Modernising Oracle Forms with Oracle APEX
- Bharat Bhatia
Oracle Forms has been a reliable platform for enterprise applications for decades. However, with the shift towards cloud computing, web-first, and mobile-friendly architectures, modernising legacy Forms applications has become a necessity.
Why Modernise Oracle Forms?
Modernising improves UX, lowers TCO, and ensures cloud-readiness. APEX is Oracle’s low-code development platform offering scalability, rapid development, and full cloud support.
Why Oracle APEX?
Oracle APEX is the ideal application platform for modernising your existing Forms based apps. It is the world’s most popular enterprise low-code application platform and enables you to build scalable, secure enterprise apps, with world-class features, that can be deployed anywhere – cloud or on-premises.
Oracle APEX follows a straightforward 3-tier architecture where requests are routed from the browser via a web server to the database. All processing, data handling, and business logic are carried out within the database. This design ensures zero-latency data access, exceptional performance, and scalability by default.
The Oracle RAD Stack
The Oracle RAD stack is an inclusive technology stack based on three core components: Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS), Oracle APEX, and Oracle Database. This stack provides all the necessary components to develop and deploy world-class, powerful, beautiful, and scalable apps.
In addition, both Oracle APEX and ORDS are no-cost features of Oracle Database, meaning if you have Oracle Database, you already have this Oracle RAD stack.
Why should you modernise your Forms apps with APEX?
Modernising Oracle Forms with APEX helps retain business logic while moving to a modern platform.
Here’s why it’s a smart move:
- Future-Proof Technology
- Oracle Forms is legacy: While still supported, Oracle Forms is not the focus of Oracle’s innovation efforts.
- APEX is actively developed: APEX evolves rapidly with modern web standards and is tightly integrated with Oracle Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
- Improved User Experience
- APEX apps offer modern, responsive, mobile-friendly interfaces out-of-the-box.
- Forms apps tend to be desktop-only and dated in appearance and functionality.
- No Middleware Dependency
- Oracle Forms requires Oracle Fusion Middleware (WebLogic Server), which adds complexity and cost.
- APEX runs natively within the Oracle Database, reducing the tech stack and simplifying architecture.
- Cloud Readiness
- APEX is cloud-native, with full support on Oracle Cloud (including Autonomous Database).
- Migrating to APEX positions your app for easy cloud deployment, scalability, and managed infrastructure.
- Lower Development & Maintenance Costs
- APEX is low-code, so development is faster and easier, especially for database-centric applications.
- Maintenance is simpler and less resource-intensive compared to managing legacy Forms environments.
- Easy Integration and Extensibility
- APEX provides REST and web service support for easy integration with third-party systems, APIs, and mobile apps.
- JavaScript, CSS, and plug-ins allow for custom UI/UX enhancements.
- Smooth Migration Tools and Methodology
- Oracle provides APEX Forms Migration Toolkits and services to assess, extract, and rebuild Forms logic in APEX.
- Many PL/SQL procedures and business logic can be reused, speeding up the modernisation process.
- Community and Ecosystem Support
- APEX has a growing, vibrant developer community and broad industry adoption.
- Availability of skilled resources and open-source tools makes it easier to find support and accelerate innovation.
Modernising Forms to APEX empowers you to preserve your existing Oracle investment while embracing a flexible, web-based, cloud-ready platform. It boosts developer productivity, reduces TCO, and delivers a modern experience to end users.
Migration Strategy
There is no silver bullet that will magically transform a complex Oracle Forms application into a beautiful, completely modern, intuitive Web app.
Modernising Oracle Forms applications using Oracle APEX is a strategic way to preserve business logic while moving to a web-based, low-code environment. Here’s a step-by-step approach to guide the modernisation process:
The diagram below shows the high-level modernisation architecture to modernise your Forms apps.
How APEX accelerates the modernisation of your Forms apps?
1. Assess the Existing Oracle Forms Application
- Inventory Forms and Reports: List all Forms (.fmb), Libraries (.pll), and Reports (.rdf).
- Identify Business Logic: Determine where key logic resides – in Forms, libraries, or the database.
- Understand Dependencies: Check for integration with other systems, external libraries, or JavaBeans.
- Classify Complexity: Categorise Forms (simple data entry, complex logic, or custom UI behaviour).
2. Prepare the Oracle APEX Environment
- Provision Infrastructure:
- Use Oracle APEX on Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or on-premises.
- Set Up Workspace & Schema: Match the schema used in Oracle Forms for a smoother transition.
- Install APEX Utilities:
- Use Forms Migration Workbench (FMWB) for metadata extraction
- Install any needed APEX plug-ins for advanced UI components.
3. Extract and Reuse Business Logic
- Leverage PL/SQL: Reuse stored procedures and packages from the Forms backend in APEX.
- Refactor Code: Move Forms-based logic (e.g., triggers, program units) to database packages where necessary.
- Avoid Hardcoding in APEX: Keep logic in PL/SQL to ensure maintainability and reusability.
4. Rebuild UI in APEX
- Use APEX Components: Rebuild Forms using interactive Forms, grids, charts, and calendars.
- Modernise UX: Take advantage of APEX’s responsive, accessible, and theme-based UI.
- Mimic Critical Functionality: Ensure that key features (like LOVs, validations, navigation) from Forms are implemented in APEX.
5. Integrate Custom Features
- JavaScript for Client-side Interactions: Replace JavaBeans and client-side triggers with JavaScript and Dynamic Actions.
- Plug-ins: Use or build APEX plug-ins for advanced UI components or third-party integrations.
6. Migrate Reports
- Use APEX Reporting Features: Interactive Reports, Classic Reports, and BI Publisher integration.
- Convert RDFs to APEX: Rebuild as needed; complex Reports may require rethinking design using APEX features.
7. Test & Validate
- User Acceptance Testing: Validate business process equivalence between Forms and APEX.
- Performance Testing: Ensure APEX apps perform well, especially for heavy transactions.
- Security Testing: Configure roles, authorisations, and session management.
8. Deploy & Monitor
- Gradual Rollout: Start with a pilot module and gradually replace Forms.
- User Training: Provide end-user training on the APEX-based interface.
- Use APEX Monitoring Tools: Monitor usage, errors, and performance with APEX Activity Reports.
9. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): APEX provides these APIs to allow experienced developers to get deep control when developing APEX apps:
- + 50 PL/SQL APIs available to provide a various type of utilities and packages.
- + 30 JavaScript APIs available to provide client-side functionality, interfaces, and UI widgets.
Summary
Oracle APEX includes all the components needed to be the clear platform of choice for modernising Oracle Forms applications. Your customers, users, and the entire organisation will be glad to have a renovated enterprise system that can be run anywhere (cloud or on-premises) and on any device (desktop, smartphone, or tablet) while improving important KPIs for your organisation.
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