Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Administration in APEX

Understanding Application Administration

In the Oracle Application Express development environment, users log in to a shared work area called a workspace. These users are divided into two primary roles: developer and workspace administrator.
Developers can create and edit applications as well as view developer activity, session state, workspace activity, application, and schema reports. Workspace administrators additionally can create and edit user accounts, manage groups, and manage development services. This section describes how to perform Workspace administrator tasks and access many of these reports.
This section contains the following topics:
See Also:
"Monitoring the Database" and "Viewing Database Details"

Understanding Administrator Roles

In an Oracle Application Express development environment, there are two different administrator roles:
  • Workspace administrator
  • Oracle Application Express administrator
A Workspace administrator performs administrator tasks specific to a workspace such as managing user accounts, monitoring workspace activity, and viewing log files. In contrast, an Oracle Application Express administrator is a superuser who manages the entire hosted instance. To become a Workspace administrator, an existing administrator must give the developer administrator privileges on the Edit User Page.
See Also:
"Managing an Oracle Application Express Hosted Service" for more information on the responsibilities of an Oracle Application Express administrator

About the Application Administration Page

Use the Application Administration page to manage your application development environment. The Application Administration page contains the following icons:
  • Manage Services links to the Manage Services page. Use this page to manage services, including session state, log files, service termination, schema requests, storage requests, schema reports, preferences, and application models. See "About the Manage Services Page".
  • Manage Application Express Users links to the Manage Application Express Users page. Use this page to manage Application Express user accounts and user groups. See "Managing Application Express Users".
  • Monitor Activity links to the Monitor Activity page. Use this page to monitor changes to page views and entire applications in your workspace. It also shows reports on such information as login attempts and external click counts. See "Monitoring Activity within a Workspace".
A Tasks list displays on the right side of the page and displays the following links:
Topics:
This section contains the following topics:

Accessing the Application Administration Page

Use the Application Administration page to manage your application development environment.
To access the Application Administration page:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. On the Administration list, click Administration.
    The Application Administration page appears.

Resetting Your Password from Application Administration

To reset your password from the Application Administration page:
  1. Log in to Oracle Application Express. See "Logging In to Oracle Application Express".
  2. On the Tasks list, click Administration.
    The Application Administration page appears.
  3. On the Tasks list, click Change Password.
  4. In Change Password, enter the following:
    • Enter Current Password - Enter your current password.
    • Enter New Password - Enter your new password.
    • Confirm New Password - Enter your new password again.
  5. Click Apply Changes.
See Also:
""Changing an End User Password"

Viewing the Application Express Product Information Page

The About Application Express page lists basic product information. You can access the About Application Express page from either the Workspace home page or the Application Administration page.
The About Application Express page displays the following product information:
  • Product build
  • Schema compatibility
  • Last DDL time
  • Host schema
  • Application Owner
  • Workspace ID
  • Workspace Name
  • Current user
  • Language Preference
  • Current Time (on server)
  • NLS_CHARACTERSET
  • DAD CHARACTERSET
  • JOB_QUEUE_PROCESSES
  • Database Version Information
To view the About Application Express page:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. On the Administration list, click About Application Express.
    The About Application Express page appears.

About the Manage Services Page

You can use the Manage Services page to manage session state, caching, preferences, application models, demonstration applications, log files, service termination, schema requests, storage requests, schema reports, and log files.
The Manage Services page contains the following sections:

Accessing the Manage Services Page

To access the Manage Services Page:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.

