Pretius AI Forms to APEX Assistant: Reduce analysis from weeks to minutes and unleash your experts’ potential

90% estimation accuracy where others just guess.
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Don’t guess. Estimate

Forms to APEX migration project can be complex and time-consuming. Wouldn’t it be great if you could estimate their scale and cost before committing to anything? Well, good news: that’s precisely what our AI Forms to APEX Assistant can do! In just a few short steps, you can eliminate guesswork and gain an understanding of your project’s true scale.

Here’s how it works:

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01

Provide us with your .FMB or .XML files*

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02

Scope estimation

Through a combination of our AI-powered Forms to APEX migration assistant and human analysis based on our considerable Forms know-how, we offer you an estimation of your migration project’s scope (in mandays).
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Cost estimation

We create a cost estimate based on our rates for such projects.
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04

You decide whether you want to go forward with it

*To dispel any potential security concerns, we’ve prepared an Oracle Forms XML Randomizer you can use to anonymize all the sensitive data before you send it to us. To use it, you have to convert your FMB files into XMLs, and then you feed these XMLs to the Randomizer we provide. 

It’s important to note that while scrambling the data won’t affect the migration time estimates, it limits us to statistical evaluation – a full AI-driven analysis won’t be possible with such data.

Battle-tested capabilities

We’ve used the AI Forms to APEX Assistant in several projects, and found out it’s around 90% accurate! In fact, during a project for one of our clients from the banking industry, the company executives – very worried about the potential migration time – were so impressed with the transparency this tool offered that they increased the budget for their Forms to APEX migration project (when the estimates proved correct).

Migrating from Oracle Forms is not just a technology change. It is a battle against two decades of architectural debt. Most companies treat APEX migration as a simple upgrade. The reality is different: it is a transition between two worlds speaking different languages. Without the right approach, a modernization project becomes a risky process full of surprises that drain the budget.
Expert dev explaining idea to the team

We’ve performed numerous Forms to APEX migrations in the last few years, and found out that the accuracy of our estimations was 90%.

Schedule free consultations to estimate your Oracle

Classic challenges in Forms to APEX migration projects

01

The “Stateful vs. Stateless” Trap

Oracle Forms operates on a stateful model; the database session remains open as long as the user has the window active. Oracle APEX is a modern, stateless web world (HTTP).

The Challenge:

Mechanically moving code makes the application inefficient. Triggers such as POST-QUERY or SYNCHRONIZE simply stop working or generate thousands of redundant queries (the N+1 problem), paralyzing the database.

02

Logic “trapped” in binary files

n Oracle Forms, business logic often isn't where it should be. It is embedded in UI triggers (WHEN-BUTTON-PRESSED), hidden inside binary .FMB files.

The Challenge:

It cannot be easily searched, automated, or tested. Any attempt to extract these rules "manually" means hundreds of hours of work for analysts who must dig through layers of "spaghetti code" from 20 years ago.

03

Outdated user experience

Attempting to replicate a Forms layout “pixel-for-pixel” in a browser is the fastest way to create an application that nobody wants to use.

The Challenge:

Forms is a desktop interface. APEX must be responsive, mobile, and intuitive. If you only copy the screens, you get a non-functional tool that frustrates users and fails to leverage the potential of the modern web.

04

Estimation by “rule of thumb”

How do you price the migration of a system with 500 forms, each of which may hide thousands of lines of undocumented PL/SQL code?

The Challenge:

Traditional estimation methods fail. Forms modernization projects most often exceed the budget by 50-100% because the "hidden complexity" only comes to light halfway through development.

05

Deficit of “PL/SQL Titans”

The people who built your Forms systems are retiring. Young developers do not understand the specifics of GO_BLOCK or KEY-COMMIT.

The Challenge:

With each passing day, the risk grows that no one will be left in your team who can interpret the intentions of the original code's authors.
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Our answer: The Pretius AI Forms to APEX Assistant

Let’s be honest: in the world of enterprise systems, “magic buttons” for migration do not exist. Anyone promising a 100% automated conversion is, at best, bending the truth.

Pretius AI Forms to APEX Assistant takes a different approach. It is not an automaton that replaces the programmer; it is an intelligent accelerator that not only allows you to understand the true scale of your project, but also removes hundreds of hours of tedious, manual work from your team's shoulders, allowing them to focus on what truly matters: business logic and UX.

How does Pretius AI Forms to APEX Assistant change the game?

