The Strategic Role of the Enterprise Application Framework

DRIVING BUSINESS FORWARD WITH APPLICATION FRAMEWORKS

The Enterprise Applications building blocks & the strategic role

of the Application Framework

Jean-Marc Desvaux – General Construction Co. Ltd

A Fact

It’s a truism to say thatBusinesses need Applications

to run their business effectively.

We need to build Applicationsfor our business.

Another Fact

Modern Enterprise Applicationsneed an infrastructure to run

(on-premises or cloud-based or mixed)

Minimum building blocks are: ------------------------------

Data

Business logic

User Interface

Security

Facts are :“We need to build ..”

on top of an infrastructure.

It means we have the responsibility toImplement applications to help us improve

our processes and differentiate ourselves withthe competition in a sustainable and flexible way

It means it’s not an IT problem but a realand serious business one.

How do we achieve that ?

Commercial off-the-shelf , ERP or custom built ?

If custom built : .NET, J2EE, Rational, Uniface, AJAX, XML, Jquery, Web Services,

Flex, PHP, Python ………?

If ERP/COTS : Sage, MS Dynamics, SAP, Oracle EBS, Oracle Fusion Apps, Salesforce, Open ERP, Infor …… ?

Client Server, Web, Mobile, Cloud ?

SQL, NoSQL, … ?

The functional only approach(technical aspects not taken into account)

The result will be a set of best-of-breed silos.

=>Integration & updates nightmare =>High costs of acquisition & support=>Risk to Frankensteinize the Enterprise IS =>Security problems

=>An Ostrich Policy

The functional & technical approach

Face the Technical challenge and try to simplify as much as possible while

aligning the IS with the processes complexity

How do we do that ?

The Business Strategic part :-

First by understanding our processes in details and taking structural & functional decisions

The Technical Strategic Part:-

Choose a technical approach:Vanilla ERP, Custom or a Mixed of both?

Clearly define our Strategy

The Technical approachERP?

Ideally a pure ERP would be the best.

But Growth and Differentiation are Some of the intrinsic Business natures

If ERP is ok today, What about tomorrow ?

The Reality

Based on a Panorama Consulting 2008 Survey

The Reality

Starting near 100% ERP, 0% Custom

Ending 25% ERP, 75% Custom

IMHO

If Ending 25% ERP, 75% Custom,

Why Not 100% custom ?

Or see the ERP roles mainly as a catalyst, a way

To kick-start the move and serve as a base to build on.

In this case, the ERP choicemust be made on its customisation

capabilities.

Instead of looking primarily at ERP functional Standards

we must look at the Standards exposed by

the customisation tools & their roadmap.

In other words, we need standard Building blocks.

If the ERP has been developed on these Standards blocks,

Mastering them allows us to extend or build to our specificity.

As the standard blocks evolves,We can evolve with them,

Protecting our developmentinvestment

“Standard Building Blocks” ?

Another name for these Building Blocks

The Application DevelopmentFramework

AF Advantages

Defines Patterns & Anti-patterns

Defines Best Practices

Custom coding % is minimal & sits on the AF

AF technology upgrades work left to the AF provider

Don’t bother on Industry standards implementation,The Framework deals with it

Configure (don’t code) Security

Architects & Developers Communities

How to select an AFRich UI /

Component basedPure web User interfaces (No plug-ins)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Minimum coding / Declarative programmingfor better productivity & easier learning curve

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Devices independence(Same AF to develop for Browser, phones, tablets..)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strong integration with Database (ORM)------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Integrates Security (Id & Auth)---------------------------------------------------------------------

Based on & Support of Industry standards---------------------------------------------------------------------

Choose a strategic AF not an opportunistic one---------------------------------------------------------------------

Documentations, tutorials, learning materials availability

An example : Oracle ADF

Choosing Oracle ADF as your building blocks is a strong strategy because all Oracle Fusion Apps

& other Oracle products like WebCenter are built with ADF.

Meaning all Oracle ERP consultants, ERP developersand Oracle themselves are using or will use ADF

directly or indirectly.

=>There is a strong Technology Commitment on ADF.

Oracle ADF ArchitectureAn extended MVC pattern

The Business Services layer - provides access to data from various sources and handles business logic.

The Model layer - provides an abstraction layer on top of the Business Services layer, enabling the View and Controller layers to work with different implementations of Business Services in a consistent way.

The Controller layer - provides a mechanism to control the flow of the Web application.

The View layer - provides the user interface of the application.

Oracle ADF ArchitectureAn extended MVC pattern

The IDE (one for all your development)JDeveloper

Oracle ADF UI componentsADF Faces Rich Client

Oracle ADF MobileSame IDE (JDeveloper), same Framework

If you are an ADF developer, you are an ADF Mobile Developer

Same declarative environmentADF Mobile also allows developers to take full

advantage of the security features in ADF.

Oracle ADF MobileHybrid Apps

Leverages HTML5, JavaScript and CSS to develop rich user interfaces across multiple platforms and devices.

Deep access to native device services, such as phone, SMS, camera, GPS and more (PhoneGap)

Supports both real-time and offline data accessOffline support using SQLite – encryption included

Consistent experiences between desktop-based and mobile application development

Build secure mobile applications with end-to-end encryption on a proven platform

Oracle ADF MobileSame IDE (JDeveloper), same Framework

Oracle ADF MobileiOS, Android / Phones, Tablets

An ADF case study

Transport of Labour on Construction Sites

Sophisticated off-the-shelf Transport Logistic software

could not deal with daily changes inTransport Requirements

An ADF case study where only custom development can bring value

Infrastructure

Oracle Jdeveloper & ADF

Oracle Middleware

ADF deployed to Weblogic 11gOracle HTTP Server & webcache

Oracle Internet DirectoryOracle Single Sign-on

Oracle Database

What the Enterprise need to adopt such a strategy

Own/Master your Data Model and the ERPData Model.

Hire people & coach/train them on the Application Framework to develop

Custom applications.

They will be able to extend & maintain ERPs (if any)

Implement Best Practices & internal standards

Choose any external services (Cloud-based,Social Networks etc..) with integration

as a key selection criteria.

Thank you

Some ADF links

ADF Enterprise Methodology Group groups.google.com/group/adf-methodology

ADF on Oracle Technology Networkwww.oracle.com/adfwww.oracle.com/mobile

Oracle Learning Librarywww.oracle.com/oll

YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/user/ADFInsiderEssentialsOr just search for “Oracle ADF”, lots of videos tutorials & demos