Initially the plan was to conduct a "Limited" Early Adopters (EA) for our new Forms Conversion Application Express 3.2. The intent was to have a small number of customers and work one-on-one with them to determine how well the tool performed.
We are not going to have this "Limited" Early Adopters now, but instead move straight to our normal Early Adopters that will be open to anyone and everyone. The main reason for this is we were close some weeks back to having a somewhat stable user interface for our new offering which we were looking to release. Then we basically ripped most of it apart and started rebuilding the majority of the screens. The end result is going to be a much better thought out design that will be easier to use and more productive.
We are still weeks away from getting all the screens put back together again and functioning the way we want. The majority of the development team is attending Oracle Openworld so there is another week before we can release the Early Adopters.
Once we get closer I will do another post.
To all those who sent me emails asking to be part of the "Limited" EA, I have been swamped preparing for Oracle Openworld and other events so my apologies for not responding to all of you.
Please be patient - I know the wait will be worthwhile!
Regards,
David
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Coming Events ... or playing "Which city is this?"
Well September & October are certainly going to be busy months.
September 20 -26: San Francisco
Oracle Openworld 2008 - There are close to 40 APEX Sessions this year. If you look at my APEX Schedule you will see some of the sessions are already full {Thank-you Anton for helping me update the remaining seats}. Unfortunately it is impossible to attend all of them as there are several overlaps but I hope to get to a large number of them.
A couple of sessions I think should be on everyone's list (and not just because I'm involved with them) are S298610 - Soup-to-Nuts RAD Development Using Oracle SQL Developer and Oracle Application Express {Wednesday 9:00 - 10:00} and S300458 - Building Commercial Software-as-a-Service Applications with Oracle Application Express {Wednesday 17:00 - 18:00}.
I will then be flying directly from San Francisco to Australia. In total I will be spending almost 4 weeks in Australia and New Zealand. While there I have customer visits scheduled for Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Auckland, and Rotorua. I will also be presenting at several conferences:
October 6 -7: Perth
AUSOUG - I have three sessions scheduled on APEX and SQL Developer.
October 8: Perth
Migrating from Access to APEX Workshop - This is an all day event that I am conducting with Blair Layton.
October 13 -14: Gold Coast
AUSOUG - I have two sessions scheduled on APEX and SQL Developer.
October 15: Gold Coast
Migrating from Access to APEX Workshop - This is the same all day event that I am conducting with Blair Layton, just on the Gold Coast this time.
October 21: Rotorua
NZOUG - I have one session on APEX and SQL Developer futures.
If you are in Australia or New Zealand and would like me to visit your organization drop me a note and I will see if I can squeeze you in. In some of the cities there are multi-customer sessions being held in the Oracle Offices where everyone is welcome.
Well after an exhausting schedule flying all over Australia and New Zealnd you would think I would come home and relax for a while. Unfortunately, I eventually get home on Thursday, 23rd October (after about 20 hours flying) only to jump on a plane again that Sunday. Thankfully this is just a short hop to Los Angeles for a Microsoft conference.
October 27 - 30: Los Angeles
PDC - I will be manning a demo booth and dragging as many Microsoft faithful into my lair to estoll the virtues of Oracle technology. I predominantly demo SQL Developer with as much APEX as I can.
Even though PDC goes to Thursday I won't be staying to the end of the conference as I need to fly to Chicago for APEXposed 2008. APEXposed 2008 is aimed squarely at APEX developers with lots of excellent and unique sessions. Many of the sessions will be different from those given at Oracle Openworld - I know mine are (which reminds me that I need to create those presentations).
October 29 -30: Chicago
APEXposed 2008 - I have a couple of new and interesting sessions to present.
So if you are in the vicinity of any of these events stop by if you can.
I enjoy traveling a lot, but my whirlwind trip of Australasia with multiple timezones, and many day trips to different cities, will certainly make it tricky to keep track of what city I am in - just hope I don't jump on the wrong plane.
I felt for the poor travel agent, Ling, who booked all my travel - probably wished she had called in sick that day!
Cheers,
David
September 20 -26: San Francisco
Oracle Openworld 2008 - There are close to 40 APEX Sessions this year. If you look at my APEX Schedule you will see some of the sessions are already full {Thank-you Anton for helping me update the remaining seats}. Unfortunately it is impossible to attend all of them as there are several overlaps but I hope to get to a large number of them.
