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8/3/2019 Overview of Self Service Web Applications
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Oracler SelfServiceWeb ApplicationsImplementation ManualRELEASE 11i
May 2001
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Oracle SelfService Web App lications Imp lementation Manu al Release 11i
The part num ber for this volume is A7539903.
Copyright E 1998, 2001 Oracle Corp oration . All rights reserved .
Contr ibutor s: Troy Anthon y, Nea l Barlow, Desmon d Chu , Rami Had da d, Michelle Jacobsen, George
Kellner, Liza Lyons, Teresa Mak, Richard Ou, Kurt Thompson, Vidya Subramaniam, Mildred Wang,
Mark Warren
The Programs (which include both the software and documentation) contain proprietary information
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law. Reverse engineering, disassembly or decompilation of the Programs is prohibited. No part of thisdocument may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
for any purpose, without the express written permission of Oracle Corporation.
Program Documentation is licensed for use solely to support the deployment of the Programs and not
for any other purp ose.
The information contained in th is document is subject to change w ithout notice. If you find any
problems in the documentation, please report them to us in writing. Oracle Corporation does not
warrant that this docum ent is error free. Except as may be expressly permitted in your license
agreement for these Programs, no part of these Programs may be reproduced or transmitted in anyform or by any m eans, electronic or mechanical, for any pu rpose, without the express written
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behalf of the US Governmen t, the following notice is app licable:
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Oracle is a registered trad emark and ConText, Enabling the Information Age, Oracle7, Oracle8,Oracle8i, Oracle Access, Oracle Application Object Library, Oracle Financials, Oracle Discoverer, Oracle
Web Customers, Oracle Web Employees, Or acle Workflow, Oracle Work in Process, PL/ SQL, Pro*C,
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iContents
Contents
Preface iii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1 Overview of SelfService Web Applications 1 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Overview 1 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oracle SelfService Web Applications Architecture 1 3. . . . . . . . . . .
Data Security 1 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 2 Implementation 2 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up 2 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Setting Up the Oracle HTTP Server 2 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administering Oracle Applications Security 2 5. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing the System Administrator Password 2 12. . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Up Oracle SelfService Web Applications 2 12. . . . . . . . .
Deleting Data from Temporary Tables 2 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customizing Your Web Pages 2 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optional Setup Tasks 2 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ask Oracle Maintenance 2 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Profile Options 2 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 3 Web Applications Dictionary 3 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Web Applications Dictionary Overview 3 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing and Modifying an Inquiry Flow 3 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting the Folder Mode 3 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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ii Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Defining Objects 3 25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assigning Attribu tes to Objects 3 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Attributes 3 29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Unique Keys 3 31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Foreign Keys 3 33. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Defining Regions 3 35. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Region Items 3 37. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Object Flows 3 39. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Flow Pages 3 41. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Flow Page Regions 3 43. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Flow Page Relations 3 45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Defining Flow Page Region Links 3 47. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4 Application Programmable Interfaces 4 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Application Programmable Interfaces 4 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
API Specifications 4 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard API Parameters 4 40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index
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iiiPreface
Preface
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iv Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Audience for This Guide
This guide assumes you have a working know ledge of the principles
and customary practices of your bu siness area. It also assum es you are
familiar with Oracle App lications. If you have never used O racle
App lications we suggest you attend one or more of the OracleApp lications training classes available through Oracle University.
See Other Information Sources for more information abou t Oracle
Applications product information.
How To Use This GuideThis guide contains the information you need to u nderstand and use
Oracle SelfService Web Applications.
This guide contains overviews as well as task and reference
information abou t Oracle SelfService Web Applications. This gu ide
includ es the following chap ters:
Chap ter 1 presents an overview of Oracle SelfService WebApp lications, includ ing its architecture, data security, and how it
relates to Oracle Ap plications.
Chap ter 2 describes how to set up Oracle SelfService Web
Applications.
Chap ter 3 describes the Oracle Web Ap plications Dictionary and
how to use it.
Chap ter 4 provid es an overview of the pred efined inquiry flowsthat sh ip w ith Oracle SelfService Web Applications.
Chap ter 5 describes the App lication Program mable Interfaces.
Other Information Sources
You can choose from m any sources of information, including online
docum entation, training, and sup port services, to increase your
knowledge an d und erstanding of Oracle SelfService Web
Applications.
If this guid e refers you to other O racle App lications d ocumen tation,
use only the Release 11i versions of those guides u nless we sp ecify
otherwise.
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vPreface
Online D ocumentation
All Oracle Applications d ocumen tation is available online (HTML and
PDF). The technical reference guides are available in p aper format
only. Note that the HTML documen tation is translated into over
twenty languages.
The HTML version of this guid e is optimized for onscreen reading, and
you can use it to follow hyp ertext links for easy access to other H TML
guid es in the library. When you have an HTML window open, you can
use the features on the left side of the wind ow to navigate freely
throughou t all Oracle App lications docum entation.
You can u se the Search feature to search by w ords or ph rases.
You can u se the expand able menu to search for topics in the
menu structure we provide. The Library option on the menu
expand s to show all Oracle App lications HTML documen tation.
You can view H TML help in the following ways:
From an app lication w indow, use the help icon or the help menu
to open a new Web browser and d isplay help about that w indow.
Use the documentation CD.
Use a URL provided by you r system administrator.
Your H TML help m ay contain information that w as not available when
this guide w as printed.
Related User Guides
Oracle SelfService Web Applications shares business an d setup
information with other Oracle App lications products. Therefore, you
may w ant to refer to other user guides wh en you set up an d u se Oracle
SelfService Web Ap plications.
You can read the gu ides online by choosing Library from the
expand able menu on your H TML help wind ow, by reading from the
Oracle App lications Docum ent Library CD includ ed in your m edia
pack, or by using a Web browser w ith a URL that you r systemadm inistrator provides.
If you requ ire printed guid es, you can pu rchase them from the Oracle
store at http :/ / oraclestore.oracle.com.
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vi Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
User Guides Related to All Products
Oracle Alert User Guide
Use this guide to define period ic and event alerts that monitor the
status of your Oracle App lications data .
Oracle Applications Implementation Wizard User Guide
If you are imp lementing more than one Oracle prod uct, you can use the
Oracle App lications Imp lementation Wizard to coordina te your setup
activities. This guid e describes how to use the wizard .
Oracle Applications Developers Guide
This guide contains the coding stand ards followed by the Oracle
App lications developmen t staff. It describes the Oracle App lication
Object Library components needed to implement the Oracle
App lications u ser interface described in the Oracle Applications User
Interface Standards for FormsBased Products. It also provid es
information to help you bu ild your custom Oracle Developer forms sothat they integrate w ith Oracle App lications.
Oracle Applications User Interface Standards for FormsBased
Products
This guide contains the u ser interface (UI) standard s followed by the
Oracle Applications developmen t staff. It describes the UI for the
Oracle App lications products and h ow to ap ply this UI to the design ofan ap plication bu ilt by using O racle Forms.
Installation and System Administration Guides
Oracle Applications Concepts
This guide provid es an introdu ction to the concepts, features,
technology stack, architecture, and terminology for Oracle App lications
Release 11i. It provides a u seful first book to read before an installation
of Oracle Applications. This guide also introd uces the concepts behind ,
and major issues, for Applicationswid e features su ch as Business
Intelligence (BIS), langu ages and character sets, and selfservice
applications.
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viiPreface
Installing Oracle Applications
This guide p rovides instructions for manag ing the installation of Oracle
Applications prod ucts. In Release 11i, much of the installation p rocess
is hand led using Oracle Rapid Install, which minimizes the time it
takes to install Oracle App lications an d the Oracle 8 Server technologystack by autom ating many of the required steps. This guid e contains
instructions for using Oracle Rapid Install and lists the tasks you need
to perform to finish your installation. You shou ld use this guide in
conjunction w ith individu al produ ct user guides and implementation
guides.
