Many organizations around the world have adopted Oracle technology for developing custom applications. Over the past two decades, they may have used PL/SQL, Reports, Forms, Designer, Portal or the Web PL/SQL Toolkit. Many of these organizations have come to face new challenges: more agility or functionality, new user groups or channels or more efficient maintenance. Or they fear getting stuck in the past, running out of support or qualified and motivated resources. What is the right way to approach the future? What mix of tools, how and when to adopt which new technology, how to build a business case? This session recounts various more and less successful warstories of organizations that embarked on a journey into the future. We will discuss SOA, ADF, OSB, WebCenter, SaaS, Forms, WebLogic, .NET, Java and much more.

1. Forms2Future: Journey into the Future for organizations on the Oracle Platform Peter Ebell Lucas Jellema AMIS, The Netherlands Oracle today

2. Introductions Combined Oracle experience of over 30 years Consulted over 70 customers Continuously evolving to the future [But we never quite get there…]

3. The Line Up The buck stops here

4. The End User – Back Then

5. The End User - Now

6. Technology & Tools Common (back) Ground Oracle RDBMS SQL & PL/SQL Forms SQL*Forms 3.0, Forms 4.5, Forms 6i, Forms 10g Designer CASE 5.0, Designer/2000, Designer 1.3.2/6i/10g Miscellaneous Portal, Discoverer, Reports (perhaps) Some (initial forays into) APEX, Java/J(2)EE (ADF, Struts, JSP); .Net

7. To Stand Still is to Backslide

8. “Caught between a Rock and a Hard Place”

9. So What Is Your Way Out?

12. ADF Oracle Forms .Net APEX Open Source

13. Focus On the Right Questions! Why? Where to?

14. Only Then, Start Considering: From Where? How? When? With what? With whom?

16. Business accelerated by IT (not held back) Short Time-to-Market for new functionality Frequent (planned & unplanned) releases Focus on what is required (which may be different from what was originally requested) Not all of this depends on technology only Methodology and Communication Software Engineering Modular and focused on reuse

17. To a single, centrally managed, browser based application No on-premise installed and managed application and database instance Quick rollout of new releases ‘Pay per use’ license model To standard applications that are customizable per user group or marketing label

19. Competition and user demand modern, attractive, intuitive user interface Customers/end users expect internet like functionality Hyperlink and Bookmark navigation, Google-like search, Map-visualization, Media-integration, Email, Chat- and Twitter, Wizard-driven forms New applications require new UI functions drag & drop, animation, server push, …

21. Exposing (some) Back-office functionality to new types of users Self service applications for internal users and (customers of) customers Making applications accessible through and for new devices and channels: PDA/Smartphone, RFID, RSS Thinking of end users in terms ofCommunities

22. Integration cross boundaries human-process-machine Companies & partners Technology platformsand applications Process-optimization Faster, better qualityand more efficient Flexibility in IT department

23. Getting our feet wet

24. Four show cases UI Modernization and SaaS B2B integration The Early Adopter Stuck

25. UI ModernizationforSaaSsolution Application (Designer & Web PL/SQL) losing its appeal not Web 2.0, not attractive, not intuitive, ugly,… Implementations and custom add-ons too expensive One size did not necessarily fit all

26. The Dog-Star dilemma €€€ ?

27. Technology-selection Starting point: Oracle Classic environment, application, development & admin team Considerations and Criteria: functionality, productivity, license feestraining team (costs, duration, viability) Application Server JHeadstart Oracle JDeveloper WebPLSQL Toolkit ADF Oracle Designer Data Data Oracle Designer after before

28. People opportunity Java-nono threat Classictraining critical fear open conservative Consult – on new trends & experience inquisitive overwhelmed uncertainty RemoteSupport doubt reluctant Coaching QA/Audit Introduction & Demonstration Collaboration confident opportunity Training productive initiative move ahead critical at home in Java fun independent enthusiasm stepping stone participate personal growth

29. Ittookabout a year and a half!

30. Connexys Next Steps Further enhancement of visualization Charts and Graphics, Animation, Interaction Integration of Social Media Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, … Introduction of communication and collaboration features Tags, notes, chat, (customizable) workflows Web Service API for Cross Cloud Integration

31. Four show cases UI Modernization B2B Integration The Early Adopter Stuck

32. B2B Integration At an increasing rate, customers, business partners and governments are requesting - and sometimes demanding – access to your systems. Typical scenario’s: Electronic access based on “services” Browser-based end user access through a web application you need to provide through a web application they build on your services

33. Service-enabling Your Database Enterpise Service Bus SOA Suite 11g Mediator Database Adapter Dedicated PL/SQL API Existing Backoffice Data & Functionality

34. Use This To Your Advantage Typically, these types of project add something new to your IT landscape If you need to provice the web application,this can be a good opportunity to evaluate your answer to the “Where” question If this is your first experience with web services, this will be a good way to gain experiences that you can use later when modernizing your existing IT landscape

35. B2B Integration – Next Steps Share the experiences with as many relevant parties (architects, lead developers, DBA’s, project leaders etc) as possible, to enable new ideas and “mindshifts” Incorporate the new technologies and methodologies in your own, internal systems and solutions Pro-actively think about how your company could benefit from further B2B integration.

