Forms modernization has a different angle for each customer or developer talking about it but for each angle the approach will always be the same: Think Big, Start Small.
When choosing forms modernization you should choose one topic at a time and define a short- and long-term planning with quick-wins as starting points.
Possible topics could be:
- UI modernization
- Service-enable existing functionality
- Integrate with existing applications, services
- Upgrade to enable latest event-driven functionality and entering the fusion ages
Let’s say the customers’ focus for modernization is service-enabling existing functionality, e.g. publish reusable pl/sql functionality as a service.
The approach to accomplish this would be an iterative, gradual approach in which the customer will go through one or more of the following steps:
- Create a portfolio of the existing pl/sql functionality
- Categorize those functionalities that could be externalized to other applications, partners, customers
- Rank those would-be services on impact, development time and business urgency
- Start with easy, highly visible services to show fast win
- Find the appropriate tooling
Performing these steps and using jdeveloper to externalize PL/SQL functionality as a service, the existing knowledge and investment in forms and pl/sql is kept whilst uplifting customer and developer satisfaction.
In other words: extending and uplifting existing forms applications to be trully in the middle of middleware is no myth it’s reality.