A couple of sessions I think should be on everyone's list (and not just because I'm involved with them) are S298610 - Soup-to-Nuts RAD Development Using Oracle SQL Developer and Oracle Application Express {Wednesday 9:00 - 10:00} and S300458 - Building Commercial Software-as-a-Service Applications with Oracle Application Express {Wednesday 17:00 - 18:00}.
I will then be flying directly from San Francisco to Australia. In total I will be spending almost 4 weeks in Australia and New Zealand. While there I have customer visits scheduled for Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Auckland, and Rotorua. I will also be presenting at several conferences:
October 6 -7: Perth
AUSOUG - I have three sessions scheduled on APEX and SQL Developer.
October 8: Perth
Migrating from Access to APEX Workshop - This is an all day event that I am conducting with Blair Layton.
October 13 -14: Gold Coast
AUSOUG - I have two sessions scheduled on APEX and SQL Developer.
October 15: Gold Coast
Migrating from Access to APEX Workshop - This is the same all day event that I am conducting with Blair Layton, just on the Gold Coast this time.
October 21: Rotorua
NZOUG - I have one session on APEX and SQL Developer futures.
If you are in Australia or New Zealand and would like me to visit your organization drop me a note and I will see if I can squeeze you in. In some of the cities there are multi-customer sessions being held in the Oracle Offices where everyone is welcome.
Well after an exhausting schedule flying all over Australia and New Zealnd you would think I would come home and relax for a while. Unfortunately, I eventually get home on Thursday, 23rd October (after about 20 hours flying) only to jump on a plane again that Sunday. Thankfully this is just a short hop to Los Angeles for a Microsoft conference.
October 27 - 30: Los Angeles
PDC - I will be manning a demo booth and dragging as many Microsoft faithful into my lair to estoll the virtues of Oracle technology. I predominantly demo SQL Developer with as much APEX as I can.
Even though PDC goes to Thursday I won't be staying to the end of the conference as I need to fly to Chicago for APEXposed 2008. APEXposed 2008 is aimed squarely at APEX developers with lots of excellent and unique sessions. Many of the sessions will be different from those given at Oracle Openworld - I know mine are (which reminds me that I need to create those presentations).
October 29 -30: Chicago
APEXposed 2008 - I have a couple of new and interesting sessions to present.
So if you are in the vicinity of any of these events stop by if you can.
I enjoy traveling a lot, but my whirlwind trip of Australasia with multiple timezones, and many day trips to different cities, will certainly make it tricky to keep track of what city I am in - just hope I don't jump on the wrong plane.
I felt for the poor travel agent, Ling, who booked all my travel - probably wished she had called in sick that day!
Cheers,
David
Thursday, August 28, 2008
NEW Oracle University Advanced APEX Workshop
Oracle University has just started to list the new Oracle Application Express Advanced Workshop course. Only Australia is showing up in the schedule so far, but other countries are sure to be available soon.
The course objectives are:
I reviewed much of the content and participated in the pilot of this course -- I must say I learnt a thing or three.
Regards,
David
The course objectives are:
- Monitor and manage your application by using custom reports
- Manage application navigation by using hierarchical lists with images, database-driven navigation, site maps, and dashboards
- Build custom tabular forms that use collections and validations
- Manage application content dynamically by using JavaScript and AJAX
- Extend your application to add binary large object (BLOB) data, send email notifications, use Web services, and integrate with SQL Developer
- Manipulate application content through templates, themes, and style sheets
- Create reports declaratively and use the print APIs
- Secure your application by using LDAP and SSO and prevent SQL injection attacks and cross-site scripting and usage of Session State Protection
I reviewed much of the content and participated in the pilot of this course -- I must say I learnt a thing or three.
Regards,
David
APEX 3.1.2 Patch Released
We have just pushed out Oracle Application Express 3.1.2. The full installation is available here, the patchset is available on MetaLink - patch number 7313609. Please read the Patch Set Notes for details on the bugs fixed in this release.
As always we strongly recommend updating to this latest release as soon as possible.
Regards,
David
As always we strongly recommend updating to this latest release as soon as possible.
Regards,
David
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Forms Converter Limited Early Adopter Testers
Based on my SOD posting below, I have received a large number of requests from people and organizations wishing to be part of our Limited Early Adopters program which is excellent. We are not quite ready for you yet as we need to clean up some of our code and ensure the tool is ready.
Once we are good to go I will be sending out emails to all of you with your credentials to start "kicking the tires". Please be patient and start gathering those Forms, scripts, etc.
