Oracle Forms and SOA

Training Report
Project:
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Date:
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1
2

5
6

n/a
1.0
2007/12/20
Nuno Aguiar
n/a
Enabler Wipro

Changes History:
2007/12/20, 1.0, Final revision, Nuno Aguiar

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................1
First Part Roadmap for Oracle Forms ..........................................................................................................1
2.1
From the past to the future.................................................................................................................1
2.2
Support ............................................................................................................................................2
Second Part Upgrading to 10g ...................................................................................................................3
3.1
PITSS.CON .......................................................................................................................................3
3.2
SOA Generator ..................................................................................................................................3
Third Part Using Web Services in Forms and ADF .........................................................................................3
4.1
Using Web Services from Oracle Forms ................................................................................................3
4.2
ADF .................................................................................................................................................3
Brief conclusion note from Grant ..................................................................................................................3
References.................................................................................................................................................3

1 INTRODUCTION
The Oracle Forms and SOA seminar was delivered by Grant Ronald, Group Product
Manager in Oracle's Tools Division responsible for Oracle Forms and Oracle's Java tool
JDeveloper and ADF and by Peter Sechser, Vice President at PITSS.
On the first part, Grant focused on the future of Oracle Forms and support for legacy
applications.
On the second part, Peter was introduced to talk about the product PITSS.CON built by its
company and how it can help with Oracle Forms upgrade projects.
On the third part, Grant demo Forms working with Web Services and BPEL and made a
quick sample application in Oracle ADF.

2 FIRST PART ROADMAP FOR ORACLE FORMS

2.1

From the past to the future

The key message is that Oracle will continue the product Oracle Forms as a perfect
technological solution for specific needs. But, at the same time, will introduce and
integrate Forms with other technologies that are better suited for all the needs Forms isnt
great at.
With this said, Oracle Forms will see new versions (11g). In the past it was adapted to GUI
environments and to the Web. In the future it will adapt to SOA (integrating with the
Fusion Middleware Platform)
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Oracle Forms and SOA

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Oracle Forms and SOA

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For this Oracle Forms should:

consume Web Services

react to external services

expose forms business logic

Its already possible in 10g to access Web Services directly from Oracle Forms.

PL/SQL business logic should be exposed like Web Services. And Oracle Forms should
access logic through a Web Services like interface or using BPEL processes.
The idea is to refactor business logic code in a modular way so that it can be easily used as services
to Oracle Forms as well as to other technologies.

Forms will also be able to access services from E-Business suite, Siebel, PeopleSoft and
other Oracle applications easily and transparently as well as services from other vendors
like SAP.
Grant also highlighted that companies using older Oracle Forms versions should upgrade
to Web Forms (10g) and in the process they should already adapt their applications to be
closer to the SOA paradigm to ease transition to SOA.
Some key new features already in 11g to bring Forms to SOA:

Forms react to external events

BPEL integration

JavaScript API

2.2

JavaScript to raise forms event (when-custom-javascript-event)

Call JavaScript from forms (Web.Javascript_eval();)

Support

Why upgrade to 10g?

Oracle Forms 6i support ended in January 2005, extended support will end in
January 2008.

Oracle Forms 10g support will probably end in January 2010 with extend support
until 2013.
Grant mentioned that support for Oracle Forms in Windows Vista is in the works.

Training Report

Oracle Forms and SOA

Copyright 2007, Enabler. All rights reserved. Enabler Confidential Information
Access to this information and documentation is permitted only for use by Enabler Informtica, S.A. and its subsidiaries.
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Oracle Forms and SOA

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3 SECOND PART UPGRADING TO 10G
Upgrade projects have proven to be very costly (long) and complex due to dependencies
between Oracle objects. The Oracle Forms migration tool doesnt help too much in the
migration process especially from very old versions (like Oracle Forms version 3).

3.1

PITSS.CON

A tool to help with this problem was presented by Peter Sechser from PITSS. The tool is
called PITSS.CON and automates the process of analysing all the required objects from
any Oracle Forms application (since version 3) to be upgraded to an upper version. Then,
if chosen, the tool can perform all upgrade tasks that can be automated.
Peter also mentioned upgrading from 6i version as Oracle extended support for this version will end
in January 2008.

According to Peter in most projects 85% of the work can be automated and performed
automatically by PITSS.CON. And more difficult projects (mainly when there are too many
operating system dependencies) the automated work drops to 15% and in the worst case
to 5%. Still the complete dependencies analysis is always helpful.
In average, a migration project using PITSS.CON can be done in 10 days (2 weeks). Peter
showed numbers of applications up to 600 forms wide.
This tool can be used to partially automate and greatly aid the process of upgrading 6i and 9i forms
to 10g (or 11g next year).

3.2

SOA Generator

Peter also announced that PITSS is going to release a new tool on the first half of 2008
called SOA Generator.
This tool will use the PITSS.CON analysis features to help in preparing existing code to be
upgraded to SOA paradigm. It will try to determine blocks of business logic code that can
be modularized to Web Services. And, where possible, will also automate the upgrade
process.
PITSS.CON will also be made available to upgrade from any Oracle version (since version 3) to 11g
when its released.