Managing Session State and User Preferences

A session is a logical construct that establishes persistence (or stateful behavior) across page views. Each session is assigned an unique ID, which the Application Express engine uses to store and retrieve an application's working set of data (or session state) before and after each page view. Sessions persist in the database until purged.
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Understanding Session State Management" and "Managing Session State"

Managing Session State

A session establishes persistence (or stateful behavior) across page views. You can review session details for the current session or for recent sessions. You can also purge the current session state or purge sessions based on their age.
Topics in this section include:

Removing Session State After Reviewing Session Details

You can determine whether to remove existing sessions by first reviewing session details. From the Session Details page, you can then remove the session record or session state.
To view session details and remove session state:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Manage Session State.
  4. Click Recent Sessions with Drill-Down to Session Details.
  5. To narrow the results, select a time frame, specify a user, and click Go.
  6. To view session details, select the session ID.
    The Session Details page appears.
  7. Click one of the following buttons:
    • Remove Session removes the record of the session from the SESSIONS table along with the session state (including collections data) associated with the session.
      Any user using a session that is removed will no longer be able to use the session and will be prompted to re-authenticate upon their next page request (in most situations). This option could be used by administrators who might have a need to make sure a specific user could no longer access an Oracle Application Express application.
    • Remove State clears the session data from the session state tables (including collections data) but does not remove the session record. Removing a session is a good approach for developers during debugging.
      This is the equivalent of clearing session state for the current session using the Clear Cache argument value SESSION in the f?p URL. This option might also be used by developers during debugging.
See Also:
"Clearing Cache for the Current User Session" and "Debugging an Application"

Viewing Session State Details

To view session state for the current or recent sessions:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Manage Session State.
  4. On the Manage Session State page:
    • To view information about the current session, click Report Session State for Current Session. To search for an item in the details, enter the item and click Go.
    • To view a list of recent sessions, click Recent Sessions with Drill-Down to Session Details.
      See Also:
      "Removing Session State After Reviewing Session Details"

Purging Session State for the Current Session

To purge session state for the current session:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Manage Session State.
  4. On the Manage Session State page, click Purge Session State for Current Session.
  5. From the Purge Session State page:
    • To view information about the current session, click View Session State.
    • To reset the session state for the current session, click Purge Session State.

Purging Sessions by Age

To purge existing sessions by age:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Manage Session State.
  4. Select Purge sessions by Age.
  5. Make a selection from the Sessions older than list.
  6. Click one of the following buttons:
    • Report Sessions generates a report detailing the total number of sessions for the workspace, the number of users, and the number of old sessions.
    • Purge Sessions purges existing sessions by the age you selected.
See Also:
"Viewing Session State"

Managing User Preferences

You can use preferences to store values for a specific Application Express user across distinct sessions. Once set, these preferences can be removed programmatically or manually. You can set user preferences by creating a page process, by the calculation of a preference Item Source Value, or programmatically by using a PL/SQL API.
Topics in this section include:

Viewing and Resetting Preferences for the Current User

To manage user preferences for the current user:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Manage Preferences.
  4. On the Manage Preferences page:
    • To view preference information about the current user, click Report Current User Preferences.
    • To view and reset preferences for the current user, click Purge Preferences by Current User. On the Purge Preferences page, click the appropriate button.

Viewing Preferences for Users

You view preferences for specific users on the Preferences by User report.
To view the Preferences by User report:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Preferences by user.
    The Preferences by Users page appears.
  4. To narrow the results, specify a user, name, or preference type, and click Go.

