Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Valdosta State Endorses Low Code Solutions
UC Berkeley's Journey to APEX
What technology did it replace?
Was there an “Aha!” moment at some point with the staff and user base?
If you could add a feature to the next Oracle APEX release, what would that be?
What role do you see Oracle APEX playing in the future at UC Berkeley?
Where do you go when you have APEX questions?
Thanks, Teal. Call anytime.
...our journey continues
Thursday, January 12, 2023
The Dichotomy of Oracle Forms and APEX
We live in a dichotomic world. It's always Heads or Tails? Left or Right? In or Out? So, isn't it refreshing to know that when it comes to Oracle Forms and Oracle APEX, the proper choice may just be....both.
I'm reminded of a presentation Insum's own, Francis Mignault, delivered a few years back at KScope. The session was titled "Oracle Forms and Oracle APEX - The Odd Couple". In it he did a great job laying out the entire gambit of options a Forms customer has. Everything from simply maintaining the status quo and continuing to support your on-premise Forms, to moving things to the Oracle Cloud, to extending Oracle Forms with APEX and finally rewriting everything in APEX thereby eliminating Forms completely. Today, I'm focused on the co-existence of Oracle Forms and APEX and why this odd couple, may not be so odd after all.
Here are three scenarios in which extending Forms with APEX makes great sense.
Upgrading the Presentation Layer
A common pain point of Forms is the look and feel. You could even say Forms has a face for radio. Now that's fine for internal back office applications but for customer facing apps, expectations have never been higher. Users are demanding the same bells and whistles they enjoy on other websites.
Providing Mobility
A few years ago, the talk was "Mobile First" meaning applications should be developed with mobile functionality "top of mind". Although that talk has cooled a bit, if a mobile experience is needed say for field operations, Forms layouts will be too rigid and inflexible. A responsive layout using APEX is the answer.
Scratch, Dinero, Moolah
I'm always going to encourage customers to stay current and to stay within vendor support. The reality is sometimes companies decide against it for economic reasons. For example, upgrading to Forms 12c requires WebLogic Server. The increase in cost is significant. These companies are using APEX to deliver new functionality.
So there's no reason for Felix to kick Oscar out. Clearly they're better together. The same could be said for a different odd couple - Oracle Forms and Oracle APEX. They, too, are better together.
I'd encourage checking out Francis' original presentation here.
...our journey continues
Monday, November 21, 2022
OCW Redux
I think this was number twelve for me. Hard to believe, really. But in a lot of ways, it's one of the most memorable because of the change in venue.
The other eleven San Francisco ones seem to run together in my mind. Prior to the move to Vegas, we had OOW on auto-pilot. For 2022, all bets were off.
Well, for those unable to attend you missed a lot. Was it perfect? I wouldn't say that. But GAWD, it was great to get back to normal.
APEX is in. For Insum, the sun rises and sets with APEX. So, you can imagine how we felt to have Uncle Larry include APEX in his keynote, "Solving the Most Complex Problems Across Industries".
APEX MEET-UP One of the the things most missed regarding OpenWorld was the pilgrimage to Johnny Foley's Irish House. The APEX Dev Team and all the fan boys and fan girls would descend there on the Tuesday night for dueling pianos. Great times. Unforgettable times.
We wanted to continue that tradition so Tuesday night we stormed the nearby Yardhouse for fun and fellowship. The APEX Dev Team was well represented as well as others of us dependent on APEX to keep the lights burning. I got to say, Joel Kallman was severely missed but we soldier on and look to complete the work and the evangelism he started.
NAVIGATION The biggest negative issue I had was simply getting my bearings. The highways and byways of the Venetian meander a bit. While by the end of the week I pretty much had it down, the first day or two I travelled via the struggle bus. A word of advice. Pay the difference and stay as close as you can to the Conference Center. I ponied up and stayed at the Palazzo, but the rest of my team stayed at the Linq. Nothing at all wrong with the accommodations at the Linq, but trust me your feet will thank you.
ATTENDANCE We'll never know the actual attendance. Even if a figure was provided, it would be met with extreme skepticism. I know how that game is played. One glaring thing I noticed was the exhibit hall aisles were as wide as the 405 but not near as busy. Food was surprisingly good. Much, much better than the Moscone sammich of past years.
