Modularizing Oracle legacy applications is a significant challenge, especially when those systems are complex and mission-critical.
A recent project aimed at transforming an Oracle PL/SQL application highlighted the importance of modularization to improve maintainability, flexibility, and security. Years of updates had made the system intricate, making it difficult to manage – threatening performance and scalability.
Key Technical Challenges for Oracle Legacy Apps
Code Complexity
Issue: The Oracle PL/SQL application had undergone numerous modifications over the years, resulting in a highly complex codebase. This complexity made it challenging to implement changes without introducing bugs or disrupting existing functionalities.
Impact: Difficulty in making timely updates and responding to business needs, resulting in slower development cycles.
Operational Risks
Issue: The monolithic structure of the Oracle application posed substantial risks during updates. Each modification required extensive testing to ensure that no existing functionality was affected.
Impact: Increased downtime and potential service disruptions, undermining operational reliability.
Documentation Gaps
Issue: Outdated and incomplete documentation hindered the onboarding process for new developers working with Oracle applications. This lack of clarity led to increased debugging time and a higher risk of introducing errors.
Impact: Extended onboarding times and increased operational inefficiencies.
Need for Modularization
Issue: The organization recognized that breaking down the monolithic Oracle application into independent, modular components would improve maintainability and facilitate safer updates.
Impact: A clear need for a systematic approach to refactor the codebase and define module interfaces.
Solutions Implemented with Visual Expert
Application Mapping
Solution: Visual Expert was utilized to generate interactive architecture and data flow diagrams for the Oracle PL/SQL application, providing a visual representation of the application’s structure.
Outcome: This mapping facilitated an understanding of Oracle module interactions and guided the planning of how to isolate them into standalone units.
Advanced Impact Analysis
Solution: VE’s impact analysis tools were employed to assess relationships and dependencies between Oracle database objects and PL/SQL code.
Outcome: A thorough static code analysis identified direct and indirect dependencies, enabling the team to understand the cascading effects of potential changes and reduce error risk.
Automated Documentation
Solution: VE automated the generation of comprehensive documentation for the Oracle PL/SQL application, detailing Oracle database objects, stored procedures, and functions.
Outcome: This ensured all stakeholders had access to up-to-date information, streamlining onboarding and reducing the likelihood of human errors.
Collaboration through a Shared Repository
Solution: VE’s collaborative features were leveraged to establish a shared repository for the Oracle development team.
Outcome: This enhanced coordination and allowed multiple developers to work on the same modules in real time, improving consistency and productivity.
Code Review and Security
Solution: Thorough code reviews using Visual Expert helped identify Oracle code redundancies and best practice violations.
Outcome: Enhanced security and reliability of the application, minimizing long-term maintenance costs.
Results Achieved with Modularization of Oracle App
| Result | Impact |
| Onboarding Time | 2x faster integration of new developers. |
| Debugging Efficiency | 40% reduction in bugs through code inspection. |
| Code Review Speed | 50% faster exploration of code using Code Explorer. |
| Deployment Quality | 30% faster deployments with fewer post-release issues. |
| Error Reduction | 50% fewer defects post-deployment. |
Discover the Full Story - Visual Expert played a pivotal role in enabling the modularization of a complex Oracle PL/SQL application, addressing key technical challenges and significantly improving operational efficiency.
About Visual Expert
Visual Expert boosts the code quality and security in Oracle applications by offering code profiling, performance tuning, and advanced code inspection features. It identifies bottlenecks, detects quality and security issues, and streamlines development. Integrating VE with DevOps platforms and supporting various coding standards ensures code quality throughout the development lifecycle.
