To ExaData or not to ExaData

that is the question. Several years ago ExaData platform came along. When should you go for that platform?

I do not really know...in the beginning of the ExaData product release it was stated that it was aimed at Business Intelligence [BI] applications and not OnLine Transaction Processing [OLTP] applications. Now when Cloud computing is more and more not just a buzz word but a reality things might have changed. They have changed, the new applicances are aimed at OLTP. Which is a natural step in the ExaData product line.

However...there are troubles for the non database guys...

There are of course implications on applications. Some tips over here. But there could be more. And then Tom Kyte is not addressing the DataBase Administrators [DBA] but the developers of the applications. The transition - yes transition not migration :-) - to ExaData from a traditional Oracle DataBase solution have implications on the application.

That is not necessarliy the primary focus for the DBAs, they see the advantages from their point of view in disk space mangagement and such things that DBAs should and are caring for.

Oracle Forms slowly fades away...

I have heard that sentence so many times.

It should be rephrased to "Oracle want their customers to let Oracle Forms  built applications to fade away". The reason for that is the there are new things, jDeveloper and other products that are in the pipe line to be sold.

However, there are very many business critical systems out here - in Sweden as well as in the world - that uses a stable, in production running Oracle Forms/Reports/Discoverer-application. The important thing here is business critical, and stable. Such applications are not taken out of service in an afternoon without a controlled, in-depth study on the cricital businesses processes that are supported by this application.

Slowly fades away is an understatement. The Oracle Forms/Reports/Discoverer-applications has always been fading away, let's say in 5-8 years or so. And believe me, when I say that there are many many applications in critical production systems that will be around for at least 5-8 years more.

There is a natural fear to exchange horses in the middle of the stream.

My advice is to isolate parts of existing Oracle F/R/D-applications and investigate what path to take, are you going to JDeveloper, Application Express or a mix of them both, or are you going to slowly move to JDeveloper, ApplicationExpress or Open Source-solutions? Or are you going to .net-thread?

The technical part of the matter is just the underlying part, the important thing is to get in place a technical platform for all your business applications, a standard to build applications upon.

What's the fuzz around Windows 8

I stumbled upon this presentation that gives you a short introduction.

http://www.slideshare.net/AnastasiaKl/windows-8-and-windows-phone-8-developer-story-anders-bratland

Windows 8 is here, not around the corner, but Oracle Forms/Reports/Discoverer applications might be run in this environment.

It will be exciting to see where this evolves. Because NOKIA Lumia 920 is here to stay, not in the commercial public sector. The increase will probable be noticed amongst hand held terminals that interact with internal traditional OLTP applications.

Web Logic Server 11g and the cloud is in the air

We have now, where I work, got the WebLogic Server [WLS] up and running. It can be recovered safely in case of hosts that looses control and has to reboot. The BEA way - remember WebLogic was bought from BEA by Oracle some years ago - is different than the Oracle Way. Study the nodemanager in your fave-WLS-book. The nodemanager can be set up in a way that is IS a windows bootstrap process for all the other processes - and God knows there are lots and lots of processes that should be up and running - that are needed for a Forms/Reports/Discoverer-based application.

The next step is to make sure that everything else is in place in terms of configuration and other platforms that are needed in order to get WLS in a controlled manner serve Forms/Reports/Discoverer-applications.

There are considerations in integration between Forms and Reports. The next step in that area is to choose between Jasper, BI Publisher or something else. BI Publisher is an expensive animal...and has imho an american view on reports distribution in general.

Further, 12c is around the corner, in a year or two there is a Forms/Reports/Discoverer 12c platform. Reports will still be around, despite what Oracle says. It is another marketing matter that Oracle wants you to move from Oracle Reports...

To cloud or not to cloud that is the

question. There are doubts out here. http://www.technologyreview.com/view/427206/the-hidden-risk-of-a-meltdown-in-the-cloud/ is one doubt.

As I once said, the internet is trust issue. Coined this in a community long time ago. Still valid.

If you do not trust the site you leave. If you do not trust that the opt-out will work you do not click the opt-out for a spam mail.

If companies that should or would or could go cloudy in a positive sense do not trust the providers of the cloud internet is in trouble. The meltdown metaphore is a great image to think about. And there are issues of trust in all three levels of Cloudiness.

Platform as a Service PaaS
Infrastructure as a Service IaaS
Application as a Service AssA

The platform are the - surprisingly enough - platform for the cloudy future itself. There you have boxes (as Larry made jokes about...during a OOW 2011 or so...) flat servers or what have you.
Infrastructure is the next level of cloudification efforts. Do not start here, start at Platforms.
Later on - four years or so when company is at true level 5 of CMM - then go for AssA.

The road is long but the path is clear.

WIndows 7 and Forms and Vista and...OC4J

Recently I wrote on the subject Vista PC and the lack of OC4J container. Now...Windows 7 is coming around the corner.

There are issues there as well. I am investigating them as I write...I will be back, in a non-Schwarzenegger way...
There seems to be some security issues on behalf of the Windows 7 OS. And some jar-issues. You have to clear the Java Cache in order to get things on the road.

Still some testing to do.

Migration to 11g Web Logic Server

This is an interesting task... There are new things floating around as I have been around for some years. New architecture, new windows 7...with strange behaviour.

