Oracle Forms is a development tool that has been a cornerstone of data-based enterprise applications for decades. It simplifies the process of building complex forms and reports that interact with the Oracle database, allowing developers to create them relatively easily. The solution is now ancient by software standards – over 40 years old and counting (the first version was released in 1981) – but is still used in many companies. 

These businesses need skilled Oracle Forms developers, but recruiting them has become increasingly problematic in recent years. In this article, I’ll give a few tips on where to look for good experts skilled in this technology and highlight a couple of qualifications you should expect during an interview. I’ll also describe an alternative approach you can take to fix your Oracle Forms experts’ recruitment problems once and for all.

The biggest problem with finding and recruiting the top Oracle Forms experts in 2025

The biggest problem with recruiting experts for Oracle Forms development is that there simply aren’t enough skilled people specialized in this technology on the market. This is directly related to Forms’ old age, as many younger developers are simply unwilling to learn a platform they consider outdated. To be perfectly honest, it’s hard to blame them because such skills aren’t very future-proof and probably wouldn’t help them much in their careers.

This means that companies that still use software based on Oracle Forms need to rely on older developers, and there’s a limited number of such employees available for work. Moreover, these are sometimes people who have worked with this tech for 30+ or 40+ years and are no longer willing to learn new skills and platforms, which – depending on your tech stack – can be a problem in and of itself.

Key skills and qualifications to look for

Now that I’ve defined the problems, let’s focus on the critical skills and qualifications I’d require of a good Oracle Forms expert. Here’s what to look for:

• Knowledge of programming languages (especially PL/SQL) 
• Oracle Forms architecture know-how
• Experience with web-based forms development
• Ability to describe various Forms triggers and execution points
• Ability to write technical specifications (you want people to design solutions)
• Database management skills (Oracle DB schema design modeling)
• Experience with virtual control software
• Ability to diagnose and resolve performance issues (SQL tuning)
• Experience with Oracle Reports (Forms’ sister tool)
• Expertise in unit test documentation review
• Experience with WebLogic application server

Questions to ask when hiring an Oracle Forms expert

Here are some examples of questions you can ask during a job interview, divided into several categories.

Technical interview questions

These questions help you assess a candidate’s proficiency in the specific tools and solutions needed for the job – especially Oracle Forms and Reports, but also Oracle Database, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), SQL, PL/SQL, and other related technologies. This know-how is an entry-level requirement for the position of an Oracle Forms expert, making these questions essential. 

Technically, their skills in Oracle Forms should be sound. Sound enough to rely on to make unsupervised progress on developing new Oracle Forms features. The questions below start basic and ramp up in complexity. For example, you’d expect the candidate to ace an answer on PRE-FORM trigger, however, if they could also mention the basics of expanding and collapsing nodes in a tree (i.e., not an everyday feature) that should impress you immensely.

1. When a Data Block is queried, how many times does the block level PRE-QUERY & POST-QUERY trigger fire?
2. Explain the difference between a Canvas and a Window.
3. Name the 4 Canvas types.
4. Name the Triggers that could fire when an Oracle Form opens for the first time.
5. What can a Data Block be based upon?
6. What does SYNCHRONIZE do?
7. What’s the difference between POST and COMMIT?
8. What command would you use to run an Oracle Report?
9. What’s the purpose of Webutil? What types of things can Webutil do?
10. What’s the difference between an OLB and a PLL? Provide some examples.
11. If you had a line of PL/SQL to write, when would you choose to add it to the Form, and when would you add it to the server side?

Assessing problem-solving skills

Problem-solving abilities indicate a candidate’s capacity to navigate challenges effectively. In today’s fast-paced work environment, employees frequently encounter unexpected issues that require quick thinking and innovative solutions. By evaluating these skills, you can identify individuals with the agility needed to thrive under pressure.

1. Can you explain how you debug a failing form? What tools or techniques do you use?
2. How do you handle unexpected errors during runtime in Oracle Forms? Can you share a specific instance?
3. Have you ever had to optimize performance in an existing Oracle Form? What steps did you take?
4. What are some common issues you’ve faced when integrating Oracle Forms with other systems, and how did you resolve them?

Evaluating past projects and experiences

Evaluating past experience provides a window into how candidates have handled real-world challenges and opportunities. It allows you to assess not just the skills listed on a resume but also how those skills were applied in practical settings. This insight helps determine whether a candidate will thrive in your specific work environment.

1. What was the most difficult Forms-related project you’ve worked on? What was the challenge and your contribution?
2. What accomplishments are you most proud of from your last job?
3. Can you provide an example of how you’ve adapted to significant changes at work?
4. Describe a time when you failed at something. How did you handle it, and what did you learn?
5. How do you achieve a good work-life balance?

Cultural fit assessment

Cultural fit assessment is a crucial component of the interviewing process that cannot be overlooked. As organizations strive to build cohesive teams, understanding how a candidate aligns with the company’s values, beliefs, and behaviors becomes essential. By prioritizing cultural fit, you can ensure that you hire people who will thrive in your work environment instead of hindering it.

