In my previous post, we looked at installing and configuring Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) and have it work with Oracle Application Express (APEX) that comes preinstalled with every Oracle Autonomous Database (ADB). Like APEX, ORDS is also included as a feature of the ADB. However, there are certain situations where you might like to manage your own instance of ORDS.

The Oracle Autonomous Database (ADB) is Oracle's current flagship database product and rightly so! Each instance comes with self-tuning, self-patching and several Oracle Database Options that customer would otherwise have to purchase separate licenses for. Database developers will also be pleased to know that there are a suite of tools at your disposal including Oracle Application Express (APEX), Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) and Oracle Machine Learning Notebooks.

The minimum instance you can create will have 1 CPU and 1 TB of storage and with so much features, doesn't come cheap. Here's the good news though, Oracle provides everyone two Always Free ADBs through the Oracle Cloud Free Tier offering. Yes, that's a great deal for anyone wanting to host a simple web application on the Internet. It is however, not without limits.

My personal journey with programming started more than two decades ago. Back then, the one language that I was very passionate and determined to master was Java. Early in my career, I would find any opportunity to attend a Sun Microsystems event like the Sun Tech Days, where I had the opportunity to learn about the constantly evolving platform that went from desktop, to enterprise and then on mobile devices. I can still remember watching the cool things you could do with Lego Mindstorms and an embedded Java runtime, and the vision that JXTA was going to revolutionise the Internet of Things with its state-of-the-art, peer-to-peer technology.

Every Singaporean Son grows up to respond to a codeword alongside an image of a soldier on guard.

When your codeword is flashed on the screen, you wrap up whatever you are doing, head home, pack, bid your goodbyes and then report to camp. Hence, when I heard this call to help, instinct kicked in and I had to respond.

Probably too late for New Year greetings, but not if you also celebrate the Lunar New Year that's coming really soon. For readers who, like me, celebrate this festival, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you 新年快乐，万事如意!

It's now been almost a year since the APEX Challenge Coin was released, and I must say, it's made 2019 a year to remember!