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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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1 14 Oracle Self Service Web Ap plications Imp lementation Man ual

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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2 3Implementation

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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2 5Implementation

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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2 7Implementation

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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2 9Implementation

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:


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:



AUTHENTICATION ON

To deactivate server security:



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:


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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2 11Implementation

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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2 13Implementation

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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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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2 17Implementation

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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2 19Implementation

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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2 20 Oracle Self Service Web Ap plications Imp lementation Man ual


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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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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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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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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

overview of self service web applications

Documents