1. Can you describe your ideal work environment?
2. How do you handle feedback and criticism?
3. Can you give an example of how you’ve contributed to team dynamics in previous roles?
4. How did you handle a disagreement with a team member or supervisor in the past?
5. What motivates you at work?

Tips on finding qualified Oracle Forms experts

So, how do you find skilled Oracle Forms experts? The places you should look aren’t that different from those in other development roles: advertise and network on job boards and LinkedIn. You should also look around established freelance platforms, job boards, and tech communities. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Hiring the people you need might be very difficult
• When you do find someone that fits your expectations, they may be contracted and may need convincing (financial or otherwise) to leave their current job
• If your infrastructure and company culture allow that, you should seriously consider making use of remote work – it’ll give you access to other job markets
• If you don’t have experienced recruiters in house, you should seriously consider hiring a recruitment agency for this task

Finally, you need to prepare yourself for disappointment because even with all the abovementioned tips, finding who you need might turn out to be impossible. This is because of the current market situation that we discussed in the beginning.

Can’t hire Oracle Forms Experts? Consider an alternative

As I’ve already mentioned a couple of times in this article, Oracle Forms is an old technology. Considering its age and the growing problems of finding good Forms experts, it might be a good idea to consider a different approach: migrating from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX. 

APEX is Oracle’s shiny new low-code tool with some great features. It offers a robust software development environment that enables developers to build scalable, secure and cost-effective solutions with minimal coding. One of the standout features of Oracle APEX is its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing Oracle databases (also, if you’re already using Oracle DB, you can probably use APEX free of additional license costs). The platform also provides an intuitive user interface that simplifies app development – with drag-and-drop functionality and pre-built templates. Additionally, APEX supports responsive design out of the box, ensuring that applications look great on any device.

Leaving Oracle Forms in favor of APEX will allow you to achieve several things:

1. Overcoming recruitment challenges – Oracle APEX is much newer, and finding skilled people to work in it isn’t as problematic (you can also train non-technical people in using APEX). This also means you no longer depend on old developers with a hard-to-come-by skillset.
2. Building new things instead of just maintaining old solutions – Most companies don’t actively develop new solutions based on Oracle Forms, so if you’re looking for Forms experts, you probably need them for maintenance only. APEX allows you to build completely new tools and applications with cutting-edge features.
3. Getting ready for the change that is already happening – Premier Support for the latest version of Fusion Middleware (which Forms is a part of) will end in December 2029 and there’s a strong movement at Oracle to push companies away from Forms and consider APEX as a replacement (they even use APEX to rebuild and migrate their own applications).
4. Improving the UI and user experience – Oracle Forms’ interface isn’t modern and many people aren’t used to such old ways of interacting with software. They want modern web applications with easy-to-understand visual interfaces. Migrating to APEX is a chance to improve user experience for both your employees and your clients.
5. Improving performance and development time – As a newer technology, APEX offers much better performance and allows you to develop apps faster.
6. Accessing new features – APEX allows you to create modern components and filters and offers capabilities such as mobile/PWA support, push notifications and cloud support. 
7. Optimizing costs – Despite being old, Oracle Forms isn’t cheap. APEX, on the other hand, is free as long as you already have an Oracle Database license.

👉 For more information about moving from Forms to APEX, check out our dedicated article on Oracle Forms to APEX migration. You can also get ready for such a migration project with our Oracle Forms Migration Checklist.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can maximize your chances of hiring skilled Oracle Forms experts. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to find individuals who are capable of meeting your specific needs within this niche area of technology. This is one of many drawbacks of depending on legacy technologies, and the situation will only get worse with time – which is why I’ve also highlighted another approach.

If you need help moving from Forms to APEX, make sure to let us know. Our team is very experienced with such migration projects and building powerful business applications – you can check out the case study of a Forms-to-APEX migration for VAN group. We have also created several useful tools you can use, such as the aforementioned Forms to APEX migration checklist and the AI Forms to APEX Assistant that’ll help you with cost estimation (and more). Just reach out to us at hello@pretius.com – or use the simple contact form below this article

I also advise you to learn more about Oracle APEX by checking out some of the other articles on the Pretius blog:

1. 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise LCAP: Low-code keeps gaining traction
2. Oracle APEX for public apps – Here’s why it’s the perfect choice
3. How a low-code framework helped Munich Re HealthTech build a data-driven SaaS application – in 4 months & across multiple countries
4. Oracle APEX packaged applications – What are they, and how to use them for your benefit
5. Why low-code? How Oracle APEX development helped Ukrainian refugees

Oracle Forms experts FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions regarding hiring Oracle Forms developers and the technology itself.

What is Oracle Forms?

Oracle Forms is a Rapid Application Development technology you can use to create simple forms-based applications based on Oracle DB.

What questions to ask during an Oracle Forms developer job interview?

There are many potential options. You should verify the candidate’s technical knowledge, problem-solving skills and cultural fit above all else. Check out the examples we’ve highlighted in this article

When is Oracle Forms End of Life?

The latest version of Fusion Middleware (the package that contains Oracle Forms) retains its Premier Support until the end of 2029. However, it’s definitely an old, legacy technology at this point, and there are many better options on the market.