Blog

Insum Blog

Custom application development to address your buiness needs, with the help of Oracle APEX. Learn more about who we are, what we do, and how we can help, in the Insum blog

  • All
  • AI
  • APEX Basics
  • APEX Developer Solutions
  • Business Perspectives
  • Business Perspectives
  • Business Solutions
  • Cloud
  • Conference
  • EBS Extensions
  • Feuertips
  • Forms
  • Handshake
  • Instant Tips
  • Insum Insider
  • Insum Life
  • JavaScript
  • Kscope
  • Legacy Modernization
  • Modernization
  • New Release
  • News
  • Oracle APEX
  • Oracle Cloud
  • Oracle Discoverer
  • Oracle E-Business Suite
  • Oracle Forms
  • ORDS
  • REST
  • Webinars
  • Women In Tech

Insum Secures ISO Certification

Montreal, January 10, 2024 – Leading the way in Oracle APEX development, Insum (www.insum.ca), a Quebec-based company specializing in innovative application solutions and Oracle APEX development, proudly announces its recent ISO 9001:2015 recertification. Insum's commitment to excellence and the quality of its services is, once again, internationally recognized. This certification [...]

Insum Continues to Excel as an Official “Great Place to Work”

Montreal, January 10, 2024 – Insum recently participated for the 2nd time in the annual "A Great Place to Work" survey. This initiative was brought to the team at Insum after joining the Talan group in 2021. This survey aims to gauge Insum employees' sentiments on core values, providing a [...]

Revitalizing the Wheels: The Challenges of Modernizing Legacy Systems

Explore the challenges of modernizing existing applications in our latest post. From delicately handling legacy data to intricately revamping architecture, discover why this journey differs from building new systems from scratch. Uncover the complexities and learn how to ensure a seamless transition with the light at the end of the tunnel in sight.

When to Consider Custom Software or Custom Application Development

Explore the pivotal decision between custom application development and off-the-shelf solutions. Our latest post at Insum delves into when custom software, powered by our expertise in Oracle APEX, is the strategic choice for unique business needs, seamless integration, and scalable growth. Discover how to make the right choice for your business’s digital future

APEX and ORDS Installation and Configuration – 2023

When the announcement was made that our team member, Richard Soule, won the Kscope23 award for the best APEX Session at the conference, we knew we had to get an encore presentation on the calendar. What we didn't realize was how epic this encore would be! Last week, in a [...]

Insum at Oracle CloudWorld 23’

Heading to CloudWorld23? Are you heading to Oracle CloudWorld this September? Our team considers it the premier event to bring together experts, peers, and innovators in Oracle solutions. Designed with Oracle customers and partners in mind, Oracle CloudWorld is the ultimate destination to gain firsthand knowledge about Oracle’s comprehensive suite of [...]

Orchestrating Success: Oracle APEX for your Enterprise Team

If there's been one constant for businesses in the last few years, it's been the pressure for digital transformation. This incessant wave of change has swept across industries, creating an urgency for technological adaptability and a race against time. Amidst this storm, application development teams are often at the front [...]

How much will my Oracle Forms Modernization project cost?

How much will my Oracle Forms modernization project cost? A thorough assessment will provide the best answer to that question. Learn more.

Should I develop my own Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS)-APEX integration?

There are a few challenges to developing EBS-APEX integrations in-house. These are easily overcome when using Insum”s Handshake for EBS! 

Insum at ODTUG Kscope23 – See you there?

Kscope23 here we come! APEX is prominent this year in Colorado and Insum is right at the heart of it. Our team has a collection of amazing sessions on the agenda and we look forward to sharing this fantastic content with you in Aurora, CO. If you haven't yet made [...]

Oracle APEX 23.1 New Features

Oracle APEX 23.1 is now available in OCI and on-premises! We're taking a light-hearted journey through the newest features, and sharing some of our team's thoughts about the updates. For a deeper dive, check out Oracle's post with all the details of the latest Oracle APEX release. Template Components Unleashed [...]

10 steps to upgrading your Oracle APEX applications

Discover the essential steps for upgrading your Oracle APEX applications after you’ve deployed the latest version. Learn how to leverage new features, and ensure a smooth transition by following best practices, including reading release notes, backing up, refactoring code, and testing.

5 Ways Handshake Helps Extend Oracle E-Business Suite with Oracle APEX

Insum’s Handshake for EBS is the solution to quickly and efficiently extend Oracle E-Business Suite with Oracle APEX. With Handshake, you can expect faster time-to-market, lower costs, seamless integration, improved efficiency, and greater visibility. The best part is that Handshake is release agnostic and requires no additional configuration.

Celebrating the Women of Insum

Happy International Women's Day Today, I am proud to be celebrating International Women's Day. As a woman in the tech industry, I am keenly aware of the challenges and obstacles that women continue to face. I began my own journey in engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, just one month after the [...]

Oracle Forms migration to Oracle APEX: Where to start

Having done multiple conversions from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX, I will answer questions that you should be asking before starting this project.

Insum, an official “Great Place to Work”

In 2021, Insum joined the Talan group, a firm that specializes in digital innovation and transformation. Over the past year, we have been working closely with the Talan team to onboard and transition to some new ways of doing things.  One of these additions to our Insum way of life [...]

Oracle APEX 22.2 New Features We Love

October was a big month for APEX. There are so many exciting things happening in the APEX-verse right now. Between a new release and a highlight from Larry himself at Oracle CloudWorld, it felt like a great time to be in the #orclapex space! But what kind of changes did [...]

A Wrinkle in Oracle Date and Timestamp

Anton Nielsen lays out Oracle database date-related datatypes we need to consider, and which to use when. You might be surprised.

Feuertip #47: The Interesting Intricacies of Insert

SQL makes adding rows to a table easy. Just execute an insert statement! But there are several nuances to consider. Steven goes over them.

Feuertip #46: APEX PL/SQL API Goodies for Everyone!

Steven and special guest Anton Nielsen talk about their favorite goodies in the #orclapex PL/SQL API. Much heavy lifting by APEX!

Feuertip #45: Organize your code to maximize your SQL goodness

Steven’s special guest Monika Lewandowska provides tips to organize PL/SQL code to make it deterministic while reducing unpleasant SQL!

The APEX Community – 20 Years of Insum

This third blog of our series on Insum’s 20th anniversary focuses on the APEX community. The Insum team is honored to be a part of it.

The Journey to APEX – 20 Years of Insum

In this second installment of a three-part blog series celebrating Insum's twentieth anniversary, we reveal the story of Insum's product-focused beginnings and its subsequent discovery of Oracle APEX. Co-founders Francis Mignault, Michel St-Amour, Patrick Bonneville, and their long-time collaborator Roger Leblanc recount the details. The Insum Way: How did we [...]