Our tool operates in three key phases, providing full control over the project's quality and budget:
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Precise estimation

Before we write the first line of code, our Assistant parses your .FMB and .XML files.
  • What the tool does: It calculates code density, identifies dead procedures, counts triggers, and evaluates the complexity level of each module.
  • Your benefit: Instead of a "guess," you receive hard data. Thanks to 90% analysis accuracy, we eliminate budget surprises. You know exactly how long the migration will take before it even starts.
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Semi-automated “Kickstart”

The tool automatically “extracts” the business logic trapped in forms and moves it where it belongs: to the database.
  • What the tool does: It generates PL/SQL packages (TAPI/XAPI) based on code from Forms triggers. It creates the “skeleton” of the APEX application, mapping old data blocks to modern regions.
  • Your benefit: You skip the “blank page” phase. Your developers start working with a ready, clean SmartDB architecture. What used to take weeks (manual rewriting of procedures), the Assistant does in minutes, maintaining consistency and the highest coding standards.
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Developer “Co-Pilot”

Even after the project has launched, the Assistant remains active as an intelligent advisor to the team.
  • What the tool does: It suggests optimal SQL queries, points out how to replace outdated triggers (e.g., POST-QUERY) with modern APEX mechanisms, and assists in refactoring complex dependencies.
  • Your benefit: You reduce the risk of errors and speed up work. Developers don’t have to think about every little detail, focusing instead on tasks that truly require their attention.

Case studies

AI in the service of infrastructure

The migration of the Obsurv system not only reduced costs but also allowed for the implementation of Computer Vision modules for automatic urban infrastructure inspection.
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Branch

Engineering

Country

Netherlands

SYSTEM

Municipal asset management

Branch

Transportation

Country

Poland

SYSTEM

Freight management

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Van Group: Team Independence

We don't just migrate; we train your team so they can independently develop the system in Oracle APEX.

In this video, you will see our custom AI Forms to APEX Assistant that will help you:

  • Estimate your migration project (with the power of AI)
  • Kickstart the migration process itself (with semi-automated conversion)
  • Provide AI assistance to the developers throughout the project

Video chapters:

0:00 Intro
1:12 Agenda
2:23 Oracle Forms application example
3:39 Preparing files for the migration
4:54 AI Analysis and project estimation
6:18 Streamlining the migration
9:54 Summary

FAQ

No. The Assistant is a proprietary internal accelerator used exclusively by Pretius consultants to deliver migration services. We don't sell the tool as "off-the-shelf" software because we believe successful modernization requires a combination of AI-driven efficiency and senior-level human expertise. By using it as an internal engine, we can guarantee the quality of the final application.

Honestly? No, and you shouldn’t trust anyone who promises such things. Full 1:1 automation isn’t currently possible due to the differences between Forms and APEX. For example, some Forms Program Units contain Forms-specific PL/SQL with no exact APEX equivalents, and most APEX apps inherently look and function differently, requiring manual adjustment. 

Our tool is semi-automated: it handles the mechanical, time-consuming tasks and pinpoints problem areas, accelerating the migration process.

Security is always our priority. If you want your data to remain fully anonymous, we can use our open-source Oracle Forms XML Randomizer to scramble it before analysis and estimation. The analysis might be less reliable (though we still promise good results), but you’ll have a guarantee that key/private information remains in your hands only.

We can analyze and migrate from virtually any version, including 6i, 10g, 11g, and 12c.

Absolutely not. We don't use proprietary libraries or "hidden" code. Once the migration is complete, any developer with standard APEX skills can maintain and develop the application. We also offer training for your in-house teams to ensure full independence.

Because you’ve already invested in Oracle DB and PL/SQL. Migrating to Java or .NET requires throwing away your existing business logic and starting from scratch. With APEX, we reuse your logic (moving it to the database layer), which makes the migration faster, cheaper, and significantly less risky. Plus, you likely already have the necessary database license, and APEX is included in that package – you can use it free of charge.

Looking for a software development company?

Work with a team that already helped dozens of market leaders. Book a discovery call to see:

  • How our products work
  • How you can save time & costs
  • How we’re different from another solutions

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Adam Kierzkowski

/ Oracle APEX Team Leader

Adam dołączył do Pretius ponad 5 lat temu. Wcześniej pracował w inżynierii robotyki, ale zawsze ciągnęło go do tworzenia oprogramowania. Obecnie jest Team Leaderem, programistą APEX specjalizującym się w bazach danych Oracle oraz osobą stojącą za popularnym "Kursem Oracle APEX" na YouTube. Po pracy lubi grać w gry wideo i oglądać dobre filmy lub seriale.