Migrate forms10g to APEX or ADF

Hi, i have 350 forms running on forms10g with applicattion server 10g. Now, i want to migrate to APEX or ADF. Wich one is it better ?. There is some tool or software to do it easy or have to use forms2xml tool
Regards.

There is no silver bullet or any tool that converts your Forms in a few mouse clicks. There are some tools that might help, like the builtin Forms2APEX converter or JHeadstart for ADF. Third parties also offer tools, like PITSS.
And which one is "better", APEX or ADF? Did you ask the same question on the ADF Forum ;-) ?
In fact both tools are good, it just depends what your requirements are and what expertise you have (or will get). If you have a bunch of Java people, ADF might be a good choice from the expertise perspective, if you don't know anything about Java - and want to keep it that way - ADF is probably not a good pick, and APEX is closer to your heart.
So the only valid / right answer you've already seen : " It depends..."

Similar Messages

APEX or ADF?

I am a little bit confused by Oracle. In the APEX homepage, there is a link called "Oracle Application Express for Oracle Forms Developers". Does Oracle recommends our Oracle Forms developer to move to JDeveloper/ADF (plus JHeadstart?) or Application Express? I am wondering if Oracle will make the Application Express to include a library of AJAX capabilities that we can call by using Javascript or PL/SQL API's.

HI,
By me depends from:
1- Usability. (interactivity / ajax stuff / old client server stuff).
2- Maintance.
3- Graphic design.
4- Reusability.
5- Rad approach.
6- New Know-how.
Currently studying ADF and using apex since quite an year.
From a first look adf seems better in point 1-2-3-4, since the layout layer and logic / db layer is more separated.
The user interface appear more easy to manage (GUI / CSS as well).
In APEX you have simply to find your approach (you have as well with J-developer such it has a lot of different technology you can use, but if you use only ADF).
I tend to move complex code to DB (procedure, function, trigger, function returning par query) and leave simple query in apex.
However apex remain a good choice if you have clear project requirements and your app has not particular usability / GUI requirements (it's good if you can use a standard template).
PL / SQL synthax is embedded in apex itself so this made very RAD.
A lot of other usefull features are built-in.
For sure ADF need more study than apex for a developer used to PL/SQL and Forms.
So it need as well more know-how investment.
Apex lacks in GUI by me: i found template writing feature very undocumented and here an in depth tutorial there would be great help.This is way under my opinion there's non one sharing his template (they are a difficult feature to menage if you are more used to PL/SQL stuff than WEB programming).
However under my opinion is quite difficult to choose w/o practice on them(apex / adf).
I would choose apex for little project with production time of maximum 1/2 months (quite complex stuff - Tables < 30).
I would choose Adf if the project is bigger than above.
If using apex, keep particular attention to what user expect from interface if they move from a client / server interface (access / VB6 / Forms) and you have to migrate an existing application.
bye
Message was edited by:
Marcello Nocito

Problem with Migration Forms to Apex ...

Hello !!
I discovered Apex a few days ago, so I began with the Oracle tutorials, where I found the conversion from Forms to Apex : "Converting Your Oracle Forms Applications to Application Express 3.2".
I tried to do the same, with a Unix server and my laptop with Windows.
I downloaded the Forms which where on my Unix server on my laptop, and then converted them with frmf2xml.bat.
Then I created a project and uploaded only one Forms Module (_fmb.XML). After upload, the Percent Complete column is lower than 100%.
My problem is at the following step : "Generating Your Application Express Application".
When I click on "Create Application", select "Based on Migration Project" and then on "Next", I have one of the following errors :
- 1 error has occurred * The project, "Test Gestuser" does not contain any Blocks associated with database objects.
- 1 error has occurred * Database schema PROCIE does not contain the associated database objects for the project, login. Ensure the database schema associated with the project contains the database objects associated with the uploaded Forms Module .XML file(s)
I really don't understand these two errors, having yet checked all the possible error sources, user, schema, ... ?:|
I have probably forgotten to give some informations, so ask them ;)
Thanks for your help,
Pierre C.
Edited by: Pierre C. on 19 juin 2009 17:22

I found the problem(s) ... but now I have another one !!
The problems are with the Forms : I opened them with Forms Builder and created a new Block with the assistant. Then I compared this block with another "normal" block : they haven't the same properties.
My block has an associated canvas and database source, whereas the other "normal" blocks haven't.
Where does the error come from ??
Is there something to do with Forms Builder ?
On my Unix server before downloading the forms ?
Another thing to do ??
Thanks,
Pierre C.

