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Oracle Application Express
Rapid Application Development Tool
Introduction (APEX)
Rapid Application Development Tool
Video
© 2009 Oracle Corporation – Proprietary
Oracle Application Express (APEX)
Database-centric Web application development tool
• Unique Rapid Application Development
(RAD) tool for the Oracle Database
• Browser based for Development, Deployment
& Runtime
• Declaratively build professional Web 2.0
applications that are fast and secure
• Leverages full Oracle database capabilities
and existing SQL & PL/SQL skills
Easy - Rapid - Empowering
© 2009 Oracle Corporation – Proprietary
Targets the Rapid Application
Development Community
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Application Express Use Cases
Data-driven Applications Oracle Forms
Develop opportunistic and departmental Modernization
productivity applications Leverage SQL & PL/SQL declarative
programming skills to move Forms
applications to HTML / Web 2.0
Online Reporting
Build SQL-based reporting
applications on existing
database schemas
Spreadsheet Web-ification Access Replacement
Consolidate outgrown Access applications
Convert spreadsheets to Web applications
to the Oracle database with an APEX Web
where they can be concurrently viewed and
front end
edited
© 2009 Oracle Corporation – Proprietary
APEX Rapid Application Development
Design Develop
Deploy
Out of the Box Development Features
Reports Validations Translation
Services
Forms Processes Conditional
Processing
Charts Computations Authentication
Calendar Branches Authorization
Templates Web Services Session State
Management
Navigation Email Services Logging &
Monitoring
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
History 2010Application Express 4.0
Websheets, Dynamic Actions,
Plug-Ins, RESTful Web
2009 Application Express 3.2
Forms Conversion
2008 Application Express 3.1
Interactive Reports, BLOB
2007 Application Express 3.0
Flash Charts, PDF Printing,
Access Application Migration
2006 Application Express 2.2
Packaged Applications
2006 Application Express 2.1
Oracle XE
2005 HTML DB 2.0
SQL Workshop
2004 HTML DB 1.6
Themes
2004 HTML DB 1.5
First Release
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
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Oracle Application Express
Architecture
Architectural Overview
• Integrated within the database 9iR2, 10g, 11g, XE
• Meta data driven
• Uses APEX Listener, Embedded Gateway or ModPLSQL
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Multi-Tenant SaaS
• Single Oracle Database for multiple applications
• Provides virtual private databases
• Self-service or IT managed provisioning
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Development / Deployment Options
• Locally
• Install on Stand-alone machine
• Multi-tenant Private Cloud
• Workspaces for each department
• Self-service provisioning model
• Public Cloud
• Hosting partners
• Amazon EC2
Develop & deploy where it is most convenient and cost effective
© 2010 Oracle Corporation
Building Integrated Applications
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle APEX Listener
• Java based
• Alternative to mod_plsql
• Certified against WebLogic,
Oracle Glassfish, and OC4J
• Extensible
• File system caching *
• FOP transformations to PDF *
• Improved file upload *
• Workload Capture *
* Requires APEX 4.0
© 2010 Oracle Corporation
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Oracle Application Express
Consolidation / Migrations / Conversions
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
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Forms to APEX Conversion
Drivers
• 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
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle APEX Forms Conversion Overview
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Track Conversion Progress
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
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Oracle Application Express
Security
Authentication
• Out-of-the-Box Pre-Configured Schemes
• LDAP Directory credentials
• Oracle Application Server Single-Sign On
• Open door credentials
• Application Express accounts
• Database Account credentials
• No Authentication
• Custom Authentication
• Customizable session management logic
• Use or modify (session verification function) built-in page sentry
• Develop custom sentry (examples provided)
• Credentials verification custom PL/SQL
• Accepts user name and password; Returns Boolean
• Only executed once per session
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
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Oracle Application Express
Integrated with SQL Developer
SQL Developer and Application Express
• Browse your Application Express
Applications
• Manage Applications
(Export / Import / Deploy / Drop)
• Modify Applications
• Monitor / Tune your Queries
• Remote Debugging
• Included APEX Reports
• Custom Exception Reports
Requires SQL Developer 1.2.1 +
and Application Express 3.0.1 +
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle SQL Developer
• Database Development IDE
• Popular
• Most downloaded Oracle tool
• 1.5m users
• #1 Oracle database development IDE
• Distribution (No Cost)
• With Database – All Editions
• OTN download
• Benefits
• Productivity
• Ease of use
Introduced March 2006
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Improving Developer Productivity
• Improving developer
productivity over each
phase of the database
application
development life cycle
• Improving developer
productivity with new
tools: SQL Developer,
and Application
Express
• Introducing database
data modeling
* SQL Developer Data Modeling
and SQL Developer Unit
Testing not yet released
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
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Oracle Application Express
Summary
Oracle APEX Roadmap
• APEX 3.1
• Introduced Interactive Reports
• Basis for Audit Vault Reporting
• APEX 3.2
• Forms Conversion Download
from OTN
• Enhanced Security features
• APEX 4.0
• Websheets
• Dynamic Actions
• Plug-Ins
• RESTful Web Services
• Improved Themes
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Application Express Momentum
• Developer community - 80k+ downloads / year
• apex.oracle.com – 4m page views / week
• Active Discussion Forum – 4.6 m views, #3 on OTN
• 100 Consulting companies, 60 BLOGs, 10 Hosting Partners
• User Groups: 30 @OOW-09, 50 @ODTUG, APEXposed
• User interface for Oracle Store and Oracle Audit Vault
© 2010 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Application Express Books
© 2010 Oracle Corporation
Community Focus
• Strong & Supportive Community
• Popular OTN Discussion Forum
• Consulting Companies
• Blogs, SIGs
• Commercial Applications
• Internet Applications
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Oracle Technology Network (OTN)
• Download latest Release • Hosted Environment
• Getting Started • Oracle By Examples
• Documentation & Tutorials • Community & Partners
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
Next Steps
Information:
http://otn.oracle.com/apex
Hosted Development:
http://apex.oracle.com
© 2009 Oracle Corporation