How to Set Specific Cells of Oracle APEX Interactive Grids to Read Only prior to 21.2

When the Allowed Row Operations Column setting just doesn’t cut it, check out Elisabeth’s trick to make specific cells of your Interactive Grid read only.

Building the Culture at Insum – 20 Years of Insum

We’ve turned 20 and we’re proud to celebrate this significant milestone. In part 1 of this anniversary blog series, we look at our culture.

You look familiar. Have I seen you around here before? Joining the Insum Team

It would be cliché to say the world has changed, but it’s also hard not to note the drastic life changes we’ve all experienced with technological advances, the cloud, and the haze of covid. When I reminisce back to around 15 years ago, I was on my second “grown up” [...]

Feuertip #44: Peering into parameters

In this week’ Feuertip, Steven explores PL/SQL parameters and uncovers some interesting aspects you might not be aware of.

Get Ahead of the Curve with Insum APEX Pro

This post is an update to one that appeared in March 2018 A few years ago, Insum Labs released Insum APEX Pro, a Chrome extension that adds extra functionality to APEX Page Designer. Recently, the extension was updated to include a few bug fixes, as well as a new feature [...]

Feuertip #42: Using deterministic functions

Steven dives into deterministic functions. What they are, why you’d use them, and how they’re different from result cache functions.

Feuertip #41: Trips for Triggers, I mean tips for tiggers, I mean Tips for Triggers

An episode all about triggers. They can be amazing, but they can be abused and lead to unexpected behaviors. Steven drills down.

Send and Receive SMS Messages in Oracle APEX Using the Twilio API

Cody Reandeau shows you how to Integrate the sending and receiving of SMS messages through your Oracle APEX application with the Twilio API.

Feuertip #40: To commit or not to commit, that is the question

When should you commit changes in your PL/SQL code? When does PL/SQL itself perform commits for you on your behalf? Find out in this episode of Feuertips.

Feuertip #39: Cursor for loops for the win!

Cursor for loop is an example of #plsql’s tight integration with #SQL, but it also presents opportunities for “bad lazy” coding. Steven explains

Feuertip #38: Well, I declare: declarations in PL/SQL

Steven shares some tips on how to write declarations in PL/SQL subprograms or packages for maximum readability and maintainability

Low code data modeling with QuickSQL

QuickSQL for fast data modeling, sample data, enforcing standards, generating APIs, rest-enabling your tables, and more!

Feuertip #36: Dynamite dynamic SQL tips!

Don’t have all the info you need at compile time to write a complete SQL statement? Go dynamic. Steven explains.

10 things you must include in your next Oracle APEX project

10 must have elements for a high quality Oracle APEX project. From project methodology, documentation, source control, testing and more, make sure you include them all.

Insum at OTDUG Kscope22 – See you there?

Insum will be at ODTUG Kscope22. Here’s a taste of what our presenters have in store for you if you are attending the event!

Things we love about Oracle APEX

For Valentine’s Day, we asked co-workers and peers at Insum and in our community what they loved about Oracle APEX. A community love letter to our favorite low code platform.

Troubleshooting Oracle APEX Report Subscriptions on OCI

A few tips and tricks if you’re having email deliverability issues with your Oracle APEX Report subscriptions

Insum Interview: APEX and AI with Adrian Png

Adrian Png, Senior Cloud Solutions Architect at Insum talks about recently launched Oracle AI products, & AI’s role for the APEX developer.

Feuertip #34: conditional compilation versioning for APEX! (and your product, too)

Learn how to generate a conditional compilation package so that your code uses the latest features in APEX APIs – and your own products!

APEX Instant Tips #58: Tips for writing your first JMeter script

In this episode, Hayden walks us through setting up your first JMeter test script for your APEX application

Feuertip #33: Toon talks ORA-04068 (aka, avoiding app disruptions)

Toon Koppelaars of Oracle’s Real World Performance Team discusses the ORA-04068 error with Steven, and what to do if you get it.

Feuertip #32: An introduction to invoker rights (AUTHID)

Steven introduces invoker rights (AUTHID). Learn some essential differences between definer rights and invoker rights in the Oracle Database.

How to Add Selected Rows of an Interactive Grid into an APEX Collection

APEX developer Elisabeth J. Ashley shows us how to add selected rows from an interactive grid to an APEX collection.

6 reasons you should use Flows for APEX

6 top reasons you should use Flows for APEX today. Flows for APEX is an open-source Oracle APEX extension that allows you to model, monitor and run your BPMN-based process flows.

APEX Instant Tips #54: Write SQL like APEX

In this episode, writing better SQL thanks to APEX debug level 9 and learning about “apex_plugin_util.is_component_used”

Feuertip #31: “I warned you!” says the PL/SQL compiler

In this episode learn how to take advantage of the PL/SQL compiler’s ability to suggest improvements by turning on compile-time warnings.

Feuertip #30: PL/SQL Things I am Thankful For

Steven uses the day before Thanksgiving to look back on his 30 years with PL/SQL and share some of the things he is most thankful for.

APEX Instant Tips #52 – “Function Body returning SQL Query” For the win

In this episode, Anton and Hayden cover how applying report region source type of “function body retuning sql query” can improve performance.

Great people lead to great things

From my very first job, to starting an association for IT professionals, to launching Insum, one thing has been a constant. A great team.

Feuertip #29: Check out polymorphic table functions!

In this episode of Feuertips, Steven invites Chris Saxon back to #Feuertips to talk about polymorphic table functions.

APEX Instant Tips #50 -1st anniversary episode with special guest Mike Hichwa

With Mike Hichwa. In his demo app, Mike easily finds developers for his Project. He adds a select list that shows the best matches at the top.

APEX 21.2 New Features

This release is so big it needs 2 parts! Check out our review of 10 new Oracle APEX 21.2 features you want to know about.

Weather Forecast for Singapore: Cloudy with a lot of APEX

Adrian Png shares some news about the Oracle Cloud, APEX, the Singapore region, and a little personal news as well.

Feuertip #28: Why oh why don’t we do more testing?

Samuel Nitsche joins Steven for a lively conversation about the obstacles we face when testing our PL/SQL code.

Insum Insider: APEXd2d

Our season premiere episode is all about APEXd2d, a unique real-time problem-solving clinic created for APEX developers by APEX developers.

