Modernizing Oracle Forms with Oracle APEX

Introduction

Oracle Forms has long been a reliable platform for enterprise applications and still exists in many organizations' tech stacks. However, with Oracle gradually phasing out support—Premier Support already nearing its end - and the industry’s shift toward cloud-based, web-first, and mobile-friendly architectures, modernizing legacy Forms applications has become essential. Now is an ideal time to consider migrating from Oracle Forms, with Oracle APEX emerging as a powerful and future-ready alternative.

Why Modernize Oracle Forms?

Technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Solutions that were cutting-edge just a few years ago can quickly become outdated, prompting businesses to shift to more modern alternatives. This is especially true for software that’s been around for decades - while such systems may still receive updates and support, they often fall short compared to newer technologies designed with today’s needs in mind.

Continued support may provide short-term stability, but in many cases, it’s wiser to make a clean break and transition to a modern platform. A prime example is the trusted Oracle Forms, which now has a natural and future-ready successor in Oracle’s low-code platform: Oracle Application Express (APEX).

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the benefits of migrating from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX, share a real-life case study to illustrate the process, and introduce a new tool we've developed to help you estimate your migration project.

Why Oracle APEX?

Oracle Forms can, in many ways, be considered the great-great-grandfather of Oracle APEX. Both were built with the same foundational purpose: to simplify the development of data-driven enterprise applications by minimizing the amount of manual coding required. Oracle Forms was revolutionary in its time, offering a robust way to build and deploy applications quickly, especially for database-centric use cases. However, as technology evolved and business needs shifted toward web-first, mobile-friendly, and cloud-ready solutions, Oracle Forms began to show its limitations.

This is where Oracle APEX (Application Express) steps in as a natural successor. It not only embraces the core principles of simplicity and rapid development but also extends them into the modern era. Oracle APEX provides a low-code development environment that supports responsive design, tight database integration, and advanced features that are essential for today's business applications. It allows developers to build secure, scalable, and interactive web apps much faster than traditional methods. Importantly, many functionalities found in Oracle Forms have direct counterparts in APEX, which significantly reduces the learning curve and migration effort.

The journey of Oracle APEX began in 1999, when it was initially introduced as Oracle HTML DB. Over time, it evolved under different code names such as Flows and Project Marvel, reflecting its growth and transformation. Since then, Oracle APEX has gone through numerous versions, each adding more powerful and developer-friendly capabilities. Major milestones include the introduction of plug-ins for extensibility, Interactive Grid for dynamic data interaction, RESTful web services integration for seamless connectivity, and support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) to enable offline functionality and mobile responsiveness.

Today, Oracle APEX stands as a mature, enterprise-grade platform used by thousands of organizations worldwide. It represents a significant leap forward from Oracle Forms, offering a future-proof path for businesses looking to modernize their legacy applications without sacrificing performance, security, or development speed.

The Oracle RAD Stack

The Oracle RAD stack is an inclusive technology stack based on three core components: Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS), Oracle APEX, and Oracle Database. This stack provides all the necessary components to develop and deploy world-class, powerful, beautiful, and scalable apps.

In addition, both Oracle APEX and ORDS are no-cost features of Oracle Database, meaning if you have Oracle Database, you already have this Oracle RAD stack.

Why should you modernize your Forms apps with APEX?

Modernizing Oracle Forms with APEX helps retain business logic while moving to a modern platform.

Here’s why it's a smart move:

1. Future-Proof Technology

Oracle Forms is legacy: While still supported, Oracle Forms is not the focus of Oracle’s innovation efforts, whereas APEX is actively developed and evolves rapidly with modern web standards, tightly integrated with Oracle Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

2. Improved User Experience

• APEX apps offer modern, responsive, mobile-friendly interfaces out-of-the-box.

• Forms apps tend to be desktop-only and dated in appearance and functionality.

3. No Middleware Dependency

• Oracle Forms requires Oracle Fusion Middleware (WebLogic Server), which adds complexity and cost.

• APEX runs natively within the Oracle Database, reducing the tech stack and simplifying architecture.

4. Cloud Readiness

• APEX is cloud-native, with full support on Oracle Cloud (including Autonomous Database).

• Migrating to APEX positions your app for easy cloud deployment, scalability, and managed infrastructure.

5. Lower Development & Maintenance Costs

• APEX is low-code, so development is faster and easier, especially for database-centric applications.

