4.2 Creating An Application

Note: The Oracle I/PM user interface displays different panels in the navigator pane based on your permissions. Unless you have application system permissions, or administration permissions to at least one individual application, the Manage Applications panel is not displayed in the navigator pane. You must have either Create or Administrator permission to create an application. The user creating an application must also have at least View permission to the connection (repository) being used.

Applications assign permissions and associate metadata to documents at the time they are uploaded. Open the Manage Applications panel in the navigator pane of the Oracle I/PM user interface to start the process of defining an application.

You will complete the following tasks in the following order:

1. Specifying General Properties: Name and describe the application

2. Defining Application Fields: Define fields used and indexed in the application

3. Assigning Application Security: Assign application security permissions.

4. Assigning Document Security: Assign document security permissions.

5. Assigning a Storage Policy: Define a storage policy for content.

6. Configuring BPEL Integration: Configure any BPEL processes for content within the application.

7. Reviewing Application Settings: Review application settings and submit.

WARNING: Changes to the repository DOCMETA table caused by creating, deleting, or modifying an application can potentially cause a problem on an active repository server if any other operation is also affecting the table. While this is unlikely, it can cause data loss, and so it is important to coordinate changes to an application with idle time on the Oracle Content Server repository server. To help mitigate any potential problems, multiple Oracle Content Server repository instances can be used to isolate business units so that any one application change has less impact on the enterprise organization.

4.2.1 Specifying General Properties

You must provide each application with a name. The application name is displayed in the Applications panel in the navigation pane. A brief description of the application is also displayed on the application summary page when an application is selected. It is also required that you specify the repository for the application. Once the application is created, you cannot change the repository selection. To view this page, see "Application General Properties Page".

To specify the application general properties, do the following:

1. Expand the Manage Applications panel in the Navigator Pane and click the Create Application icon. The Application General Properties Page is displayed.

2. Enter a name for the application the Name field. The application name is displayed to users on the Upload Document page and to system administrators when creating inputs and searches. This field is required.

3. Enter a description of the application in the Description field. This description is displayed beneath the title on the application Summary page, when using the Document Upload Tool, and when you hover your cursor over the application name in the Manage Applications panel in the Navigator Pane.

4. Select a repository for the application from the field. Multiple Content Server repositories can be used for different applications to balance the load. This field specifies which Content Server repository to use for this application. Once defined and the application is created, the repository cannot be changed. This field is required.

5. Specify if you want full-text indexing of content. Enabling Full-Text Search indexes metadata and the full-text of any documents with text information. Images of documents do not contain text information, and so cannot be full-text indexed. For example, a Microsoft Word has text that can be indexed, but a TIFF image of a Microsoft Word document does not, and so cannot be indexed.

6. Click Next to go to the Application Field Definitions Page.

4.2.2 Defining Application Fields

Fields defined for an application track metadata associated with content in an application. You can specify one of four types of field definitions, whether they are required, and if they are indexed to improve searching speeds. You must define at least one field. The four available field types are:

• Text: Field accepts text string. Possible string length is specified in Length element.

• Number: Field accepts integers from -2.14 billion to 2.14 billion.

• Decimal: Field accepts 1 to 15 non-negative decimal values such as 1.5. The decimal scale is set in the Scale element.

• Date: Field accepts date in the regional short-date format.

All field types can be indexed. Enabling indexing of a metadata field applies only to that field. The information specified will appear under the Field Definitions category on the application Summary page. Indexes are applied to the underlying repository database tables. The application of either too many or too few indexes will be detrimental to the system's performance. Generally, indexes should be applied to those fields that will be the core of the document searching that will be performed. Defining this list of fields should be done as part of the business process analysis with the additional help of a database administrator.

You can add and remove fields in applications when creating and modifying applications. There is a restriction that when adding or modifying an application you cannot delete an existing field and re-add it with the same name during the process. If this happens, click Cancel and start again.

For more information on available field types and options and to view the page, see "Application Field Definitions Page".

To define fields, do the following:

1. On the Application Field Definitions Page, click Add and for this example, select Number as the type of field and enable Required and Indexed.

2. Change the name of the field to a descriptive name. For example, Lease Number.

3. Click Add, select Date as the field type, and enable Required and Indexed.

4. Change the field name to a descriptive name, for example, to Lease Expiration.

5. Click the Edit Default Value icon to enter a default value, for example, to 12/31/2009. The default value is only a suggestion to users. The field is not automatically set to this value when left blank.

