This blog captures few key differences between VB and VBS , so that it would be easier for the customers to analyze thier requirement related to VB/VBS and leverage the tools accordingly.
Also, few features are shared on VB(B2B-CX) in comparison with VB/VBS.
Fusion IAM Domains can now be used for Identity and access management by Fusion Apps customers.This Oracle Cloud Infrastructure(OCI) IAM is accessible for Fusion Apps extension and integration use cases.
Visual Builder (aka VB, formerly VBCS)
Oracle Visual Builder is a cloud-based software development Platform as a Service (PaaS) and a hosted environment for your application development . It provides an open-source standards-based solution to develop, collaborate on, and deploy applications within Oracle Cloud.It’s also a unified platform that allows you to define your own data objects as well as access data from external REST-based sources.
VB(VBCS) is one of the services of OIC. OIC includes 3 services i.e.
ICS (Integration Cloud Service),
VB/VBCS (Visual Builder Cloud Service), and
PCS (Process Cloud Service).
Visual Builder Studio(VBS)
VB Studio combines Visual Builder’s visual and declarative cloud environment for developing mobile and web applications with the developer and lifecycle management tools. This includes integrated Git repositories, issue tracking and code review tools and an integrated build system for continuous development and deployment of your apps.
Redwood and Spectra Support
Oracle is commited to deliver a superior user experience in Redwood UX . Visual Builder Studio is the flagship development environment for Redwood and Spectra.
Redwood: Redwood is not only a new medioum and polished look and feel for our user interface .It can also be a fundamental reinvention of processes.Customer can control the timings of thier Redwood rollout for each module.In most of the cases, AI Servicesis only possible in new Redwood screen.Please follow redwood adoption path process and connect customer success services representative to see what’s possible with Redwood.
Spectra: Oracle Spectra is a project that aims to gradually transform Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite into a cloud native architecture based on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
Default SaaS Instance
By default,a VB Studio instance is provisioned with Oracle Cloud Applications TEST instance so that organization’s members can use it for develop/configure application extensions.Oracle is in the process of provisioning multiple instances of visual builder studio for each Oracle Cloud Applications customer.In this new configuration, every TEST and DEV instance in your Oracle Cloud Application Environment family receives its own instance of VB studio,which in turn are tied together by a single VB Studio Organization.
Latest History Details
Oracle Visual Builder Studio (VB) is now provisioned as part of your Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications instance. With VB we can rapidly create and extend applications using a visual development environment – the same development platform that Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications are built on(AppUI).
Oracle cloud applications that have been updated to 22C use a new structure (V2) for developing and registering App extensions built for the version 22B.
Oracle integration 3 supports OAuth 2.0 , a token based authentication method that is more secure and it is mandatory to use OAuth 2.0 when using integration 3.
New feature “Process Automation” has been added in Oracle Integration 3.
Single Page Application Architecture (V2 Application – Single Common Page)
New Extensibility tool for redwood pages -Express Mode (Please refer oracle documentation on express/advanced support on each pillar/module)
All Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications environments are now provisioned with the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Identity and Access Management Identity System.
Architecture
Highlighted below architectural difference between VB and VBS.
VBS with VB Runtime (e.g : Standalone VBS Mobile app accessing Oracle Cloud appln data with same login)
VBS CI/CD components and flows
Case1: Application Extension :
VBS CI/CD Components : Application Extension
Case2: Visual Application :
VBS CI/CD Components : Visual Application
Difference between VB(VBCS) and VBS
Please note the highlighted differences mentioned about VBS is in the context of AppUI and not VBS in the context of creating VB apps.
Case No
Features
VB/VBCS (Standalone/OIC)
VBS(Embedded/Standalone)
Remarks
1.
DB/Data Access
It comes with Built-In DB(5GB) and can be connected to Oracle DBaaS(using ORDS) or ATP (Autonomous Transaction Processing) DB.
Access data from
*External secured REST services.
*External database.
Create your own DB and Bos.
We get the Built-in DB, Business Objects and REST proxy in the VB standalone instance.
It would be connected to Oracle Fusion cloud DB.
External data Access: No Built-In solution but there are some alternate solutions to access the external authenticated DB/Data.
Alternate solutions :
A) App Composer=> Groovy Function=>Call Ext authenticated Rest Endpoint. (Shared blog link below)
B) By using cloud native components such as OCI API Gateway,oracle cloud functions..etc.
VBS can access external data but it needs to be unauthenticated
You can’t create your DB and connect/create only FA DB (Custom objects in apps composer) and related BOs.
VB app will get deployed to FA instance and therefore we don’t get the DB, Business Objects and REST proxy .
2.
Organize the work
No Built-in Git Repository and CI/CD (build Jobs) .
Visual application’s lifecycle (Agile board, issue tracker, team wikis,sprint managment..etc ) is not supported.
Each Project has Git Repository and CI/CD (Build Jobs) are integrated tightly and supported (Implicit).
Project has tools to help/manage your visual application’s lifecycle ( Agile board, issue tracker, team wikis,sprint management..etc) .
It has utilities that help manage infrastructure as code leveraging standards such as Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform.
3.
Visual Builder Business Object
We can use VB BO.
No, use FA custom objects
VB(B2B-CX) : VB BOs are not supported, use FA custom objects.
