Flows for APEX v24.1 release announcement
Richard AllenWe are excited to introduce Flows for APEX 24.1, packed with exciting new features for both the Community and the newly launched Enterprise Edition.
Key Features in 24.1
1. Developer-Free Simple Form Task
Empower business users to create simple processes without APEX or database skills. Users can now build process data input forms using JSON-typed variables.
2. Introducing Flows for APEX Enterprise Edition
This new edition offers powerful features, including:
Process collaboration with BPMN Message Flow
Iterating and looping of process steps
GenAI support for process modeling with askFlo
Enterprise Edition users also gain access to product support and annual advisory sessions.
3. Full Process Collaboration with BPMN Message Flow*
Enhanced inter-process communication:
Trigger new processes with message events
Send/receive messages between processes
Adjust workflows dynamically based on message inputs
4. Iterating and Looping Process Steps*
Easily repeat tasks for each item in a list, array, or SQL query, either sequentially or in parallel, with full support for BPMN loops.
5. GenAI Support with askFlo*
With GenAI assistance, users can:
Explain BPMN models in plain language, even when in a foreign language
Detect and correct model errors
Suggest business process improvements
GenAI features require Oracle APEX v24.1 or later, Flows for APEX Enterprise Edition, and acess to the OpenAI gpt-4o model via the paid OpenAI API service.
6. Process Viewer Enhancements
The enhanced BPMN Process Viewer now allows users to:
Drill into nested iterations
Highlight model steps with BPMN Color
Open user tasks directly from the viewer
Community Edition: Still Open Source!
The Flows for APEX Community Edition remains 100% open source under the MIT license, with community support via GitHub.
Explore the full details of version 24.1 and start transforming your workflows today!
Some features marked with an asterisk (\) are exclusive to the Enterprise Edition.*
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Written by
Richard Allen
Richard Allen
Richard became at Oracle user back in 1984 with Oracle V4.1, then joined Oracle as a Consultant working on defence and health projects. Moving to California just in time for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, he was the Product Manager for database security and then Director of the Secure Systems team, and moved to Singapore to do public sector marketing. After leaving Oracle in 1997 and attending London Business School as a Sloan Fellow, he then spent ~20 years on various startup activities in Asia - helping to start 2 low-cost airlines and co-founding regional retail distribution businesses for Crocs and Totes. In 2018, back in the UK, Richard picked up Oracle again, and specifically Oracle APEX. Needing some workflow components for a project and finding that there was nothing available off-the-shelf, Richard started contributing to the Flows for APEX project when it was first announced in April 2020. Since then, he has been the main architect and developer of the Flows for APEX engine. In 2022-23, he worked on Flows for APEX and APEX Workflow as a member of the APEX Development Team at Oracle.In 2024, he has developed and launched the Flows for APEX Enterprise Edition as a paid option for Flows customers needing support, and as a way to make Flows for APEX a sustainable and well supported BPMN-based workflow solution for APEX. Richard currently slits his time between London and Singapore.