1 Introduction to Oracle ADF Desktop Integration

This chapter provides an introduction to the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module.

This chapter includes the following sections:

Section 1.1, "About the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Module"
Section 1.2, "About Oracle ADF Desktop Integration with Microsoft Excel"

1.1 About the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Module

Many end users of Fusion web applications use desktop applications, such as Microsoft Excel, to manage information that they must also manage in their web application. The Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module provides a framework for Oracle ADF developers to extend the functionality provided by a Fusion web application to desktop applications. End users can avail themselves of Oracle ADF functionality when they are disconnected from their company network or because they prefer a user interface such as Excel which may be more familiar to them.

The Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module is part of the Oracle ADF architecture. More information about the Oracle ADF architecture can be found in the "Oracle ADF Architecture" section of the Oracle Fusion Middleware Fusion Developer's Guide for Oracle Application Development Framework.

Figure 1-1 illustrates the architecture of the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module. The module comprises of the following components:

Oracle ADF Desktop Integration client framework
Oracle ADF Desktop Integration remote servlet
Oracle ADF Model layer (ADFm)

Figure 1-1 Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Module Architecture

Displays the architecture of desktop integration

1.2 About Oracle ADF Desktop Integration with Microsoft Excel

Currently, the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module supports integration with Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

Note:

This guide uses the term integrated Excel workbook to refer to Excel workbooks that you integrate with a Fusion web application and to distinguish these workbooks from workbooks that have not been integrated with a Fusion web application or configured with Oracle ADF functionality.

1.2.1 Overview of Creating an Integrated Excel Workbook

Creating an integrated Excel workbook involves the steps described in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 Steps to Create an Integrated Excel Workbook

Use	To
JDeveloper	Create a secure Fusion web application. For information about creating a secure Fusion web application, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Fusion Developer's Guide for Oracle Application Development Framework. Additional information about securing an integrated Excel workbook with a Fusion web application can be found in Chapter 11, "Securing Your Integrated Excel Workbook".
	Add data controls that expose the elements you require in Microsoft Excel.
	Create page definition files that expose the Oracle ADF bindings to use in Excel. For more information, see Section 4.3, "Working with Page Definition Files for an Integrated Excel Workbook".
Excel	Create the Excel workbooks that you intend to configure with Oracle ADF functionality. Run the conversion utility that the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module provides on the workbooks so that you can begin to create your integrated Excel workbook. For more information, see Section 4.4, "Preparing Your Workbook".
	Configure the Excel workbook using the Oracle ADF bindings that you exposed in the page definition files and the Oracle ADF components that the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module provides. For more information, see the following sections and chapters: Chapter 5, "Getting Started with the Development Tools" This chapter provides an overview of the tools that the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration module provides so that you can configure an Excel workbook with Oracle ADF functionality. Chapter 6, "Working with Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Form-type Components" This chapter describes how you insert Oracle ADF Desktop Integration form-type components into Excel worksheets and configure their properties to determine behavior at runtime. Chapter 7, "Working with Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Table-type Components" This chapter describes how you can use the Oracle ADF Desktop Integration Table and Read-only Table components to provide end users with a means of displaying and editing data hosted by a Fusion web application. Chapter 12, "Adding Validation to an Integrated Excel Workbook" This chapter describes how you provide validation for your integrated Excel workbook.
	Test your integrated Excel workbook. For more information, see Chapter 13, "Testing Your Integrated Excel Workbook".
	Once you complete the integration of your Excel workbook with your Fusion web application, you deploy it to make it available to your end users. For information about this task, see Chapter 14, "Deploying Your Integrated Excel Workbook".

1.2.2 The Advantages of Integrating Excel with a Fusion Web Application

Advantages that accrue from integrating Microsoft Excel workbooks with your Fusion web application include:

Providing end users with access to data and functionality hosted by a Fusion web application through a desktop interface (Microsoft Excel) that may be more familiar to them.
Users can access data hosted by a Fusion web application while not connected to the application. They must log on to the Fusion web application in order to download data. Once data is downloaded to an Excel workbook, they can modify it while disconnected from the Fusion web application.
Bulk entry and update of data may be easier to accomplish through a spreadsheet-style interface.