Oracle APEX “Low Code Application Development”

1. Introduction

 Instructor: Chaitanya, Director of Product Management and Strategy,

Oracle APEX team.

 Purpose: Introduce low-code application development using Oracle

APEX.

 Objective: Understand what low code is, why it is useful, and its
benefits in enterprise application development.

2. Enterprise Application Development Challenges

1. High Cost

o Every line of code has associated costs: authoring, debugging,

reviewing, managing, upgrading.

o Full-stack developers are expensive.

2. Slow Development

o Traditional waterfall processes cannot adapt quickly to changing

business requirements.

o Iterative, flexible approaches are necessary.

3. Minimal Collaboration

o Disconnect between business users, analysts, IT managers, and

developers.

o Backlog of applications grows due to lack of partnerships.

4. Small Problems Ignored

o Small, day-to-day business problems often remain unsolved

because dedicating resources is too costly.

3. What is Low-Code Development?

  Definition: Development using a graphical user interface (drag-and-
drop) instead of hand-coded programming.

 Characteristics:

1. Minimal hand-coding.

2. Visual, drag-and-drop style.

3. Web and mobile-friendly.

4. Key Attributes of Low Code

Attribute Description

Fast to
Easy for non-experts to begin building applications.
Start

Productiv
Minimal effort to deploy feature-rich applications.
e

Accessibl Expands the pool beyond expensive full-stack

e developers.

Scalable Applications can start small and grow in complexity.

Extensibl Custom business logic, integrations, and plugins can

e be added.

Essence: Deliver rich functionality with minimal effort — “doing more with
less code.”

5. Why Use Low Code

1. Faster Delivery

o Reduced development effort allows quicker application

deployment.

2. Higher Quality

o Frameworks promote consistency and focus on business

requirements.

3. Wider Participation
 o More people can contribute to solving IT backlogs.

4. Cost Reduction

o Less code, less time, less effort → lower cost.

5. Focus on Business Problems

o Developers concentrate on business challenges rather than

mundane technical tasks (like database interactions or session
management).

6. Lesson Summary

 Challenges in enterprise development: cost, slow delivery, lack of

collaboration, ignored small problems.

 Low code development: uses minimal hand coding and visual tools
to accelerate development.

 Benefits: faster, scalable, extensible, accessible, higher quality, cost-

effective, focused on business needs.

1️⃣ What is Oracle APEX?

 Low-code application development platform from Oracle.

 Allows you to build scalable, secure enterprise applications

quickly.
  Runs inside Oracle Database – no separate install needed.

 Applications can be deployed anywhere (Cloud or on-premises).

 Fast development: Build apps 20x faster, with 100x less code.

2️⃣ Key Features

 Single extensible platform: All tools in one environment.

  Declarative development: Define applications with metadata stored
in DB; no code generation required.

 World-class UI components: Charts, forms, calendars, reports, etc.,

out-of-the-box.

 Responsive web apps: Works well on desktop and mobile.

 Minimized complexity: Focus on solving business problems, APEX

handles technical heavy-lifting.

 Accessible: Developers and “citizen developers” can use it with basic

SQL knowledge.

3️⃣ Distinguishing Characteristics

 Web-based development environment – no client software needed.

 Efficient page generation: One request, one response.

 Data processing in the DB: Reduces application complexity.

 Applications stored as metadata – clean, maintainable, scalable.

4️⃣ Who can use Oracle APEX?

 Developers: Database developers, PL/SQL programmers.

  IT professionals: DBAs, DevOps.

 Business users / Analysts: Line of business users, citizen developers

with SQL knowledge.

 Recognized by Gartner Peer Insights (2022) as Customers’

Choice for enterprise low-code platforms.

5️⃣ Why use Oracle APEX?

 Leverages existing Oracle Database skills.

 Reduces development time and resources.

 Provides enterprise-grade security and scalability.

 Lets organizations build more apps with fewer developers, solving

backlog issues.

 Native integration with SQL, PL/SQL, and Oracle Database

capabilities.

💡 Takeaways for an Oracle Developer

1. Your PL/SQL and Database skills are directly applicable.

2. You can rapidly build web apps without learning full web tech
stack.

3. APEX bridges your traditional Oracle skills with Cloud and low-
code development.

4. Ideal stepping stone to Cloud/OCI certifications and AI

integrations, since APEX apps can connect to REST APIs, Autonomous
Database, and AI services.
1️⃣ Oracle APEX Availability

 Runs wherever Oracle Database runs: on-premises, Oracle Cloud,

or hybrid.

 Included in all Oracle Database distributions (no extra cost).

 Oracle APEX + Autonomous Database is a powerful combination

for rapid, secure app development.

 Oracle Cloud APEX Service:

o Fastest, lowest-cost deployment option.

o No complex pricing or limits on developers, applications, or

users.

o Always Free resources available with Autonomous Database.

2️⃣ Oracle APEX Architecture

 Three-tier architecture:

1. Browser: Sends web requests.

2. Web Server / Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS): Receives

and forwards requests to the database.
 3. Oracle Database + APEX Engine: Processes business logic
and returns results.

 Data processing is fully in the database:

o Uses PL/SQL directly on schemas.

o Metadata-driven – applications are defined by metadata in the

database tables.

o No file compilation or code generation required.

 Advantages:

o Zero latency data access.

o High performance and scalability.

o Efficient single API call per request, reducing multiple DB hits.

3️⃣ Oracle Autonomous Database + APEX

 Fully managed, preconfigured, and secured database environment.

 AI/ML automates DBA tasks: backups, patching, security, tuning.

 Workload types:

1. Autonomous Transaction Processing (ATP): High

concurrency, short transactions.

2. Autonomous Data Warehouse (ADW): Fast analytics over

large data.

3. APEX Application Development Service: Optimized for app

developers.

4. Autonomous JSON Database: JSON-centric apps, developer-

friendly APIs.

 Benefits:

o Focus on business logic, not infrastructure.

o Seamless integration with REST APIs and database actions.

o Scalability as the application grows.

4️⃣ Deployment Options

 Develop on-premises or in the cloud and deploy seamlessly.

 Shift applications between environments: Windows/Linux, on-

premises/public cloud/private cloud.

 Free public evaluation services available for learning/development.

 Oracle APEX plus Autonomous Database ensures secure, fully-managed

deployment anywhere.

5️⃣ Key Advantages for Oracle Developers

1. Leverage existing SQL and PL/SQL skills.

2. Rapid app development from prototype to production in minutes.

3. No complex web stack knowledge required (low-code approach).

4. Seamless deployment across environments – supports cloud

modernization.

5. Scalable and secure – perfect for enterprise apps.

6. Integration-ready – REST APIs, JSON, and database actions.

💡 Insights for Upskilling

 Focus on Oracle APEX on Autonomous Database → this is core

Cloud-native application development.

 Learn ORDS (Oracle REST Data Services) → critical for API

integrations.

 Explore Autonomous Database workloads → understand

transaction vs analytical apps.

 Understand deployment flexibility → cloud migration & hybrid

environments.