Look forward to working with you soon.
Regards,
David
Once we are good to go I will be sending out emails to all of you with your credentials to start "kicking the tires". Please be patient and start gathering those Forms, scripts, etc.
Look forward to working with you soon.
Regards,
David
Friday, August 8, 2008
New Statement of Direction
[UPDATED 08/21/2008]
We have just put out a new Statement of Direction on OTN.
{Remember a SOD is only an indicator of what we plan to do and not a guarantee}
The big news is that we are planning to produce Oracle Application Express 3.2.
This will be almost exclusively for our Forms Converter offering.
Forms Converter is designed to provide significant value as part of a conversion project and it is not designed to be a 100% "black-box" translation tool.
Keep reading to the bottom for more about Forms Converter and Beta testing ...
On Patrick Wolf's posting here a Mr. Anon asked an interesting question on why would you bother with a migration tool when it so easy to build components on existing tables in APEX already and concentrate on other development activities. This is an excellent question but I believe this capability is VERY important.
While it is easy to learn APEX from a developer's perspective, it is not always as easy to understand what has been built into the Oracle Forms.
If you have a project to migrate 100 or 1000 Forms of varying complexity and varying documentation (= most projects) then I believe the tool will be invaluable to enhancing your understanding of what you are migrating. Knowledge is power, and by extracting all the business logic out of Forms and allowing you to view it through our conversion screens will improve the process (irrespective of how much you generate)
Our development team are a very skilled bunch and are used to juggling multiple conflicting priorities on a daily basis so we are also steaming ahead with 4.0 features at the same time.
We realized that moving the Forms Converter piece into 3.2 would enable us to get it out the door sooner rather than having to wait for 4.0.
Now don't go asking me for dates - You know I can't give any dates.
The best I can do is say that 3.2 will be "Coming to a store near you soon".
{"Soon" is such an obtuse word as it could mean next week (which it definitely won't be) or some other point many months away}
4.0 will be sometime in 2009 with the final date being largely dependent on how some of our new features like Application Express Websheets perform in Early Adopters and how long it takes us to make sure they are stable and of our usual high quality.
Forms Converter - Samples & Limited Early Adopters
As part of our 3.2 development of Forms Converter we need your help and input.
We need examples of Oracle Forms from 6i, 9i and 10g. Oracle Forms 6i samples are especially useful. We are after varying complexities including simple, medium and complex Oracle Forms.
What we need are the XML file (created from the FORMS2XML Utility - .fmb file if absolutely necessary), DDL scripts to create the tables, and a small volume of sample data. As a bare minimum we need sample data for the code / lookup tables. It would be a huge bonus if you can include screen shots of the Forms. Lastly, any related technical specifications, design documents, etc. that explain the functionality would be a real asset.
Please email a zip file, renamed to xxxx.zipp as Oracle mail will not accept messages with a .zip extension, to me at david.peake@oracle.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Limited Early Adopters program will be performed on a hosted environment (similar to how we do standard "open" Early Adopters) but will not be open to the general public. The reason for this is Limited Early Adopter testers will be working closely with us one-on-one to ensure we get the feedback we need to improve our product and be sought for advice and counsel on specific aspects of the migration.
Qualities I am looking for are Oracle Forms gurus who may or may not know Oracle APEX very well.
Participants would also be expected to provide some Oracle Forms examples to use to conduct their own testing.
If you are interested in being a Forms Converter Limited Early Adopter tester please send me an email.
Please be aware we may not be able to accept all interested parties into the program.
Regards,
David
We have just put out a new Statement of Direction on OTN.
{Remember a SOD is only an indicator of what we plan to do and not a guarantee}
The big news is that we are planning to produce Oracle Application Express 3.2.
This will be almost exclusively for our Forms Converter offering.
Forms Converter is designed to provide significant value as part of a conversion project and it is not designed to be a 100% "black-box" translation tool.
Keep reading to the bottom for more about Forms Converter and Beta testing ...
On Patrick Wolf's posting here a Mr. Anon asked an interesting question on why would you bother with a migration tool when it so easy to build components on existing tables in APEX already and concentrate on other development activities. This is an excellent question but I believe this capability is VERY important.
While it is easy to learn APEX from a developer's perspective, it is not always as easy to understand what has been built into the Oracle Forms.
