This presentation contains distilled information regarding Oracle Application Express (Apex). It'll give you general overview of the technology and help you start working with it.

1. HOW TO GET STARTED WITH ORACLE APEX?
ORACLE APEX PRIMER
Przemysław Staniszewski
pstaniszewski@pretius.com
https://twitter.com/pstaniszewski

2. AGENDA
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What is Oracle Apex?
Working with APEX
Sample use-cases
Architecture
Integration
Oracle Forms migration

3. WHAT IS ORACLE APEX?
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4. What is Oracle APEX?
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APplication EXpress
Rapid Application Development tool
Uses Oracle DB and PL/SQL
Focused on the web - from development to usage
Included in the Oracle DB license (even the free XE version so you can
try it out or even use for internal projects without extra cost)
Available on premise and in the cloud
Check it out at http://apex.oracle.com
And now, a short story …

5. Design your database…
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6. Implement your business logic…
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7. Implement GUI (Graphical User Interface) …
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8. Implement GUI (Graphical User Interface) …
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9. APEX application architecture
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Application layer
Web interface
Business logic
Data
Solution
APEX
PL/SQL (API)
Tables / Views

10. APEX application architecture
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Solution
APEX
PL/SQL (API)
Tabele / Widoki
Calls
Fetches
SQL, PL/SQL
HTML, Javascript

11. Why APEX?
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Fast and simple web app development
Ease of administration and configuration
Flagship Oracle product
Everything is in the database
Integrates well with other technologies (web
services, db links, …)

12. WORKING WITH APEX
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13. How to become an APEX developer?
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Working environment:
Workstation with a web browser (just it!)
Basic skills required:
SQL
PL/SQL
Extra skills that will help along the way:
HTML, JavaScript, CSS
APEX API
Auxiliary knowledge like Web Services, SOAP, SPA

14. What do we get „out of the box”?
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Reports
Forms
Charts
Calendar
Templates
Validations
Dynamic Actions /
AJAX
Computations
Responsive
Web Design
Web Services
Email Services
Translation
Services
Plug-Ins
Authentication
Authorization
Session State
Management
Logging &
Monitoring

15. Structure
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Applications
Global elements
Page elements
Pages
External elements

16. Types of applications
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Database apps
Built from scratch
Imported (scripts, Oracle Store, Cloud)
Migrated from MS Excel/MS Access/Oracle Forms
Websheet
Allows creating an app even by people who don’t know „how to sql”
WIKI-type app

17. Region types
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Report
Classic
Interactive
Web Service-backed
Forms
Charts
Others (e.g. basic HTML – like in any Content Mgmt. System)

18. Interactive reports
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Simple modification by end-users (calculated columns, aggregations,
highlighting, charts)
Simple sharing of new / modified reports by end-users

19. Chart types
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HTML 5, JS* i Flash;
Various built-in chart types available:
Bar, pie, line, point, candlestick
Counters
Gantt’s chart
Maps

20. 20

21. SAMPLE USE-CASES
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22. Typical use-cases
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Data-driven apps
Advanced apps which present and
modify data
Reporting apps
Present data in a user-friendly
manner
Access replacement
Migration of MS Access based apps
Excel sharing
Migration of Excel-driven management to a web
application
Oracle Forms
Evolution
Forms apps migration

23. ARCHITECTURE
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24. Architecture
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APEX is installed in the database
APEX internals are tables and PL/SQL
All application data and metadata are stored in the database

25. Architecture - communication
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http://sc:8080/apex/f?p=4550:1:277450158227801

26. Architecture - engine
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Generates and processes web pages
Each web query opens and closes a database connection
Database sessions are NOT dedicated per each web user
Manages the session
Provides
Authentication
Authorization
Forms and pages navigation and communication
Validation

27. Architecture – app structure
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Single database instance
Single APEX instance
Multiple users
Multiple, independent apps

28. Architecture - users
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APEX administrator
Workspace administrator
Developer
End users
 Internal (APEX)
External (e.g. LDAP)

29. Security
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APEX is just as secure as the rest of the environment: database and
operating system
APEX addresses common web attacks
SQL injection
XSS (cross-site scripting)
APEX has built-in session protection
APEX is able to use Oracle Fine Grained Access Control (VPD)

30. Security
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Authentication
LDAP (e.g. MS Active Directory)
Oracle SSO
SSO
APEX (internal)
Custom Database structure
Authorization
Schemes using custom PL/SQL
LDAP
Can be bound to single web element (button, region, navigation, form,
etc.)