Migrating theme from Apex 3.1 to html db 2.0

Hi,
I wanted to know is it possible to migrate a apex 3.1 theme to html db 2.0? i have an export file of theme in apex 3.1 which i wanted to import it in html db but its giving an error of not compatiblity.
Please help.....

Just want to report back that I found an answer to this, it is enough to import this string:
INTERFACE:IF-hostname/17 MANAGED_STATE:MANAGED (or EXPLICITLY_UNMANAGED).
So what i did was use Notepad++ and regexp to filter out the needed data:
Search for: ^.+(INTERFACE.+$)
Replace with: \1
and then another replace for ";" with nothing.
Then I ended up with:
INTERFACE:IF-hostname/17 MANAGED_STATE:EXPLICITLY_UNMANAGED
which could be imported with the mentioned scripts in my original post.

Migrating existing Menu Bar to ADF 11g

I have the top nav bar for my existing application made with javascript..The menu flows on mouseover..We later started adding ADF 11g screens to the application.. and in every screen i include the javascript Top Nav bar. Please suggest how i can develop/ migrate the Menu bar to 11g so that i can make use of templates..
Thanks in advance

Hi,
what do you mean by "migrate"? I thought you already added ADF Faces screens
Frank

Migrating form to apex....

i have migrated a form.
after migrated i gone to create application section based on migration then
i click next 'button' it show below error.
1 error has occurred
Database schema EFREIGHT does not contain the associated database objects for the project, NOT. Ensure the database schema associated with the project contains the database objects associated with the uploaded Forms Module .XML file(s).
Actually,
In that form(which i have migrate) contain two blocks 'nature_of_trans' and 'button block'
i have created the above form as user 'scott'.
my table name is 'scott.nature_of_trans'
Now im working in apex as user 'EFREIGHT'
i have create table nature_of_trans in apex
and try to create application but it shows the above error again.
In my mind the 'scott' is creating that error...
pls help how to resolve this?

Does the APEX 4.0 Development Environment work fine for you? If yes, I suspect that the "Image Prefix" for the imported application is wrong.
After you have picked the application, click the "Edit Application Properties" button and check the value in "Image Prefix".
Have you installed APEX 4.0 to use a different /i/ alias to separate it from your existing installation? When you are in the APEX Builder just view the HTML code on any page (something like View Source in the Browser menu) and search for
<script src="/i/javascript/apex_4_0.js" type="text/javascript"></script>and verify what is used for /i/. The same value has to be used in your application as well.
Regards
Patrick
My Blog: http://www.inside-oracle-apex.com
APEX 4.0 Plug-Ins: http://apex.oracle.com/plugins

When to use APEX vs ADF?

Experts:
What are some example projects you've faced, where you've had to pick between ADF and APEX?
I'm wondering if you can list some factors, business rules, or senarios of when to use APEX vs. when to scale up to ADF.
Some factors that come to my mind:
1. Insane business rules, with cleaner Java implementations vs PL/SQL.
2. Many data sources, not all Oracle.
3. Huge concurrent user base, where you need to really optimize caching strategies. Stuffing data in session variables isn't always practical.
4. ?Others?
I'm not especially good at PL/SQL or Java, but I do use both from time to time.
Dan

Thanks Chet,
we do a lot of J2EE development, but increasingly we find that is overkill for certain clients and/or situations. And the costs of J2EE for, shall we say, smaller organisations isn't always sustainable for, shall we say, 2nd-tier business systems (i.e. fewer users, not mission-critical etc).
So any technology that provides industrial strength with a browser front-end and speed of development is immediately attractive. we've built a number of small applications in APEX (for situations with 10-20 users only), but we haven't had time to benchmark scalability. I'm looking at moving APEX up the food chain as a solution for our clients, perhaps scaling to the several hundred users in an intranet context, and/or several thousands in an internet context.
I may get our benchmarking team to do some performance and load testing to see how well it does, but I'm thinking that the scaling factors will relate to the database (which scales very well) and the HTTP server (which scales very well).
Thanks for your help on this.
Andrew

Any example customer has migrated from Oralce Forms to ADF?