Setting User Preferences

You can set user preferences within your application through the creation of a page process, by creating a preference item, or programmatically.
Topics in this section include:
Setting User Preferences Using a Page Process
To set user preference values by creating a page process:
  1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. See "Accessing a Page Definition".
  2. Under Processes, click the Create icon.
    The Create Page Process Wizard appears.
  3. For the process category, select Session State.
  4. For the process type, select one of the following:
    • Set Preference to value of item
    • Set Preference to value of item if item is not null
  5. Specify a process name, sequence, and processing point.
  6. Specify the preference value in the field provided using the format:
    PreferenceName:Item
  7. Click Page Items to see a list of available items.
  8. Click Create Process.
Setting the Source of an Item Based on a User Preference
You can set the source of an item based on a user preference by defining the item source type as Preference.
To define the source of item based on a user preference:
  1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. See "Accessing a Page Definition".
  2. Under Items, click the Create icon.
    The Create Item Wizard appears.
  3. For the item type, select Hidden.
  4. Specify the Item Name, sequence, and region.
  5. From the Item Source list, select Preference.
  6. In Item Source Value, enter the name of the preference.
  7. Click Create Item.
Setting User Preferences Programatically
To set or reference user preferences programmatically, you must use a PL/SQL API. User-level caching is available programmatically. You can use the set_preference function to set a user level preference called NAMED_PREFERENCE. For example:
APEX_UTIL.SET_PREFERENCE(
 p_preference=>'NAMED_PREFERENCE',
 p_value =>:ITEM_NAME);
You can reference the value of a user preference using the function GET_PREFERENCES. For example:
NVL(APEX_UTIL.GET_PREFERENCE('NAMED_PREFERENCE'),15)
In the previous example, the preference would default to the value 15 if the preference contained no value.
See Also:
"GET_PREFERENCE Function" and "SET_PREFERENCE Procedure"

Removing User Preferences Programatically

To remove user preferences programmatically, you must use a PL/SQL API. You can use the REMOVE_PREFERENCE procedure to remove a user level preference called NAMED_PREFERENCE. For example:
APEX_UTIL.REMOVE_PREFERENCE(
p_preference=>'NAMED_PREFERENCE');

Resetting User Preferences Using a Page Process

You can reset user preferences by creating a page process and selecting the Reset Preferences process type.
To reset user preferences using a page process:
  1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. See "Accessing a Page Definition".
  2. Under Processes, click the Create icon.
    The Create Page Process Wizard appears.
  3. For the process category, select Session State.
  4. From Type, select Reset Preferences.
  5. Specify a process name, sequence, and process point.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Purging Preferences for a Specific User

You can purge preferences for a specific user on the Purge Preferences page.
To purge preferences for a specific user:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Session State, click Purge preferences by User.
    The Purge Preferences page appears.
  4. Select a specific user and click Report.
    A report appears at the bottom of the page.
  5. To purge the displayed user preferences, click Purge User Preferences.

Managing Cached Regions and Pages

One way to improve an application's performance it to take advantage of page and region caching. Developers can configure page and region caching by setting the Cache attribute on Edit Page or Edit Region pages. This section describes how Workspace administrators can view and purge cached regions and pages.
Topics:
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Accessing Page Attributes" and "Editing Region Attributes"

Purging Cached Regions

To view and purge cached regions:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Caching, click Manage Cached Regions.
  4. To locate an application, page, or region, enter a case-insensitive query in the appropriate field at the top of the page and click Go.
  5. To purge cached regions, you can:
    1. Select the regions you want to purge and click Purge Checked.
    2. Click the Purge by Application tab, select the application, and click Purge Cached Regions.
    3. Click the Purge All tab and then click Purge All Cached Regions.

Purging Cached Pages

To view and purge cached pages:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Caching, click Manage Cached Pages.
    The Manage Cached Pages page appears.
  4. To locate an application, page, or region, enter a case-insensitive query in the appropriate field at the top of the page and click Go.
  5. To purge cached pages, you can:
    1. Select the pages you want to cache and click Purge Checked.
    2. Click the Purge by Application tab, select the application, and click Purge Cached Pages.
    3. Click the Purge Expired tab, select the application, and then click Purge Expired.

Managing Workspace Preferences

Workspace administrators can set up the following preferences and apply the settings for the current workspace:
  • PL/SQL Editing
  • Account Login Control
Topics:
Topics in this section include:

Disabling PL/SQL Program Unit Editing for a Workspace

By default, developers can change and compile PL/SQL source code when browsing database procedures, packages, and functions in SQL Workshop Object Browser. Workspace administrators can disable PL/SQL program unit editing by selecting Do not allow PL/SQL program unit editing on the Preferences page.
To disable PL/SQL program unit editing:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Click Preferences.
    The Preferences page appears.
  4. Under PL/SQL Editing, select one of the following:
    • Allow PL/SQL program unit editing
    • Do not allow PL/SQL program unit editing
    If you select Do not allow PL/SQL program unit editing, developers can still create and replace PL/SQL program units using scripts or SQL Commands.
See Also:
"Disabling PL/SQL Program Unit Editing for an Instance" and "Using SQL Commands"

