Published: October 2025
Today, like many others in the Oracle community, I'm participating in #JoelKallmanDay to honor the memory of a brilliant technologist and, more importantly, a truly dedicated human being.
Joel was the driving force behind Oracle Application Express (APEX), but to those of us in the community, he was simply the person who cared. He wasn't just building the technology; he was building a community around it-a community he actively participated in, helping people one question at a time.
I want to share a short story about how his quick and clear response saved one of my projects from going off the rails a few years ago.
The APEX Incompatibility Crisis
A few years ago, I was working on a crucial project using Oracle APEX. As is common, I had developed and tested a large portion of the application on the free development instance at apex.oracle.com. It was time to move the application to our on-premises server for final integration.
I exported the application, went to our local instance, and tried to import it.
And then, I hit a wall.
I was met with a vague, yet absolute, error message: "NOT COMPATIBLE."
My local instance was running APEX 20.1, and apex.oracle.com had already been upgraded to APEX 20.2. In my frustration, I spent valuable hours searching online. I scoured forums and community posts for a workaround, a tweak, or a hidden setting. Nothing. I genuinely thought I was the first person to encounter this specific problem. Panic started to set in-this application was critical, and I was stuck.
The Prompt and Authoritative Rescue
In a final attempt, I did what so many in the APEX world learned to do: I took my problem directly to the source on Twitter.
I posted the question:
@joelkallman I got NOT COMPATIBLE error message when trying to import database application into apex 20.1 which has exported from apex.oracle.com (apex 20.2). Is there a workaround?
I didn't have high hopes for a reply, let alone a solution. But that was the magic of Joel. Within a short time, the notification popped up. His response was typical Joel: direct, authoritative, and perfectly clear:
You will need to upgrade your APEX 20.1 instance to 20.2, when it is available.
That simple sentence, which he delivered in the middle of his busy day, was a godsend.
A Legacy of Accessibility
That one tweet stopped me from wasting another day searching for a non-existent solution, but my reliance on Joel's guidance didn't stop there.
His personal blog, joelkallman.blogspot.com, was an invaluable resource for me and countless others. It wasn't just official documentation; it was a place where he shared insights, best practices, and the "why" behind APEX decisions, helping us all become better developers.
This memory, and the countless times his blog provided the answer I needed, is how I'll always remember Joel Kallman: the brilliant technologist who was always accessible, always helpful, and the true heart of the APEX community. He created a framework for building applications, and an even better framework for building community.
Thank you, Joel. We miss you.
Happy #JoelKallmanDay!