Any benchmark or how many customers have done the migration from Forms to ADF？
Btw, is all kind of Froms convertible by Froms2ADF tools ?
thanks for any suggestion.

Here is my view on this:
In general, people tend to underestimate the effort involved in migrating from Forms to ADF.
Migration tools like the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator can be of help, but are by no means a silver bullet.
When does JHeadstart save time
The amount of work that can be saved by using the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator (JFG) very much depends on the structure of the Oracle Forms application at hand. The JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator provides most savings for forms that have the following characteristics:
- Standard-Forms data retrieval and data manipulation through blocks based on database tables, with master-detail relations defined between the block
- Complex user interface, many (stacked) canvasses, many tabs, many list of values, and other display types
- PL/SQL logic mostly limited to user interface dynamics: conditionally showing/hiding user interface items, and conditionally changing the properties of user interface items. While JHeadstart does not convert PL/SQL logic, this type of logic is easily implemented in the ADF application because JHeadstart provides many declarative property settings to implement this behavior.
PL.SQL Logic
JHeadstart has made the deliberate choice to not automatically convert the PL/SQL logic to Java. The reasons for this are:
- It is impossible to automate the migration of a two-tier architecture (logic in Forms or in the database) to a three tier Model-View-Controller architecture as is common in JEE web applications, including ADF-based applications.
- The architecture of the converted application should be identical to the best-practice architecture of an ADF application that is build from scratch. If the architecture is the same, the same skill set can be used to maintain both migrated applications and ADF applications build from scratch. In addition, by going for a best practice architecture, the application is more flexible, and can be maintained easier at lower cost.
- When using the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator, you get this best-practice ADF architecture that is identical to ADF/JHeadstart applications that are built from scratch.
Other Forms2ADF Considerations
Even if it turns out the JFG adds value, there are many other questions the customer should ask himself before embarking on a Foms2ADF project. For example:
- Apart from technical reasons like old Forms verisions no longer supported, are there real business reasons and business benefits for migrating that justify the migration effort?
- To what extent is the application still meeting functional requirements?
- Are there issues with stability and end user friendliness?
- Old forms applications are typical "window-on-data" screens, you see the structure of the datamodel through the layout of the screens. Modern web 2.0 composite applications are more task-oriented with good support for human workflow. The customer should consider to what extent it wants to leverage all these new user interfaces capabilities that come with ADF Faces and WebCenter.
- How does the application fits in the overall IT landscape of the customer? What interfaces to other systems exist, what (old/obsolete?) technology is used to implement those interfaces?
- What about batch functionality and reporting facilities?
- May be part of the functionality of the current system can be replaced with standard off-the-shelf software?
- How sound, well structured and future proof is the underlying datamodel?
- To what extent is the customer looking at service-orientated architectures? Whats the SOA maturity level of the customer?
- Above questions help to answer the key question: how desirable and beneficial is it to migrate an old monolitic forms application 1:1 to a monolitic ADF aplication? How does that fit in overall IT strategy?
- Organisational isues: who will migrate the system, who will maintain the system? Is outsourcing considered? etc.
Some customer experiences
Over the years I have been involved with a number of customers that migrated from Forms to ADF. With some of these customers we used the Forms2ADF Generator in the proof-of-concept phase to convince them of the combined power of ADF and JHeadstart. However, with NONE of these customers we used the Forms2ADF Generatpr during actual migration, for various reasons as listed above. All customers eventually chose to truly re-engineer the application while rebuilding in ADF achieving signifcant new business benefits that justified the investment. A choice recommended and encouraged by me, despite the fact I am the creator of the JFG. Note that ALL customers use JHeadstart heavily forbuilding the re-engineered ADF application, they just don't use the Forms2ADF generator, but the JHeadstart Application generator to create the ADF app from scratch.
Other resources
You also might want to take a look at the following presentations:
- http://www.slideshare.net/stevendavelaar/forms2-adfsoa-ukoug
- http://www.slideshare.net/stevendavelaar/jhs11-forms2-adfukoug
- http://www.slideshare.net/oracle_imc_team/oracle-forms-modernization-strategies
- http://www.slideshare.net/lucasjellema/forms-2-future-the-ongoing-journey-into-the-future-for-oracle-based-organizations
Hope this helps,
Steven Davelaar,
JHeadstart Team