Enabling Login Controls for a Workspace

There are two different ways to configure login controls:
  • An Oracle Application Express administrator enables account login controls for all Application Express accounts in all workspaces across a development instance.
    If your Oracle Application Express administrator configures these preferences for an instance, those settings display as the defaults for all workspaces. See "Enabling Login Controls for All Workspaces".
  • If the Oracle Application Express administrator does not enable login controls across an entire instance, then each Workspace administrator can enable the following controls on a workspace-by-workspace basis:
    • Require end-user account expiration and locking
    • Set up a maximum number of failed login attempts for end-user accounts
    • Set the password lifetime for end-user accounts, that is, the number of days an end-user account password can be used before it expires
Tip:
This feature applies only to accounts created using the Application Express user creation and management facilities. It provides additional authentication security for applications. See "Managing Application Express Users".
To enable login controls for a workspace:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Workspace Preferences, click Set Workspace Preferences.
  4. Under Account Login Control:
    1. Account Expiration and Locking - Click Enable.
      If you select Enable, end-user account passwords will expire after a configurable time period, accounts will be locked after a configurable number of authentication failures, and account passwords can be set to expire after the first use.
      If your Oracle Application Express administrator set the Require User Account Expiration and Locking preference to Yes, this preference defaults to Enable and you cannot update it.
    2. Maximum Login Failures Allowed - Enter a number for the maximum number of consecutive unsuccessful authentication attempts allowed before an end-user account is locked. If you do not specify a value in this field, the instance-level setting for Maximum Login Failures Allowed is used.
    3. User Account Lifetime (days) - Enter a number for the maximum number of days an end-user account password may be used before the account expires. If you do not specify a value in this field, the instance-level setting for Account Password Lifetime is used.
  5. Click Apply Changes.

Managing Application Models

Running the Create Application Wizard creates an application model. This model contains basic application property values, such as the application pages and page definitions, DML processes, and multi-row operation processes. When you create a new application, you can base it on an existing application model, making the creation process more productive.
See Also:
"About the Create Application Wizard"
This section contains the following topics:

Deleting an Application Model

You can remove unwanted application models on the Application Models page.
To delete an application model:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Applications, click Application Models.
  4. On the Application Models page:
    • To narrow the results, select the owner and click Go.
    • To search for a model, enter a case insensitive query in the Model field and click Go.
  5. Select the models you want to delete and click Delete Checked.
See Also:
"Creating an Application"

Managing Demonstration Applications

Workspace administrators can review a list of available demonstration applications as well as install, re-install, edit, or remove them from your workspace.
To manage your demonstration applications:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Applications, click Demonstration Applications.
    The Demonstration Applications wizard appears.
  4. Click the appropriate link.
See Also:
"Running a Demonstration Application" and "Disabling the Creation of Demonstration Applications in a New Workspace"

Leveraging Application Builder Defaults

Application Builder Defaults enable developers to reduce the number of steps needed to create a new application. By configuring these attributes, developers can exit the Create Application Wizard early and can create a new application in two simple steps.
Topics in this section include:

About Application Builder Defaults

Application Builder Defaults are specific to each workspace. These attributes define preferences for tabs, authentication schemes, themes, and globalization when running the Create Application Wizard. When a Workspace administrator configures these attributes, developers within that workspace can utilize these defaults and exit the Create Application Wizard after two easy steps
See Also:
"Creating Tabs", "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication", "Managing Themes", and "Managing Application Globalization"

