Migrating Oracle
APEX applications
to the cloud - Dr.Max hybrid architecture

Dr.Max has successfully migrated enterprise
applications to the cloud with a smart combination of
Oracle APEX and Microsoft Azure - no application rewrites, no downtime and full support for future growth.
  • Hybrid Cloud Architecture
    Connect Oracle APEX applications to your Azure analytics environment with efficient and secure data synchronization.
  • Maintain existing systems without rewriting
    Instead of a costly migration to new technologies, the decision was made to leverage the existing Oracle APEX platform and modernize it.
  • Clever use of data formats
    Using parquet files as a bridge between Azure Data Lake and Oracle DB enabled bi-directional data transfer with minimal overhead.
  • Flexibility and future scalability
    architecture is ready for further development, extensions and eventual changes towards a full cloud infrastructure.
Client

Dr. Max - a pharmacy chain on a European level

The Dr. Max pharmacy chain is one of the most important players on the Czech pharmaceutical market. Since its establishment in 2001, it has grown to about 500 branches across the country and is still developing. Dr. Max focuses on the sale of medicines, medical supplies and cosmetics. Its extensive product range, own brand medicines, innovative service and competitive prices have earned it a wide customer base. Currently, Dr. Max continues to expand in foreign European markets.
Challenge The Dr.Max Group was looking for an efficient way to move their applications and database solutions from an on-premise environment to the cloud without the need for extensive application modifications and rewrites. At the same time, they required high availability, performance and security, even for latency-sensitive applications and connection stability.

Solution

Dr.Max in collaboration with our team successfully implemented a Proof of Concept (PoC) to test the interconnection between Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Microsoft Azure. The results of the PoC confirmed that the interconnection between these two cloud environments is of such high quality and performance that even very latency-sensitive applications perform as well as in an on-premise environment.

Based on a successful PoC, the customer decided to adopt Oracle as a strategic cloud provider, specifically through Oracle Database@Azure (Autonomous Database at Azure). This decision brings both cost and operational simplicity benefits to the customer.
“
This implementation confirms that the combination of Oracle APEX, Autonomous Database on Azure and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure provides customers with a robust and cost-effective solution for modernizing their IT infrastructure. With the hybrid approach, Dr.Max not only gains continuity of its services, but also flexibility and readiness for further growth and innovation. 

Pavol Zemaník

Technology Consultant, CEOS Data
”

Key benefits of the solution

Hybrid cloud architecture 

The deployment of the hybrid model allowed us to connect the existing analytics solution in Microsoft Azure with the application layer running in OCI, using secure and efficient data synchronization. This architecture supports the migration transition period as well as future expansion. 

Migrate Oracle APEX applications with minimal modifications 

With full Oracle APEX compatibility between OCI and Autonomous Database environments, it was possible to migrate the application layer without the need for refactoring. This significantly reduces the CAPEX and OPEX costs associated with migration and subsequent operation.

Oracle Database@Azure (Autonomous Database) 

Customers gain access to industry-leading Autonomous Database technology with integrated performance management, patching and backup. The high level of autonomy and scalability delivers significant cost savings and increased stability. 

Flexibility and future scalability 

The architecture has been designed to be flexible to respond to future needs - whether it's additional migrations, performance increases, or a complete move to a fully cloud-based solution built using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Microsoft Azure.