oracle fusion middleware: 'tales from the trenches' -...

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Oracle Fusion Middleware: "Tales from the Trenches"

Dr. Paul Dorsey Dulcian, Inc.

www.dulcian.com

March 19, 2009

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Fusion Middleware

Spring In

tegrati

onADF Faces

ADF Faces ControllerJDeveloperEJB/EJB Support

ADF BC

BPEL

BI Publisher

OAS

BAM

BPM Hyperion Essbase

EDA SuiteIdentity Management

PortalWebCenter

Oracle Business Rules

Web Services Manager

Enterprise Service Bus

Content Manager

BEA

BI Publisher

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Conclusions

Fusion MiddlewareHugeComplexToo many alternativesRational evolution

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." Winston Churchill

Java EEGiganticImpossibleTotal chaosViral mutation

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Critical Success Factors

1. Select a small subset of products.2. Get help.3. Start small.

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What parts of Fusion Middleware are people using?

Last year:ADF BCADF FacesBPELOracle Application Server (OAS)Less popular: JHeadstart, Oracle Business Rules, WebCenter

This year:BPEL – less popularOAS- Soon to be replaced with BEA WebLogic

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Connecting Java to the Database

Leading cause of project failureAlternatives

HibernateTopLinkEJB, EJB3 (write your own)JDBC code (no framework)ADF BC

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ADF BC

BEST Way to connect to the database

MATUREVersion 1 released in 20014 major rewrites

STABLEThe major evolution is over.

RICHLots of functionality

EASYCompared to alternatives

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ADF Faces

Rich UI componentsAJAX features

Based on industry standard FacesEvolving

Lots of new things in 11gTotally new Controller in 11gBetter rich UI page development

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Application Server

Oldest and most stable portion of the Oracle architecture. Widely usedBEA WebLogic will soon replace

No one seems to be in a hurry to jump on this bandwagon. Most organizations are still staying with their OAS installations.

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BPEL

Process flow engineMiddle tierJava-based

Industry standardOracle BPEL is excellent.Not many organizations using it.

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Other Parts of Fusion MiddlewareOracle Business Rules

Last year, one person I talked to tried and failed.This year, one person was successful building a very unique application.

JHeadstartDesigner-like code generationEasier to learnMostly used by Oracle Consulting

Some external usersFew new users but existing users are happy.

Universal Content Manager (UCM) – few usersIdentity Management Suite – lots of interest, very new

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WebCenter

Bundle of collected utilitiesInstant messagingWiki Portal (any JSF is a portlet)

Early releases were weakUsers now happyVery expensive ($50,000/CPU)

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BI Publisher

Reporting toolStill not Oracle ReportsExpensive ($30,000)

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SOA

To SOA or not to SOA?Overrated bandwagonHigh cost, high riskFrequently not necessaryWill consume more resources than you think

In one system: 2% of requirements, 15% of maintenance

Can be difficult to control and maintain web services.

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Hardware Requirements

Hardware requirements for Java EE (and ADF specifically) can be prohibitively expensive.

Scalable application to many OO architects often means one in which performance problems can be solved by adding additional hardware. Even systems with 1000 users or less may require multiple servers to support this environment. Recent trend is to use a middle tier deployed on Virtual Machines (VM).

Some cost savings and easier maintenance

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What can you build?

1) Basic applicationsADF BCADF FacesOAS

2) SOA managementBPELOAS

3) Process flow applications

ADF BCADF FacesOAS BPEL

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Development Thoughts

Steep learning curveMentoring is essential.Slowly getting easier

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"It ain't Forms"

More complexSlower developmentHarder to learnLess functional

Web-basedBetter looking applications

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Making the Web Work

1. Minimize information sent to clientSmall PagesNot too much logic

2. Minimize round trips to the databaseThick database

3. Beware of Web ServicesInternet bottlenecks are unpredictable.

Database

Web Service

Application Server

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Stateful or Stateless?

Stateful1 database, 1 application server session for entire logical sessionBEWARE large number of users

May need 200 servers

Most applications are stateful.

StatelessEvery UI operation reconnects independently

(no persistent package variables or GTT)Essential for large number of users

Only 2 servers for most systems

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Is Fusion Middleware Catching On?

Not reallyTotally fragmented environmentApplications will drive Fusion MiddlewareAPEX

Most popular Oracle web development environmentWon't pass Defense Department securityGood if you stay “within the box”

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Conclusions

Java EE is very complex.Fusion Middleware makes complexity manageable.Tier 1 shops are productive and happy

No one thinks open source is better.Fusion Middleware continues to improve.Oracle Applications will all be Fusion Middleware

We may have no choice.

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Dulcian’s BRIM® Environment

Full business rules-based development environmentFor Demo

Write “BRIM” on business card

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Contact InformationDr. Paul Dorsey – [email protected] website - www.dulcian.com

Developer AdvancedForms & ReportsDeveloper AdvancedForms & Reports Designer

HandbookDesignerHandbook

Latest book: Oracle PL/SQL for Dummies

Design Using UMLObject ModelingDesign Using UMLObject Modeling

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