Invalid object error while migrating oracle forms 6i to APEX

Hi,
I have a form name abc.fmb and I did converted to xml and imported using application migration in APEX
With these I have nine PL/SQL libraries (PLL). converted it to PLD using rwconvertor and imported in APEX. Also, I have 4 tables i.e data base block in forms.
Now, when i m migrating forms to APEX it is giving an error message saying invalid objects and shows the table name and column name. But the column name that it shows is a text box in the form that is also a database item ...
eg:- addr is the block name in forms
item name dsp_name
error: invalid object
Please suggest.
Thanks,
AP.

Hi AP
i would suggest this...
Oracle Application Express (APEX)
Regards,
Abdetu...

Advice for ADF migration.

Hi ,
We have an internal application made in forms/reports. As now Oracle's strategic product for future developement is ADF. So we are planning to migrate the same internal application on ADF. We have 2 options :
1.We should use Jheadstart to migrate to ADF but then we also have to re-write all the functionality of PL/SQL ?? OR
2. We should start developing the application from scratch in ADF?? Or
Please advice.
Thanks.

Noman,
Few comments:
- if they build from scratch they still have to re-implement the functionality currently implemented using PL/SQL logic in Forms.
- if they don't use the JHeadstart Forms2ADF generator they still can use JHeadstart with ADF to build the app from scratch. Actually, most existing customers are using JHeadstart that way.
There is no easy answer for which option to choose. This depends on many factors, for example the structure of the forms app. I quote from the JHeadstart Developers guide:
The amount of work that can be saved by using the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator very much depends on the structure of the Oracle Forms application at hand. The JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator provides most savings for forms that have the following characteristics:
+· Complex user interface, many (stacked) canvasses, many tabs, many list of values, and other display types+
+· Standard-Forms data retrieval and data manipulation through blocks based on database tables, with master-detail relations defined between the block+
+· PL/SQL logic mostly limited to user interface dynamics: conditionally showing/hiding user interface items, and conditionally changing the properties of user interface items. While JHeadstart does not convert PL/SQL logic, this type of logic is easily implemented in the ADF application because JHeadstart provides many declarative property settings to implement this behavior.+
JHeadstart has made the deliberate choice to not automatically convert the PL/SQL logic to Java. The reasons for this are:
+· It is impossible to automate the migration of a two-tier architecture (logic in Forms or in the database) to a three tier Model-View-Controller architecture as is common in JEE web applications, including ADF-based applications.+
+· The architecture of the converted application should be identical to the best-practice architecture of an ADF application that is build from scratch. If the architecture is the same, the same skill set can be used to maintain both migrated applications and ADF applications build from scratch. In addition, by going for a best practice architecture, the application is more flexible, and can be maintained easier at lower cost.+
+· When using the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator, you get this best-practice ADF architecture that is identical to ADF/JHeadstart applications that are built from scratch.+
Note: Other Forms2ADF conversion tools currently available have taken a different approach. They focus on automating the conversion of PL/SQL to Java. The architecture of such a converted application is different from a best-practice JEE/ADF web application. The architecture is more Forms-like, sometimes even including typical forms constructs like “GO_BLOCK” in the converted Java source code. The user interface produced by these migration tools is often a Java applet. If your primary intent is to move away from Oracle Forms, and you are less concerned about the structure and architecture of the target Java application, then these other conversion tools might be a valid choice. However, if you want to migrate to a best-practice ADF architecture, then the JHeadstart Forms2ADF Generator is the best choice.
We offer this Forms2ADF Transformation Assessment Service:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/jheadstart/OracleForms2ADFAssessment.pdf
which helps the customer making the right choices and provides insight in total migration effort.
Steven Davelaar,
JHeadstart Team.