Upgrading Oracle Applications
Refer to this guide if you are up grad ing your Oracle App lications
Release 10.7 or Release 11.0 products to Release 11i. This guide
describes the up grade p rocess in general and lists database upgrad e
and produ ctspecific upgrad e tasks. You m ust be at either Release 10.7
(NCA, SmartClient, or character mod e) or Release 11.0 to u pgrade to
Release 11i. You cannot upgrad e to Release 11i directly from releases
pr ior to 10.7.
Maintaining Oracle Applications
This guide p rovides instructions for maintaining the Ap plications file
system and da tabase, and d irections on using the App lications DBA
(AD) utilities, the main tools for these tasks. In ad dition to m aintaining
App lications, the AD utilities are also used for installing, patching, and
up grading O racle Ap plications p roducts.
Oracle Applications Product Update Notes
Use this guid e as a reference if you are resp onsible for up grad ing an
installation of Oracle App lications. It provides a h istory of the changes
to ind ividua l Oracle App lications p rodu cts between Release 11.0 and
Release 11i. It includes new features and enhancements and changes
made to d atabase objects, profile options, and seed d ata for this
interval.
Oracle Applications System Administrators Guide
This guide provid es planning an d reference information for the Oracle
App lications System Ad ministrator. It contains information on how to
define security, customize menus and online help, and man age
processing.
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viii Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Oracle HRMS Applications Technical Reference Guide
This reference guide contains database diagram s and a detailed
description of database tables, forms, reports, and p rograms for Oracle
HRMS, includ ing Oracle SelfService Web Applications and related
app lications. This information helps you convert data from yourexisting applications, integrate Oracle SelfService Web Applications
with nonOracle applications, and write custom reports for Oracle
SelfService Web Ap plications.
You can ord er a technical reference guide for any p rodu ct you have
licensed . Technical reference guides are available in paper format only.
Oracle Workflow Guide
This guid e explains how to define new workflow bu siness processes as
well as custom ize existing Oracle App licationsembedd ed workflow
processes. You also use this guide to comp lete the setup step s
necessary for any Oracle App lications prod uct that includes
workflowenabled p rocesses.
Training and Support
Training
We offer a comp lete set of training courses to h elp you and your staff
master Oracle App lications. We can help you d evelop a training plan
that p rovides thorough training for both your project team and your
end u sers. We will work with you to organize courses approp riate to
you r job or area of responsibility.
Training professionals can show you how to plan you r training
throughout the imp lementation process so that the right amoun t of
information is delivered to key people when they need it the most. You
can attend courses at any one of our many Edu cational Centers, or you
can arrange for our tra iners to teach at your facility. We also offer Net
classes, wh ere training is delivered over the Internet, and man y
multimediabased courses on CD. In ad dition, we can tailor stand ardcourses or develop custom courses to meet your need s.
Support
From onsite sup port to central sup port, our team of experienced
professionals provides the help and informat ion you need to keep
Oracle SelfService Web App lications w orking for you. This team
includ es you r Technical Representative, Account Manager, and Oracles
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ixPreface
large staff of consultants and su pp ort specialists with expertise in you r
business area, managing an Oracleserver, and your hardw are and
software environment.
Do Not Use Database Tools to Modify Oracle Applications Data
We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you never use SQL*Plus, Oracle
Data Brow ser, database triggers, or any other tool t o modify Oracle
Applicat ions tables, unless w e tell you to do so in our guides.
Oracle provides p owerful tools you can u se to create, store, change,
retrieve, and ma intain information in an Oracle database. But if youuse O racle tools such as SQL*Plus to mod ify Oracle Applications d ata,
you risk destroying the integrity of your d ata and you lose the ability to
aud it changes to your d ata.
Because Oracle Applications tables are interrelated , any change you
make u sing an Oracle Applications form can u pd ate many tables at
once. But w hen you mod ify Oracle Applications data using anyth ing
other than Oracle Applications forms, you might change a row in one
table without making correspond ing changes in related tables. If yourtables get out of synchronization w ith each other, you risk retrieving
erroneous information and you risk u npredictable results throughout
Oracle Applications.
When you use Oracle App lications forms to mod ify your d ata, Oracle
App lications autom atically checks that your changes are valid. Oracle
App lications also keeps track of who changes informat ion. But, if you
enter information into database tables using database tools, you m aystore invalid information. You also lose the ability to track who h as
changed your information because SQL*Plus and other d atabase tools
do n ot keep a record of changes.
About Oracle
Oracle Corpora tion develops and m arkets an integrated line of
software products for database management, applications
developm ent, decision support an d office autom ation, as well as Oracle
App lications. Oracle App lications provides the Ebusiness Suite, a
fully integrated suite of more than 70 software modu les for financial
managem ent, Internet procuremen t, business intelligence, sup ply chain
managem ent, man ufacturing, project systems, hu man resources and
sales and service managem ent.
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x Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Oracle produ cts are available for mainframes, minicomp uters, personal
comp uters, network comp uters, and personal digital assistants,
enabling organizations to integrate d ifferent comp uters, d ifferent
operating system s, different netw orks, and even d ifferent database
managem ent systems, into a single, un ified compu ting and information
resource.
Oracle is the world s leading supp lier of software for information
managem ent, and the w orlds second largest software comp any. Oracle
offers its database, tools, and app lication p rodu cts, along w ith related
consulting, education and sup port services, in over 145 countries
around the world.
Your Feedback
Thank you for using Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications and this
user guide.
We value your comm ents and feedback. This guid e contains a
Reader s Comment Form you can use to explain what you like or
d islike about Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications or this u ser gu ide.Mail your comm ents to th e following ad dress or call us d irectly at (650)
5067000.
Oracle Applications Documen tation Manager
Oracle Corporation
500 Oracle Parkway
Redw ood Shores, CA 94065
U.S.A.Or, send electronic mail to [email protected].
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C H A P T E R
1
T
1 1Overview of SelfService Web App lications
Overview of
SelfService WebApplications
his chapter p resents an overview of Oracler SelfService Web
App lications, includ ing a d iscussion of the following top ics:
Oracle SelfService Web Applications Architecture: page 1 3
Data Security: page 1 10
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1 2 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Overview
The Oracle SelfService Web Applications, includ ing SelfService
Expenses, SelfService Hum an Resources, Internet Procuremen t,
Intern et Receivables, SelfService Time, Web Supp liers, iStore, iPaym ent,
iSup port, iMarketing, and eTravel from O racle, extend the fun ctionalityof Oracle Applications by ad ding a brow serbased, walk up and u se
functionality that sup plemen ts Oracle App lications.
The Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications can be either inqu iry or
transactional. Inquiry modu les read but do not u pd ate the Oracle
App lications database; transactional mod ules up date the d atabase.
See Also
Oracle SelfService Web Applications Architecture: page 1 3
Data Security: page 1 10
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1 3Overview of SelfService Web App lications
Oracle SelfService Web Applications Architecture
The architecture consists of the following comp onents:
a web browser
the Oracle HTTP Server, pow ered by Apache
HTML docum ents
Java Server Pages, JavaBeans and Servlets
See the d etailed sections below:
Oracle HTTP Server, pow ered by Apache
Oracle Workflow: page 1 5 Web Ap plications Dictionary: page 1 6
Web Inqu iries and Web Tran sactions: page 1 6
The following d efinitions will help you to u nd erstand the big picture of
Oracle SelfService Web Applications.
Definitions
Oracle HTTP Server
The Oracle HTTP Server (pow ered by Ap ache) is based on the open
source HTTP server created by th e Apache Software Foun da tion.
Information on the Ap ache Server can be found at
http://www.apache.org. This provid es the commun ication services
of Oracle Internet App lication Server (iAS). The Ap ache Server is
mod ular. In ad dition to the stand ard Ap ache modu les (often referred to
as mod s) the Oracle HTTP Server ad ds a n um ber of Oracle specific
mod ules, along w ith an extension to the functionality of several of the
stand ard m ods. Theses includ e mod_plsql, mod _cgi, mod _ssl,
mod _jserv and mod _perl.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
The ind ustry standard technique for running ap plications on a webserver. Oracle HTTP Server supports this standard .
Flow
A series of web p ages, each of which can d isplay data. The pages that
make up a flow are bound togeth er by complex definitions. Specifically,
flows a re comprised of pages, page regions, and region items.
