Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Application X
Application Y
Installed in Production
1.1.0.4
11.06.2008
1.0.0
16.08.2007
0.6
14.06.2007
This simple table will give you enough information to understand the dependencies and which
features were rolled out when. Also listed in a different section are the major new features that were
rolled out in each specific release.
From our point of view the technical documentation should be generated completely, the data
model from the data dictionary (comments on tables, views, columns, etc., should be used), the APEX
application from the APEX dictionary and the database packages perhaps using pl/doc or a similar
package.
Installation in the Production Environment
In the final step the new release will be installed on the production system. First of all, you need a
backup of the production system if anything goes wrong.
There are multiple ways to perform a database backup. You should discuss the best approach with
the responsible database administrator (DBA) for the production system. It will vary depending on the
size of the application, dependency on other schemas, and other factors.
When you run the
patch
<db schema>
.sql
install script, the first step is to make the application
unavailable to end users. We don't use the built-in mechanisms of APEX—we have rolled our own. This
gives us a great deal of flexibility.
Making the application unavailable is no longer a manual process but is done automatically in the
patch
<db schema>
.sql
install script by changing a configuration parameter in the application schema.
If you used the normal availability options in the application preferences you would also have to
remember to set the newly installed application to unavailable, too. In many cases you want to use the
maintenance time to install
and
test the application before the application will be released to end users.
Also, the developers that installed the application in the production workspace should be allowed to run
the application at all times. In addition to the developers, you want to enable very specific end users to
make a final test on the production system.
To set this up, use a configuration table and a few parameters regarding this restricted mode as
shown in Table 9-6.
Table 9-6.
Configuration Parameters for the Restricted Mode
Parameter
Value
Description
RESTRICTED MODE
1
0
=application is not in restricted mode
1
=application is in restricted mode
RESTRICTED USERS
192.168.0.10,192.168.0.20
List of IP addresses, which are allowed to
access the application while in restricted mode