Can Oracle Application Express (APEX) be integrated with ADF applications?

Hi All,
Oracle Application Express (APEX) works on various supported databases. Can this tool be integrated with ADF for report publishing, in adf some of my result is coming from Business Components , so can these things be related to each other?
Please provide a suitable forum to ask this question if this question doesn't fir in ambit of this forum.
Thanks in advance.

There are a couple of things you can do - a lot depends on what your application needs. Since you ask this in the JDeveloper forum, I'm going to address getting to ApEx from ADF, not to ADF from ApEx - but some of the same possibilities apply.
Easiest thing to do is to jump into the ApEx application with a af:goLink or af:goCommand referencing the needed page's URL. By setting the target, you can control whether it opens in a new window or the same window. I'm not currently using ApEx, but I have a few reports written as PL/SQL Server Pages that I call exactly this way.
You can also open the ApEx pages in an af:inlineFrame - and it will look like it is inside your ADF application - but use inline frames with a little caution - they don't work perfectly in all browsers, notably Mobile Safari.
ApEx can't look inside your ADF BC objects, but of course, if your two applications are using the same database, you can communicate between them within the database. One possibility to look at is Advanced Queuing.
Some ApEx functionality can be executed by executing the underlying PL/SQL procedures - do a search in this forum for how to call PL/SQL from an ADF BC Application Module.

Forms system potential migration questions.

We have a forms and reports based system built in 10g.
We are considering migrating to 11g forms and reports but long term moving to ADF or APEX.
We are generally a data entry system run on intranet so my prefernence has always been APEX but management are trying to follow the Oracle roadmap which is pushing ADF.
We are a small outfit so the solution we choose will probably be the one which offers the quickest development times.
I have signed up for apex.oracle.com to have a play but seems to be taking forever to get approval!
A few questions re APEX (apologies if these are really simple)
1) How is user access controlled. Currently all our users login via one SYSDBA user. Our current system has a logon box which then allows access to the screens they can amend. I assume APEX uses the DB user access rights?
2) How easy is it to deploy fixes etc? We have upwards of 200 customer sites. We currently distribute fmx an RDF files on a monthly basis.
3) Can you use key strokes? Many customers like the F Keys to be used as quick keys? i.e. in forms F10 can be save, F3 can be clear etc
4) Can we use our existing database? Although this is many years old and all the correct constraints may not be in place (ie. a few FK/indexes may be missing - but we could try and tidy up pre migration) would it be possible to use this. We are consdiering rewriting the database but most customers will want to bring through their old data and have custom reports built on these so would struggle to rewrite)
5) How is inheritance handled? In our forms environment all our items are inherited from one point so if we change that one point it follows through the system
6) I have seen online demo were by people are creating mini databases from spreadsheets. Can it be setup so the users can create things like this without affecting other areas of the system?
7) Any pros/Cons when comparing to ADF
8) Any people any fedback from migrating from Forms
Any feedback at all is greatfully recieved.
Im looking forward to the online demo.

Sure Oracle pushes ADF, because it has cost them $$$$$$ and they want to get that back. Apex is part of the database, and as such you already have a license for it. No need for a Weblogic or OAS license.
seems to be taking forever to get approval!Went pretty fast for me a few years ago. 1-2 days if I remember correctly.
1) There are pre-built authentication methods, but you can also create your own method (which most people do).
I assume APEX uses the DB user access rights?As in most web applications, there is only one user that actually accesses the database. And I would never ever make that a SYSDBA user!
Other users may log in via username/password that can be stored in Apex tables or your own tables. They can also be actual database users. However, since they do not connect to the database, their roles are irrelevant. You may use these roles to check authorization in your application, though.
2) Apex exports applications in a sql file, so you can deploy applications via sqlplus (or via the Apex administrator page).
3) The keys are actually browser keys, so you are very limited. You can use some Javascript, but forget about something like F7-F8 combination. It doesn't matter what technology you use, web is different from client/server (or the Forms Java applet). You have to rethink GUI concepts coming from Forms and going to browser applications.
4) Yes. But like Forms, good database design makes thinks easier (like using wizards).
5) There are all kinds of places where you can set defaults, templates etc.
6) Yes.
7) Google for discussions on ADF vs Apex.
8) We use it side by side. No plans to recreate Forms as an Apex application.
Depending on the size of your Forms app, it may take a long time to re-create it in Apex. There are some Forms migration tools in Apex, but I wouldn't use those. They cannot migrate the Forms code anyway, since a browser doesn't understand pl/sql code. As said, you really have to rethink your GUI when moving to a web app.