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1 4 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
A format for encoding hyp ertext documen ts that may contain text,
grap hics, and references to programs, and references to other hyp ertext
docum ents. HTML is a subset of Stand ard Generalized Markup
Langu age (SGML).
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
A protocol used to request docum ents from the web server.
JavaBeans
A reu sable Java class wh ich h as specific nam ing conventions for its
meth ods and va riables. JavaBean components can be used to perform
welldefined tasks, such as connecting to a database, maintaining client
information, or rendering a screen page.
Javascript
Javascript is a scripting langu age that ad ds significant pow er to HTML
files withou t the need for serverbased CGI programs.
Java Server Pages
JSPs allow for the em bedd ing of servlet code w ithin H TML pages. The
operation of JSPs is similar to that of serverside includ es.
Java Servlets
A small, pluggable extension to a server th at w ill enhan ce the servers
functionality. Java servlets are a key component of serverside Java
devlopment.
mod_cgi
An Ap ache modu le that provides for the execution of Common
Gateway Interface (CGI) app lications th rough the invocation of an
operating system sh ell that runs the app lication and uses the CGI to
deliver data to the app lication..
mod_jserv
An Ap ache mod ule that rou tes all servlet requests to the Ap ache JServ
Servlet engine. The servlet engine p rovides the ru ntime environm ent to
execute servlets. The servlet engine executes from w ithin a Java Virtual
Machine (JWM) runn ing on the same node, or a d ifferent nod e, to the
Apache HTTP Server. Each JVM has one servlet engine bu t the n um ber
of servlet engines is not p roportional to the nu mber of JServ p rocesses.
As the m od_jserv and Apache JServ servlet engines are d ifferent
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1 5Overview of SelfService Web App lications
processes, poten tially ru nning on d ifferent m achines, a protocol called
Apache JServ Protocol (AJP) is used for comm unication.
For more information on the AJP Protocol refer to
http:/ / java.apache.org/ jserv/ protocol/ AJPv11.html
mod_plsql or Webdb PL/SQL Gatew ay
An Oracle specific Apache modu le. This mod ule routes PL/ SQL
requests to the Oracle 8i Pl/ SQL service, running w ithin the Oracle
Universal Server, through th e u se of Database Access Descriptors
(DADs). The PL/ SQL service delegates the request servicing to PL/ SQL
programs. mod _plsql will also hand le Portal Service requests the
HTTP requests for WebDB are dispatched by mod _plsql to the Oracle 8i
PL/ SQL engine. The PL/ SQL service may be ru nning in the d atabasetier or w ithin iAS itself.
Web Applications Dictionary
An active data d ictionary that em ploys the Oracle Formsbased
interface. The data d ictionary stores specific information abou t
SelfService Web App lications data, includ ing p romp ts, langu age,
navigation, and secur ity.
Web Browser
The client user interface component. The browser you use mu st supp ort
tables and frames and be Javascript enabled. The embed ded Javascript
coding provid es a mechanism for client side caching of userentered
da ta du ring a transaction, and simple client side validation of
userentered d ata. Execution of simp le Javascript code logic at the client
side results in reduced netw ork traffic between th e web brow ser clientand the web server.
Oracle Workflow
Workflows can be d efined for business flows so users can be sent
autom atically all the information they need to m ake a decision and have
other business processes run autom atically based upon their responses.
See: Oracle Workflow Users Guide.
Workflows are d efined using the Workflow Builder, a Window s GUI
interface that enables users to d esign the bu siness process, the activities,
items, messages and lookup lists, and roles (the approva l chain). This
workflow is then integrated into the business transaction process. For
Web Employees, it is integrated with the requ isition app roval process.
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1 6 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Notifications generated in the w orkflow chain can be viewed with the
Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications or a Workflowsupported email
system.
Oracle SelfService Hum an Resources includ es a predefined w orkflow
process to generate offer letters.All workflow processes are customizable. See: Oracle Workflow Users
Guide.
Web Applications D ictionary
This is an Oracle Formsbased d ata dictionary used to d efine flow
content and formatting for web inqu iry pages. When users query for
da ta, information is displayed on a w eb page, comp lete with hypertext
links that enable the user to drill dow n to more detailed information.
The pages th at are linked in this w ay constitute a flow, alternatively
referred to as an inqu iry. Using the Web App lications Dictionary, you
specify the content of, and links between the p ages that make up a flow.
Specifically, you can specify:
HTML page format (head ers, text, tables)
Object content by associating with App lications Business Views
or PL/ SQL
Business Flows amon g Objects (hypertext links)
Page Con tent (fields, selection criteria)
Web Ap plications Dictionary also serves as a real time execution en gine
to retrieve informat ion from the database. Oracle Self Service
app lications reference the data d ictionary at run time to retrieve datafrom the d atabase and generate dynam ic HTML pages.
The Web App lications Dictionary provid es a means of defining business
flows which can then be webenabled. All inquiry flows w ere built
using Web App lications Dictionary. These can be customized as needed.
The Web Applications Dictionary is part of Oracle Applications, Release
11i, and is part of the AK Comm on Modu les. Once installed , it is
accessed in th e same man ner as a ll of the core Oracle App lications.
See: Web Applications Dictionary: page 3 2.
Web Inquiries and Web Transactions
Web Inquiries correspond to the query, or read only, mod e access to
information stored in the App lications Server. Users are provided w ith
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a structured w ay of performing queries. The retrieved data is structu red
so that u sers can easily nav igate through p ages of closely linked
information.
Web Transactions enable u sers to p erform tw o simp le transactions: place
an order and enter a requisition. These transactions insert data intoopen interface tables. Data is then validated and th en loaded into the
core Oracle Applications p rodu ction tables.
Web Inquiries
A w eb inqu iry, or flow, is a series of hyp erlinked web pages.
Stand ard flows are predefined to allow users to easily navigate through
web pages to access relevant information. These navigation flows are
designed based on common bu siness inqu iry processes, and are builtusing Web Applications Dictionary. For examp le, a u ser can log in an d
request the View Purchase Ord ers inquiry. Once the data d isplays, the
user can hyperlink to invoices and receipts related to the retrieved
pu rchase orders.
Oracle SelfService Web App lications (prod uct code ICX) packages
contain PL/ SQL fun ctions and procedu res that access Web App lications
Dictionary (produ ct code AK) objects to retrieve information for thedisp lay elements and actual app lications data. The Web Applications
Dictionary has a run time execution engine that generates dynam ic
PL/ SQL based on the ICX views. These views are based on those
provided by the standard Oracle App lications.
Web Transactions
In a web tran saction, a user enters data that is stored at the client using
Javascript technology. When th e user commits the changes, the data ispassed to the PL/ SQL agent which executes PL/ SQL procedu res to
store the data in produ ct temporary tables owned by the produ ct. Then
the da ta is loaded into the standard open interface tables for the
product.
Oracle Self Service only p rovides the logic to insert d ata into the op en
interface tables, leaving all validation logic to existing open interface
programs.The coding logic provided by Oracle Self Service is m ainly for bu ilding
the u ser interface elemen ts of the web. There is little transaction code;
only limited Javascript logic for data caching at the client. Oracle Self
Service leverages the applications bu siness logic provided by stand ard
Oracle App lications by u sing its open interfaces.
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Displaying Information Accessed from Servlets and Java Server Pages
When you invoke an OSSWA function that d isplays information as
dynam ically generated web p ages, the following sequen ce of events
takes p lace:
1. The user clicks the hyperlink of a function on an OSSWA menu . AURL embed ded in the H TML source code is accessed from the
browser that calls for a Java serv let.
2. The Oracle HTTP Server, pow ered by Apache, routes the request to
mod_jserv.
3. mod _jserv takes requests and forwards them to Apache Jserv, the
servlet engine.
4. The servlet engine generates the response, commu nicating w ith the
da tabase as requ ired. If the servlet needs to execute any Java Server
Pages (JSP) it w ill contact Oracle JSP. Oracle JSP is a tr anslator and
runtime env ironment for JSPs. Oracle JSP can ru n as a stand alone
translator or as part of a servlet engine, to dyn amically comp ile JSPs
as required.