Oracle APEX Data Source Synchronization with YouTube – #JoelKallmanDay

The first of this 3 part series covers a simple integration between a YouTube library and an Oracle APEX application, using RESTful Data Sources, Data Synchronization and APEX Automations.

APEXd2d: accelerating worldwide expertise in Oracle APEX and Oracle Database #JoelKallmanDay

Introducing APEXd2d, a unique real-time problem-solving clinic, created for APEX developers by APEX developers.

Feuertip #27: No dirty data for your users!

Carelessly using the result cache can result in the delivery of dirty data. In this episode, Steven shows us how to avoid that.

Use flashback data archive instead of journaling tables

For Oracle DBAs or Database users – A review of two common standards to audit tables: journaling tables vs. Flashback Data Archive (FDA). 

Feuertip #26: Help save our planet with the result cache

The result cache is an Oracle Database feature that helps avoid unnecessary CPU consumption. Use it and help save the planet in the process!

Feuertip #25: dynamic PL/SQL for the win

Did you know you can execute dynamic PL/SQL? In this Feuertip, Steven offers some tips on writing and running dynamic PL/SQL blocks.

Feuertip #24: The power of SQL macros and more

Continuing Steven’s series on table functions, Chris Saxon of Oracle AskTOM fame drops by to talk about a fantastic, new Oracle Database feature: SQL macros.

Feuertip #23: Let’s get weird with pipelined table functions

Table functions are wonderful but “typical” tools. In this episode Steven explore a special, strange and delightful version of table functions, called pipelined table functions.

Feuertip #22: You Selected from WHAT?

Steven explores how to select not from a table or a view but a function. More specifically, from a table function.

Feuertip #21: Returning isn’t just for functions

The returning into clause is one of the best examples of the tight integration between SQL and PLSQL. Steven Feuerstein explains.

Feuertip #20: sqlerrm mysteries

Steven dives into the PL/SQL function sqlerrm in this week’s episode of Feuertips

Feuertip #19: Compassionate programming with overloading

Compassionate programming? What the heck is that? That's how you write code when you care about others, in particular the other developers who will sooner or later use your code. Overloading is another feature of PL/SQL (and, of course, many other programming languages) that I really like a lot. The [...]

Feuertip #18: A very unusual package

In this episode of Feuertips, Steven talks about one very special and unusual PL/SQL package, called STANDARD.

Feuertip #17: Named notation rocks!

When invoking procedures and functions, you can specify arguments for parameters in two different ways: positional and named. In this Feuertip, I will explore the benefits of named notation, aka, =>.

Feuertip #16: sqlcode “secrets”

#sqlcode returns the current error code. Ah, but that simple functionality can hide so many interesting little facts.

Feuertip #15: Save those exceptions!

In this episode, Steven dives into the challenge of handling exceptions that occur when you run a forall statement.

Feuertip #14: Iterating through collections

Collections are PL/SQL’s version of arrays. Steven talks about ways you can, should, shouldn’t iterate through the contents of collections.

Insum at Kscope21

A rundown of Insum’s presentations at Kscope21. This year we’re proud to be Bronze Sponsors and APEX track sponsors.

Feuertip #13: Let’s refactor!

In this blog, Steven proposes a refactoring exercise. Look at the code. What changes does it need? Discuss it with him on Feuertips June 16.

Feuertip #12: De-nuke your SQL

In this blog for episode 12 of Feuertips, Steve shows us how to suppress row-level errors in Oracle Database.

Feuertip #11: What makes an effective naming convention?

Naming conventions are key to writing high-quality code. Steven explores what motivates conventions to clarify what works best for us and why.

Remembering Joel

On May 25, 2021, the Oracle APEX community lost its greatest champion, its fearless leader, its mentor, when Joel Kallman lost his battle with COVID-19. Joel touched the lives of so many of us at Insum, and we wanted to share a few thoughts about what he meant to us. [...]

Feuertip #10: Do sets in procedures

In this episode: to manipulate in-program data in set-kinda ways, use nested tables. They have cool, set-oriented features.

Feuertips #9: Gotta love that WITH clause!

The WITH keyword lets us use modular design with SQL and helps avoid redundant logic in SQL statements. Learn more in this Feuertips episoide

Feuertip #8: “On the cheap” testing

If you can’t always perform automated regression testing, you can build a simple test harness and, as much as possible, make sure your procedures are broken up into units that can be easily tested. See Steven’s example.

Feuertip #7: How not to handle DML errors

The execution of non-query DML can cause all sorts of SQL errors. Steven lays out guidelines in DML Handling code.

Feuertip #6: The exception section is for exceptions!

What should be in your exception handling section? Things pertaining to exception handling. What shouldn’t? Application code. Learn more.

Top Oracle APEX plug-ins we love and use

Oracle APEX sometimes seems endlessly extensible. If you’re missing something from the vast array of native, declarative components, you’re likely to find it in the form of an Oracle APEX Plug-in. In this post, we curate a list of favourite plugins, as per some of Insum’s consultants.

Feuertip #5: Just say no to developer insurance

A developer takes out “insurance” when they write code to “make sure” or “just in case”. This can be unnecessary & unproductive. See examples.

Feuertips #4: Don’t initialize your package!

PL/SQL packages are great! But there is one package feature you shouldn’t use: Initialization. Your first inclination should be to avoid it. Steven Feuerstein explains why.

Episode 18: Handling time zones in APEX

The Automatic Time Zone setting in APEX presents some significant challenges. Anton adresses the issues by bypassing this feature with an implementation of his own.

Episode #3: Stringify Those Indexes!

Steven discusses when it makes sense to choose a string-indexed associative array (one of the three types of PL/SQL collections)

Episode #2: Bad Lazy – Good Lazy

Lazy can be a good developer characteristic or a terrible one depending on how and when applied. Steven and Marlyn look at examples of each.

How to easily add Waiting, Success and No Data Found animations to your APEX application

Learn how to easily add rich animations to your Oracle APEX application for Waiting, Success and No Data Found.

Episode #1: PL/SQL CASE expressions and CASE statements

Watch out for always using an IF statement, consider using a CASE expression, in SQL as well as PL/SQL, and then look for opportunities to use CASE statements as well.

Steven Feuerstein at Insum Solutions

I believe that in the years to come, most of the PL/SQL code that will be written, will be written for (and in) APEX applications. I am, therefore, very happy to join the Insum team for the next phase of my Oracle journey – in PL/SQL and APEX!

What Kind of Digital Solutions can Help Enterprises Survive the Pandemic?