31. Performance and scalability
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UK’s Ministry of Education – teacher management app
2.000.000 page views / month
180.000 users
30.000 new registrations / month
2.000 moderators and administrators
24 months of uptime
0 APEX-related errors

32. APEX application maintenance
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Test Production
DEV
UAT PROD
SVN, GIT
Users
Objects
Files
Application

33. INTEGRATION
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34. Datasource integration
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Databases
Web service
Files

35. Other technologies integration
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JavaScript (jQuery, modernizer, AngularJS, etc.)
PL/SQL (PL_FPDF, PL_EXCEL)
Web Service
Java (e.g. Jasper, Coocon)
HTML 5
CSS (e.g. Bootstrap)
Flash
BI Publisher

36. JavaScript integration
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Frameworks: jQuery, jQuery UI, jQuery Mobile
Modernizer, AngularJS
Plug-ins
Excel like reports
Charting: HighCharts
JS + CSS (Bootstrap) =
Responsive Web Design

37. Web Service integration
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Accessing remote WS:
Reports, variables values, forms
SOAP
RESTful
Publishing
Reports created in APEX available through REST
Ease of creating using wizards and PL/SQL API

38. ORACLE FORMS MIGRATION
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39. Why migrate Forms to Apex?
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Web-enabling of database driven applications
Easy distribution (web based app, no need to install anything besides web browser)
Easy integration with other company web applications
Adding new channel of access for end-users – mobile
Finer access control
Modern web UI
Lowering your TCO (you don’t need Oracle Application Server anymore)
Easy Team Development
Built in tools for issue tracking, auditing and lots of other utilities that are available out
of the box

40. Migration advantages
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Native HTML support
JavaScript and other standard web technologies
Easy UI customization
Better decomposition of common elements which can be used
across multiple applications
Easily extensible environment through plugins

41. Migration – what NOT to expect?
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It is more of a conversion than migration!
We don’t emulate Oracle Forms, we convert them to a web app:
UI of forms and reports will look & feel different (better )
Specific functions will work differently
Navigation
App structure
Communication with the end-user, keyboard shortcuts, etc.
Migration / conversion will not be magical and automatic
It’s not simple (but none of the things worthwhile are)

42. Migration – what to expect?
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Regular company project – takes time & resources
Building web application which uses as much as possible of the „old”
business logic

43. APEX vs Forms/Reports (v. 10, v. 11)
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Area Forms APEX
Architecture Metadata stored in „.fmx”
files
Metadata stored in db
tables
Programming language PL/SQL on both client and
server
PL/SQL on serverside
Database connection Fixed Dynamic
UI programming Java (client, browser) HTML, JS, CSS (browser)
Application modules Windows/Canvas/Block Pages/Regions
Client control Triggers JavaScript
Charts BI Beans HTML, JavaScript, Flash

44. How to carry out a conversion project?
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45. Oracle APEX Forms Converter
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Tool to manage the conversion process
Time & task management
Forms component overview
Automatic conversion of basic components
Pages, forms, reports (single, master-detail, editable)
Automatic conversion will not happen for
The whole application
Forms UI
Forms-specific components (Trigger, Program Unit, libraries itp.)

46. APEX – conversion project creation
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Creation of „Forms Migration” project in Migrations section
Upload of previously created XML and PLD files (those files will be created by Forms
Converter tool)

47. Sample schedule of conversion project
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Process / Progress [%] 10 50 100
Application deployment
Validation, processes, etc.
Adding JS/AJAX
Additional forms
UI design
APEX app creation
Component selection
Forms sources conversion

48. Oracle Apex - summary
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Rapid development of web-
enabled database driven apps
Advanced web charting
and reporting
Mobile ready UI designEasy team-work & cooperation
Full control of data and
visualisation

49. Oracle Apex - summary
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Cons
– Oracle standard
– Debugging (should be better
in Apex 5.0)
Pros
+ Web 2.0 out of the box
+ Scalability
+ Security
+ Rapid development and
deployment
+ Low TCO
+ Technical & community
support
+ Oracle standard

50. THANK YOU!
Przemysław Staniszewski
pstaniszewski@pretius.com
https://twitter.com/pstaniszewski
50
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