Steps to install configure and manage oracle apex

Oracle PL/SQL web tool kit is the prerequisite needed for using Oracle Application Express. Oracle APEX 3.0 is the recent version. The OWA tool kit 10.1.2.0.6 is the pre-requisite needed for oracle APEX. owa_util package can be queried to obtain information on oracle web tool kit version. Oracle web tool kit 10.1.2.0.6 is the pre-requisite needed to use APEX (Application Express). If oracle web toolkit is not installed, follow the steps to install oracle web tool kit 1) Stop all teh applications using the database 2) Navigate to the directory apex/owa 3) Connect to database as SYS user 4) Invoke the installation script in SQL prompt @owainst.sql 5) Confirm that owa has been installed SQL> select owa_util.get_version from dual; GET_VERSION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.1.2.0.8 6) Run the utlrp.sql as @?/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql to recompile all the invalid PL/SQL packages SQL> select owa_util.get_version from dual; GET_VERSION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10.1.2.0.8 I tried installing oracle APEX in Oracle Database 11g Release 2 today. It is a Windows 7 environment. Oracle APEX installation starts with a simple apxconf script that is bundled with oracle software (oracle 11gr2 binaries). Here are the simple steps to install APEXin Oracle database 11gR2.Oracle APEX which stands for Oracle Application Express is a popular software from Oracle Corporation. Its latest version Oracle APEX 3.2.1 is available for download.Oracle has been continuously upgrading its database with plenty of web features. Oracle APEX finds its importance in data analysis stream such as bio informatics, medical informatics, clinical research and analysis.If you aspire to take up medical informaticist careeer Oracle APEX is a recommended skill set.Also, this can be learnt in addition to OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), Oracle Data Mining that are made use of in data analysis stream (data analysts, system analysts etc). Oracle APEX 3.2.1 can be downloaded from Oracle Website 1) Run the cmd command and enter the command prompt 2) Navigate to ORACLE_HOME/apex directory. By default C:appusernameproduct11.2.0dbhome_1 will be the ORACLE_HOME 3) Log onto SQL prompt as a SYS user with SYSDBA privilege. Run the apxconf script. Once this script is run, it will prompt for ADMIN password, listener port. If we press enter default values of password, 8080 will be taken as input and PL/SQL script will be successfully executed. C:appusernameproduct11.2.0dbhome_3>cd apex C:appusernameproduct11.2.0dbhome_3apex>sqlplus sys/password as sysdba SQL*Plus: Release 11.2.0.1.0 Production on Fri May 21 09:42:22 2010 Copyright (c) 1982, 2010, Oracle.  All rights reserved. Connected to: Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.1.0 - Production With the Partitioning, OLAP, Data Mining and Real Application Testing options SQL> @apxconf PORT ---------- 8080 Enter values below for the XDB HTTP listener port and the password for the Application Express ADMIN user. Default values are in brackets [ ]. Press Enter to accept the default value. Enter a password for the ADMIN user              [] Enter a port for the XDB HTTP listener [      8080] ...changing HTTP Port PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. Session altered. ..changing password for ADMIN PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. Commit complete. This commit confirms the successful configuration of embedded PL/SQL Gateway 5) Anonymous user account needs to be unlocked. SQL>  alter user anonymous account unlock; User altered. 6) To make sure that oracle APEX has been successfully installed and configured, try accessing it via web browser http://localhost:portnumber/apex/apex_admin. Once the terminal occurs, try logging in using username : admin and password you supplied in previous steps 7) When we login for the first time, we'll be asked to change the password. This will ask us to enter the old password and change it to new password. This is a security measure. In most companies, an user account is created, with a default account password and sent to user. When user logs in for the first time he needs to change the default password to a new one. This is a security measure mandated by security standards such as Sarbanes-Oxley, PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry) etc. Oracle APEX architecture confirms these standards 8) Change the password and supply new password. Click on Apply Changes. It is interesting to know that the password must be strong enough. Oracle will popup guidelines on how strong it should be 9) Once the changes are done. We can click Apply Changes. we'll get a Password changed message with a Return Button. If we click on Return We'll land back in log in screen. Supply new password and log into APEX 10) We'll land in APEX from which we can Manage Services, Manage Workspaces, Manage Applications, Monitor Activity