What digital solutions are available to enterprises to help survive the pandemic? Singapore Author Graham Ng provides an answer

Oracle APEX 2020 Year In Review

2020 threw us all for a bit of a loop, didn't it?? I feel sorry for the folks who are tasked with end of year review posts. I mean... Where to start? As for me, I'm excited because I get to spend some time remembering all the great things that [...]

Why Oracle Forms Modernization with APEX is Ideal

When it comes to migrating away from legacy Oracle Forms applications, there are many replacement options. And, it's no secret that Oracle APEX is becoming an increasingly recommended alternative to Oracle Forms. But why APEX? You would think they have little in common as Forms is client-server based and APEX [...]

Oracle APEX 20.2 New Features: as seen on Twitter!

It's Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. The year is 2020, which means a lot of us are scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with things to be thankful for. It's been that sort of year. But lo and behold, the Oracle APEX team decided we needed a bit of [...]

Oracle Cloud Native and Oracle Application Express

What is Cloud Native? In the past few years, you might have heard the term "Cloud Native", circulating in the developers' sphere and might be wondering what it means. The cloud-native approach generally entails the use of cloud computing resources, for example, container-based application hosting, object storage, messaging, and orchestration [...]

Oracle Forms Migration: What are my Options?

Oracle Forms applications are the backbone of many organizations. They've evolved over time to fit the needs of order processing, shipping, finance, and more. They can be a model of efficiency.  Yet, Forms at its core is still Client-Server technology, and only partially adapted to today's web-based business reality. This [...]

An Oracle Cloud Implementation: MineSense

Once in a while, we get to work on an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure implementation with a company that you can truly call “leading edge”. MinseSense is a Canadian data analytics company working in the mining industry. It helps its clients improve their ore extraction and recovery processes using a state-of-the-art [...]

Insum Insider Episode 10: Final Episode! Top 10 APEX Tips from our APEXperts

In the 10th and final episode of this Insum Insider series, hosts Monty Latiolais and Michelle Skamene invite some of Insum’s top experts to present a list of top 10 APEX tips for developers. Definitely worth watching! The Insum InsiderAre you passionate about all things Oracle and Oracle APEX? So [...]

Insum Insider Episode 7: Get Your Hands Dirty with Oracle Cloud

In episode seven of the Insum Insider, Oracle Cloud & DBA Practice Director Luc Demanche and Oracle ACE Adrian Png take a close look at Oracle’s Free Tier Offer, what it contains, its limitations, and its advantages. The Insum InsiderAre you passionate about all things Oracle and Oracle APEX? So [...]

How to add Google’s Material Components to Oracle APEX

In this blog post, we are going to explore how a 3rd party library can be added to Oracle APEX. In particular – we are going to look at how to integrate Google Material components to Oracle APEX. I’m going to assume you have an intermediate knowledge of APEX but […]

Insum Insider Episode 6: EBS Extensions with APEX – Too good too be true

In our sixth Insum Insider episode, Oracle ACEs Sylvain Martel and Anton Nielsen lead a lively session on EBS extensions with APEX. The Insum InsiderAre you passionate about all things Oracle and Oracle APEX? So are we! We love connecting with other members of the community to share our knowledge, [...]

Some Good News about Oracle EBS and APEX – Sylvain Martel

Despite the troubled times that we are living in these days because of the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of good and valuable news is coming to us from OATUG Forum Online, (which replaces the Collaborate 20 conference), as well as from announcements by the Oracle APEX team. Certification of Oracle 19.3C […]

Addressing urgent COVID19 information management needs

Introducing covid19masks.info What happens when a motivated team of Oracle APEX specialists comes together on a Thursday evening? They decide to do something to help address the growing, urgent information management needs brought on by the COVID19 crisis, of course. That very weekend. In just two days, we developed, tested [...]

APEX should be beautiful

Don't settle for an APEX UI/UX  that is anything less than beautiful. This post is directed at developers and developer-adjacent people to whom this may be a novel (and refreshing) concept. I want to raise awareness for the aesthetic accomplishments of the APEX community in the hope that more people [...]

Oracle APEX Resources Cheat Sheet

If you're looking to start learning about Oracle APEX, want to know where to go if you have questions or need support, or simply want to keep up with Oracle APEX news, you've come to right place! Our very own Jorge Rimblas and Jackie McIlroy put together a great presentation [...]

7 top work from home tips to help employees deal with COVID-19

Fist bumps and elbow high-fives, friends. Things have certainly changed a lot in the past few days, haven't they? Just a week ago, we were all excitedly preparing for upcoming conferences, getting ready to work on new projects, looking forward to meeting new clients. Fast forward to today, and just [...]

Is APEX Built for the Enterprise?

Since Oracle Application Express (APEX)'s release as HTML DB in 2004, one question keeps coming up again and again: How suited is this platform for large-scale work? Is APEX built for the enterprise? Can it perform, scale and can it be extended? I'd like to address some of the most [...]

Advanced APEX UI Test Automation with Cypress

This video, released as part of Insum’s Fall 2019 Webinar Series,  is directed at APEX developers who are interested in Browser Test Automation. A prior knowledge of Cypress is not required or even expected: Shownotes Learn more about Cypress The best resource for learning about Cypress is the website itself. […]

Oracle Autonomous Database & Oracle Application Express (APEX): Express Yourself

Unless you were hiding under a rock somewhere during the last few weeks, you’ve surely heard about the new Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud Services. The official announcement was made during Oracle OpenWorld last September by Larry Ellison during his Keynote speech and it was all over the press. This is […]

On-Premise or Cloud – Which is More Cost Effective?

As a Cloud and DBA Practice Director, I get this question regularly. It’s something almost all IT Directors and CIOs will ask me. All of them have been told repeatedly that they need to go to the cloud. But of course, since they are the ones who are ultimately responsible […]

Martin D’Souza at OOW19 – Oracle Database Build Process

Just days before his trip to Oracle Open World 2019, we sat down with Martin D’Souza, Director of Innovation at Insum.  D’Souza will present two sessions at OOW19, geared towards helping developers Simplify and speed up their work, by applying simple technologies in an unconventional manner. In this interview, we […]

Our 2019 Fall Webinar Series – Why not attend?