You may have noticed I didn't review many sessions in the post. That's because in my current role I attend OCW to explore business opportunities and have as many B2B, B2C and B2O (Business to Oracle) conversations as I can.
So, should you plan on attending next year?
Hells, yeah. Vegas has inked a long term agreement with Oracle to keep the
conference right where it is. I expect
attendance to slowly climb back to pre-pandemic levels.
...our journey continues
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Thoughts on the Oracle ACE Program
Truth is, while I really appreciated the recognition, I had a serious case of survivors guilt. Why me when there are thousands of qualified Oracle professionals more deserving?? I mentioned it to Deborah Lilly and she said something that has stuck with me ever since. She said "It's not what you know, it's what you share"
In ten words or less she made me feel deserving. She made me feel like I belonged.
Did Groucho Get it Right??
We've all heard the famous quote from Groucho Marx."I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member"
Groucho Marx
Funny enough, I found a notable Oracle personality who had this to say about the ACE program.
"By and large, they tend to be people with low self-esteem who can be easily flattered into promoting Oracle for free. These ACE Directors are sometimes "legends in own minds" and they are the perfect fodder for this unpaid army of Oracle evangelists."
Really?? I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Since I'm entitled to one too, let me say I couldn't disagree more with that assessment of Oracle ACEs. That doesn't describe me, I assure you. Trust the amount of Oracle gear, free meals, etc. is nowhere near worth us prostituting ourselves as was contended. We do it because we've bought into the sense of community. We view it as a way to "pay it forward".
Yea, we all have different personalities. We all have different Oracle skillsets. Some of us are more introverted...more extroverted. But the resulting nerd gumbo is really something to behold. I've found the ACE community to be welcoming and I look forward to the social times Jennifer and Lori carve out for us at the various conferences.
What's It All Mean Really?
I guess it means different things to different people. Anyone who tells you they don't care about recognition isn't, in my opinion, being entirely honest. Recognition taps into basic human emotions. Some crave it more than others, but we all need it at some level.Receiving Your Oracle ACE Should Be The Beginning
It's always been my understanding that the "Oracle ACE is recognition for past deeds and accomplishments, while Oracle ACE Director is recognition for what you will do in the future." I want to challenge that. Receiving your Oracle ACE should in no way be viewed as reaching any mountaintop. Even if you don't strive for Oracle ACE Director, you should continue to do those things that brought you the ACE in the first place.I will close by encouraging those who aspire to be part of the ACE program to not be dissuaded. Always remember... it's not what you know, it's what you share.
...our journey continues
Friday, November 3, 2017
What Color is YOUR Tractor?
To which I responded..."it's how well you mow fast"
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Thoughts around the ODTUG Board Election
During my own time on the ODTUG Board I resisted endorsing others. In private I would voice my opinion, but publicly, not so much. Now that I'm no longer on the Board, I'd like to speak on behalf of two individuals in particular. Peter Koutroubis and Eric Helmer. Why am I singling out these two when I'm friends with everyone in the field? Simple. They came and asked me. I could've declined, but I do think they each have what it takes to serve with distinction. It was an easy decision for me to endorse.
I've known Peter for a few years now. We share a close friendship. He's been very giving of his time to help me professionally and for that I'm grateful. Looking at his background I expect certain things if he were elected. You see, Peter served in the U.S. military. If elected, I expect the ODTUG trains to run on time. I expect order and organization. I expect he'd be one on the Board that you could assign a task to, then forget about it...knowing that he'll take care of it. A lot of time spent on the Board is in the area of planning and I feel that's a place he'll excel. I get a sense, too, that KScope is the highlight of his year where you actually come in contact with the membership. Like me, Peter's positively a people person. (say that three times fast)
Eric has run for the Board on a few occasions now, but I think this year may be his time. A big reason is that ODTUG's EPM membership numbers continue to grow. Since one must be a paid member to vote, he's been behind the eight ball in past elections. This year his chances are better than ever. Please take a minute to visit http://www.Eric4ODTUG.com You can see he's put a ton of effort into the site. If he brings this much effort and focus to the Board, he'll make a helluva Director. In talking with Eric, he made it clear to me that he intends to represent the entire membership not just the EPM/BI communities. That's music to my ears.
In closing, I'd like to thank all those in the running for continuing to support our fantastic organization. To Peter and Eric, best of luck to you both. I'm happy to call you my friends and extremely proud to pledge my support.
...our journey continues