Configuring Application Builder Defaults

To configure Application Builder Defaults:
  1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
  2. From the Tasks list, select Application Builder Defaults.
    The Manage Application Builder Defaults page appears.
  3. For each section of the page, select the appropriate default.
  4. To learn more about a specific attribute, click the item label.
    When Help is available, the item label changes to red when you pass your cursor over it and the cursor changes to an arrow and question mark. See "About Field-Level Help".
  5. Click Apply Changes.
See Also:
"About Creating an Application Using a Wizard", "Creating Tabs", "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication", "Managing Themes", and "Managing Application Globalization"

Viewing the Workspace Overview Report

Workspace administrators can view a summary report of the current workspace by selecting Workspace Overview on the Manage Services page. Administrators can use this report to view:
  • schemas and tablespaces
  • schemas utilizing space
  • space used within a given tablespace
  • applications within the workspace
  • developers within the workspace
This section contains the following topic:
See Also:
"Requesting Additional Storage"

Viewing Workspace Summary Report

To view a summary report about the current workspace:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Workspace, click Workspace Overview.
  4. Scroll down to view the report.

Viewing Available Storage Space

The Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report lists space utilization within a specific tablespace.
To view the Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Click Workspace Overview.
  4. Scroll down and click the link Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report (may take several seconds).
    The resulting report displays the following columns: Tablespace Name, Bytes, Bytes Used, Amount Free, and Percentage Used.
See Also:
"Requesting Additional Storage"

Terminating a Workspace Service

Terminating a workspace service removes all data, database objects, database schemas, tablespaces, applications, scripts, and files from the current Application Express instance.
To submit a request to the Oracle Application Express administrator to terminate workspace service:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Workspace, click Request Service Termination.
  4. Click the Request Termination button.
  5. Confirm your request by clicking Terminate Service.

Requesting a Database Schema

To submit a request to the Oracle Application Express administrator for a new database schema:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Workspace, click Request Database Schema.
  4. For Identify Schema:
    1. Specify whether to request a new schema or use an existing schema and then click Next.
    2. For Schema Name, enter a new name or select one from the list.
    3. Click Next.
  5. Review the online instructions and click Finish.

Requesting Additional Storage

To request additional storage space for your workspace you must submit a request to the Oracle Application Express administrator.
See Also:
"Approving or Declining a Pending Change Request"
To submit a request for additional storage space:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under workspace, click Request Storage.
  4. Specify the amount of storage to add and click Request Storage.
Tip:
To view a report of available storage space, click Schemas Utilizing Space in Tablespaces and then click the Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report (may take several seconds) link.

Viewing Schema Reports

Schema Reports offer summaries of schema tablespace utilization and database privileges by schema as well as a list of all database schemas available in the current workspace.
To view Schema Reports:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Workspace Schema Reports, click one of the following reports:
    • Schema Tablespace Utilization
    • Database Privileges by Schema
    • Workspace Schemas
See Also:
"Viewing Application Reports"

Managing Log Files

Log entries older then one month are automatically deleted. Workspace administrators can manually purge developer logs and the External Count Clicks log on the Log files page.
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Managing Log Entries"

Purging the Developer Activity Log

The Developer Activity Log tracks changes to applications within the current workspace.
To purge the Developer Activity Log:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Logs, click Manage Developer Activity Log.
  4. Click Purge Developer Log.

Purging the External Click Count Log

The external Click Count Log counts clicks from an application to an external site. You can implement this functionality using APEX_UTIL.COUNT_CLICK procedure.
See Also:
"COUNT_CLICK Procedure"
To purge the external Click Count Log:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. Click Manage Services on the Administration list.
    The Manage Services page appears.
  3. Under Logs, click Manage Click Count.
  4. Click Purge Click Log.
See Also:
"Monitoring Activity within a Workspace"