Just as back-to-business time has rolled around once again, We’re proud to present our 2019 Fall Webinar series. These sessions were presented at various 2019 conferences, including Collaborate19, Kscope19, and UTOUG. So, if you didn’t attend these events this is an ideal occasion for you to catch up on some […]

Notes from Kscope19

After a busy summer, we are finally reporting back on our Kscope19 experience. As usual, from a technical standpoint, it did not disappoint. This is primarily because of Oracle’s announcement of APEX as the development platform for its new Autonomous Database cloud. This brought real excitement about the future of […]

Is Autonomous Database Oracle’s big leap forward? Compare the “good old days”

Autonomous Database is Oracle’s flagship product. Does it hold promise for businesses currently using the Oracle database? Is it worth the upgrade? Will it make things better for those, like me, who administer Oracle Databases for a living? Oracle’s Autonomous Database launched about two years ago in 2 flavors. Oracle […]

Unit testing APEX – 3 methods to bypass login (with Cypress.io)

Introduction If you have an interest in Browser Test Automation, you have probably heard about the rising popularity of  Cypress. I have enthusiastically joined the bandwagon after many years of being underwhelmed by Selenium. That being said, Cypress is a young tool compared to Selenium and there remain some open [...]

Collaborate19 Recap Part 2

I’ll be providing this part Collaborate19 Recap Part 2 with my friend and colleague Christopher Jackson, our Director of Business Development.  I’ll begin with my take on the event. I’ve started to feel like I’m a (young) veteran at this Collaborate conference. It’s an enjoyable feeling too!  I’m not as […]

Collaborate19 Recap – Part 1

Once again this year we had the privilege to present at Collaborate, the highly popular technology and applications forum brought to you by the people at IOUG, OATUG, and Quest Oracle Community. And what a stimulating gathering of functional and technical Oracle practitioners, experts and vendors it was! In this […]

How to build a productivity cube

What is a ‘productivity cube’, you ask? It’s a physical device that you manually rotate to mark your changing tasks, thereby elegantly tracking your time. We built such a device for the Insum 2019 Hackathon The concept is best understood in action: https://www.youtube.com/embed/OtSPYfJLQBE   To be clear, this product is […]

Web Services for E-Business Suite – Using Oracle APEX to Move into the Future

In my last blog, I talked about how you can to greatly improve E-business Suite’s User Interfaces with software customizations (I also provided some nice examples). Using Oracle APEX, the Oracle-built and supported application development platform, you can provide your E-Business Suite users with modern, intuitive applications while you enhance […]

Insum at Collaborate19 – Helping Organizations Accelerate Improvement with Oracle APEX

In less than a week’s time, Insum is heading out to Collaborate19 in San Antonio, Texas. Collaborate is an intense 5 days of networking for Oracle technology users, product development people, and consultants.  Whether you are administering E-Business Suite, or using other Oracle technology, the event is a unique in-person […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 19.1 New Features – March

Just as we were about to publish Power Ranking APEX 19 features March, we received official news from Oracle on the General Availability of Oracle APEX 19.1! There were a few moves within the rankings but most importantly REST-Enabled Forms actually strengthened its grip on the top spot. Where does [...]

Hackathon evolution – an Interview with Insumhack19 organizer Martin D’Souza

In the middle of InsumHack19 on a sunny Saturday afternoon, with hackathon teams feverishly working around us and a Monday noon deadline drawing closer, we sat down with Martin D’Souza, Oracle ACE Director and Director of Innovation at Insum. We talked about Insum’s hackathon evolution and the reasons behind this […]

Winner’s Circle – Interview with The Captain of Last Year’s Winning Hackathon Team

It’s almost time for our annual Hackathon and in preparation for this year’s #Insumhack19, we caught up with Trent Schafer (may or may not be the guy in the photo), the captain of last year’s winning Hackathon team. We sat down for an interview and a little inspiration for our […]

Deploying Containers with a Private OCI Registry

Docker is a popular software delivery platform that packages and runs applications in “containers”. Docker containers have the necessary software dependencies pre-installed, run within an isolated operating system environment, and can be deployed on any host system where the Docker Engine can run. Typically, developers “pull” images from a Docker […]

Oracle APEX – Web-Based UX for EBS Business Requirements

When configuration changes are made to an ERP system, the focus is on making business processes execute properly so that business needs are satisfied accordingly. But, there is always a needed change or enhancement that an ERP cannot accommodate. Software customizations can address these unanswered needs. Fortunately, E-Business Suite users […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 19.1 New Features – February

Last year about this time we began a blog series power ranking the upcoming features associated with Application Express 18.1. The response was overwhelming. Mike Hichwa even admitted within the halls of Oracle the monthly power rankings provided bragging rights among the APEX Dev Team. With Application Express 19.1 New [...]

APEX – A Well-Integrated, Web-Based Oracle Tool for EBS Development

In my previous blog, the first of four in this series, I explained how Oracle APEX, Oracle’s Rapid Application Development (RAD) platform allows you to improve the E-Business Suite (EBS) business processes you and your users find inefficient. Because APEX is a RAD platform, it can help you do this […]

2018 Was Good – Looking Forward To Serve You in 2019!

While starting off this new year (It's still January, isn't it?), I wanted to take the opportunity to offer you, our readers, my best wishes for 2019. Thanks for your interest in our work, your questions, and the conversations. I also wanted to give you a summary of the year [...]

Extending E-Business Suite to meet Your Needs

Oracle E-Business Suite is the Enterprise Resource Planning system of choice for thousands of businesses. A well-rounded Oracle product, it performs just about every business function a medium to large business could require, and is notable for its strong procurement, accounts receivable, accounts payable, as well as MRP and inventory […]

Adopting the Cloud – Where to Start?

Since its appearance in 2006, Cloud computing has been one of the most talked about subjects in IT. Just about everyone is now aware that adopting the Cloud can offer advantages such as cost savings and flexibility. However, the Cloud comes in many different forms and frankly, can be confusing [...]

Internship at Insum – Intense and Inclusive!

Jean Michel Lafrance (left, guy with beard) and Maxime Pelletier (right, guy with beard) are Insum’s latest interns. As they are now nearing the end of their internship, we decided to sit down with them and get their take on the past 3 months they’ve spent at our Montreal Offices. [...]

Modernize Oracle Forms applications

Although Oracle Forms applications offer their end-users a web-browser interface, they aren't particularly web-friendly.  Indeed, most Forms developers will tell you that the Oracle Forms development platform is simply not suited for building web-based applications. And, as Forms applications still play a vital role in many companies, this has become [...]

Introducing a White Paper on SQL Developer SSH Connections

Oracle SQL Developer is a much-appreciated tool for designing, building, documenting, managing and enhancing software systems. It’s also good for testing databases and deploying/administering Oracle Rest Data Services (ORDS). It's useful for APEX developers, too. It allows them to browse, import or export applications or pages, as well as modify [...]

Stop exposing your passwords in your database connection strings!

