Latest Release of Web-based Application Development Tool Eases Migration of Third-Party Applications, and Enhances Application Design, Charting and Reporting Capabilities

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., March 26, 2007 -- Oracle today announced the general availability of Oracle Application Express Release 3.0, a free tool that enables users to easily build, deploy and manage secure Web applications using only a Web browser.

This latest, major release of Oracle Application Express features several new and highly anticipated application design, migration, reporting, security and Web services capabilities.  These features include PDF Printing, Flash Chart integration, Microsoft Access Migration support, enhanced Web Services and Drag and Drop Item Creation and Layout. 

Oracle Application Express is a Web-based application development tool integrated with all editions of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle9i Database Release 2.  It enables users with limited programming skills to easily develop secure Web applications that run inside their Oracle Database and scale to support tens, hundreds or thousands of users.  Organizations of all sizes across various industries, including C2 Consulting, Inc., Mythics, and Sphinx IT Consulting GmbH, among others, are benefiting from using Oracle Application Express.

"We're committed to helping our customers get the most out of data stored in their Oracle Database," said Mike Hichwa, vice president of Software Development, Oracle.  "With PDF printing, flash charting, and improved support for Web services Oracle Application Express Release 3.0 offers compelling new functionality.  We've also taken a major step forward in helping customers migrate their data off of their desktops and consolidate it in an Oracle Database where it can be reliably managed and secured."

Release 3 Provides New Design, Migration, and Reporting Capabilities

New enhancements and features in Oracle Application Express Release 3.0 include:

PDF Printing - export a report region to PDF in addition to Word, Excel or HTML;

Flash Charts - incorporate interactive Flash charts into dynamic Web applications; 

Microsoft Access Application Migration Workshop - recover design of Access applications to generate Oracle Application Express applications;

Drag and Drop Item Layout - users can re-order items, change select attributes, and quickly add and delete items; and,

Improved Web Services Support - enhanced support for document-style Web services such as Oracle JDeveloper-produced Web services and Oracle BPEL Process Manager-produced processes.

Oracle Application Express 3.0 also supports simple and easy-to-use Oracle Application Express packaged applications available for free download on Oracle Technology Network. These fully-functional applications including "Ask the Expert," Bug Tracker, Discussion Forum, Document Library, Issue Tracker, People Search, Online Store and Software Projects, can be easily customized with little programming experience, deployed and shared within an organization.  To access the applications, go to: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_express/packaged_apps/packaged_apps.html

Relying on Oracle Application Express for Ease-of-Use, Rapid Prototyping and Deployment

Based in Hingham, Mass., C2 Consulting, Inc. works in collaboration with clients to design, develop and implement systems in addition to training clients on Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware.  "At C2 Consulting we use Oracle Application Express for both in-house applications as well as a development tool for our clients' projects from reserving a Florida condo to tracking criminals," said Anton Nielsen, president, C2 Consulting, Inc. "Oracle Application Express is so efficient that we use it to rapidly prototype applications as part of our analysis and design phase.  Many of the new Oracle Application Express 3.0 features will be great for our own public facing site and for clients' applications.  The ability to cache pages and individual regions on a page should improve overall performance.  Flash-based charts and publishing directly to PDF provide great enhancements to public facing sites."

Mythics Inc. is one of the world's largest Oracle Value Added Resellers providing Oracle-based solutions to thousands of customers in government, general business, healthcare, and education.  Indigo Framework, a vital component of the Mythics 1Enterprise agile development suite, has revolutionized tactical Web application build-and-deployment strategies.  Customers realize significant cost savings associated with desktop database and spreadsheet consolidation while having the flexibility of choosing a COTS application that more closely fits their need and budget. 

"Our goal was to create a foundation application from which a marketplace of tools could grow," said Nick Intintolo, director of Strategic Programs, Mythics. "Oracle Application Express has directly contributed to our success and provides the means to engineer our technology quickly and efficiently.  Oracle Application Express Release 3 will further enhance the quality of a 1Enterprise customer's Web experience as we incorporate new features such as Flash Charts into the Indigo Framework.  Likewise, our internal manufacturing operation will become more streamlined as we leverage the newly available application packaging and distribution capabilities."

Sphinx IT Consulting GmbH, based in Vienna, Austria, is an IT consultancy serving clients in the commercial, federal, financial, telecom, production industry and public transportation sectors.  The firm specializes in consulting and the creation of mission-critical individual software and stands for maximum solution orientation and innovative IT applications.  Using Oracle Application Express, Sphinx IT Consulting is able to develop state-of-the-art, AJAX-enabled Web applications quickly and securely.

"Oracle Application Express's 4GL declarative development and the built-in features like security, validation, themes, flash charting, PDF reporting, and Web Services, among others, increases the productivity of our developers," said Patrick Wolf, senior solution architect, Sphinx IT Consulting GmbH (http://www.sphinx.eu/).  "With the new out-of-the-box PDF reporting and Flash charting, it's even easier for us to build the highly sophisticated, Web 2.0 applications our clients are demanding.  We're fans of the database-based repository used by Oracle Application Express, which enables easy access to the application's meta-data and makes it easy to enhance the Oracle Application Express core system with our open source ApexLib development framework (http://apexlib.sourceforge.net/) which runs on top of Oracle Application Express."

Pricing and Availability

Oracle Application Express Release 3.0 is generally available and is downloadable from the Oracle Technology Network at: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_express/download.html .

The tool is integrated with all releases of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle9i Database Release 2 at no additional cost.  For more information on Oracle Application Express, go to: http://otn.oracle.com/apex .

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© Press Release 2007