Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
You've already seen the Query Builder, which gives users the ability to visually create queries.
The
Data Workshop
provides tools that import and export data in many different formats including comma or tab
separated, XML, or spreadsheet data. These tools also help you manage files that you have loaded into either the text
or spreadsheet repository.
The
Generate DDL
wizard allows you to choose a schema associated with the workspace and generates a script
that can be used to re-create some or all of the objects with that schema based on your selection. The generated script
doesn't include any insert statements for the data that resides in the database objects, but it's a good way to easily re-
create the underlying objects an application might use.
The
Methods on Tables
wizard generates an Application Programming Interface (API) based on a specific table or
set of tables. For each table selected (up to ten named tables), the generated package contains a procedure for each of
the following actions: Insert, Update, Delete, and Select. The benefit of using table APIs instead of accessing the table
directly is that any required validation logic can be included once, in the API, and accessed from various alternate
interfaces including APEX.
User Interface Defaults
allow you to define default display attributes to APEX regions and items. The utility lets
you manage these UI defaults at two different levels: Table Dictionary and Attribute Dictionary. UI Defaults are
discussed in more detail later.
About Database
and
Database Monitor
are special utilities that require the user running them to have access
to a database login that has been granted the DBA role. The Database Monitor utilities allow the privileged user to
view Sessions, Systems Statistics, Top SQL, and Long Operations reports. The About Database report shows detailed
information about the database instance and the APEX environment. Depending on the settings the Instance
Administrator has chosen, these two utilities may not appear in the list, because they can be turned off.
The
Schema Comparison
utility allows you to compare the objects in two separate schemas and create a difference
report. You may choose to compare only certain attributes or all attributes of the objects in the selected schemas. The
limitation here is that both schemas must be assigned to the workspace in order for the comparison to take place.
The
Object Reports
are actually a set of utilities that let you get detailed information about the different types of
objects that live in the “parse as” schema(s) assigned to the workspace. Although most of the reports have to do with
tables, others deal with PL/SQL objects, invalid objects, grants and permissions, and so on. This is a good place to find
details of the objects in your working schema.
When an object is dropped, Oracle doesn't immediately remove the space associated with the table, but instead
renames the table and places it and its associated storage in the
Recycle Bin
. The Recycle Bin utility allows you to view
and potentially recover objects that have been dropped from the schemas associated with a workspace. You may also
purge the Recycle Bin, allowing the space to be reclaimed by the Oracle database for use somewhere else.
Administration and Team Development
The last two functional areas of the UI, Administration and Team Development, are complex enough to truly deserve
their own chapters. Therefore, we refer you to the chapters that cover these areas in depth. Chapter 10 covers
deploying applications, Chapter 14 is about managing workspaces, and Chapter 15 goes over Team Development.
You dip into administrative tasks throughout this topic, so if you want to have a full understanding of
administration before you start, you should take a detour and read these chapters now to get a good foundation.
However, if you're prepared to learn on the fly, go to the next chapter, where you start the real programming.
Summary
The architecture of APEX may seem a bit daunting at first, but once you actually start working with it, things will begin
to fall into place and you'll understand more and more about how everything fits together. If you take away only one
thing from this chapter, let it be that a workspace is essentially your development sandbox. Everything you do happens
in the context of a workspace. Everything else—from a development standpoint—is much like any other development
environment. Are you building a new application? Then it needs to be created in a workspace. Do you need access to a
schema to build that app? Then it needs to be assigned to your workspace. You get the picture. Now, on to the fun!