This blog topic was inspired by Connor McDonald’s excellent YouTube video ‘Rock solid secure database connections’, in which he discusses 3 methods to stop exposing your passwords in your database connection strings: In the spirit of continuing the conversation, I'll contribute my $0.02 to his 3 methods. Also, I'll contribute [...]

Advantages of Modernizing Oracle Forms with APEX

In my previous blog (2 of 4 in this series) I explained how similar the web-based development platform called Oracle APEX is to Oracle Forms. These similarities give your Forms developers the confidence and efficiency that come with working in familiar territory.  This brings me to the business advantages of modernizing Oracle Forms […]

Developing PWA with Oracle APEX – why now is a good time

A PWA (Progressive Web App) is essentially a website that can act very much as an app does on a mobile phone or tablet. This is beyond simple responsive design, a technology that’s been almost universally adopted these past few years. Whereas responsive design adjusts the same information (desktop page) for [...]

Custom software development – possible and desirable, with the right tools

In any company, one of IT’s primary responsibilities is to continually increase the profitability of the organization’s information. In that perspective, IT innovation is vital to the company’s future. Innovation is necessary for survival, and sometimes, custom software development is the fastest way to achieve what’s necessary. ERPs can’t do [...]

Oracle OpenWorld18 session suggestions

Oracle OpenWorld18 is nigh. This year Insum’s own, Francis Mignault and I will be in attendance. We are looking forward to meeting with the Oracle Product Development teams, our wonderful partners and most importantly clients and potential clients. Still with tens of thousands of people in attendance it can be […]

A PL/SQL package for handling the MailChimp API

What’s the optimal technical solution for sending do-not-reply / marketing / notification / batch emails? Is it wiser to in-house or outsource the service? What are my options if I’m considering outsourcing? These questions are difficult and I don’t propose to answer any of them with much thoroughness. They are, […]

SQL Connection via an Encrypted SSH Tunnel

Background I recently did multiple upgrades on my Mac: the O/S to High Sierra, SQL Developer to 18.1, and then the JDK to bring it up to a level that SQL Dev requires. Naturally, I updated to the latest JDK, which is higher than SQL Dev 18.1 supports, but hey, [...]

Oracle Forms and Reports Modernization – Forms Challenges

If your company still uses Forms applications, is looking to modernize them, but have not yet found a realistic and reliable solution, then this blog will be well worth your time.   Forms and Reports Modernization is doable Forms modernization doesn’t have to be a huge all-at-once undertaking. There are [...]

So, does my business need REST Services?

We sometimes get questions about REST. “What is it exactly?” “How does it work?”. In its long form, "Representational State Transfer" doesn't make it easier to understand. Nor do the words usually associated with it, such as in “Should I have a REST API?” or “Should I have RESTful Services?”. And, [...]

Get to the facts – Your Business Will Be the Better For It

Lack of time, lack of knowledge and too many preconceptions can hold back your business, especially when it comes to its technological evolution. Where does this problem come from? How can you solve it? Start by seeking out the facts.   These days, it’s getting harder to rely on newspapers, […]

Search Engine Optimization With APEX: Creating a Google Sitemap

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex combination of website qualities that combine to improve the site’s ranking by search engines. As we all should hope, the most important factor is content. The goal of search engines is to display the most relevant, compelling and current content to users. Accordingly, […]

User-specific web services using ORDS

Web services are an efficient means of providing access to web resources to a variety of clients. This access can be provided regardless of the client by relying on a standardized architecture to ensure interoperability and predictable behavior. REST  Currently, REST, or Representational State Transfer, is the most popular of […]

Simplified E-Business Suite Development -Think Oracle APEX

When it comes to extending applications in the Oracle E-Business Suite Environment, EBS Developers and their managers have been presented with some difficult options over the years. To understand where they are coming from, you must go back to the beginnings of EBS Development. Forms Development in E-Business Suite EBS […]

Autonomous Blockchain, It’s Almost Here!

ICYMI (in case you missed it), Oracle is having a special live webcast on July 16, 2018. After several false expectations from the media, Oracle’s finally (probably) announcing the general availability of the Autonomous Blockchain service. I have been longing for the day! At Kscope18, I had the honour of […]

Kscope Highlights – Ideas, Friends, Fun

ODTUG Kscope 2018 was held in Orlando, Fl. from June 10 to June 14  Seeing as only a fraction of the total APEX community can actually attend in person, it becomes necessary to report back and to provide our take, our opinions of the week that was KScope. This is […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 18.1 New Features – May

FINALLY! After months of anticipation, Oracle Application Express (APEX) version 18.1 has arrived! Taking a look at the new features included definitely makes it appear it’s been worth the wait. There really is something for everyone. Where does your favorite APEX 18.1 feature rank? Here is Power Ranking May. Biggest […]

Dynamic Actions in Oracle Application Express – Go From Basic to Awesome

If you’re just starting out in Oracle Application Express, know that Dynamic Actions can take your applications from basic to awesome very quickly. And, just like a lot of things in APEX, they aren’t that hard to learn or implement. So, What Do They Do? In a nutshell, they are […]

Collaborative Development in Oracle APEX – Steering Clear of Trouble

The ability to work collaboratively as a team is certainly one of the wonderful aspects of Application Express, Oracle’s rapid application development platform. Developers work on a shared server and update their changes in real time.

Progressive Web Apps: Two worlds colliding to everyone’s benefit

The Story of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) is now playing out at the frontier of two worlds, inside your smartphone. Once upon a time, inside your smartphone,  the worlds of Web browsers and mobile apps were very different. It never really bothered you. It was just like that, and you went […]

Blockchain – Technology you’ll have to Address, Sooner or Later

Blockchain is a technology buzzword getting a lot of attention these days. At its core, this technology is a means for securing data in a distributed database. The data is de-centralized as opposed to all together in one place such as in a traditional database structure. Its design makes it […]

Insum at Kscope18 – Something APEX for Everyone

This year at Kscope18, Insum will dish out no less than 16 Oracle APEX-related presentations in only 3 days. Every one of them is designed to capture your developer’s imagination and feed you practical information and guidelines throughout your discovery of the many facets of this powerful Rapid Application Development tool. what’s […]

Collaborate18 – more interest in Oracle APEX than ever!

It’s time for the Insum Collaborate18 wrap-up Our APEX experts were at OAUG’s premiere event from April 22nd to April 28th. According to all present it was, in many ways, our most successful Collaborate participation yet, garnering more interest in Oracle APEX than we’d seen in previous years. To everyone’s […]

City of Montreal Recognizes Insum with Intercultural Award

On April 17th, 2018, the City of Montreal honored Insum with the Abe-Limonchik intercultural award.  This distinction recognizes “exceptional contribution to intercultural relations and the promotion of diversity”. The evaluation criteria for this unique award are as follows: The distinct, innovative and exemplary nature of the practices put in place […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 18.1 New Features – April

It’s quiet. Too quiet. And while I have no official word from Oracle, something tells me we’re getting close to announcing 18.1 as being generally available.

