Oracle Tools
Jun 19th 2009
This is my personal evaluation of the current tools in the Oracle developer’s toolbox. If you’d like to hear me present my views on these and other tools in person, you can find me at quite a few Oracle conferences - for example at ODTUG Kaleidoscope conference June 21-25.
Feel free to comment on this page (registration required - you might need Internet Explorer; sorry!) or send me a mail if you disagree.Also, please check out the product pages on the Oracle Wiki. After registration, you can update and improve the pages in classic Wiki fashion. There is also a discussion forum on each page for discussing the product.
| Tool | Comment | Last updated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Development Framework |  |
A complete, fully supported framework - recommended for all Java applications that need Oracle database data. Used by Oracle to build Oracle Fusion Applications and promoted strongly by one half of Oracle (the middleware people). Still not common outside Oracle Corporation - many Java developers prefer to build their own or use this month’s coolest Open Source framework. | 10 MAR 2009 |
| ADF Faces | |
This is the approach taken by the 8000+ developers building Oracle Fusion Applications, so serious attention from Oracle Development is assured. Some limitations due to web architecture, but new 11g components use AJAX to provide a very sophisticated interface for web applications. Much can be built with drag-and-drop, but real-world application development will require some Java knowledge. One half of Oracle promoting this strongly with good tutorials and documentation. Still not widely used in real-life projects outside Oracle Corporation. | 27 APR 2009 |
| ADF Swing |  |
It is possible to build modern-looking desktop applications with the sophisticated Swing component palette. Using ADF data binding, developer productivity is almost Forms-like. Not really documented or pushed by Oracle. With Java acquired by Oracle, expect Java Swing to wither away in the “Continue and Converge” category. | 27 APR 2009 |
| Application Express |  |
Fast, wizard-driven development of web applications. New version 3.2 will take existing Oracle Forms modules and produce corresponding ApEx modules. Programming language for extending the functionality is PL/SQL (but serious HTML/CSS/JavaScript skills will be needed as well). No application server license needed. Strongly supported by the other half of Oracle (the database people); enthusiastic community support. | 10 MAR 2009 |
| BPEL |  |
Oracle’s implementation of the BPEL standard. Part of the SOA Suite - enterprise-level price tag. Few real-world implementations and sometimes mysterious errors; Oracle support not optimal and little community support. | 02 MAR 2009 |
| BI Publisher | |
Enterprise-level reporting solution that separates data sources (XML) from presentation template. Design reports in MS Word or with a web client. Included with Oracle E-business Suite, but everyone else must purchase it as an Option for Oracle Application Server Enterprise Edition. | 25 SEP 2008 |
| Oracle Designer |  |
Orphaned. Not updated to support new database features, and the JDeveloper plug-in that used to be able to access the Designer repository has been discontinued. Contains a bit of user-developed functionality – Open Source, anyone? | 24 MAY 2008 |
| Forms | |
Considered legacy technology by most organizations. Only web deployment support, requiring an application server license. Some work required to move from client/server to web deployment. A few new features coming in Forms 11g. | 24 MAY 2008 |
| Reports | |
Powerful, but hard to learn. Fusion Applications is moving to BI Publisher, and Java applications tend to use other reporting tools. For organizations without a BI Publisher license, still the tool of choice for very sophisticated reports. | 24 MAY 2008 |
| PL/SQL | |
Not going away, but not growing either. Programming language of choice in the database - Java Stored Procedures are such a hassle. With Oracle SQL Developer, Oracle is finally providing an excellent PL/SQL development tool. | 24 MAY 2008 |
| Oracle Portal | |
Oracle is positioning Oracle WebCenter as the new portal, and Portal 11g does not seem to contain significant new features. Still an excellent choice for organizations unwilling to invest in the expensive enterprise-level Oracle WebCenter product. | 24 MAY 2008 |
| Oracle WebCenter | |
The new portal, re-engineered in Java to support the latest standards. Very high license price ($125,000 per CPU). Most organizations will find that the feature set of current version (10.1.3) does not at all justify the cost, but 11g contains a great many improvements. | 03 MAR 2009 |
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