Is APEX the tool for a lightweight browser based query only front end?

I'm tasked with prototyping a lightweight browser based front end to display consolidated customer information. It needs to be callable from half a dozen disparate and mostly non-Oracle applications, each passing in a customer id parameter. In my mind I've already marked-down the only front-end tool I have experience of - Forms10g as being too resource intensive to be continually started up and closed down (plus the initial potential JVM download to locked-down PC's). That leaves me with a couple of options (as far as I can see) - APEX or ADF Faces. I'm slightly worried about the steep learning curve for a J2EE environment plus the possible compatibility issues with ie 5.5 ( I know, I know ). And finally, my question - I've got a good feeling about it but does APEX seem like a good fit for this sort of task?

It needs to be callable from half a dozen disparate and mostly non-Oracle applications, each passing in a customer id parameter. Chris - They want to be able to hit a button in these other applications and see a browser window pop-up (quickly!), view the customer details (composite picture sourced from a data warehouse) then close the browser window and go back to their app. Needs to be lightweight for speed so APEX seemed a good idea.
Denes - Thanks. I'm thinking that the users will regularly open this browser session from their app then close the APEX window to return - probably time and time again. Did you find that establishing a connection and getting the page up made it slow. Is there something I should concentrate on to make sure that aspect performs?

APEX Fully Supported?

We're considering converting our existing 10g Forms/Reports based apps to APEX, and I'm curious if we'll be fully supported by Oracle once we begin the migration? In other words, if we open an SR, will they work with us in providing the support necessary to get us over any obstacles we may encounter? Thanks

Thanks for your links.
I have about 4000 fmb and 1500 rdf, (oracle forms and Reports) I am considering to migrate our application in Apex, after I installed forms 11G, very poor good news than 10g and an huge work installing fusion middleware (Bea agains OC4J) in a develop machine (not production)
from only 2 two days I am reading Apex doc and sample, I see a lot of info and many users exist for Apex.
I hope to make the right choice, but I think is required. investment in Oracle Forms / Reports is always lower, and would have considerable time to migrate all in Jave or ADF.
I, however, glad to hear your views on my idea (in migration from Oracle Forms PEX), you working there for a long time and most of all by you Mr Scott Spendolini.
Thanks you all

APEX Listener on Weblogic licensing - SE or EE

Does the APEX listener on Weblogic use any Weblogic Enterprise Edition features like clustering or is Weblogic Standard Edition good enough? I'm assuming you would need to license Welogic for the APEX listener right?
Also do we have any sizing guidelines for APEX listener on Weblogic. The real question is if the APEX application we have met our SLA's on a 1 CPU box, without the APEX listener, after migrating to Weblogic - APEX Listener, would we be needing more, less or the same CPU capacity.

Hello,
the APEX Listener itself is stateless, so you can cluster it easily if you want or have to.
APEX Listener is licensed with APEX, not with WLS. You can use a variety of J2EE containers that meet the requirements. In addition to WLS, Oracle supports the use of OC4J (either part of OAS or standalone) and GlassFish. In fact, the APEX Listener ships with an embedded version of GlassFish.
Despite the support aspect, there are people who successfully run the Listener on the GlassFish's Open Source Edition or Apache Tomcat.
Concerning your SLAs: The Listener will do something for you, so of course it will need the CPU. How much load it will generate depends on your usage scenario. Your post sounds like you already use APEX with a different web server than the Listener. If that guess is right, it would be helpful to know which web server you use now and how much CPU time it consumes.
-Udo

Migrate forms10g to APEX or ADF

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