ORACLE DB and ORDS as a backend solution for mobile application?

2989071

Hello experts,

I worked as PL/SQL developer. Now I go towards mobile in JavaScript (React Native). I think about own business in the future and want to find niche where I could use my former experience. Basic question is FOR WHO and WHAT? Regarding my experience I want to explore possibilities in corporate area where Oracle DB is already used. Regarding WHAT I thought about starting with data-driven mobile apps with simple architecture. Mobile devices consuming REST API. That is why I look at such things like ORDS and want to know what are the pros and cons of it in the context of using it as a back-end solution for mobile. Maybe this is good direction, or maybe completely wrong. Could you tell me your opinions? My concern boils down to the question:

When is it worth to use Oracle database (via Oracle ORDS) for mobile application?

This is what comes to my mind:

customer is a medium/large enterprise

customer already has an Oracle DB

customer wants mobile app to integrated with other systems

customer wants to have mobile version of current application that runs on Oracle (APEX?)

quickly and easily building backend with Oracle ORDS (auto rest on tables etc)

strictly relational data,

small application (Oracle XE)

internal applications where Oracle is already used

Mike Kutz

My Opinions are as follows:

2989071 wrote:

When is it worth to use Oracle database (via Oracle ORDS) for mobile application?

When you don't have a good constant network connection to the database (eg WiFi).

That is ... use ORDS when JDBC is a bad choice.

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"Applications come, and applications go. But data stays forever." -- Tom Kyte.

Your mobile device should be treated as "just another app".

Make sure it uses the same set of Packages as everyone else.  (code reuse)

There maybe a few "wrapper" packages specific to your mobile app(s), but that is OK

Those wrapper Packages would probably be built specifically for Web Service infrastructures such as ORDS.

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Many threads have asked how to get APEX to read mobile device hardware information (eg Location, Accelerometer, Geiger counter, etc.) into the database.

In short, you can't.  APEX is a Web-based.  Web pages run in a sandbox.  Programs in a sandbox can't access hardware.

The "workaround" that I've always suggested is "build local app that interacts with the database via REST calls to ORDS".

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Oh... Think "Transactional APIs" (XAPI) not "Table-level APIs" (TAPI)

My $0.02

MK