5. The response is returned to mod_jserv.
6. The HTTP Server returns the response to the client.
Displaying D ynamic Web Pages
It is still possible to display dynam ic web p ages that hav e HTML
content generated by PL/ SQL procedures. The method u sed to access
the PL/ SQL procedu res is outlined in this section. The
recommendat ion, how ever, is that any new p rocedu res are created asJSPs, the hand ling of which has been d iscussed above. The following
sequence d escribes the han dling of dynam ic web pages from PL/ SQL
procedures:
1. The user clicks the hyperlink of a function on an OSSWA menu . A
URL embed ded in the H TML source code is accessed from the
browser tha t calls for aPL/ SQL procedu re.
2. The Oracle HTTP Server routes the request to mod_plsql.
3. The request is forwarded to the Oracle 8i PL/ SQL engine. Using the
information stored in the Database Access Descriptor (DAD)
mod _plsql connects to the database, prepares the call parameters,
and invokes the PL/ SQL procedure stored in the database.
4. The PL/ SQL procedure generates an HTML page using data and
stored p rocedu res accessed from the database.
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5. The response is returned to mod_plsql.
6. The HTTP Server returms the response to the client.
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1 10 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Data Security
Data security is controlled by:
Secure Socket Layers (SSL) to secure comm un ication betw een
client and server HTTP cookies
encryption of passw ord, param eter fun ction, and session
identifier
session expiration
secur ing and exclud ing attribute control
Session Management
Session managem ent features include:
each session is assigned a unique identifier, which is stored in a
table
session identifier return ed to client encrypted via cookie
session expiration based on nu mber of hours or nu mber of hits
Attribute Control
By using securing and exclud ing attributes, you can control user s
access to data based on their ID and their responsibility. Attributes are
first d efined using the Web Applications Dictionary. They become
securing or exclud ing attributes w hen you define responsibilities andusers u sing the system ad ministration functions of Oracle Application
Object Library. See: Defining Att ribu tes: page 3 29.
Securing Attributes for RowLevel Security
Securing attribu tes allow rows (records) of data to be visible to specified
users or responsibilities based on th e specific da ta (attribute value)
contained in the row.For example, to allow a hyp othetical user, Sue, in the ADMIN
responsibility to see row s contain ing a CUSTOMER_ID valu e of 1000,
assign the securing a ttribute of CUSTOMER_ID to the ADMIN
responsibility. Then give Sue a security att ribu te CUSTOMER_ID value
of 1000.
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When Sue logs into the ADMIN responsibility the only customer d ata
she w ill have access to w ill have a CUSTOMER_ID value of 1000.
Note: Users can have mu ltiple values made available to them.
See: Users Window, Oracle Applications System A dministrators Guide an d
Responsibilities Window, Oracle Applications System A dministratorsGuide.
Excluding Attributes for ColumnLevel Security
Exclud ing attributes p revent certain colum ns of data from being visible
to specified responsibilities.
For examp le, if for security reasons you d id not w ant the hypoth etical
user Sue in the ADMIN responsibility to see data in theCONTACT_NAME column, you w ould a ssign her the exclud ing
attribute CON TACT_NAME to the ADMIN resp onsibility. No u sers
with the ADMIN respon sibility can see CON TACT_NAME information.
See: Responsibilities Wind ow, Oracle Applications System Administrators
Guide.
Seeded Securing AttributesAssign a securing attribute and value to d efine an attribute that m ust be
matched by the user to see records. Attributes are defined u sing the
Web App lications Dictionary. Assign securing attribu te values for each
user, and for each securing attribute a ssigned to all responsibilities for
this u ser.
You m ay d esignate a u ser as an emp loyee, supp lier, and / or customer.
This automatically assigns a contact ID value to this user for app ropriatesecuring attributes as follows:
Contact ID
Cu stom er Contact ICX_CUSTOMER_CON TACT_ID
Internal Contact ICX_HR_PERSON_ID
Su pplier Contact ICX_SUPPLIER_CONTACT_ID
In add ition, the following securing attributes are seeded :
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Contact ID
Customer ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID
Organization ICX_HRG_ORG_ID
Supplier ICX_SUPPLIER_ORG_ID
Customer Site ICX_CUSTOMER_SITE_ID
In ter na l Sit e (loca tion ) ICX_HR_SITE_ID
Supplier Site ICX_SUPPLIER_SITE_ID
Predefined Security at Responsibi lity Level
The following list shows w hich responsibilities have pred efined
securing and exclud ing attributes:
Responsibility Securing Attributes Excluding Attributes
Credit Cards ICX_HR_PERSON_ID
Customer Registration
Customer Services (Full Access)
Customer Services (by Custom er)
Customer Services (by Custom erContact)
EDI Transmissions (by Customer Site) ICX_CUSTOMER_SITE_ID
EDI Transmissions (Full Access)
Events and Seminars
Executive Overview
Expense Reports
Expense Reporting
Global Assets Information
Partner Information (by Customer) ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID
Payments and Credits (by Customer) ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID
Table 1 1 (Page 1 of 2)
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1 13Overv iew of SelfService Web App lications
Excluding AttributesSecuring AttributesResponsibility
Payments and Credits (Full Access)
Plan Inquiries
Products and Orders (by CustomerContact)
ICX_CUSTOMER_CONTACT_ID
Products an d Orders (Full Access)
Products and Orders (Guest Access)
Project Con trol (by Em ployee) ICX_H R_PERSON _ID
Project Information (by Customer) ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID
Purchasing
Registration
Requisitions
Requisitions (by Preparer) PREPARER_ID
Requ isitions (by Requ ester) ICX_REQUESTOR_ID
Requisitions (Full Access)
Salesperson Services (by Employee) ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID
Salesperson Services (Full Access)
Service and Support (Full Access) CS_PUBLIC_COMMENT
Service and Support (by Custom erContact)
ICX_CUSTOMER_CONTACT_ID CS_COMMENT
Service and Support (by Cu stomer) ICX_CUSTOMER_ORG_ID CS_COMMENT
Supplier Registration
Supplier Services ICX_LEVEL_ALTERED ICX_DISTRIBUTION_ID,ICX_SUPPLIER, ICX_SUPSITE
Supp lier Services (by Supp lier Site) ICX_LEVEL_ALTERED,ICX_SUPPLIER_SITE_ID
ICX_DISTRIBUTION_ID,ICX_SUPPLIER, ICX_SUPSITE
Supp lier Ser vices (by Supp lier ) ICX_LEVEL_ALTERED,ICX_SUPPLIER_ORG_ID
ICX_DISTRIBUTION_ID,ICX_SUPPLIER, ICX_SUPSITE
Supplier Services (Full Access) ICX_DISTRIBUTION_ID
Web Planning Inquiries
Table 1 1 (Page 2 of 2)
Query Processing
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Query Processing
When a user queries for data using O racle Web Custom ers, Oracle Web
Employees, and Oracle Web Supp liers, the Web App lications Dictionary
determ ines if any securing attributes exist in a region, and, if so,
determines wh ether the securing attributes match those assigned to theresponsibility.
If there are securing att ributes assigned at the responsibility level that
exactly match th ose at the region level, securing attribute v alues are
checked a t the u ser level.
If there are no securing attribu tes assigned at th e user level that ma tch,
no da ta is return ed. If there are securing attributes assigned at the user
level that m atch, data is return ed to th e user, but on ly if the userssecuring attribute values exactly match the values of the return ed d ata.
Exclud ed attr ibutes assigned at the responsibility level prevent data
being returned for these attributes.
For example, assume that Sue has the following attribute values:
Securing Attribute Value
CUSTOMER_ID 1000
SITE_ID 123
SITE_ID 345
SITE_ID 567
CONTACT_ID 9876
Table 1 2
Assu me tha t Sue requ ests d ata for CUSTOMER_ID, SITE_ID, or
CONTACT_ID, and these attribu tes are d efined in Web Applications
Dictionary and for the Custom er responsibility. For any rows of data
with these attributes, Sues securing attribu te values are checked for
exact m atches.
In th is case, any row s with a CUSTOMER_ID of 1000; SITE_ID of 123,
345, or 567; and CON TACT_ID of 9876 are returned .