4.
Federation
Standalone VB is not pre-federated with FA.
Visual Studio and FA pre-federated, with FA being the IdP
VB(B2B-CX) :VB and FA shares same IDCS
5.
Integration
Applications built can be integrated with Fusion Applications using Page Integration/Composer through Sandbox.
VB App extensions can be deployed as “AppUIs” which are then deployed as part of fusion apps (Customers can use PaaS offerings in the case of HCM/SCM and other pillars,Please check the oracle documentations on AppUI)
Note: 1)Fragment (new feature) : Reusable component used across App UIs.
2) Use of advanced mode is limited to few documented use cases.
VB(B2B-CX) :Same as VBS.
6.
Design Time (DT) and Runtime (RT) Servers/Instance
It has both DT and RT Server/Instance of VB.
The VB Studio you get with FA is just the design time, it doesn’t have the runtime server of VB.
Note: If you develop a standalone Visual Application with VBS the VB engine for preview is provided by VBS but you can’t deploy using build pipeline since it does not have VB instance runtime by default and need to be added as an env to VBS.
VB(B2B-CX) : Has it’s own runtime.
7.
REST Endpoints/REST API Access
We need to add fusion application backend manually.
it is tightly integrated with Fusion Applications .
8.
App Outside FA
We can develop application outside the fusion application.
No. Within FA.
Supported in VB(B2B-CX) : Apps outside not supported.
Supported within FA.
9.
Vanity URL and Apps with Custom Domains
Yes
Notes:
1)Mobile and PWA apps are not supported at this time. Custom domains(different URL than the one generated by Visual Builder) can only be used for web apps.
2) After you’ve configured the vanity URL, it’s important you work with the visual app using its custom domain.
3)Working with a vanity app from a non-vanity host can cause issues so make sure you access the designer using custom domain.
No
(Vanity URL :use FA URL)
Vanity URL and custom domains are supported in VB(B2B-CX)
10.
Customized look and feel
We can build apps with custom look and feel.
No, Restricted to FA Look and Feel.
Supported in VB(B2B-CX)
11.
Run independently of FA
Yes
No
Supported in VB(B2B-CX)
12.
Invoke External Rest APIs
Yes-Possible to invoke/access external APIs through Rest proxy service.
No-Possible to invoke/access only APIs with no authentication.
Visual Builder and Visual Builder Studio : New features introduced over the November-2022 and February-2023 releases of Visual Builder and Visual Builder Studio.
Also ,please check other new release features like 2307,2310..etc
Use Visual Builder (Standalone) or Visual Builder (OIC Package) as there is no limitation on using only Fusion Rest APIs
Simple SaaS Application Extension using only SaaS data
Use Visual Builder Studio (SaaS Embedded) as it reduces the manual effort of integrating built application with SaaS using Page Integration/Application Composer and FA Sandbox
When to leverage VB and VBS ?
This is again depends on the customers requirement / Infra / Security / VB Tool Versions (new functionalities) etc.
VB(VBCS)
VBS
• Need access to Data in a standalone DB
• Need to scale the VB middle tier*
• Want a custom look and feel (Redwood option is available)
• Want full control and fully featured
• Standalone or custom Mobile App in addition to a Fusion Extension.(iframed-Additional cost for the runtime instance )
• Need access to authenticated non-FA resources. E.g. ORDS, SAP etc
• Need Custom and Vanity URLs support
Note: Working with a vanity app from a non-vanity host can cause issues
• Users not FA cloud users
• Recommended for SaaS Extensions
• Extending existing FA VB User Interfaces
• In case of accessing FA Resources (With FA IAM release ext REST API is possible)
• Restricting to FA look and Feel (Redwood)
• Don’t want to purchase a VB License
• Need integrated/collaborative project management with DevOps operations
• Looking for simple inbuilt Identity federation (VBS-Embedded)
(IDP and SP are sharing the same IDC
Visual Applications VS UI Extensions
Conclusion
VB Studio (VBS)
•Can be used for the extensions, Pre-Federated , No Additional Cost ,Has redwood templates,No License
•Flagship development environment for Redwood and Spectra
•We can build mobile and Web application easily using VB/VBS tools or PWA(Progressive Web App)
•Git Repository and CI/CD facilities
•Good project management tools/facilities to execute and manage agile based and other projects
•Many of the page/application composer integration/extension issues are solved using VBS tool
•Embedded VBS : External rest(secured) call is restricted (FA IAM setup-not restricted) and can call unrestricted REST APIs
•Modify/Edit existing pages or create new redwood pages (standalone)
Visual Builder(VB/VBCS)
•VB Instance can be accessed from OIC or FA or as a stand-alone instance via URL
•Stand-alone VB applications can be linked to a GIT Repository in visual Builder Studio to enable full Git operations
•Built-in DB and VB BO ,can connect DBaaS / ATP
•Has REST proxy service and access external data
•Custom/Vanity URL is supported
•It has DT/RT Instance
•Oracle recommends that you regularly re-stage and republish applications as new versions are released
I hope this blog would be useful to you in quickly understanding of VB/VBS .Create AppUI for specific to Pillar as long as it is supported by the product family.Redwood page customizations and extensions – Please refer documentation on supportability.Thank you .
