Refine business processes• Convert Iteratively as required• Post-Generation Build Web components• User Acceptance• Training

• Utilize Application Express Annotations• Low-level assignment, tracking, progress reports



Forms Conversion Script – Page 1• Login to APEX

• Ensure tables from the Oracle Forms App are avaialable within the workspace

• Click Migrations link from APEX Home• Create a “Customer Items” project w/ 2 files customers_fmb.xml & orders_fmb.xml• Edit both Blocks by clicking on the block count, examine the queries and for non-Master

Detail blocks show the Enhanced Query functionality• From Project Home, click Triggers, and browse triggers (indicate that triggers will not be

migrated)• Discuss how “Applicability” works – Forms triggers not required in APEX (e.g. KEY-…)• Filter on ‘Applicable’ = YES - Add annotations to a trigger with business logic

• Create and Run Application, select Theme, etc• Click “Customers”, and remove extra _ID columns• Filter by “San Francisco”• Highlight credit ratings of “EXCELLENT” in Green• Edit Row, Indicate LOV’s picked up


Forms Conversion Script – Page 2• From the application home page Click Orders

• Click on an order, show master detail – note radio group and checkbox controls are picked up, note similar navigation to forms applications

• Navigate back to Orders query page, and edit the page. Edit the report region, and paste in new SQL Query (see next slide)

• Run page, note like forms we have no compilation• Chart Orders by “City” and then by “sales rep”

• Clean Up Home Page (APEX application page 1)• Edit list region and change “list template override” use “Horz Images w Label” template• Edit the list items by clicking on the “list” link corresponding to the Navigation region. Click

on the first list entry, click the up arrow next to the icon, select 128x128 icons, and choose the following icons for customers, orders, items and inventory


New Order SQL Statement

select

o."ID" as "ID",

o."CUSTOMER_ID" as "CUSTOMER_ID",

o."DATE_ORDERED" as "DATE_ORDERED",

o."DATE_SHIPPED" as "DATE_SHIPPED",

o."TOTAL" as "TOTAL",

o."SALES_REP_ID" as "SALES_REP_ID",

o."PAYMENT_TYPE" as "PAYMENT_TYPE",

o."ORDER_FILLED" as "ORDER_FILLED",

c."NAME" as "NAME",

c."CITY" as "CITY",

c."STATE" as "STATE",

c."COUNTRY" as "COUNTRY",

c."CREDIT_RATING" as "CREDIT_RATING",

e."USERID" as "SALES_REP"

from S_CUSTOMER c, S_ORD o, S_EMP e

where o.CUSTOMER_ID = c."ID“ and o.SALES_REP_ID = e."ID"

Documents

Oracle Application Express Consolidation / Conversions