Oracle APEX Best Practices

Table of Contents

Oracle APEX Best Practices

Credits

About the Authors

About the Reviewers

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Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Prepare and Build

History and background

Installing APEX

Runtime or full development environment

Build status

Tablespaces

Converting runtime environment into a full development environment and vice versa

Choosing a web server

OHS

EPG

APEX Listener

Creating a second administrator

APEX web interface

Command line

Other accounts

Database

Data model

Creating the database objects

Other tools

PL/SQL usage

Creating a workspace

Creating administrators, developers, and users

User Interface Defaults

Attribute Dictionary

Table Dictionary

Creating User Interface Defaults

Page Zero

Structure of multiple applications

Subscribe and publish

Creating a framework

Master and template application

Login application—optional

System application—optional

Deploying

Template workspace

Creating applications

List of values

Mapping the model to pages

Base tables

Master detail

Intersection

Simple report

Other pages

Summary

2. Leveraging the Database

Instrumentation

Efficient lookup tables

Single-table hash clusters

Index-organized tables

Analytic functions

Syntax overview

Examples

Running totals

Visualizing the window

Accessing values from other records

Another way of accessing other rows in the result set

Ranking—top N

Stringing it all together

Caveats

Aggregate functions

Grouping sets

Rollup

Cube

Identifying the totals and subtotals with grouping

Offloading your frontend and scheduling a job

One-off job

Pipelined table functions

Pipelined table functions in APEX

Using images

Searching the contents of documents

Summary

3. Printing

Printing architecture

What is planned for the future version of APEX Listener?

Installation and configuration of the Apache FOP report server

How to configure Apache FOP

Business Intelligence Publisher

Installation of Business Intelligence Publisher Version 11

Simple print test using BI Publisher

How to debug or troubleshoot printing issues

How to check if network services are enabled

Creating a report with BI Publisher

Creating the report query

Designing the report layout

Downloading XML data

Designing with the RTF template (MS Word)

Uploading the report layout

Linking the report to your application

How to create a report that can deliver output in different formats

How to add a chart to a report

Creating a chart in a report

How to add dynamic images to a report

Print API

How to bypass the 32K limit

Alternatives to use for PDF printing

Integration with Oracle Reports

Integration with Cocoon

Integration with JasperReports

Architecture

Plugins

Reports 2 PDF

Embedded PDF

Summary

4. Security

Securing Oracle Application Express for administrators

Protecting the database environment

Virtual Private Database

VPD policy

VPD and Application Context

Implementing VPD in APEX

What to do when you get a runtime exception

Securing the web listener

HTTP server

Rewrite

Security considerations in the HTTP server

Embedded PL/SQL gateway

Oracle Application Express Listener

Enabling SSL for the web server

Security considerations when installing Oracle Application Express

Runtime installation

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Enabling builders in Oracle Application Express

Session timeout

Instance level

Application level

Password complexity rules

Patching strategy

Security considerations for the developer

Browser attacks

Cross-site scripting (XSS)

Protecting HTML regions and other static areas

Protecting dynamic output

Protecting reports regions

Protecting form items

SQL injection

Insecure use of variables

Correct use of Bind variables

SYS.DBMS_ASSERT

Security attributes

Authentication

Available 'out of the box' authentication schemes

Oracle Application Express accounts

Custom

Database accounts

HTTP header variable

LDAP directory

No authentication

Open door credentials

Single sign on

Oracle Cloud identity management

Authorization

Creating an authentication schema from scratch

Creating an access control administration page

Applying authorization schemas

Database schema

URL tampering

Session state protection against URL tampering

Browser security attributes

Cache

Embed in Frames

Database session

Authorization and authentication plugin

Secure items in an application

Item encryption

Hidden items protection

Items of type password

File upload items

Managing instance security

Application data

Fake input

Saving state before branching

Utilities

Application dashboard

How to check the security of your application

Oracle Application Express Advisor

Third-party tools to check on security

Summary

5. Debugging and Troubleshooting

Debugging an APEX page

Instrumentation of the APEX code

APEX_APPLICATION.G_DEBUG

The debug Advanced Programming Interface (API)