Training Report

Oracle Forms and SOA

Copyright 2007, Enabler. All rights reserved. Enabler Confidential Information
Access to this information and documentation is permitted only for use by Enabler Informtica, S.A. and its subsidiaries.
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Oracle Forms and SOA

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4 THIRD PART USING WEB SERVICES IN FORMS AND ADF
4.1

Using Web Services from Oracle Forms

Grant made a quick demonstration in how its already possible today to use Web Services
directly from Oracle Forms applications.
The demonstration objective was to send a SMS to Grants mobile phone when an order
was completely submitted from an Oracle Forms application. For this, Grant used a public
Esendex Web Service that sends any text message to any mobile phone.
Using the Esendex WSDL (Web Service description), Grant generated a Java client using
the JDeveloper wizards. Then he packed the client into a JAR file and copied it to the
Oracle Forms library folder.
Then, in Oracle Forms, Grant used the Java Importer functionality in 10g to create a
PL/SQL interface to access the Java Web Service client. On an already written Oracle Form
for submitting orders, Grant showed us how easy it would be to call the PL/SQL interface
that would call the Web Service.
Grant said that he has a strong PL/SQL and Oracle Forms background as he was an Oracle Forms
developer in the past.

Finally Grant demo the Oracle Forms application accessing a BPEL process over the
Internet in UKs Oracle offices.

4.2

ADF
According to Grant, Oracle internally has 8000 developers currently using JDeveloper and ADF to
develop Oracle Fusion Applications.

Grant introduced ADF as an Oracle Framework to serve as a foundation for Java

applications without closing itself in one of the multiple standards that Java has.
This foundation provides Java developers not also most of the functionalities already
available in Oracle Forms but also beyond those. Like persistence managing and validation
at the ADF Business Components level; abstraction and data binding at the ADF Model
level; and application flow control at the ADF Controller level.
Grant also spent some time showing ADF JSF (ADF Java Server Faces) components and
revealed that ADF 11g will introduce ADF Faces Rich Client. ADF Faces Rich Client will
increase the functionality and possibilities when using web GUI interfaces to become
equally as powerful as rich client GUI interfaces. This will be achieved through a better use
of AJAX technology than the use in 10g.
Training Report

Oracle Forms and SOA

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In Grants ADF demo, he developed an application in JDeveloper to show and edit client
information and list client orders. He was careful in showing that didnt wrote a single line
of Java through the entire demo tough in background JDeveloper was generating and
modifying Java code as he went further.
He started drag-and-dropping tables to an ADF diagram and then proceeding in
automatically creating the corresponding ADF Business Components. While testing the ADF
BCs just created he changed some BC properties showing resemblances to Oracle Forms
programming and functionality. Then he proceed in designing the ADF Web Page Flow and
creating the corresponding web pages drag-and-dropping ADF Faces controls and binding
them to ADF Business Components properties and actions.
The audience mainly compose of pure Oracle Forms developers was initially sceptical for the amount
of time and resulting performance of developing applications in Java. On the end of the demo they
recognised that it was simpler to develop in ADF and that ADF features super pass Oracle Forms
features.

5 BRIEF CONCLUSION NOTE FROM GRANT

Grant has a blog (http://groundside.com/blog/GrantRonald.php) where he wrote about
this event:
Standing room only in Portugal for Forms/SOA
Today sees me in Portugal for a Forms and SOA event covering strategy, BPEL integration,
Forms upgrade and ADF. In a nice twist to the norm, with over 90 people registered, we
were expecting about 70 to turn up. What we had were 124 customers and partners which made for a very cosy and at times, warm, 3 hours.
But I think it was worth it. I took them through our strategy and then into the architecture
of a Forms application. I then demoed integrating Oracle Forms with a BPEL process and a
3rd party web service before finishing up with a run through of ADF.
This size of audience, and how keen they were, is not really a bit suprise. In the events I
have been running around Europe, it has been a similar story. It is also true to say its a
similar profile of audience:
Long term investment in Forms/Oracle. Looking at modernisation but not really wanting to
race into anything new. Also, slightly sceptical of what new technologies are like. Finally,
business these customers are in have a common theme: Government, Tax, Finance,
Banking. Huge organizations...and I think the "think big start small" is something that
resonates with them.
[]

Training Report

Oracle Forms and SOA

Copyright 2007, Enabler. All rights reserved. Enabler Confidential Information
Access to this information and documentation is permitted only for use by Enabler Informtica, S.A. and its subsidiaries.
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Oracle Forms and SOA

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6 REFERENCES
Grants blog:
http://groundside.com/blog/GrantRonald.php
PITSS:
http://www.pitss.com
Grants powerpoint presentations:
http://www.forms-upgrade.com/
Calling a Web Service from Oracle Application Server 10g Forms Services:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/obe_as_10g/deploy/callws_fromforms/forms_web
service.htm

Training Report

Oracle Forms and SOA

Copyright 2007, Enabler. All rights reserved. Enabler Confidential Information
Access to this information and documentation is permitted only for use by Enabler Informtica, S.A. and its subsidiaries.
This information may not be distributed to any other audience.

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