Why Oracle Forms Still Matters in 2025

If you’ve worked with Oracle technology long enough, you know that Oracle Forms has been the backbone of thousands of mission-critical applications around the world. 

I’ve spent more than two decades helping organizations build, maintain, and modernize those systems, and even after all that time, I can tell you one thing with certainty: 

Oracle Forms still matters. 

Not because it’s flashy or new, but because it’s stable, powerful, and deeply embedded in the operations of countless businesses that depend on it every single day.

The Reality: Forms Isn’t Dead, But It’s Frozen

There’s no denying that the world around Oracle Forms has evolved. User expectations, development frameworks, and deployment models do not look like they did twenty years ago. Many organizations now find themselves in a familiar position: their Forms applications still work, but they’re starting to show their age. The question becomes how to move forward without risking the business logic and reliability that have been built over decades. 

That’s not a small challenge, and it’s one I’ve seen from every angle. 

It’s why modernization has become such a critical topic in the Oracle community.

The Next Step: Evolve, Don’t Replace

The truth is that modernization doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means evolving what you already have into something more agile, accessible, and sustainable. That’s where Oracle APEX and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) come in. Together, they offer a path that respects the investment organizations have made in Oracle Forms while delivering the modern capabilities today’s users expect responsive design, scalable architecture, and integration with the cloud. 

Modernization isn’t about abandoning the past. It’s about building it intelligently.

The Bridge Between Then and Now

The similarities between Oracle Forms and APEX are not coincidental. Both are built on the Oracle Database. Both are designed to manage data securely and efficiently. And both have always aimed to make developers more productive. Where APEX expands that legacy is in how it delivers those capabilities, through a low-code environment that accelerates development, supports modern UI standards, and integrates naturally with the Oracle ecosystem. In many ways, APEX is the evolution of the same principles that made Forms so powerful in the first place.

What Matters Most 

In 2025, Oracle Forms still matters because the applications built with it still matter. They run factories, hospitals, financial systems, and government operations. They’ve stood the test of time because they were built on strong foundations. But the next chapter isn’t about maintaining Forms forever. It’s about guiding it forward by using the lessons, logic, and business intelligence that already exist to shape something ready for what’s next. 

That’s why I’ve joined Talan Oracle Technologies. Here, I can continue the work I’ve always believed in helping organizations modernize with confidence. Not by throwing away what works, but by evolving one application at a time into something faster, smarter, and future ready. 

Oracle Forms still matter. But how you move beyond matters even more. 

About the Author 

Michael Ferrante
Director of the Forms to APEX Practice

Michael Ferrante is the former Oracle Forms Product Manager and now part of Talan Oracle Technologies, where he continues to help organizations modernize their Oracle Forms applications using Oracle APEX and Oracle Cloud.