The APEX debug message

APEX_DEBUG_MESSAGE.LOG_MESSAGE

WWV_FLOW_API.SET_ENABLE_APP_DEBUGGING

APEX and Oracle SQL Developer

Remote debugging

Steps to be performed in APEX

JavaScript console wrapper

Installation of the console wrapper

Web development tools

Firebug

APEX and Firebug

Debugging dynamic actions

Yslow

Error handling

Logging and tracing

Enabling/disabling logging

Reports in Application Express that facilitate troubleshooting

Application Express Advisor

Summary

6. Deploy and Maintain

Package your application, or not?

Version control

Subversion

Deploying the database packages

Deploying the APEX application

Using the APEX environment

Using the command-line interface

Housekeeping the APEX repository

Being active and proactive

Feedback

Activate feedback

Processing entered feedback

Weighted page performance

Summary

A. Database Cloud Service and APEX 4.2

Oracle Public Cloud

Packaged applications

Plan for the future

RESTful web services

The RESTful Web Services wizard

Data load feature (SQL Workshop/utilities/data load)

Summary

Index

Oracle APEX Best Practices

Oracle APEX Best Practices

Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: October 2012

Production Reference: 1181012

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

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Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-84968-400-2

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Cover Image by Sandeep Babu (<[email protected]>)

Credits

Authors

Learco Brizzi

Iloon Ellen-Wolff

Alex Nuijten

Reviewers

Dimitri Gielis

Surachart Opun

Michel van Zoest

Acquisition Editors

Dilip Venkatesh

Dhwani Devatar

Lead Technical Editor

Susmita Panda

Technical Editors

Prasad Dalvi

Lubna Shaikh

Project Coordinators

Yashodhan Dere

Jovita Pinto

Proofreader

Aaron Nash

Indexers

Tejal Soni

Hemangini Bari

Graphics

Valentina Dsilva

Aditi Gajjar

Production Coordinator

Nilesh R. Mohite

Cover Work

Nilesh R. Mohite

About the Authors

Learco Brizzi received his MSc in Informatics in 1993 and then he started working with the early versions of Oracle Forms (3.0), Reports (1.1), and Designer (1.2.1). When WebDB was launched, he created his first steps towards building Internet applications. When APEX (HTMLDB) hit the market, he saw the potential of this tool and built a complete music download store with it in 2004, including integration with e-mail, reports, and payment service providers. This was one of the very first serious applications ever built with APEX. Nowadays, Learco is dedicated to the APEX and PL/SQL development. He is a very enthusiastic technician, trainer of advanced APEX courses, presenter at conferences, organizer of seminars, committee member of the OGh (Oracle user group in Holland) and member of the editorial-committee for the Oracle magazine OGh Visie. Together with a companion Learco started his own company, Itium, in 1999, which specializes in Oracle technology. In May 2010, Learco was awarded the Oracle ACE membership. You can contact Learco at <[email protected]>.

I would like to thank my wife Judith, and my children Emma (my nine-year-old daughter) and Dante (my six-year-old son) for their patience and support they gave me while writing this book. Most of the work had to be done in the evenings and weekends (our family time together).

For me this was the first time I wrote a book and didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect that it would take so much time, but it was fun to do and I learned a lot of new things about Oracle and APEX as well.

I would also like to thank my fellow writers Alex and Iloon. Together we were a great team and kept each other sharp.

Last but not least I would like to thank the editors of the book who had good comments and suggestions on our material.

Iloon Ellen-Wolff started working with Oracle 21 years ago, employed by several software houses in the Netherlands. Her experience goes back to Oracle Forms version 2 and Report Writer.

