15 APEX Tips from the APEX Community – Sharing Knowledge on #JoelKallmanDay 2026
Last year at APEX Connect 2025 at Europa-Park, I asked other APEX experts and friends from our community one simple question:
What are your top tips for APEX developers and those who want to become one?
Madeleine Reinwald helped me capture their answers on video, and in the run-up to APEX Connect 2026, I shared them one by one on LinkedIn.
Today, on JoelKallmanDay, it feels like the perfect time to bring all of these tips together in one place.
Because JoelKallmanDay is, above all, a Community Day!
Joel stood for an idea that continues to shape the APEX Community: share your knowledge, support each other, help others grow, and by doing so, grow yourself.
And that's also what makes APEX Connect and so many other APEX conferences around the world special. They're not just about technical content or people talking about APEX. They're about meeting people, exchanging ideas, learning from each other, making connections, making friends and being part of a community.
So today, I'd like to celebrate that spirit by bringing together all the APEX tips shared with me by these amazing people.
Whether you're an experienced APEX developer or just getting started, I hope you'll find an idea here that helps you on your own journey.
Enjoy reading, and Happy JoelKallmanDay 2026!
Tip #1 - Use what's already there in APEX
Carsten Czarski
“Use what's already built into APEX as much as possible.”
Before developing your own components with lots of custom code, take a look at what Oracle APEX already provides.
Whether it's charts, reports, Faceted Search, Dynamic Actions, or process types, there's often already a built-in solution for what you're trying to achieve.
Knowing the standard functionality and using it wherever possible can save development time and reduce maintenance effort.
Tip #2 - Get familiar with Debug
Carsten Czarski
“Get familiar with Debug.”
The Developer Toolbar is one of the most useful tools available to APEX developers.
Turn on Debug and take a look at the debug output. It helps you understand what's happening under the hood, how APEX executes certain processes, and where potential problems might be hiding.
Especially when troubleshooting an application, understanding Debug can be incredibly valuable.
Tip #3 - Keep your APEX environment reasonably up to date
Carsten Czarski
“Upgrade APEX somewhat regularly.”
That doesn't mean you have to install every single release as soon as it becomes available.
But don't wait five years either. The longer you wait, the more complicated an upgrade can become.
Carsten's recommendation: aim for roughly one APEX upgrade per year. This keeps your environment reasonably current and lets you benefit from new features without letting the upgrade gap become too large.
Watch the original interview with Carsten Czarski
https://youtube.com/shorts/uyzf7ZXIzzY?si=lIpbfW_kxIj5FiNm
Tip #4 - Read, learn, connect – and just get started
Niels de Bruijn
“Blog posts, tutorials – and just get started.”
There are plenty of resources available for people who are new to APEX.
Niels has published many useful posts on his own blog that can help you get started. And Oracle provides a lot of tutorials on apex.oracle.com that can help beginners build their first applications.
But perhaps the most important advice is simply to start building, connect with other people, and learn along the way.
And where better to connect with people than at APEX Connect?
This way to Niels’ blog: https://nielsdebr.blogspot.com
Watch the original interview with Niels de Bruijn
https://youtube.com/shorts/bSjZMj04J2E?si=MVag1qi1PId7y4zL
Tip #5 - Know and use the power of the Oracle Database
Florian Grasshoff
“Use and understand the database features!”
The Oracle Database provides an enormous number of powerful features that APEX developers can benefit from.
Florian mentions powerful features such as DBMS_REDEFINITION, for example when dealing with migration scenarios, as well as packages like DBMS_PARALLEL_EXECUTE.
His advice is simple: take the time to explore what the database can do. There's a lot of power waiting underneath your APEX applications.
Watch the original interview with Florian Grasshoff
https://youtube.com/shorts/qGM4umnorTg?si=g2tpMrkZlyumLZDS
Tip #6 - Upgrade your applications when you upgrade APEX
Dimitri Gielis
“Whenever you upgrade APEX, do not forget to upgrade your application as well.”
There's an easy way to do this: use the Upgrade Application Assistant in the Utility Section in APEX.
It shows you which components of your application are deprecated and which can be upgraded automatically after moving to a newer APEX version. Many developers forget this step.
Don't just upgrade the platform. Make sure your applications benefit from the newer version as well.
Tip #7 - Quality matters
Dimitri Gielis
“Quality is important. Check your code.”
APEX provides a useful tool called Advisor that can check individual pages or an entire application for potential issues (e.g. SQL Injection) and opportunities for improvement.
Use the tools APEX gives you to regularly take a closer look at the quality of your applications.
Watch the original interview with Dimitri Gielis
https://youtube.com/shorts/Z9WwGrAkY5Y?si=5j--hBMLdtR5TFBo
Since Ronny is well known for his work with APEX plug-ins, I asked him a slightly more specific question:
Why do you use plug-ins so extensively in APEX?
Tip #8 - Use the plug-in infrastructure to keep custom code maintainable
Ronny Weiß
“Use the plug-in infrastructure to encapsulate your code and to keep it maintainable.”
Custom extensions are often necessary, but they can quickly become difficult to maintain when custom code is spread across many different places in an application.