36. Four show cases UI Modernization B2B integration The Early Adopter Stuck

37. The Early Adopter - Background Dutch branch of multinational corporation Long time Oracle customer Oracle RDBMS Designer and Forms Oracle e-Business Suite Also: JDEdwards, BEA WebLogic, Cognos, MS Sharepoint, .Net, open source Java/J2EE (Eclipse, Struts, JSP, Hibernate) Core application: Oracle WebForms running on 800 sites, used by 3000+ users Customers: 150,000 (both companies and consumers) Serviced through three separate marketing labels

38. Drivers: business strategy and focus on (innovative) architecture Clear high level Business Vision Customer intimacy and Process Efficiency & Agility Derived Business & IT objectives More & more diverse (multi channel) interaction Faster, better traceable and more efficient processes Private SaaS model: single solution for multiple subsidiaries, highly customizable and personalizable Evolve modern architecture for scalability & flexibility And adopt a matching project methodology Constraints: ongoing business, people, budget

39. Focus on (innovative) architecture and technology Choose technology that supports open standards and fits in with proposed architecture Best of Breed aka Cherry Picking In tools, technology and people Happy to adopt latest Oracle product offerings (“it’s Oracle unless…”) In exchange for ‘VIP’ treatment from Oracle Not blindly following : IdM solution selected from Novell Company wide roll out of Scrum methodology Agile, short cycles, business & IT involvement

40. WebLogic 11g SOA Suite 11g WebCenter Spaces 11g UCM 11g ADF 11g WebForms 10g SOA Suite 10g (ESB & BPEL) Oracle Service Bus 11g IAS/OC4J 10g Oracle RDBMS 11gR2 EBS 11i JDE Cognos

41. Early Adopter’s Next Steps Complete upgrade to SOA Suite 11g and OSB 11g Optimize operational management of SOA infrastructure Set up Governance and Service Lifecycle Management Consolidate on WebLogic Server 11g (incl Forms 11g) Implement Enterprise Content Management Multi-channel interaction, including mobile devices Collaboration and Communitycation Integrate with social networking Model and Implement business processes Partly automated business process workflows

42. Four show cases UI Modernization B2B integration The Early Adopter Stuck

43. Stuck In The Past Scenario: Mission-critical application “left alone” for so long that everything is “deadlocked” in certification matrixes Products are (long) desupported, original vendors no longer exist, knowledgeabout internal workings of thesystem and its functionalityis no longer available

44. How To Get Out “Big Bang” scenario “Reverse engineer” functionality Rebuild from scratch using up-to-date technologies and architectureprinciples

45. How To Get Out Or: Break the application up in components Focus on decoupling the components using well-defined interfaces (this will require rewriting parts of the code!) Try to upgrade each component to a “supported” situation using the path of least resistance Rebuild only those components for which no logical upgrade path exists

46. Stuck In The Past – Next Steps No matter which approach you take: You have spent a lot of time, money and effort You have ended up with a more decoupled, interface (=service) oriented application, that will be much easier to maintain and modernize in the future. You have learned a lot about the possibilities (and pitfalls) of modern IT architectures and tools Apply this knowledge to further innovationof not only this application, but your entireIT landscape. And NEVER get this stuck again!

47. Miscellaneous Scenarios FUD .net (for complex, rich mobile UI) and APEX (for straightforward data maintenance) (Best of Breed) Standard Applications … and a little integration ‘Flavor of the Day’ technology BackBase, Mendix, MDA, PaaS tools, … Do the Ostrich thing - Sit still – do nothing rational selection CEO in action mergers & take-overs politics lead-developer/ architect

48. Preparation & How to get going Where do you want/need to go? Talk to business Analyze processes and systems Implement Professional Software Engineering Procedures, guidelines Tools for automating

49. Decoupling! Centralize business logic Rethink notion of an application Break open silos Focus on business process Service Orientation Event Driven Architecture

50. First steps: Separate Application and Database Applicatie(User Interface) Applicatie(User Interface) Data Data

51. Further on down the line Application User Interface WorkflowEngine CMS Email IM Fax

53. This allows for very “clean cuts” when components are upgraded or replaced

54. It absolutelyminimizes the impact of just about any change in your IT environment

56. Technology Statements

58. Administrators

59. Information analysts

60. Business owner & Sales

63. While that might sound tempting at first, remember to first figure out WHERE you want to go, before you choose the road you’ll take!

65. Take Aways Driven by business – a condition for success Technology innovation by itself has no business value without business value: why bother? Consider an Agile project approach At least work hard at managing mutual expectations and involvement It’s people that matter – not tech stacks

66. Take Aways The Future – You are never there! Don’t aim for a single one-size-fits-all technology to replace everything. You will need a decoupled architecture that accomodates hybrid solutions co-existing. Specialization: not every developerneeds to be able to do everything Unlike Forms/Database – modern teamsspecialize in UI/WebApp, Service & Integration,Model/Business Service & Database

67. Summary

69. Peter.Ebell@amis.nl Lucas.Jellema@amis.nl http://technology.amis.nl