Almost 14 years ago, she started working for Oracle Support Services for the developer competency (Oracle Forms, Oracle Reports, SQL Developer, and Application Express), assisting customers by solving their software-related problems.

During those years, she applied the knowledge she had gained in many ways such as coaching new engineers, team leading, teaching the Application Express courses, and seminars for Oracle University.

Aside from being a very senior team member with excellent troubleshooting and customer skills, in Oracle Support, she acts as Advanced Resolution Engineer.

One of her responsibilities in Oracle Support is Global Technical Lead Application Express. She works closely with Sustaining Engineering, Product Development, and Product Management of the Application Express team.

Starting last year, she is now involved in the Oracle Cloud project. She is member of the platform as a service readiness team. Involved in testing Application Express in the Cloud and being a trainer in this area, she enjoys the challenge to prepare her engineers for the Cloud and ultimately to support Oracle customers in the very near future!

Besides that, she is a frequent speaker for different Oracle User Groups about Application Express, SQL Developer, and Oracle Public Cloud.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Application Express development team and particularly Joel Kallman as Development Director for the continuing effort to make Application Express an excellent product.

I'd also like to thank my husband, Albert Ellen, for assisting me in getting the layout right and supporting me in writing this book. Of course, it took a big amount of time to achieve this goal.

I would also like to thank co-authors on this book, Alex and Learco.

Alex Nuijten works as a database developer and Expertise Lead (database development) for AMIS Services BV in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. Besides his consultancy work, he conducts training classes, mainly in SQL and PL/SQL. Alex has been a speaker at numerous international conferences, such as ODTUG, Oracle Open World, UKOUG, IOUG, OGh, and OBUG. He is also a frequent contributor at the Oracle Technology Network forum for SQL and PL/SQL. He has written many articles in Oracle-related magazines, and at regular intervals he writes about Oracle database development on the AMIS Technology Blog (technology.amis.nl), as well as on his own blog, Notes on Oracle (nuijten.blogspot.com). In August 2010, Alex was awarded the Oracle ACE Director membership.

I think this may be the hardest section to write. There are so many people that inspired me and from whom I have learned so much along the way. And each one of them helped me in writing my chapters. It would be impossible to try to name you all and therefore do injustice to the ones I let slip. My colleagues, fellow members of the OTN forums and in the ACE program, the bloggers, the Oracle user groups all over the globe, basically everyone I ever dealt with—a big thank you to you all.

There are still some people I have to name in this section explicitly.

Let me start by thanking my co-authors, Iloon and Learco. Writing this book was quite a journey. Thank you for allowing me to join you with this adventure, it was a great experience.

Without the technical reviewers, this book would have looked totally different. Thank you, Dimitri Gielis, Surachart Opun, and Michel van Zoest, for your feedback and suggestions on improving the quality of the book. Any outstanding errors in my chapters are, of course, my own.

Without the continuing support of my wife Rian, son Tim, and daughter Lara, I could never have worked on this. Preparing presentations, writing articles and chapters take an enormous amount of time and my family understands this, and they are alright with it. I could never do all that without you, I love you so much.

Finally I would like to thank the Packt editorial and production teams who have worked on this book, especially Yashodhan Dere, Susmita Panda, Dilip Venkatesh, Dhwani Devatar, and Jovita Pinto.

About the Reviewers

Dimitri Gielis was born in 1978. Together with his family he lives in Leuven, Belgium.

At an early age, Dimitri started experimenting with computers (Apple II and IBM XT), and he quickly got to know that he would like to work with computers and especially with databases all his life.

In 2000, Dimitri began his career working as a consultant for Oracle Belgium where he came across almost every Oracle product. His main expertise was in the database area, but at that time he was also exposed to HTMLDB, which was renamed as Oracle Application Express later on. From the very start he liked the Oracle database and APEX so much that he never stopped working with it. Dimitri then switched to another company to create an Oracle team and do pre-sales, to later create and manage an Oracle Business Unit.

