13
OracleAS Discoverer and Oracle Applications

13.1 OracleAS Discoverer and Oracle Applications

This chapter explains how OracleAS Discoverer provides capabilities for integrating with Oracle Applications, and contains the following topics:

• Section 13.2, "About Discoverer connections and Oracle Applications"

• Section 13.3, "About Discoverer preference settings for Oracle Applications"

• Section 13.4, "How to configure Discoverer for an Oracle Applications only environment"

• Section 13.5, "How to configure Discoverer for a mixed application environment"

13.2 About Discoverer connections and Oracle Applications

As a Discoverer middle tier manager, when you want Oracle Applications end users to use Discoverer Viewer and Discoverer Plus, you can deploy Discoverer in two ways:

• If you are using Discoverer in an Oracle Applications only environment, you can set the default connection (i.e. login) type to Oracle Applications (for more information, see Section 13.4, "How to configure Discoverer for an Oracle Applications only environment").

• If you are using Discoverer in a mixed application environment (i.e. where some users use Oracle Applications and some do not), you can give end users a choice of connection type. In this type of deployment, you also set the default private connection type (for more information, see Section 13.5, "How to configure Discoverer for a mixed application environment").

In the figure below, Discoverer is deployed in a mixed application environment. Therefore, the Create Connection: Connection Details page displays an Oracle Applications User check box to enable end users to create Oracle Applications connections. When the Oracle Applications check box is selected, the Create Connection: Applications Responsibility page is displayed, which enables the user to specify an Applications Responsibility.

Figure 13-1 Create Connection: Connection details page with Oracle Applications check box

Text description of the illustration app11.gif

When Discoverer is not deployed in a mixed application environment (e.g. in Oracle Applications only environments) you typically remove the Oracle Applications User check box from the Create Connection: Connection Details page (for more information, see Section 13.4, "How to configure Discoverer for an Oracle Applications only environment").

Notes

• You can also create public Oracle Applications connections using Application Server Control. For more information, refer to Section 3.7, "How to create a public connection" or Oracle Application Server Enterprise Manager Help.

• A default Oracle Applications Gateway User ID (GWYUID), password, and Foundation Name (FNDNAM) is specified in the pref.txt configuration file (for more information, see Section 13.3, "About Discoverer preference settings for Oracle Applications").

13.3 About Discoverer preference settings for Oracle Applications

When you deploy Discoverer in an Oracle Applications environment, there are two preference settings that you can override in the pref.txt file:

• the AppsGWYUID preference specifies a Gateway User ID and Password (the default value is 'APPLSYSPUB/PUB')

• the AppsFNDNAM preference specifies a Foundation Name (the default value is 'APPS')

AppsGWYUID and AppsFNDNAM are the specified in the pref.txt configuration file (for more information, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

Note: After editing the pref.txt file, you must run the applypreferences script to apply the preference changes you have made, then stop and restart the OracleAS Discoverer service (for more information, see Section 4.4, "About starting and stopping the Discoverer Service").

13.4 How to configure Discoverer for an Oracle Applications only environment

In an Oracle Applications only environment, Discoverer end users will only want to create private Oracle Applications connections. You therefore remove the Oracle Applications User check box from the Create Connection: Connection Details page and set the default connection type to Oracle Applications.

To configure Discoverer in an Oracle Applications-only environment:

1. Open the pref.txt file in a text editor (for more information about the location of configuration files, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

2. Set the value of the ShowUserTypeChoice preference to 0 to remove the Oracle Applications User check box.

3. Set the value of the DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference to 1 to set the default connection type to Oracle Applications.

4. Save the pref.txt file.

5. Run the applypreferences script to apply the preference changes you have made (for more information about the applypreferences script, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

   Hint: Check the error.txt file in the current directory to verify that the preferences were applied correctly.

6. Stop and restart the OracleAS Discoverer Service (for more information, see Section 4.4, "About starting and stopping the Discoverer Service").

Discoverer end users can now only create Oracle Applications connections (i.e. connections that enable them to connect as Oracle Applications users).

Notes

• If the pref.txt file does not contain a ShowUserTypeChoice preference or a DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference, add these preferences with the values specified above to the [Application] section of the pref.txt file.

13.5 How to configure Discoverer for a mixed application environment

In a mixed application environment (for more information about mixed application environments, see Section 13.2, "About Discoverer connections and Oracle Applications"), you want Discoverer end users to be able to choose what type of private Discoverer connections they can create. You therefore typically display the Oracle Applications User check box in the Create Connection: Connection Details page and set the default connection type to Oracle Applications.

To configure Discoverer in a mixed application environment:

1. Open the pref.txt file in a text editor (for more information about the location of configuration files, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

2. Set the value of the ShowUserTypeChoice preference to 1 to display the Oracle Applications User check box.

3. Set the value of the DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference as follows:
   • if you do not want the Applications User check box to be selected by default, set the DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference to 0

   • if you do want the Applications User check box to be selected by default, set the DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference to 1

4. Save the pref.txt file.

5. Run the applypreferences script to apply the preference changes you have made (for more information about the applypreferences script, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

   Hint: Check for error messages in the error.txt file in the current directory to verify that the preferences were applied correctly (for more information about the location of configuration files, see Section A.2, "List of Discoverer file locations").

6. Stop and restart the OracleAS Discoverer service (for more information, see Section 4.4, "About starting and stopping the Discoverer Service").

Discoverer end users can now choose what type of private Discoverer connections they create.

Notes

• If the pref.txt file does not contain a ShowUserTypeChoice preference or a DefaultUserTypeIsApps preference, add these preferences with the values specified above to the [Application] section of the pref.txt file.

Example

In the example below, an Oracle Applications user is creating a new connection. The Oracle Applications User check box is displayed and is selected by default because preferences are specified as follows:

• ShowUserTypeChoice = 1

• DefaultUserTypeIsApps = 1

Figure 13-2 Create Connection: Connection details page with Oracle Applications check box selected by default

Text description of the illustration app2.gif