If you have a project to migrate 100 or 1000 Forms of varying complexity and varying documentation (= most projects) then I believe the tool will be invaluable to enhancing your understanding of what you are migrating. Knowledge is power, and by extracting all the business logic out of Forms and allowing you to view it through our conversion screens will improve the process (irrespective of how much you generate)
Our development team are a very skilled bunch and are used to juggling multiple conflicting priorities on a daily basis so we are also steaming ahead with 4.0 features at the same time.
We realized that moving the Forms Converter piece into 3.2 would enable us to get it out the door sooner rather than having to wait for 4.0.
Now don't go asking me for dates - You know I can't give any dates.
The best I can do is say that 3.2 will be "Coming to a store near you soon".
{"Soon" is such an obtuse word as it could mean next week (which it definitely won't be) or some other point many months away}
4.0 will be sometime in 2009 with the final date being largely dependent on how some of our new features like Application Express Websheets perform in Early Adopters and how long it takes us to make sure they are stable and of our usual high quality.
Forms Converter - Samples & Limited Early Adopters
As part of our 3.2 development of Forms Converter we need your help and input.
We need examples of Oracle Forms from 6i, 9i and 10g. Oracle Forms 6i samples are especially useful. We are after varying complexities including simple, medium and complex Oracle Forms.
What we need are the XML file (created from the FORMS2XML Utility - .fmb file if absolutely necessary), DDL scripts to create the tables, and a small volume of sample data. As a bare minimum we need sample data for the code / lookup tables. It would be a huge bonus if you can include screen shots of the Forms. Lastly, any related technical specifications, design documents, etc. that explain the functionality would be a real asset.
Please email a zip file, renamed to xxxx.zipp as Oracle mail will not accept messages with a .zip extension, to me at david.peake@oracle.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Limited Early Adopters program will be performed on a hosted environment (similar to how we do standard "open" Early Adopters) but will not be open to the general public. The reason for this is Limited Early Adopter testers will be working closely with us one-on-one to ensure we get the feedback we need to improve our product and be sought for advice and counsel on specific aspects of the migration.
Qualities I am looking for are Oracle Forms gurus who may or may not know Oracle APEX very well.
Participants would also be expected to provide some Oracle Forms examples to use to conduct their own testing.
If you are interested in being a Forms Converter Limited Early Adopter tester please send me an email.
Please be aware we may not be able to accept all interested parties into the program.
Regards,
David
Oracle Openworld 2008 APEX Update
Only six weeks until San Francisco gets a distinctive red coating!
I have just finished updating the APEX Schedule with the last of the Oracle Mix sessions and updating the remaining seats. There is only Anton Nielsen's session that hasn't come up in the Schedule Builder or Content Builder yet.
It even includes full descriptions and other useful information by viewing the full record.
For all of those attending - please go through the Schedule Builder and sign up for the sessions you are interested in. Many of them are filling fast and you will be turned away if you have not registered and the room is fully booked.
There are a number of sessions being held in Moscone West and South which are often larger rooms but it is just as important to register your support for those speakers.
Action Item for Speakers:
I can not determine the Room Capacity for many of the rooms but Speakers should be able to for their own sessions. Could each of you go through the same link you used to accept your invitation as a speaker Content URL and click on Content Management in the left navigation bar. Click on My Sessions and then click on the title for your session. Across the top you will see a tab Session Schedule and on this page it will list the Set Capacity. This is the number I need (not the Actual Capacity). Once all the hard work is done it is a simple matter of sending me an email or replying to this post with your Room (e.g. Salon 03, Marriot) and the Set Capacity.
Look forward to catching up with many of you there!
David
I have just finished updating the APEX Schedule with the last of the Oracle Mix sessions and updating the remaining seats. There is only Anton Nielsen's session that hasn't come up in the Schedule Builder or Content Builder yet.
It even includes full descriptions and other useful information by viewing the full record.
For all of those attending - please go through the Schedule Builder and sign up for the sessions you are interested in. Many of them are filling fast and you will be turned away if you have not registered and the room is fully booked.
There are a number of sessions being held in Moscone West and South which are often larger rooms but it is just as important to register your support for those speakers.
Action Item for Speakers:
I can not determine the Room Capacity for many of the rooms but Speakers should be able to for their own sessions. Could each of you go through the same link you used to accept your invitation as a speaker Content URL and click on Content Management in the left navigation bar. Click on My Sessions and then click on the title for your session. Across the top you will see a tab Session Schedule and on this page it will list the Set Capacity. This is the number I need (not the Actual Capacity). Once all the hard work is done it is a simple matter of sending me an email or replying to this post with your Room (e.g. Salon 03, Marriot) and the Set Capacity.
