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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
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Latest book: Oracle PL/SQL for Dummies
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