See Also
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See Also
Web Ap plications Dictionary: page 3 2
Users Window, Oracle Applications System A dministrators Guide
Responsibilities Window, Oracle Applications System A dministrators Guide
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C H A P T E R
2T
2 1Implementation
Implementation
his chapter informs you how to imp lement Oracle SelfService
Web Applications:
Setting Up Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications: page 2 2
Setting Up the Oracle HTTP Server: page
Administering Oracle Applications Secur ity: page 2 5
Changing the System Ad ministrator Password : page 2 12
Customizing Your Web Pages: page 2 14
Profile Opt ions: page 2 17
These tasks are performed using a w eb browser interface. There are
additional implemen tation tasks (for most users) for which you mu st
use th e Web App lications Dictionary. For further information, see the
next chap ter: Web Ap plications Dictionary: page 3 1.
Note: There may be ad ditional setup information specific to Web
Custom ers, Web Employees, and Web Sup pliers. See your on line
HTML documentation for further produ ct or featurespecific
setup information.
Setting Up
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Setting Up
You m ust set up the app ropriate records in the app ropriate SelfService
App lications to use the products. For example, you mu st enter
emp loyee information for employees to use SelfService Expenses. See
the imp lementation m anu al for each SelfService Web App lication formore information.
Prerequisite Installation Steps
Install Oracle H TTP Server and configure JSERV.
Prerequisite Setup Steps in Oracle Applications Set up you r profile op tions. See: Profile Op tions: page 2 17.
Register u sers.
Assign responsibilities to u sers.
Once you have created responsibilities, you m ust assign them to
individual users. You must also assign securing attribute values to
users. See: Users Wind ow, Oracle Applications SystemAdministrators Guide and Data Secur ity: page 1 10.
Setting Up the Oracle HTTP Server
After Oracle HTTP Server and JServ have been in stalled , please follow
the procedu res below.
" Configure port and logical directories:
1. Locate the file httpds.conf.
This file is located u nd er the conf directory of the directory tree in
which Apache is installed. For example, if Apache is installed
und er / usr/ local/ apache, then this file will be under
/ usr/ local/ apache/ conf.
Attention: Oth er files can be include in h ttpd s.conf. Inparticular apps_confan d oracle_apache.conf. These files maycontain d irectives specifying OA_HTML and so forth.
2. In httpd s.conf, locate the following parameters:
Port Locate the line wh ich specifies the port n um ber for the
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port to w hich the Oracle HTTP Server listens. Record th is port
nu mber for setting the p rofile opt ion APPS_SERVLET_AGENT
later on.
Alias / OA_HTML/ and / OA_MEDIA/ need to be set here.
For example:
Alias /OA_HTML/ /oracle/apps/html
Alias /OA_MEDIA/ /oracle/apps/media/
" Configure Servlet zones and jserv.properties location:
1. Locate the jserv.conf file.
This configuration file is located un der the conf directory of the
directory tree in w hich Apache Jserv is installed. For examp le, if
Apache Jserv is installed u nd er / usr/ local/ ApacheJServ, then this file
will be und er / user/ local/ ApacheJServ/ conf.
You should see at the end of httpd .conf, a line such as that below:
Include /user/local/ApacheJServ/conf/jserv.conf.
2. In jserv.conf, mod ify the following parameters:
ApJServProperties
The location of jserv.properties file is specified by this p aram eter.
For example:
ApJServProperties
/usr/local/ApacheJServ/conf/jserv.properties
ApJServMount
This parameter is used for storing mou nt point for servlet zones.
You can have any num ber of servlet zones by specifying
add itional ApJServMount d irectives.
For example, if servlets are placed und er
/ usr/ local/ ApacheJServ/ jservlets directory and the following is
set: ApJservMount /servlets /jservlets
and th e user requests http:/ / host:port/ servlets/ TestServlet,
then the servlet TestServlet in zone servlets on the d efault
host through the default protocol on the default por t will be
requested.
" Configure environment variables and servlet zone li st:
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" g
1. Locate the file jserv.properties.
All environment var iables are set in this file. It is important to get
$CLASSPATH an d $LD_LIBRARY_PATH correct here. You can
look at APPLSYS.env and adovars.env u nd er $APPL_TOP for thesetwo variable settings.
2. In jserv.properties, mod ify the following parameters:
wrapper.bin
The wrapp er.bin property m ust contain the full path to the
executable for the Java Virtual Machine. It sets wh ich Java
Virtual Machine interp reter to use here. For example:wrapper.bin=/local/java/jdk1.1.6/bin/java
wrapper.classpath
This property contains th e CLASSPATH environm ent valu e
passed to the JVM. The wrapper.classpath p roperty mu st
contain bo th th e JSDK and th e JServ jar file. It shou ld p robably
also contain the JVMs classes.zip file and d irectives of servlet
zones.
The syntax is:
wrapper.classpath=[path]
For examp le:
wrapper.classpath=/usr/local/ApacheJServ/jservlets
wrapper.classpath=/local/java/jdk1.1.6/lib/classes.zip
wrapper.classpath=/usr/local/ApacheJserv/src/java/
ApacheJServ.jar
wrapper.env
This property is an environment nam e wh ose value is passed to
the JVM.
The syntax is:
wrapper.env=[name]=[value]
You shou ld set the $LD_LIBRARY_PATH var iable here to the
d irectory wh ich contains the JDBC library file. For example:
wrapper.env=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/oracle/db/8.1.6.1/lib
NLS environment variables should also be set here for the JDBC
to operate. For example:
wrapper.env=NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8ISO8859P1
wrapper env ORA NLS33 /afrz/tools/6066/ocommon/nls/
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wrapper.env=ORA_NLS33=/afrz/tools/6066/ocommon/nls/
admin/data
wrapper.env=NLS_DATE_FORMAT=DDMONRR
zones
This property lists the servlet zones that JServ manages. The
syntax is:
zones=,
For example:
zones=jservlets
You m ust specify the configura tion file location for each servletzone that is specified. For examp le:
jservlets.properties=/usr/local/ApacheJServ/jservlets/
jservlets.properties
Administering Oracle Applications Security
Because Release 11i is deployed in a m ultitier configuration, the
security mod el includes authentication of app lication servers to the
da tabase servers they access. When this layer of security is activated, it
uses server IDs or passw ords that the app lication server p asses to the
da tabase server. If the d atabase server recognizes the server ID, it
grants access to the da tabase. The server IDs are created u sing a Java
script called Ad minAp pServer.The app lication server security system is initially not activated; you
have to activate it after installation. The ap plication servers are not
assigned server IDs and the database servers do not check for server
IDs.
AdminAppServer Utility
The Java script Ad minApp Server is used to create .dbc files and to
enable ap plication server security.
Prior to runn ing AdminApp Server you m ust ensure that:
JDBC classes are in the CLASSPATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH
$JAVA_TOP is in the classp ath
The script is run as
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java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer [parameters]
The first param eter mu st be the connect string followed by the
command string , for example:
apps/apps@dbnameADD
The following comman ds are supp orted:
AD D create a new .dbc file
UPDATE up da te an existing .dbc file
DELETE delete an existing .dbc file
STATUS check the serverID status for a d atabase
AUTHENTICATION toggle authentication mode
Add itional parameters depend on th e operation. These includ e:
DBC The .dbc file to m odified, or u sed to connect to the
database. Used with UPDATE, DELETE, STATUS, AN D
AUTHENTICATION.
SECURE_PATH Used w ith ADD. Specifies in wh ich d irectory
the .dbc file shou ld be created. This parameter shou ld always
point to $FND_TOP/ secure.
APPS_JDBC_DRIVER_TYPE THICK or THIN. This
parameter m ust be set to THIN in Release 11i.
GUEST_USER_PWD Any valid ap plications u ser.
GWYUID For thick d rivers.
FNDNAM For thick drivers.
TWO_TASK For thick drivers. Nam e of da tabase.
DB_HOST Required in Release 11i. The host machine of
database.
DB_PORT Required in Release 11i. The port of da tabase.
DB_NAME For thin d rivers. The d atabase SID.