How Oracle Application Express fits in with your ERP on a Cloud infrastructure

Many companies are now planning some kind of migration to the cloud for their Enterprise Resource Planning systems. This is because there are many advantages to getting your ERP on a Cloud infrastructure.

Oracle Discoverer Replacement – There’s Another Oracle Option

Extended support for Oracle Discoverer ended over a year and a half ago, in June 2017. Enterprises using this once premier ad hoc reporting software are hearing the clock tick louder than ever. This is because, without further upgrades or support, Discoverer could become prey to bugs, end up incompatible […]

Debating about an Oracle Forms Migration?

It's tough for companies with Oracle Forms. They are often told they should replace this 30-year-old application development technology. But then, Oracle will tell you that the latest version of  Forms will easily integrate with almost any modern technology your enterprise requires. So where does that leave you? Should you [...]

Vincent Morneau’s full collection of APEX Nitro tips, right here

These quickly digestible tips are to help you appreciate what a fabulous front-end development tool APEX Nitro is for Oracle Application Express (APEX), which is, of course, an awesome Rapid Application Development tool for Oracle Database users.

It’s spring and we’re on the Road to Collaborate18

Spring is here and Collaborate18 is coming soon. Spring, for those who have winter, is the season where you can’t wait for that melting snow to be totally gone and start enjoying your favorite summer activities.  Getting to your BBQ without having to walk through 3 feet of snow (or […]

InsumHack18 – The teams and the apps they created

InsumHack18, our 3rd annual Hackathon was both the most challenging and the most rewarding to date. Teams had to develop an application for the Amazon Echo, as well as work with its personal assistant, Alexa. The entries were varied and each of them, rich in possibilities. A significant portion of the points […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 18.1 New Features – March

As of March 12, we now know rather than 5.2, the new version of APEX will be 18.1. March 12th also gave us Early Adopter 2 along with eight new enhancements. Where does your favorite APEX 18.1 feature rank? Biggest Mover Up: Oracle JET and jQuery Upgrades [ +2 ] Biggest […]

The Hackathon – an opportunity to play and work with new technology

In the middle of Insum’s 2018 Hackathon, we spoke to Martin D’Souza, Innovation Director at Insum. Martin explained the guiding principles behind Insum’s Annual Hackathon and how he and the InsumHack18 teams have experienced this year’s theme, Alexa.

We’ll be at Alliance 2018 March 25th to March 28th

Is it possible that in this day and age, at an Ivy League University, an internal process can consist of a combination of Excel spreadsheets, paper forms, emails, and bits of SQL script? The short answer is yes. And, this kind of situation is more widespread than you may think. […]

Zero to Sixty Fast, with Insum APEX Developer Training

So you have decided that you want to use Oracle Application Express (APEX) to build secure and scalable web-based software applications on top of an Oracle database. Cool. So, now what? How do you get your development team up and running on this highly productive and versatile platform? Insum’s APEX developer […]

Women in tech – Still in the minority but seeing positive change

As in many other industries, there is a gender gap in IT. One look at the workforce will tell you that women in tech are underrepresented. Yet, according to the World Economic Forum, closing this gender gap is urgent and essential to ensure competitiveness and future-readiness in companies across the […]

APEX Nitro streamlines front-end development – meet its creator, Vincent Morneau

On June 25th, 2017 at the ODTUG KScope general session in San Antonio, Vincent Morneau a long-time Insum employee was presented with the ODTUG innovation award for his development of an application called APEX Nitro. APEX Nitro streamlines the use of HTML, JavaScript and CSS when Programming within Oracle Application Express.  […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 5.2 New Features – February

New month. New leader. All in all some twelve features changed positions. Where does your favorite APEX 5.2 feature rank? Biggest Mover Up: REST Enabled SQL Support [ +4 ] Biggest Mover Down: New Create App Wizard [ -2 ] Previous Rankings: January 2018 Editor’s note: Each month, we’ll power rank […]

Well done Insum, and here’s to the next 15 years!

Funny to say it now, in the middle of February 2018, but happy anniversary Insum! It had actually been 15 years in 2017. Happy belated birthday? No, not really, since we had the anniversary cake and all, but I’ve only just now had some time to myself to sit down […]

Simplifying address input with Oracle APEX and Google Places Autocomplete

Recently I was working on a project that relied heavily on location data. It required entering addresses, over and over again. Country, state, street address, city, zip code, etc… I was thinking that there must be a better way. Turns out there is: Google Autocomplete! I am sure you have […]

Power Ranking Oracle APEX 5.2 New Features – January

Oracle APEX 5.2  may be considered a minor release, but it promises major functionality enhancements.  Which of these will move the needle? Each month, we’ll power rank the rumored enhancements ahead of Oracle APEX 5.2’s GA release. We’ll take the pulse of the APEX community, monitoring comments, talking to you all […]

An Easy Recipe to SAML2 Single Sign-on with Oracle Application Express

The Security Assertion Markup Language 2.0 (SAML2) is an XML-based markup language and an open standard for identity and service providers to communicate authentication and authorization information.

OpenWorld17 Session Suggestions

OpenWorld17 is but a few days away. If you haven’t built your agenda, here are some suggestions

OpenWorld Survival Guide

For those first-timers it can be daunting and overwhelming. Read on and find out how to survive your first OpenWorld.

What Do Breadboards, Lego-Style Innovation, and Oracle APEX Have in Common?

What Do Breadboards, Lego-Style Innovation, and Oracle APEX Have in Common? Oracle APEX is purposely built for “combining components” to build solutions.

How DBAs Can Boost (or Kill) Innovation

How DBAs Can Boost (or Kill) Innovation – when DBAs promote and encourage the use of high-productivity tools, innovation can flourish. When they don’t, it suffers.

Oracle APEX Version Control: Give a Little, Gain a Lot

Oracle APEX Version Control – Mitigate APEX’s version control constraints by using good development practices that work well with APEX.

5 Oracle EBS & APEX Sessions to Attend at COLLABORATE 17

Learn more about extending Oracle EBS with Oracle APEX with some of our experts at COLLABORATE 17.

Oracle APEX: Low Code, High Innovation

Oracle APEX: Low Code, High Innovation – biggest benefit of low code platforms is increasing the number people who can delivering technical solutions.