Look forward to catching up with many of you there!
David
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Do you use Application Express with eBusiness Suite?
I am conducting a short survey to determine how you integrate Oracle Application Express with eBusiness Suite. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey here.
{We will not share information with anyone except with your explicit permission}
We believe that there are a large number of eBusiness Suite customers that are using Application Express in various ways so we are trying to quantify that and get some further information.
This is all part of a broader effort we are currently undertaking working closely with various people from the eBusiness Suite Development Team.
This survey is very important to us so please take the time to complete the survey if you use Application Express with eBusiness Suite - It is only 1 page long.
Thanks,
David
{We will not share information with anyone except with your explicit permission}
We believe that there are a large number of eBusiness Suite customers that are using Application Express in various ways so we are trying to quantify that and get some further information.
This is all part of a broader effort we are currently undertaking working closely with various people from the eBusiness Suite Development Team.
This survey is very important to us so please take the time to complete the survey if you use Application Express with eBusiness Suite - It is only 1 page long.
Thanks,
David
Monday, July 28, 2008
ODTUG Banner Ad
If you go to the ODTUG Site you will see various banner adds at the top.
Keep hitting refresh until you see the Oracle - Get started with the Oracle Application Express on Windows FREE Resource Kit.
Who says APEX doesn't get any Marketing.
Please click on the link and after entering in your details you will get to a page with various links including one to a live demo on "Managing the Excel and MS Access Chaos with Oracle Application Express" plus APEXposed 2008 which promises to be a great event right here in my backyard. You should also receive an email with details on the live demo and ODTUG course.
Happy clicking,
David
{Credit goes to Scott Spendolini for enlightening me on Oracle Marketing's handy work}
Keep hitting refresh until you see the Oracle - Get started with the Oracle Application Express on Windows FREE Resource Kit.
Who says APEX doesn't get any Marketing.
Please click on the link and after entering in your details you will get to a page with various links including one to a live demo on "Managing the Excel and MS Access Chaos with Oracle Application Express" plus APEXposed 2008 which promises to be a great event right here in my backyard. You should also receive an email with details on the live demo and ODTUG course.
Happy clicking,
David
{Credit goes to Scott Spendolini for enlightening me on Oracle Marketing's handy work}
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Oracle Openworld 2008 APEX Schedule
Oracle Openworld in San Francisco is fast approaching.
I have created an APEX Application listing all the sessions with anything APEX - APEX Schedule
I have entered everything I could find from the Oracle Openworld site, including a column called Remaining Seats which indicates how many more can get into the session - I will try and update the numbers regularly.
As yet the APEX winners from the Oracle Mix voting are not in there yet (Mix Winners)
-- Congratulations Raj Mattamal for winning the voting.
-- 7 out of 25 are APEX Sessions ... Goes to show the support given by the APEX Community
Her are some other useful links:
Main Oracle Openworld Site
Schedule Builder
Content Builder
This year we will have a large contingent from the APEX Development Team in attendance.
We will be manning the Demo Ground booths and running the APEX Hands-on-Labs.
Stop by the Demo Grounds to get your chance to talk directly to the gurus.
Looks like I will have a very full dance card (again)!
I look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible.
Cheers,
David
UPDATE: 07/28/2008
I have created an APEX Application listing all the sessions with anything APEX - APEX Schedule
I have entered everything I could find from the Oracle Openworld site, including a column called Remaining Seats which indicates how many more can get into the session - I will try and update the numbers regularly.
As yet the APEX winners from the Oracle Mix voting are not in there yet (Mix Winners)
-- Congratulations Raj Mattamal for winning the voting.
-- 7 out of 25 are APEX Sessions ... Goes to show the support given by the APEX Community
Her are some other useful links:
Main Oracle Openworld Site
Schedule Builder
Content Builder
This year we will have a large contingent from the APEX Development Team in attendance.
We will be manning the Demo Ground booths and running the APEX Hands-on-Labs.
Stop by the Demo Grounds to get your chance to talk directly to the gurus.
Looks like I will have a very full dance card (again)!
I look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible.
Cheers,
David
UPDATE: 07/28/2008
- ODTUG APEX Symposium - Customer Success Stories now entered {See the description for a break-down of the schedule} ... These sessions not yet available through the Schedule Builder
- Raj Mattamal's session now entered (Still 6 other Sessions from the Mix to be entered).
- Remaining Seats updated
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