WALLET_PWD Used with the TCF Socket Server in SSL mod e.
SERVER_ADDRESS Used w ith authentication.
SERVER_DESCRIPTION Used w ith authentication.
FND_MAX_JDBC_CONNECTIONS The maximum number
of open connections in the JDBC conn ection cache. This num ber
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of open connections in the JDBC conn ection cache. This num ber
is dependent on the am ount of memory available, number of
processes specified in the init.ora file of the d atabase and the
perprocessor file d escriptor limit.
FND_IN_USE_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT The maximu mnu mber of second s a connection can be in use. In order to avoid
connections being locked u p for too long, the connection cache
uses th is parameter to forcibly close connections that have been
locked for longer than this specified limit. If this parameter is
un specified, connections in use will not be cleaned u p. This
should be set to a nu mber larger than the time taken to complete
the largest transaction.
FND_UNUSED_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT The maximu m
num ber of seconds an unu sed connection can remain in the
cache. The connection cache w ill close and remove from the
cache any connection that has been id le for longer than this
specified limit.
Attention: In Release 11i, the following parameters arerequ ired: APPS_JDBC_DRIVER_TYPE (mu st be set to THIN),
DB_HOST, and DB_PORT.
Administering .dbc Files
The .dbc file is contained on the w eb/ app lications server and holds
information used by the database for authen tication. The
web/ app lication server passes the information from the .dbc file, as
well as login information, to the database server to au thenticate theuser. The auth entication process is handled by the standard
app lications security feature.
The .dbc files required by the app lication server security system are not
par t of the delivered p rodu ct and must be created after installation.
The Java u tility Ad minApp Server is used to create the .dbc files.
Prior to runn ing AdminApp Server you m ust ensure that:
JDBC classes are in the CLASSPATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH
$JAVA_TOP is in the classp ath
Creating .dbc files
Use the Ad minAp pServer utility to create a .dbc file for the application
server to access the da tabase server. In add ition to creating the .dbc file
this utility registers the application server w ith the d atabase for the
App lications Server Secur ity feature.
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pp y
To access add itional d atabase servers from th e same app lication server,
you m ust rerun the Adm inAppServer utility for each add itional
da tabase. You mu st run the Adm inApp Server utility each time you
create a .dbc file, and each .dbc file only allows access to one database.
To create a .dbc file for an ap plication server:
1. You must set the username/password value for the
GUEST_USER_PWD parameter. Create a valid u sernam e (guest
for examp le) in Oracle App lications. Then use the
username/password combination as the value for
GUEST_USER_PWD. The syntax is illustr ated in the following
example:
GUEST_USER_PWD=guest/guest
Oracle recommen ds that you d o not assign any respon sibilities for
this u ser.
2. From the command line, enter:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps ADD
APPS_JDBC_DRIVER_TYPE=THIN DB_HOST=database_host_nameDB_PORT=database_port DB_NAME=database_sid
GUEST_USER_PWD=guest/guest \ GWYUID=applsyspub/pub \
[env_name=env_value] \ SECURE_PATH=$FND_TOP/secure
Updating a .dbc file (or Server ID)
When u pd ating the .dbc file you can change as m any p arameters as
you w ant, including the server ID, but you mu st enter at least one.Settings that you do not u pd ate retain their value.
To update a .dbc fil e or server ID:
Enter from the comm and line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps UPDATE
DBC=$FND_TOP/secure/file.dbc [SERVER_ID]
[SERVER_ADDRESS=tcp.ip address]
[SERVER_DESCRIPTION=Public web access server]
[env_name=env_value]
Attention: If you h ave not already set theusername/password valu e for the GUEST_USER_PWDparameter, you can do so here using the UPDATE comman d.
You m ay need to run the Adm inAppServer command if you are using a
TCF SocketServer in SSL mode. This comm and needs to be run
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specifying a wallet password. For example:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps UPDATE
DBC=$FND_TOP/secure/file.dbc WALLET_PWD=welcome
Deleting a .dbc file
To delete a .dbc file enter on th e command line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps@dbname
DELETE
DBC=$FND_TOP/secure/file.dbc
This deletes the .dbc file and d isallows access to the ind icated da tabaseif Server Security is active.
Administering server IDs
The authen tication of application servers u ses server IDs or
passw ords that the app lication server passes to the da tabase server. If
the d atabase server recognizes the server ID, it grants access to the
database.
AdminApp Server is used to set up , activate, and check the status of the
app lication server security feature.
Checking the Server ID
You can check the server ID status for a pa rticular d atabase u sing the
STATUS comm and in the Ad minAp pServer u tility. The STATUScommand disp lays all registered ap plication servers and th eir server
IDs. The comm and also ind icates whether the server secur ity feature is
currently active.
Attention: Check the server ID status of your d atabasesbefore you activate server security and ensure th at all desiredApp lication Servers have been registered.
To check the server ID status for a database:
Enter on the command line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps@dbname
STATUS
Activating Server Security (Authentication)
You can tu rn the server security feature on or off using th e same
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You can tu rn the server security feature on or off using th e same
AdminApp Server utility. When you turn off server security, it does not
change or d elete the server IDs you created, allowing you to restart
server security w ithout recreating server IDs for all of your
app lications servers.
To activate server security:
Enter on the command line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps@dbname
AUTHENTICATION ON
To deactivate server security:
Enter on the command line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps@dbname
AUTHENTICATION OFF
Creating Server IDs
Use the Ad minAp pServer utility to create a server ID for theapp lication server to access the da tabase server. To access add itional
da tabase servers from the same app lication server, you m ust rerun the
AdminApp Server utility for each add itional database. You mu st run
the Ad minApp Server utility each time you create a server ID, and each
server ID only allows access to one d atabase.
Attention: To run the Ad minApp Server utility you mu st include$JAVA_TOP in your CLASSPATH environm ent var iable (registry
variable in Wind ows NT) for the ap plication server.
To create a server ID for an appl ication server:
Enter on the command line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps@dbname \
ADD
GWYUID=pub/pub FNDNAM=apps \
* SERVER_ADDRESS= \* SERVER_DESCRIPTION=Public web access server \
* = \
* SECURE_PATH=$FND_TOP/secure \
GUEST_USER_PWD=
Note: Because the app lication server secur ity feature is not initially
active, assigning a server ID d oes not a ffect ru ntime behavior.
Updating a server ID
Server IDs can be up dated in the same man ner as up dating the
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Server IDs can be up dated in the same man ner as up dating the
correspond ing .dbc file.
Enter from the comm and line:
java oracle.apps.fnd.security.AdminAppServer apps/apps UPDATEDBC=$FND_TOP/secure/file.dbc [SERVER_ID]
[SERVER_ADDRESS=tcp.ip address]
[SERVER_DESCRIPTION=Public web access server]
[env_name=env_value]
Attention: If you have not already set theusername/password valu e for the GUEST_USER_PWDparameter, you can do so here using the UPDATE command .
Deleting a server ID
Server IDs can be d eleted by deleting the correspond ing .dbc file. this
mu st be done using the Ad minApp Server utility. See: Deleting a .dbc
File: page 2 9.
Troubleshooting
The following are possible problems you may encounter and suggested
solutions.
" Database connection failed.
Check to see if you r JDBC environment is correct. See:
AdminApp Server Utility: page 2 5.
" File I/O error while adding the server.
Check to see if the p ath you su pp lied as SECURE_PATH exists and that
you h ave w rite permissions on it.
" Unable to read environment file.
A value for SECURE_PATH m ay not have been sp ecified. If a value is
not specified, the AdminApp Server utility assum es you are run ning
from JAVA_TOP and looks for the file
$JAVA_TOP/ oracle/ app s/ env.html to find the value of FND_TOP.
Retry the command specifying th e value of SECURE_PATH.
" Database error: Unique constraint violated.
Th b l t f h li ti d t b If
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There can be only one entry for each app lication server per database. If
you do not sp ecify the va lue for SERVER_ADDRESS, the
AdminApp Server utility will default the IP add ress of the machine
from wh ich you are running the comman d. To resolve this issue, runthe STATUS comm and of AdminApp Server to ensu re you are not
trying to create a dup licate entry. Delete the old en try if you w ant to
rep lace it. Retry, sup plying the correct value for SERVER_ADDRESS.