Understanding Slashes and Semicolons in Oracle DDL Scripts

Understand and master how to use slashes and semicolons in Oracle DDL Scripts. Terminate your SQL and PL/SQL statements properly.

Oracle APEX and Statistics – R U Serious?

Learn how to integrate statistical calculations or machine learning algorithms in your Oracle APEX application with R functions.

Ready to get “Up and Running” with Oracle APEX and EBS?

We’ve developed an EBS & APEX Up and Running Package designed specifically to help you quickly get started with developing EBS extensions using APEX.

Why you should upgrade to Oracle APEX 5.1

Our top Oracle APEX minds highlight their favourite new features (IG, Theme Roller, new APIs) and share why you should upgrade to Oracle APEX 5.1.

Road to Alliance18 – Higher Ed Oracle APEX Success Stories: Valdosta State

Alliance – Higher Education Oracle Conference – Valdosta State uses Oracle APEX for enterprise-level applications with thousands of daily users.

Road to Alliance – Higher Ed Oracle APEX Success Stories: UC Berkeley

HEUG Alliance – Higher Education Oracle Conference – UC Berkeley shares the benefits of integrating Oracle APEX into an OBIEE dashboard.

OBIEE and Oracle APEX: A Marriage Made In… Soccer?

Making Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) a friendlier tool for consumers, designers, modelers and analysts with Oracle APEX.

Manage Technical Debt with Oracle APEX

Every software project carries some technical debt, however, Oracle APEX can minimize that initial debt load. Learn about how APEX helps you do so.

Migrating to Oracle APEX 5.0 is PIVOT-AL

With Oracle APEX 5.0, you can pivot data within an Interactive Report and it’s quite easy. To accomplish this, go to Actions / Format / Pivot.

Top 3 Use Cases of EBS Extensions with Oracle APEX

Using a modern application framework like Oracle APEX allows organizations to create Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) extensions like never before.

An Oracle APEX Methodology for Success

Our Oracle APEX methodology is composed of different elements related to all aspects of an APEX development project from architecture to project management.

OBIEE and Oracle APEX: “Discovering” Interactive Reports

Here are five common tasks that should be familiar with Discoverer users and explains how those same tasks are performed using Oracle APEX Interactive Reports.

Oracle APEX Printing Options

Insum Solutions – Oracle APEX Printing Options. Decide between BI Publisher, JasperReports, PL/PDF, ORDS and APEX Office Print.

Plotting Open Data with Oracle APEX

As part of our no-code to low-code show at the recent Oracle Developer Day Vancouver, we created a demo Oracle APEX application that uses both historical and live Open511 data from DriveBC. The application also allows any resident in the city to contribute events using any device.

Oracle APEX is an EXCEL-lent Choice

If your organization is overly-dependant on spreadsheets, Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a free, fully supported, “no-code” solution that allows anyone to create a beautiful application that is multi-user, secure and mobile-ready.

Vancouver Oracle Developer Day Highlights

On October 27th, we hosted a Vancouver Oracle Developer Day in conjunction with the BC Oracle Users Group (BCOUG) and ODTUG.

Oracle APEX Security: Where Do I Start?

When someone asks if an Oracle APEX application is secure, here are some of the aspects to that question that should probably be addressed.

The Oracle Forms Modernization Journey

For many users, new business requirements demand new solutions, and while Oracle Forms does a lot of things well, “new” isn’t really one of them.

Options for Replacing Oracle Discoverer

There are a multitude of options available to replace the functionality of Discoverer, both from Oracle and third party vendors.

How You Know It’s Time To Modernize Your Oracle Forms & Reports App

Oracle Forms and Reports has some significant limitations, especially when it comes to the user experience. Is it time to modernize?

5 Reasons to Upgrade to Oracle APEX 5.0

Oracle APEX 5.0 is faster than 4.2; development in APEX 5.0 takes less time. Oracle APEX 5.0 looks better. You will stay supported.

Top 5 Reasons to Use Oracle APEX to Build EBS Extensions

Looking for options to extend EBS? We’ve compiled the top 5 reasons why organizations choose Oracle APEX when they need to build EBS Extensions

Oracle APEX Hackathon: Seriously Rapid Development

We hosted a Oracle APEX hackathon. Participants were encouraged to use new technology and solve a business problem in 48 hours.

Oracle Open World APEX Sessions

Heading to Oracle Open World? Check out these APEX sessions!

How to Structure Your Oracle APEX Workspaces

We dive into Security, Users/Developer Accounts, IDs and Interactive Reports, and RESTful Services.

Oracle APEX Global Items Workflow

An application Item, a page 0 item, or a substitution string? This workflow will help you determine which Oracle APEX Global Items to use.

Best of Both Worlds: Oracle APEX and VR

With low-cost viewers and a VR framework, developers can easily create a ground-breaking experience for their APEX applications.

Oracle APEX Deployments: You’re Doing It Wrong

This article will cover how to automatically export and import Oracle APEX applications via scripts rather than a manual process.

Our Kscope16 Highlights

Before we finally close the book on this year’s conference, we’d like to share some of our personal highlights.

Visio-like Functionality in an Oracle APEX Page

My Hackathon team included Jason Aughenbaugh and Adrian Png, and we decided to bring Visio-like capabilities to an APEX application. The sample application we developed over those two days demonstrated a process flow one would normally document using Visio.

Insum Solutions will be well-represented at Kscope16!

You won’t have to look far to find Insum Solutions at KScope 16. President, Michel St. Amour, leads our largest contingent ever.

New to APEX? These Kscope16 sessions are for you!

I took a stab at building a session list I feel would have particular appeal to someone looking at APEX for the first time, or someone without much experience with the tool.

Think you know APEX? Check out these KScope16 sessions!

We’ve got something for the seasoned APEX developers among us.

Auto Selecting Text on Focus

The user experience during data entry can be improved by auto selecting the content of a text field before the user starts typing.

How Oracle APEX Changed My Life

I still remember the first time I used Oracle APEX (HTMLDB) in 2004.

Oracle APEX & the Future of Enterprise Development

APEX is no-cost option to the database; it’s already included. APEX truly facilitates rapid application development.

Oracle APEX and Bimodal IT

2-speed IT is about reconciling the different technology goals between business units who want to focus on iterative innovation with rapid application evolution, and IT departments who are accountable for maintaining enterprise class SLAs and understandably want to focus on stability and reliability.

Top 5 Questions People Ask About APEX

1. What is APEX? Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a Rapid Application Development framework for the Oracle database – rapid should be stressed. With basic SQL and PL/SQL skills, you can quickly create applications that add real value for businesses.