For those interested, there are a number of other open source UML tools that can perfectly do the job. Here is the link for a nice list of UML tools.

In the afternoon, there were 6 speed training sessions related to the following features:

• Graphic look for an APEX application
• Preparing an APEX application for smartphones
• JQuery in APEX
• Plugins
• Dynamic actions
• How to break down a database using poor programming habits within APEX

For Oracle Forms developers, the most interesting feature is what is called dynamic action, another term for trigger. I already raised that issue in this post a while back. In essence, I was concerned that in order to mimic a trigger behavior in APEX, you had to resort to javascript which a number of people are not comfortable with. Now, with the wizard in the 4.0 release, you should be able to implement some very interesting features in APEX.

As far as plugins are concerned, it is the way to go if APEX is to grow. However, I raised an issue dealing with the fact that most companies won’t use a plugin unless it is certified free from trojan, virues etc. The reason is that APEX is deployed in the database and as such a well (bad usage) crafted plugin would open the data in the DB to external mining. In this case, I think a plugin store similar to Apple store or Google market should be the way to go. Who is going or willing to manage it ?

Anyway, excellent presentations by the team behind sie solutions.

Thursday March 25, 2010
Oracle Bureau de Montréal
600 Boulevard de Maisonneuve Suite Ouest 1900
Montréal, QC H3A 3J2

Details can be found here: http://www.oracle.com/webapps/events/EventsDetail.jsp?p_eventId=107620&src=6760842&src=6760842&Act=237&evite=237.

However, I did manage to squeeze out a nice Excel-like javabean that can be connected to Oracle data sources from Forms. While that works, I am totaly at a loss of what can be done with it since I am not really a spreadsheet expert.

So, if you have in mind some nice business scenarios for such a bean, please let me know. That would include for example one or more tables and simple usage scenario for a spreadsheet usage within Oracle Forms. Send them to info [at] degenio.com

The one I have done was just to import the data from the table and from there do some charting within the Excel bean. It would be interesting to get some financial usage scenarios.

Currently, I am involved with JDeveloper 11g and transitioning from Forms.

That is the latest news and the one I expected. Just this past saturday, during a Java lecture, a student was wondering whether Java had any future and I said that Oracle should be buying SUN given the fact that the whole Fusion strategy is predicated on Java. As far as the price is concerned, I was a bit off mark since I was expecting the deal to be close to $10B.

At any rate, MySQL and Java are now Oracle properties, if the deals goes thru. That shows at least that the top guys at Oracle know what they are doing. Brilliant moves.

Arabic

Hebrew – Translation of “Here is how my Hebrew text should look like in FRITE” courtesy of Eran Zohar.

The only addition to the code was the following statement:

document.putProperty(“i18n”, Boolean.TRUE);

But I still need to validate the overall workflow with users that work with Arabic or Hebrew on a daily basis.

I guess the same applies for Persian, Urdu and other right to left languages.

Looks like it is going to be a highly complicated issue that could even see JAVA being forked to maintain its independence from any one vendor. Could this bring Oracle to shift its focus from JAVA as the main development language for its Fusion strategy or better see Oracle take a lead in a new JAVA ?