Changing the System Administrator Passw ord
The system adm inistrator passw ord for Oracle SelfService Web
App lications is the same as that for Oracle Applications. When you
change a p assword in Oracle Applications, you are also changing it in
Oracle SelfService Web Applications, and vice versa.
Usua lly, the system ad ministrator p assword (for the SYSADMIN u ser
ID), is changed soon after the installation of Oracle Applications. (The
pred efined default password is SYSADMIN.) If the system
adm inistrator password has already been changed, you d o not need toread this section.
If not , you can change it in Oracle SelfService Web Applications.
" To change the system administrator password:
1. Log in to Oracle SelfService Web Ap plications.
2. From the Welcome page, click General Preferences and change yourSYSADMIN passw ord . (Case is irrelevan t.)
Setting Up Oracle SelfService Web Applications
In add ition to setting u p comm on functions across all of Oracle
SelfService Web Applications, there are ad ditional setup steps for eachproduct.
" To set up general application options:
1. From the Welcome page, click General App lication Options to open
the Setup p age.
2. Enter the number of lines per page.
This is the maximum num ber of table rows d isplayed on a page.
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For large tables generally, performan ce imp roves with fewer lines
per page.
If the nu mber of rows return ed exceeds the lines per page value,tables are displayed in sets.
3. Enter the maximum rows.
If a u ser s search returns more rows than this maximu m, then the
user is prompted for more criteria to narrow the search.
4. Enter the starting page URL. Oracle recommends that you set this
to be your d efault login page. This is the default page that u sers
see when logging in and the default page that ap pears after loggingout.
5. Enter your webmaster s email add ress, wh ere all users should send
questions and comm ents.
6. Click Save.
Deleting Data from Temporary Tables
Data from Oracle SelfService Web Applications temp orary tables
mu st be deleted on a regular basis. If you d o not regularly delete
temporary d ata, temporary tables keep growing. Oracle recomm ends
that you set up the following programs to ru n on a regular schedu le.
Note: You m ust p erform this step even if you d o not install Oracle
SelfService Web Applications. Some functions of the SelfService
Web App lications are available to the main Oracle App lications. If
those functions are u sed, the SelfService Web Applications
temp orary tables continu e to grow.
" To delete data in temporary tables :
1. Using the Self Service Web Applications respon sibility in Oracle
App lications, navigate to the Subm it Request w indow.
2. When prompted, select Single Request.
3. Choose the list of values icon and select Delete Data from
Temp orary Tables.
4. Enter scheduling options. For best performance, set up this
program to ru n on a regu lar basis, for examp le, every 30 minu tes.
" To de lete temporary data of purchase order (PO) revisions:
1 Using the SelfService Web Applications resp onsibility in Oracle
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2 14 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
1. Using the Self Service Web Applications resp onsibility in Oracle
App lications, navigate to the Subm it Request w indow.
2. When prompted, select Single Request.
3. Choose the list of values icon and select Delete Temporary Data of
PO Revisions.
4. In the Parameters window, enter a date prior to which you want
data d eleted. Choose OK in the Parameters window.
5. Enter scheduling options. For best performance, set up this
program to ru n on a p eriodic basis, for examp le, every 30 minu tes.
See Also
Subm itting a Request, Oracle Applications Users Guide Release 11i
Customizing Your Web Pages
The following steps explain how to customize certain aspects of your
Oracle SelfService Web Applications pages.
" To add your company logo:
You can rep lace the default Oracle logo with you r ow n corporate logo.
Your logo will then ap pear on every page.
1. Create a GIF file containing your corporate logo and name it
FNDLOGOS.gif.
2. Place the file in the directory as defined in the Web
Listener.
If you have a mu ltilingual install, you must a lso copy this file into
the other langu age location.
" To change the background color:
You can replace the backgroun d on every page with you r own choice of
background color and texture.
1. Create a JPEG file containing your background and n ame it
ICXBCKGR.jpg.
2. Place the file in the directory as defined in the Web
Listener.
If h ltili l i t ll t l thi fil i t
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2 15Implementation
If you have a mu ltilingual install, you m ust a lso copy this file into
the other langu age location.
Optional Setup Tasks
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Ask Oracle Maintenance
If a new selfservice fun ction has been added into FNDs function form
and FNDs menu , run the following sql script:
> sqlplus /@
@$ICX_TOP/admin/sql/icxintm1.sql
Then run the following sql script to rebu ild th e dom ain index:
> sqlplus /@
@$ICX_TOP/admin/sql/icxintm3.sql
Profile Options
During imp lementation, the system ad ministrator sets up and
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maintains profile options.
CZ: Use Simple Configurator
A va lue of Yes (default) indicates that the sim ple, HTML version (no
frame sup port) of the Web Configurator is used. A value of No
indicates that the Java version (supp orts frames) is used .
FND : Applications Web Agent
Provides the base URL for the Ap ps Schemas Ap plication Server
DAD. Your System Adm inistrator sets this profile option d uring the
install process. The syntax takes the form:
http:////
ICX: Allow Funds Override
If encum brance is enabled, indicates whether a requestor can override
their allowed fund s.
ICX: Date Format Mask
Determines the date format mask to use. The American English default
is DDMONRRRR, for example, 12NOV2002.
For year 2000 compliance, all year form ats are converted to RRRR,
which accepts fourdigit century and year entries verbatim (1950 is
stored as 1950) and converts twodigit year en tries as follows:
Entries of 00 to 49 are converted to 2000 to 2049, respectively.
Entries of 50 to 99 are converted to 1950 to 1999, respectively.
For example, if a u ser enters 50 for the year, the year is converted and
stored as 1950. If a u ser enters 49, the year is converted and stored as
2049.
ICX: Days N eeded By
Determines the nu mber of days u ntil the user needs the order.
ICX: Default Employee
Determines the default emp loyee to use.
ICX: Defaul t Requis ition Template
Determines the d efault requisition temp late to use.
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ICX: Language
Determines the default langu age.
ICX: Limit Connect
Determines the m aximu m num ber of page hits per session.
ICX: Limit Time
Determines the maximum num ber of hours a u ser can be logged on per
session.
ICX: Override Location Flag
Determines w hether the default location to deliver orders can be
overridden.
ICX: Override Requestor Code
Determines whether the u ser can override th e default requestor code
and create a requisition for everyone, the entire organization, or for justthe u ser.
The tables that follow d escribe prop erties of the profile options.
The following table lists a key for interp reting the tables of profile
option properties.
Key
n You can u pd ate the p rofile option.
You can view the p rofile option value bu t you cann otchange it.
Profile Option User System Ad m in istrator Req uirem en tsAccess
User Resp App Site Default Value
CZ: Use SimpleConfigurator
n Yes
FND: App lications WebAgent
n n n n
ICX: Allow Funds Override n
RequirementsSystem Ad ministratorUserAccess
Profile Op tion
ICX: Date Format Mask n n n DDMONRRRR.For example,08 MAR 1998
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08MAR1998.
ICX: Days Need ed By n n n n n 2
ICX: Default Emp loyee n n n nICX: Default RequisitionTemplate
n n n n n
ICX: Language n n n American English
ICX: Limit Connect n n 1000
ICX: Limit Time n n 4
ICX: Overrid e Location Flag n n n n Yes
ICX: Override RequestorCode
n n n n No
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C H A P T E R
3T
3 1Web Applications Dictionary
Web Applications
Dictionary
his chap ter d iscusses th e Web App lications Dictionary, the d atarepository for Oracle SelfService Web App lications. While Web
App lications Dictionary is not absolutely n ecessary for your
imp lementation p rocess, it is necessary if you customize.