Managing Application Express Users

Workspace administrators can create new user accounts, manage existing user accounts, and change user passwords. User accounts are particularly useful if you are using Application Express Authentication. Application Express Authentication checks the user name and password against the Oracle Application Express account repository. The Application Express account repository contains account information for developers and administrators when they log in to Oracle Application Express applications.
If the workspace administrator enables the Account Locking/Expiration feature for end user accounts, new account management attributes are exposed. Accounts may be locked, unlocked, or expired. Passwords for those accounts can also have restrictions, such as a fixed lifetime, a maximum number of consecutive incorrect passwords when attempting to log in, and a requirement to be changed on first use.
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Exporting Workspace Users", "About Publishing the Application URL" and "Application Express Account Credentials" for information about implementing Application Express Authentication

Creating New User Accounts

Workspace administrators can create three different types of user accounts:
  • Developers can create and edit applications as well as view developer activity, session state, workspace activity, application, and schema reports.
  • Workspace administrators perform administrator tasks specific to a workspace, such as managing user accounts, managing groups, altering passwords of users within the same workspace, and managing development services.
  • End users have no development privileges and can access only applications that do not use an external authentication scheme.
To create a new user account:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Click Create.
    The Create User page appears.
  4. Under User Identification, enter the appropriate information.
  5. Under Developer Privileges:
    • Accessible Schemas (null for all) - Enter a colon-delimited list of schemas for which this developer has permissions when using the SQL Workshop. This list of schemas restricts the user to a subset of the full set of schemas provisioned for the workspace and determines what schema names the user sees in SQL Workshop.
    • Default Schema - Identifies the default schema used for data browsing, application creation, and SQL script execution.
    • User is a developer - To add this user as a developer or workspace administrator, select Yes. For end users, select No.
      Developers can create and modify applications and database objects as well as view developer activity, session state, workspace activity, application, and schema reports.
    • User is a workspace administrator - To add this user as a workspace administrator, select Yes. For developers or end users, select No.
      In addition to having developer privileges, workspace administrators can create and edit user accounts, manage groups, alter passwords of users within the same workspace, and manage development services.
      Note:
      You create end users by adding them as users but not defining them as either developers or workspace administrators, restricting their privileges.
  6. Under Account Control:
    • Set Account Availability - Select Unlocked to allow a user to log in to this account. Select Locked to prevent a user from logging in to this account. Select Unlocked to enable the account to be used.
    • Require Change of Password on First Use - Select Yes to require the user to change the password immediately after logging in with the current, temporary password.
      This rule applies to the use of this account for developers and workspace administrators. It also applies to all users who use this account when logging in to developed applications.
    Tip:
    An Oracle Application Express administrator can configure these settings for an entire Oracle Application Express instance. See "Enabling Login Controls for All Workspaces".
  7. Under User Groups, select an optional user group.
    You can use groups to restrict access to various parts of an application. Groups are primarily useful when using Application Express Authentication.
  8. Under Additional Attributes, update the user's name or add descriptive information about the user or account.
  9. Click Create User or Create and Create Another.
    See Also:
    "Using Groups to Manage Application Express Users" and "Removing Users from a Group"