In 2007, Dimitri co-founded APEX Evangelists (http://www.apex-evangelists.com), together with John Scott. APEX Evangelists is a company that specializes in providing training, development, and consulting specifically for the Oracle Application Express product.

On his blog (http://dgielis.blogspot.com), he shares his thoughts and experience about Oracle, and especially, Oracle Application Express.

Dimitri is a frequent presenter at OBUG Connect, IOUG Collaborate, ODTUG Kaleidoscope, UKOUG conference, and Oracle Open World. He likes to share his experience and meet other people. He's also President of the OBUG (Oracle Benelux User Group) APEX SIG.

In 2008, Dimitri became an Oracle ACE Director. Oracle ACE Directors are known for their strong credentials as Oracle community enthusiasts and advocates.

In 2009, Dimitri received the APEX Developer of the year award by Oracle Magazine.

In 2012, Dimitri was part of the LA OTN Tour where he presented different APEX topics.

You can contact Dimitri at <[email protected]>.

Surachart Opun has been working on Oracle products for over seven years. He has worked with Internet Service Provider Business for over eight years. He is Oracle ACE, OCE RAC 10g, and OCP 10g and 11g. He has experience in implementation, migration, and management of Oracle Database in telecommunication business and so on. He has spent time in helping people who are interested in the Oracle products as contributor. He is working on APEX since version 3 and has worked on APEX implementation and migration.

His blog is at http://surachartopun.com.

Michel van Zoest was born in 1976. He currently lives in Bergambacht, The Netherlands with his wife, two daughters, and son.

In 2000, he started working as an Oracle Consultant. He now has more than 12 years of experience in building (web) applications by using the Oracle technologies such as Oracle (web) Forms, Oracle Designer, MOD_PLSQL, ADF, SOA Suite, and of course, APEX.

Michel was one of the first Oracle Application Express Developer Certified Experts in the world.

He currently works at Whitehorses in The Netherlands and runs his own blog at http://www.aboutapex.com. As well as that, he blogs at the company website at http://blog.whitehorses.nl and he regularly writes Whitebook articles (in Dutch) for Whitehorses.

Michel is also one of the authors of the Oracle APEX 4.0 Cookbook published by Packt in December 2010.

You can contact Michel via his website or by emailing him at <[email protected]>.

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Preface

Have you ever wanted to create real-world database applications? In this book, you will not only get APEX best practices, but will also take into account the total environment of an APEX application and benefit from it. Many examples are given based on a simple but appealing case.

This book will guide you through the development of real-world applications. It will give you a broader view of APEX. The various aspects include setting up an APEX environment, testing and debugging, security, and getting the best out of SQL and PL/SQL.

In six distinct chapters, you will learn about different features of Oracle APEX as well as SQL and PL/SQL.

Do you maximize the capabilities of Oracle APEX? Do you use all the power that SQL and PL/SQL have to offer? Do you want to learn how to build a secure, fully functional application? Then this is the book you'll need.

Oracle APEX Best Practices is where practical development begins!

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Prepare and Build, discusses different aspects of setting up an Application Express (APEX) environment. Among others, we'll take a look at installing APEX, performing preparational tasks before actually building applications, and transforming the data model into initial screens. We will also discuss some guidelines and best practices for these phases.

Chapter 2, Leveraging the Database, explains various subjects related to an APEX environment. These subjects include instrumentation, efficient lookup tables, analytic and aggregate functions, offloading long running programs, and so on.

Chapter 3, Printing, deals with different aspects of printing in Oracle Application Express. In this chapter, we will discuss the two most used architectures in Application Express printing, using Apache FOP and Business Intelligence Publisher. Then, we will see how to install and configure both Apache FOP and Business Intelligence Publisher.

Chapter 4, Security, describes how to provide security for Oracle Application Express. In this chapter, we will discuss the responsibilities of an administrator.