Overview: page 3 2
Defining Objects: page 3 25
Assigning Attribu tes to Objects: page 3 26
Defining Attributes: page 3 29
Defining Primary Keys: page 3 31
Defining Foreign Keys: page 3 33
Defining Regions: page 3 35
Creating Region Items: page 3 37
Defining Object Flows: page 3 39
Defining Flow Pages: page 3 41
Defining Flow Page Regions: page 3 43
Defining Flow Page Relations: page 3 45
Defining Flow Page Region Links: page 3 47
Web Applications D ictionary Overview
The Web App lication Dictionary is an active data d ictionary tha t enables
you to define inquiry ap plications for the web, and generate man y of the
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you to define inquiry ap plications for the web, and generate man y of the
applications characteristics at run time. The data d ictionary stores key
information about your ap plication, including ap pearance, language,
security requirements, navigation, and da ta. Because this information is
stored in an activeda ta d ictionary, you can create an inqu iry app lication
for the web specifically designed to meet your business needs.
An Oracle Forms userinterface is provid ed for you to enter you r
applications characteristics in the active da ta d ictionary. Through th is
userinterface, you can custom ize existing inqu iry app lications for the
web, or create new ones withou t program ming effort. You can create
app lications that a re customizable, extensible, and m ultilingual.
With Oracle Web Ap plication Dictionary you can:
Develop inqu iry applications for the w eb without programm ing
Generate the inquiry ap plication w eb pages at ru ntime
Register your app lication definition in an active data d ictionary
Custom ize and extend existing applications, and maintain your
customizations
Seamlessly integrate Oracle App lications data and compan y
intranet content
Comp letely reconcile comp any transactions throu gh a w eb
inquiry interface
Graph ically illustrate your ap plication data relationships using
Object Navigator
Definitions
Object
A da tabase view.
Attribute
A reusable field u sed in a web inquiry app lication. For example,
customer name and customer nu mber are both attributes. An attribute
is not associated w ith data. For example, the customer nam e attribute
can be reused anytime a customer nam e field is displayed on a w eb
inquiry screen.
Object Attribute
A reusable field that results w hen you associate an attribu te with an
object.
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3 3Web Applications Dictionary
Flow
An illustra tion of da ta relationships. A flow may be exhibited in theform of a series of web pages, each d isplaying da ta and its relationship
to other data . A flow m ay also assume a hierarchical representation in
the Object Navigator.
Page (or Flow Page)
A page as defined in the Web Application Dictionary becomes a w eb
page in the flow of your application.
Region
A logical grouping of data. For example, custom er information can be
grouped in one region and shipping information can be grouped in
another region. A region also represents a section of a web p age.
Page Region
A region associated w ith a page.
Primary Region
The first region of a page.
Region Item
A reusable field tha t results wh en you associate an attr ibute or objectattribute with a region.
Designing a Web Inquiry Application
Before actually registering your application in Web Application
Dictionary, you must d esign not only the look and feel of the
app lication, but also the supp orting logical data mod el. You must
identify the database tables that store the data to be disp layed in yourweb inquiry application.
Because the Web Application Dictionary derives its data from d atabase
views, you must create views on the relevant database tables. You can
join multiple tables to create a view, or simply create a v iew for each
table.
This prepara tion is essential to your su ccess in creating a w eb inquiry
application.
C ti Fl
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3 4 Oracle Self Service Web App lications Implementation Manu al
Creating a Flow
Use the Web Ap plication Dictionary to create flows.
Flow Components
The comp onents of a flow are:
Objects
Attributes
Object Attributes
Unique Keys
Foreign Keys
Pages
Regions
Region Items
Page Regions
Links
Objects
You m ust create one (and only one) object for each of your d atabase
views.
Attributes
Both objects and attr ibutes compr ise the backbone of a flow. You can
reuse them in m any flows.
You m ust create an attribute for each column of your database view. For
example, sup pose you h ave a view on the CUSTOMER table and the
view contains the columns CUSTOMER_ID and CUSTOMER_NAME.
You m ust create an attribute for both, even th ough you m ay not w ant todisp lay the CUSTOMER_ID. When you create an attribu te, you can
indicate various d isplay op tions, including H idden.
The attribute d efinition serves as the basis of your subsequ ent object
attribute and region item definitions.
Although you create an attribute for each view column , the attribute
itself is not associated with a da tabase colum n, and hence is not
associated with d ata.
Obj t Att ib t
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Object Attributes
You m ay reuse attributes in many flows. When you create an objectattribute, you are restricting the attribute d efinition to a p articular object.
For example, once you associate the CUSTOMER_NAME attribute w ith
the CUSTOMER view, you have limited the d efinition of
CUSTOMER_NAME to its correspond ing column in the CUSTOMER
view. You do not, how ever, lose you r original attribute definition. This
is maintained, and may be continually reused.
The characteristics of an object attribute are inherited from the original
attribute definition. You m ay override th ese defaulted characteristics.
Any characteristics you override only app ly to the object attribute
definition; the original attribute definition remains u naffected.
Object attributes are associated w ith data in th e database. Therefore, to
disp lay data for a particular field on a w eb page, you mu st create an
object attribute for that field.
Unique Keys
Each object must have at least one d efined un ique key; a primary key for
the object. You identify which object attributes make u p th e un ique key.
Foreign Keys
You identify relationships betw een you r objects by defining foreign keys
from one object to another.
Pages
You m ust register each of your web pages in the Web Application
Dictionary. For examp le, if you w ant one w eb page to display the
customer name and n um ber, and another web page to display the
customer ad dress, you mu st register two pages in the Web Application
Dictionary.
Note: Pages are not reusable. A page only exists within the contextof its flow.
Regions
A Region is simp ly a section of a web page. Sup pose, for example, that
you w ant a w eb page to display both the customer nam e, num ber, and
the add ress. You w ould likely want this information illustrated in two
separate sections on the same web page. This design wou ld require that
you define tw o regions in th e Web App lication Dictionary.
Each region is based up on one and only oneobject. The Web App lication
Dictionary determines the d ata to disp lay in a region from the regions
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y p y g g
un derlying object.
Region Items
You m ust d efine a region item for each field you want to d isplay in a
region. In the example above, you w ould d efine six region items, one
for each displayed field: custom er nam e, num ber, address, city, state,
and zip code. Region items typ ically represent only those fields that you
want to display in the region.
The region item d efinition is defaulted from the original object attributedefinition, although you m ay override the defaults. Any overridd en
defaults on ly app ly to the region item d efinition; the original object
attribute definition is not a ffected.
Page Regions
Like attributes, you can reuse regions in m any flows. To specify that a
par ticular p age contains a region, you must create a page region.
Links
Using th e Web Ap plication Dictionary, you can d efine h ypertext links
between the w eb pages in your inquiry app lication.
You can d efine a hypertext link to an external web site as well. To do
this, you mu st define an object attribute of datatype URL. This object
attribute serves as a p laceholder for the external URL address. You
mu st then p lace the URL attribute in the region containing the hypertextlink (using the region items wind ow).
Steps to Creating a Flow
Step Window / Navigation
Text in brackets ([]) ind icates a but ton.
Design th e flow N ot ap plicable. C reate a n avigation p lan an d d atabaseviews.
Defin e an object Objects w in dow / N a vigator > Object Workbench . See
Defining Objects: page 3 25.
Table 3 1 Steps to Creating a Flow
Window / NavigationStep
Define attribu tes for theobject
Attributes window / Navigator > Object Workbench >[Create Attributes]. Choose the Create Attributes button
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3 7Web Applications Dictionary
object [Create Attributes]. Choose the Create Attributes buttonimmed iately up on opening the Object Attributes window.See: Defining Attr ibutes: page 3 29.
Add attributes to the objectto create object attributes
Object Attributes window / Navigator > ObjectWorkbench. Close the Attributes window to return to theObject window. See Assigning Attr ibutes to Objects: page
3 26.
Repeat the three steps above for each object.
Define p rimary keys foreach object
Unique Keys window / Navigator > Object Workbench >[Primary Keys]. Select an object in the Objects wind ow
and choose the Primary Keys button. See: DefiningPrimary Keys: page 3 31.
Define foreign keys foreach object
Foreign Keys window / Navigator > Object Workbench >[Foreign Keys]. Select an object in the Objects wind owand choose the Foreign Keys button. See: Defining
Foreign Keys: page 3 33.
Identify primary uniquekey for each object
Objects wind ow / Navigator > Object Workbench. Closethe F