Editing Existing User Accounts

Workspace administrators can edit existing user accounts.
To edit an existing user account:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. To display the page in a different format, make a selection from the View list and click Go:
    • Icons (the default) displays each user as a large icon. Different colors indicate the user role, and a lock indicates a locked account. An hourglass, which indicates an expired password, displays when you create a new user account and specify that the new user must change passwords on first use.
    • Details displays each user as a line in a report. To expand the report, select the Show Additional Report Columns check box and click Go.
  4. From the Manage Application Express Users page, you can also do the following:
    • To narrow the list, select a subset of accounts from the Show list and click Go.
    • To search for a user, enter a case insensitive query in the Find field and click Go.
  5. Select a user.
    The Edit User page appears.
  6. Under Edit User, update the username or email address.
  7. Under Password, edit the current password by typing a new password in the Password and Confirm Password fields.
  8. Under Developer Privileges:
    • Accessible Schemas (null for all) - Enter a colon-delimited list of schemas for which this developer has permissions when using the SQL Workshop. This list of schemas restricts the user to a subset of the full set of schemas provisioned for the workspace and determines what schema names the user sees in SQL Workshop.
    • Default Schema - Identifies the default schema used for data browsing, application creation, and SQL script execution.
    • Specify the privileges for this user:
      • User is a developer - Developers create and modify applications and database objects as well as view developer activity, session state, workspace activity, application, and schema reports.
      • User is a workspace administrator - In addition to having developer privileges, workspace administrators can create and edit user accounts, manage groups, alter passwords of users within the same workspace, and manage development services.
  9. Under Account Control:
    • Account Availability - Select Locked to prevent a user from logging in to this account. Select Unlocked to enable the account to be used.
    • Developer/Administrator Password and End User Password - Shows the a status of either valid or expired. A password expires when its lifetime span passes.
    • Expire Password - Select this option to force the user to enter a new password the next time they log in. This option does not appear for invalid accounts or for workspaces not using the password expiration/account locking functionality.
    • Require Change of Password on First Use - Select Yes to require the user to change the password immediately after logging in with the current, temporary password.
      This rule applies to the use of this account for developers and workspace administrators. It also applies to all users who use this account when logging in to developed applications.
    Tip:
    An Oracle Application Express administrator can configure these settings for an entire Oracle Application Express instance. See "Configuring Security Settings".
  10. Under User Groups, select an optional user group.
    You can use groups to restrict access to various parts of an application. Groups are primarily useful when using Application Express Authentication.
  11. Under Additional Attributes, update the user's name or add descriptive information about the user or account.
  12. Click Apply Changes.
See Also:
"Using Groups to Manage Application Express Users" and "Removing Users from a Group"

Deleting or Locking User Accounts

Workspace administrators can delete or lock user accounts.
To delete or lock a user account:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. To display the page in a different format, make a selection from the View list and click Go:
    • Icons (the default) displays each user as a large icon. Different colors indicate the user role, and a lock indicates a locked account. An hourglass, which indicates an expired password, displays when you create a new user account and specify that the new user must change passwords on first use.
    • Details displays each user as a line in a report. To expand the report, select the Show Additional Report Columns check box and click Go.
  4. From the Manage Application Express Users page, you can also:
    • Narrow the list, select a subset of accounts from the Show list and click Go.
    • Search for a user, enter a case insensitive query in the Find field and click Go.
  5. Select a user.
    The Edit User page appears.
  6. To delete a user:
    1. Click the Delete User button.
    2. Confirm your selection and click OK.
  7. To lock the account:
    1. Scroll down to the Account Controls section.
    2. For Account Availability, select Locked.
    3. Click Apply Changes.

Changing an End User Password

To change an end user password:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Select a user.
    Tip:
    To search for an existing user, enter a query in the Find field and click Go.
  4. Under Password, type a new password in the Password and Confirm Password fields.
  5. Click Apply Changes.

Using Groups to Manage Application Express Users

You can create groups to restrict access to various parts of an application. Keep in mind, however, that groups are not portable over different authentication schemes. Groups are primarily useful when using Application Express Authentication (Internal Cookie User authentication).
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Application Express Account Credentials" for information about implementing Application Express Authentication and "Managing Application Express Users"

Creating a Group

To create a new group:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Click the User Groups tab.
    The User Groups page appears.
  4. On the User Groups page, click Create.
    The Create/Edit User Group page appears.
  5. Specify a group name and description, and click Create Group.

Editing an Existing User Group

To edit an existing group assignment:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Click the User Groups tab.
    The User Groups page appears.
  4. Select the group you want to edit.
    The Create/Edit User Group page appears.
  5. Make the appropriate edits and click Apply Changes.

Viewing Group Assignment Reports

To view a report of user group assignments:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Click the User Groups tab.
    The User Groups page appears.
  4. From the Manage Groups list, click User Group Assignments.
    The User Groups Assignments report appears.
  5. To edit a user group assignment, click the Edit icon.
    The Edit User page appears.
  6. Scroll down to User Groups and select a new group and click Apply Changes.