• Maintenance is simpler and less resource-intensive compared to managing legacy Forms environments.

6. Easy Integration and Extensibility

• APEX provides REST and web service support for easy integration with third-party systems, APIs, and mobile apps.

• JavaScript, CSS, and plug-ins allow for custom UI/UX enhancements.

7. Smooth Migration Tools and Methodology

• Oracle provides APEX Forms Migration Toolkits and services to assess, extract, and rebuild Forms logic in APEX.

• Many PL/SQL procedures and business logic can be reused, speeding up the modernization process.

8. Community and Ecosystem Support

• APEX has a growing, vibrant developer community and broad industry adoption.

• Availability of skilled resources and open-source tools makes it easier to find support and accelerate innovation.

Modernizing Forms to APEX empowers you to preserve your existing Oracle investment while embracing a flexible, web-based, cloud-ready platform. It boosts developer productivity, reduces TCO, and delivers a modern experience to end users.

Migration Strategy

There is no silver bullet that will magically transform a complex Oracle Forms application into a beautiful, completely modern, intuitive Web app.

Modernizing Oracle Forms applications using Oracle APEX is a strategic way to preserve business logic while moving to a web-based, low-code environment. Here's a step-by-step approach to guide the modernization process:

The diagram below shows the high-level modernization architecture to modernize your Forms apps.

How APEX accelerates the modernization of your Forms apps?

• Inventory Forms and Reports: List all Forms (.fmb), Libraries (.pll), and Reports (.rdf).

• Identify Business Logic: Determine where key logic resides – in Forms, libraries, or the database.

• Understand Dependencies: Check for integration with other systems, external libraries, or JavaBeans.

• Classify Complexity: Categorize Forms (simple data entry, complex logic, or custom UI behaviour).

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Prepare the Oracle APEX Environment

• Provision Infrastructure:

  • Use Oracle APEX on Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or on-premises.

• Set Up Workspace & Schema: Match the schema used in Oracle Forms for a smoother transition.

• Install APEX Utilities:

• Use Forms Migration Workbench (FMWB) for metadata extraction.

• Install any needed APEX plug-ins for advanced UI components.

Extract and Reuse Business Logic

• Leverage PL/SQL: Reuse stored procedures and packages from the Forms backend in APEX.

• Refactor Code: Move Forms-based logic (e.g., triggers, program units) to database packages where necessary.

• Avoid Hardcoding in APEX: Keep logic in PL/SQL to ensure maintainability and reusability.

Rebuild UI in APEX

• Use APEX Components: Rebuild Forms using interactive Forms, grids, charts, and calendars.

• Modernize UX: Take advantage of APEX’s responsive, accessible, and theme-based UI.

• Mimic Critical Functionality: Ensure that key features (like LOVs, validations, navigation) from Forms are implemented in APEX.

Integrate Custom Features

• JavaScript for Client-side Interactions: Replace JavaBeans and client-side triggers with JavaScript and Dynamic Actions.

• Plug-ins: Use or build APEX plug-ins for advanced UI components or third-party integrations.

Migrate Reports

• Use APEX Reporting Features: Interactive Reports, Classic Reports, and BI Publisher integration.

• Convert RDFs to APEX: Rebuild as needed; complex Reports may require rethinking design using APEX features.

Test & Validate

• User Acceptance Testing: Validate business process equivalence between Forms and APEX.

• Performance Testing: Ensure APEX apps perform well, especially for heavy transactions.

• Security Testing: Configure roles, authorizations, and session management.

Deploy & Monitor

• Gradual Rollout: Start with a pilot module and gradually replace Forms.

• User Training: Provide end-user training on the APEX-based interface.

• Use APEX Monitoring Tools: Monitor usage, errors, and performance with APEX Activity Reports.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

• APEX provides these APIs to allow experienced developers to get deep control when developing APEX apps:

  • + 50 PL/SQL APIs available to provide a various type of utilities and packages.

  • + 30 JavaScript APIs available to provide client-side functionality, interfaces, and UI widgets.

Summary

Oracle APEX includes all the components needed to be the clear platform of choice for modernizing Oracle Forms applications. Your customers, users, and the entire organization will be glad to have a renovated enterprise system that can be run anywhere (cloud or on-premises) and on any device (desktop, smartphone, or tablet) while improving important KPIs for your organization.