Oracle Database Management Strategic Directions

1. Best Practices for managing Oracle database servers.
2. Oracle Fusion Middleware products like J2EE, ADF, XML, BPEL, SOA, Web Services, Discoverer...).
3. Oracle Application Servers and Apache.

Oracle Fusion blog topics include:

• Oracle Fusion: Service Oriented Architecture
  
• Oracle Fusion: Java
  
• Oracle Fusion: Internet Development Tools
  
• Oracle Fusion: JDeveloper 10gR3
  
• Oracle Fusion: Trubix Training Roadmap
  
• Oracle Fusion: Key Components
  
• Oracle Fusion: The Oracle Fusion Technical Platform

I taught the first JDeveloper 1.0 course internally at Oracle and it is amazing to see how much JDeveloper has grown with Oracle JDeveloper 10g Release 3. The intefaces have been enhanced significantly and suppport for the current standards are there as well. It is probably the biggest new release by JDeveloper since it first came out. With JDeveloper being a key development foundation for Oracle Fusion Middleware, I highly recommend downloading it on OTN (for free) and starting to get comfortable with the new features.

Oracle Express and JDeveloper combine to provide a free yet powerful environment for developing web based applications.

• Oracle Express provides database access for developers. It contains simple GUI tools that makes it easy for developers to manage their test data environment.
• JDeveloper contains a built-in Java run time environment for testing web applications from within JDeveloper. JDeveloper also contains a standalone Java runtime environment for testing web deployments.

It is going to take some time to get comfortable with JDeveloper. It is a very powerful tool with a lot of functionality. I really dislike it when people talk about how JDeveloper is really easy to use, that it is just pointing and clicking. It has excellent interfaces for helping you build Web Interfaces, Struts, ADF, etc. but someone still has to have a very strong technical background and understand the template code build by the tool. This is a powerful tool designed for a developer with strong technical skills. If someone wants a point and click tool, then they need to use Oracle Application Express.

JDeveloper is much more than an integrated development suite for writing J2EE applications. JDeveloper has interfaces for Web Services, J2EE, XML, XML DB, HTML, PL/SQL, SQL with some Data and UML Modeling supported. It has become more of an database development environment than just a Java Development tool.

JDeveloper is the primary platform for Oracle Fusion Middleware applications. It contains all the interfaces for working with the complex Java frameworks defined in the Oracle Fusion Technology Stack (platform). Oracle Fusion is based on industry standards, so Oracle development can be done on development tools such as Eclipse and IBM WebSphere development tools. In fact Eclipse is a popular tool we use to teach advanced J2EE classes for Oracle development including TopLink. However, JDeveloper contains all the bells and whistles for Oracle deployments.

What I like most about JDeveloper is the integration of OC4J (Java run time environment) into the JDeveloper tool. A Java run time environment is usually found in application servers and traditionally is needed for testing web applications. JDeveloper has the OC4J (Java runtime environment) built in as well as a separate OC4J (run time environment) that supports the testing of deployments.

• Most environments require a development tool and a test application server environment. This can mean a Java IDE then using a test environment of JBoss, Apache, or an application server. The issue is the development environment is different than the test environment.
• JDeveloper contains an internal OC4J as well as a standalone OC4J environment. This allows developers to test web applications directly in the OC4J found in JDeveloper, or to test web deployments in the standalone OC4J. This eliminates a developer of the need for a separate Java runtime environment found in application servers for testing web applications.

In working with TopLink I have been very impressed with how well TopLink has been integrated in the the JDeveloper tool set.

There are other development tools out there such as IBM WebSphere Studio and Eclipse. IBM Websphere has all the bells and whistles for a WebSphere, my question is I have never seen it used outside of a WebSphere envionrment. This tool does have a lot of functionality. Eclipse is a good solid tool. I like JDeveloper for all the bells and whistles it has for Oracle and yet it provides an open environment.

A list of new features in Oracle JDeveloper 10g Release 3 can be found at: JDeveloper