What is our primary use case?
In some cases, it is a difficult tool. However, we have found that Oracle is more of a database and not a good tool for application development. As a result, we are currently facing some challenges, and we have not received enough help from the community. We are working hard to find solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
We had developed a CRM for the public and companies, and we were facing a few problems. The first problem was encrypting the customer's data so that it could not be seen. The second problem was integration, which was not as easy as Salesforce, even though we are also a partner of Salesforce. Salesforce is much easier to integrate compared to Oracle APEX. And the third challenge we faced was with the UI.
These are some of the challenges I am currently facing. We have been investing a lot of time and money into Oracle Apex. However, we are facing difficulties in integrating it with third-party applications. For example, if we want to integrate a payment gateway or accounting tool like Zero or QuickBooks. We are struggling to find a solution to this. Additionally, we want to integrate AI-based chatbots that can accept and create records through voice commands. We were considering working with Oracle APEX, but we may not be able to test it.
What is most valuable?
Databases are the most valuable feature in Oracle APEX for me. The database is super easy to use for creating tables.
What needs improvement?
The most important thing, in my opinion, is that it should allow end-users to create their own custom fields. For example, if you are my customer and you want to create custom fields, you should be able to do that yourself.
Secondly, it should be easy to map fields with other objects like CRM. If you are creating custom fields in the lead and want to create a few custom fields going further on the account contact opportunity, the end customer should be able to do this themselves rather than depending on us every time.
In the next release, we would like to see easy integration with third-party applications. Currently, Oracle is lacking big time in the marketplace. If you look at Salesforce, they have more than four thousand applications that you can easily download and configure with their platform. On the other hand, Oracle Apex has a limited marketplace, with only a few companies offering basic applications. Moreover, the existing marketplace applications are not fancy or AI-based. AI is a big thing, and Oracle is currently working on it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years. We are using version 22.5.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I would rate the stability a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability of Oracle APEX a four out of ten. Oracle is more of a database-oriented solution and is not very flexible in app development.
How are customer service and support?
We have only received support from MaxApex people, who have been pretty helpful. Sometimes we get stuck with configuration issues, and they advise us on how to resolve them. They also showed us how to encrypt our data. However, if Oracle APEX has a professional community, it would be great to get more help because no company in the world has a UI like the one we have in our CRM.
We haven't received any support from Oracle. We've only received support from MaxApex.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Salesforce before. However, we switched to Oracle Application Express because it's not user-based but rather database-oriented. With it, we can create users and set prices based on our preferences rather than being limited by Salesforce's CRM options. Someone from an Oracle background suggested we try it out during our initial phase, and it was super easy for us to create pages, layouts, and fields. However, we need help as we move forward.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. However, as we started doing more development work, we faced a lot of challenges. I rate the initial setup at eight on a scale of one to ten.
Down the road, at a later stage, I would rate it a two or three at maximum. The initial setup was easy, but as the complexity of the project increased, we encountered several difficulties. Currently, we only have two people who take care of maintenance and development. We have slowed down our development since we have been doing this for the past three years.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment was done in-house since we have our own team of developers who took care of it. The deployment didn't take much time because MaxApex was really good, and they helped us in different areas. We have deployed it in the cloud version and used MaxApex as our cloud provider. We contacted MaxApex, and they provided us with enough space on the cloud. The rest of the deployment was handled by our technical team. Moreover, we only needed two experienced people who help us deploy on the cloud.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate it around an eight in terms of price, with one being low and ten being high.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We only tried Salesforce. Salesforce has a platform called Force.com, but there was a limitation on the number of objects we could create. If we had to create more than ten objects, Salesforce would start charging twenty-five dollars per user per month. If we wanted to create an unlimited number of objects, Salesforce would charge a hundred dollars per user per month. As we were targeting a market with customers who may not have a big budget, we were trying to find a more cost-effective solution. So we were looking for a more affordable and cost-effective solution for these customers.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this product as a five out of ten, right in the middle. Number one, it is easy to scale for simple matters. However, when it comes to complex development, it can be challenging and time-consuming.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.