Adding Users to a Group

To add a user to a group:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Select a user.
    The Edit User page appears.
  4. Scroll down to User Groups.
  5. Select a new group and click Apply Changes.

Removing Users from a Group

To remove a user to a group:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Manage Application Express Users.
    The Manage Application Express Users page appears.
  3. Click Existing Users.
    The Existing Users page appears.
  4. Select a user.
    The Edit User page appears.
  5. Scroll down to User Groups.
  6. Deselect the group you wish to remove the user from and click Apply Changes.

Monitoring Activity within a Workspace

You can monitor developer activity and changes within your workspace by accessing the Monitor Activity page. The Monitor Activity page over twenty different reports that track changes to page views and applications, including reports on login attempts and external click counts.
Topics in this section include:
See Also:
"Creating Custom Activity Reports Using APEX_ACTIVITY_LOG" and "Monitoring Activity Across a Development Instance"

Viewing Developer Activity and Application Change Information

To view developer activity and application change information from the Monitor Activity page:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Monitor Activity.
    The Monitor Activity page features activity reports divided into the following sections:
    • Page Views - Contains reports of page views organized by view, user, application, or application and page.
    • Page View Analysis - Contains reports analyzing page views, such as top page views by application.
    • Environment - Contains reports of environments organized by user agent, browser, external clicks, or operating system.
    • Application Changes - Contains reports that track application changes by developer, day, or application.
    • Sessions - Lists active sessions with the current workspace.
    • Login Attempts - Contains reports listing login attempts.
      This report includes logins to:
      • Application Express environment through the login pages for Oracle Application Express Administration Services or Oracle Application Express
      • applications developed using Application Express that use the built-in session management facilities of Application Express
  3. Select a report to review.

Viewing Application Changes by Developer

The Application Changes by Developer report displays the number of pages changed by each developer and offers a graphical representation of the information in either a bar chart or pie chart format.
To view Application Changes by Developer:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Monitor Activity.
  3. Under Application Changes, select By Developer.
  4. Make a selection form the Time list to specify a time frame and click Go.
  5. To view the data as a bar chart, select Changes by Developer Bar chart. To view the data as pie chart, select Changes by Developer Pie chart.
  6. To view additional details, select a user ID.
    A detailed report displays the application, date, component, and action by user.

Viewing Application Changes by Day

The Application Changes by Day report displays a summary of the number of application changes by day. You have the option to view this information by month, as a line chart, or by developer.
To view application changes by day:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Monitor Activity.
  3. Under Application Changes, click By Day or By Day, Monthly View.
    The Application Changes by Day page appears.
  4. Select the appropriate report:
    • Month View offers a listing of application changes by day in a Calendar format.
    • Report includes a report of application changes by day.
    • Line Chart displays a line chart of application changes. By default, all developers are selected. To view only a specific developer, make a selection from the Developer list and click Go.
    • By Developer Report displays application changes by developer. Specify a time frame by making a selection from the Time list and clicking Go. To view additional details, select a developer. To download the report, click the Download link at the bottom of the report.

Viewing Active Sessions

A session is a logical construct that establishes persistence (or stateful behavior) across page views. The Active Sessions report lists active sessions with the current workspace.
Whenever an application is run, the Application Express engine maintains a record in a database table in the Oracle Application Express schema. This table records a numeric identifier (or session ID), the authenticated (or public) user identifier, the creation date, and other information. The session is the key record that enables session state, or persistence, across page requests. By viewing the Active Sessions report, a developer or administrator can see who has been using applications in a workspace. An active session is a session that has not yet been purged from the sessions table. A DBMS job runs every eight hours and purges session records older than 24 hours.
See Also:
"What Is a Session?"
To view active session details:
  1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.
  2. From the Administration list, click Monitor Activity.
  3. Under Sessions, select Active Sessions.
  4. Click a session ID to view the Session Details page.
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)