Well, we are encountering a nice future...

No flash, Flash and then back again.

My Oracle Support is changing again...the flash version - that got a some critisism in the very beginning - has come to an end.

Strange. That the HTML-version did not see the light earlier. Or that the HTML-version could exist a short period of time to wait for the version 2 of the HTML-variant.

Maybe the name will switch back to Metalink as well...:-)

Smaller foot print WebLogic Server

Find the file \user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\bin\setDomainEnv.cmd and edit it.
In the beginning set JAVA_VENDOR to be Sun.
set JAVA_VENDOR=Sun
Change these values
set XMS_SUN_32BIT=256

set XMX_SUN_32BIT=512
to
set XMS_SUN_32BIT=128
set XMX_SUN_32BIT=256

Further more, find set EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES=-Xms256m -Xmx512m and change that
to set EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES=-Xms64m -Xmx128m. That will reduce foot print of the WebLogic Server substansially.

Last, change the same parameters for Reports. set EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES=-Xms256m -Xmx512m to
set EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES=-Xms64m -Xmx128m

Oracle Forms 11g and WebLogic Server

Remember that there is no local flavour of the old and useful - imho - OC4J Oracle Application Server Containsers for J2EE 10g in the new Forms 11g environment.
That could - and will present a problem to be solved- in the developer environment of the application life cycle management.

Further, the WebLogic Server needs a larger footprint that the old way of doing application development using the OC4J locally on your - typically - PC. Test and production environments is another more solvable issue, since they are mostly Linux based environments. But the development usually are done using the traditional PC with XP.

I have seen trouble installing the Forms 11g on a Vista PC so do not try that at home, it might not even be certified. Please consult the certification table at My Oracle Support for information on that issue.

There are means to lower the foot print for the local WLS Server that is needed if you want do perform basic tests on your PC environment. There are parameters to set, you will find them on google.

Check comments on the EOUC-meeting in Prague

You can do that using http://www.twitter.com and also by going to visible witter tools and search the tag EOUC.
Or use this link.

På möte med ordföranden i Prag

Om användarföreningar, java och Oracle = sant? Sun + Oracle = Sant?

Intressant, 1/3 av deltagarna är från Java User Group-föreningar. De twittrar om konferensen under tiden den sker, ett wake-up-call for Oracle tror jag. De är rakt fram dessutom och rakt på i deras åsikter.

Oracle är nog lite ovana det tror jag.

English...
At a meeting on Oracle User Groups in Prague, Java + oracle = True? Sun + Oracle = True?

Interesting is that a third of the delegates from the User Communities are from Java User Groups. It is the first time we see them in Europe, and they twitter about their feelings about the conference. And the presentators are...well...nervous about that very fact...

Amazon Cloud and mail

Be sure to check out this blog if testing the Cloud at Amazon. Please see David Peake's excellent article in Oracle Magazine on how to get there. It really works. Some things have changed to the better since the article was written.

Now APEX is pre-installed. And you get going at once. Impressive.

Mail in EC2, careful since there are things with mail, spammers wants to use the gate ways... So consult this article at OracleQuicks.

Send in the Clouds...

Clouds are here to stay, it is spring soon. But IT Clouds are here to stay.

Orcan - the swedish user group has a database going in the Cloud. And an ApEx application. Just for the fun of it.

What it is or becomes, is up to us...

Tom Kyte is on a ferry boat

Just if you like boats, and Oracle. Go on the ride...

Nice ride I think.

Memory lane...minnenas gata...

procedure query_details ( detail varchar2 ) is
begin
go_block(detail);
check_package_failure;
execute_query;
end;

Visst var det längesedan...

Still remembering Carl

I miss him without knowing him, his enthusiasm and knowledgeable but humble way of sharing.
Met him three years ago.
Sweating, in action.

And he seems to love it.

Back again - and up and atom

Have you seen TOR - the nice thing that makes China find places outside their locked in country?

Google on TOR and see what makes China go mad...

In the Oracle scene things are moving. New versions, new merger of companies.

ApEx is on the move in Sweden, there are lots of companies going in that direction. They migrate old legacy systems Access/Excel to new powerful ApEx tools to the user community at their companies.

Also, which is not spoke about imho.
If you got the Architecture in place, the Grid control, the things that you need to really go into dark room computing...then ApEx is an excellent tool for SQL knowledgable user to study the database, the base for the data.

If you set up an organisation that really takes into account cooperation and communication you are on the right track. Openness. But just as much as you like, you have to protect the data, of course. So...ApEx is an excellent read only tool for end user to be on the same platform when it comes to understand the underlying data.

Cow milk and Oracle

This is an interesting article about what sales at Oracle - and other companies - are thinking and doing. Thoughts on sales are always welcome. Since you learn how sales people think and negotiate in various situations.

It is interesting that "Oracle ‘knows’ what its customers are using." is an item explaning how Oracle still is making money. The shift to My Oracle Support comes into a new light. Especially the new feature that we are to send in our configurations to support. That information is very very useful, not only to give us support but to plan Oracle sales department activities.

Read more at http://blogs.zdnet.com/Howlett/?p=1805&tag=nl.e539 and adjust purchase accordingly.