The APEX plug-in infrastructure provides a way to encapsulate extensions centrally, test them, and make them available across multiple applications using the subscription mechanism.
This can improve maintainability, simplify updates, and make collaboration across teams easier.
Watch the original interview with Ronny Weiß
https://youtube.com/shorts/PCHd5ylLQTQ?si=q01glKCdNZIjdbgv
Tip #9 - Take a look at the APEX API
Wolf G. Beckmann
“Take a look at the APEX API!”
The APEX PL/SQL API is sometimes overlooked, but it's a well-documented collection of functionality that can help with many common development tasks.
Whether you're working with REST services, strings, or other functionality, there's a good chance you'll find something useful there.
Wolf also recommends taking a closer look at APEX Collections.
Watch the original interview with Wolf G. Beckmann
https://youtube.com/shorts/3GJrDD7bCgM?si=qOFoq3MpoAu1CbR5
Tip #10 - Embrace the Low Code approach
Oliver Lemm
“Code you don't have to write is good code.”
Try to keep things simple.
Whether you're working with Dynamic Actions, SQL queries, or other parts of your application, don't add complexity if APEX already provides a straightforward way to solve the problem.
Use the built-in capabilities of the platform and embrace the Low Code approach.
Tip #11 - Choose the right report for the use case
Oliver Lemm
“Choose your report type based on the use case.”
Don't automatically choose an Interactive Grid simply because it supports both viewing and editing data.
If users only need to view and analyze data, an Interactive Report may be the better choice. Use an Interactive Grid when users actually need to edit the data.
As always, let the use case determine the component.
Oliver shared a third tip in the interview that is quite similar to Wolf's tip about the APEX API, so I won't repeat it here :-)
Watch the original interview with Oliver Lemm
https://youtube.com/shorts/GlEldeIIwCY?si=qKe2cDkbAYkGnZgW
Tip #12 - Go to conferences and become part of the community
Kevin Tyssen
“Use the Community! Visit Conferences! Don’t be afraid to ask questions on any media!”
Events like APEX Connect are a great place to exchange knowledge and, at the same time, meet amazing people.
And don't be afraid to ask questions. Whether you're at a conference, on social media, or in the Oracle Forum, chances are someone will be happy to help.
APEX has an incredibly helpful community. Make use of it and become part of it.
Watch the original interview with Kevin Tyssen
https://youtube.com/shorts/254dzZbAjGY?si=_Q04Jf-edDAQXUGY
Tip #13 - Use visualizations
Anja Hildebrandt
“Use visualizations!”
Give users the opportunity to understand information visually instead of making them scroll through endless tables.
Visual elements such as graphics and SVGs can help users understand information and navigate an application more easily.
Think beyond tables and use visualization to improve the user experience.
Watch the original interview with Anja Hildebrandt
https://youtube.com/shorts/dU3MS8Y8e_U?si=Q2_PznVPslh3D-uC
Tip #14 - Sharing is caring
Philipp Hartenfeller
“Share your knowledge. Helping others helps you grow, too!”
Share what you know. Write blog posts and become an active part of the community.
Teaching and explaining something to others also helps you learn and strengthen your own understanding. At the same time, the community benefits, conversations start, and everyone gets the opportunity to learn from each other.
Watch the original interview with Philipp Hartenfeller
https://youtube.com/shorts/shmvnIlOCIY?si=haMnmHWaWmJzB3yo
Tip #15 - Make better use of Generative AI with structured outputs
Ralf Müller
“Make the most of Generative AI.”
When using Generative AI in Oracle APEX, take a closer look at structured outputs.
OpenAI can return responses directly as JSON objects and validate them against a defined JSON schema. This can be configured through the Additional Properties of the Generative AI service.
The result is structured data that can be processed much more easily and reliably inside your APEX applications.
Watch the original interview with Ralf Müller
https://youtube.com/shorts/TqGQIMKBp4c?si=nAO1nPohZc7Y_MKt
Sharing knowledge makes all of us better
Looking back at all these conversations, I'm once again reminded of just how much knowledge exists within the APEX Community.
The tips cover very different areas: using the capabilities already built into APEX, understanding the Oracle Database underneath it, improving quality and maintainability, thinking about UX, exploring Generative AI, and simply getting started.
But there's another message hidden in this collection:
Every person featured here was willing to share what they know so that someone else could benefit from it.
And maybe that's the most fitting message for JoelKallmanDay.
A community becomes stronger when people don't keep their knowledge to themselves. When they answer questions. When they encourage others. When they share their experiences. And when they help someone else become a little better at what they do.
That spirit was something Joel Kallman embodied throughout his life, and it is still very much alive in the APEX Community today.
So, a huge thank you to Carsten Czarski, Niels de Bruijn, Florian Grasshoff, Dimitri Gielis, Ronny Weiß, Wolf G. Beckmann, Oliver Lemm, Kevin Tyssen, Anja Hildebrandt, Philipp Hartenfeller, and Ralf Müller for sharing your knowledge and being part of this.
And to everyone else in the APEX Community:
Keep learning. Keep sharing. Keep helping each other.
Happy JoelKallmanDay 2026! ❤️
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