   Note that there is also an option to add a picklist to any field by clicking the Add Picklist icon in the Picklist column. Although we won't use picklists in this example, use this icon to add a list of selectable options for the metadata field. Leading and trailing spaces on picklist items are not retained. Click the pencil icon in the Picklist column to edit an existing list, or click the Remove Picklist icon to delete an existing picklist. If a picklist is defined, the user must select from the picklist to populate the field and cannot enter data directly into the field.

6. Click Next to go to the Application Security Page.

4.2.3 Assigning Application Security

Note: The user creating an application must also have View permission to the connection (repository) being used.

Permission to view, modify, delete and grant access to an application is assigned at the user or group level when defining an application on the Application Security Page. To assign application security permissions, do the following:

1. On the Application Security Page, click Add. The Add Security Member Page displays. Type a user or group name or click Search to display a list of users from which to select.

2. Select the user you want to add. The user name is added to the Display Name column on the Application Security Page.

3. Enable the permissions you want to assign to this user by selecting the field in the appropriate column. Options are:

   • View: Enabled by default. Grants the user or group the right to view and upload into this application.

   • Modify: Enable to grant the user or group the right to modify all aspects of this application except for granting security rights.

   • Delete: Enable to grant the user or group the right to delete this application.

   • Grant Access: Enable to grant a user or group the right to grant security rights to others for this application. If this is the only security level granted, the user can modify only the security information for this application.

   A user with Grant Access permission can grant themselves all other rights. At least one user must be given Grant Access rights.

4. Click Next to go to Application Document Security Page.

4.2.3.1 Copying Permissions From One User to Another User

You can copy the permissions from one user to another by completing the following steps:

1. Select and highlight the user whose permissions you want to copy from the Display name column and click Copy. The Add Security Member Page displays.

2. Select the new user to whom you are copying the permissions. The new user's name is displayed in the Display Name column with the copied permissions enabled.

3. Click Next to go to the Application Document Security Page.

4.2.4 Assigning Document Security

Assigning access and modification permissions to documents are managed separately from assigning access and permissions to applications. This protects an application from being inadvertently modified by users who need greater access to content. Likewise, sensitive documents are protected from those with rights to access and modify applications.

Permission to view, write, delete, grant access, lock, and annotate documents is assigned at the group level on the Application Document Security Page.

To assign document security permissions, do the following:

1. On the Application Document Security Page, click Add. The Add Security Member Page is displayed.

2. Type a group name or select the group you want to add from the list. This group name is added to the Display Name column of the Application Document Security Page.

3. Enable the permissions you want to assign to the group. Note that anyone in a group with Grant Access permission can grant the group all other rights. Document security adds permissions for modifying either metadata or document content, and the ability to lock documents to prevent changes.

4. Click Next.

4.2.5 Assigning a Storage Policy

Oracle Content Server does not support time-based storage of content, so currently there is a single storage stage with an indefinite duration. The user can only choose the volume to apply. Once chosen, the content stays on that volume indefinitely. Note that the status of the volume chosen is not indicated on the user interface for creating an application.

To create an application storage policy, complete the following steps:

1. Select the name of the storage volume used to store documents from the Document Storage Volume field. This may be a file store, database, or storage device.

2. Select the name of the storage volume used to store annotation from the Supporting Content Storage Volume field. This may be a file store, database, or storage device.

3. Click Next to go to the Application BPEL Configuration Page.

4.2.6 Configuring BPEL Integration

Processes in BPEL export and import information by using Web Service interfaces. A BPEL server defines services that can be used by other applications. If a connection has been defined to a BPEL server, the BPEL Configuration option is enabled in the Application definition navigation train. To add a BPEL configuration to an application, do the following:

Note: The user creating an application must also have View permission to the BPEL connection being used.

1. On the Application BPEL Configuration Page, click Add. The BPEL Server Properties Page is displayed.

2. Select the connection from the Connection field and click Next. The BPEL Component Properties Page is displayed.

3. Select the component properties of the business process being configured. Composite, Service, and Operation are required values. Click Next. The BPEL Payload Properties Page is displayed.

4. Select a Mapped Value for each Payload Element. Note that if selecting Format Value, you can construct a value from parts of text and application fields using the Edit Format Value Page. For example, you would use this page to construct custom URLs or to concatenate multiple values together into a single value.

5. Click Finish to exit BPEL configuration and return to the main application definition navigation train. The Application BPEL Configuration Page is displayed.

6. Click Next to move to the Application Review Settings Page.

You can also modify or delete an existing BPEL configuration in an existing application by doing the following:

1. Click on an existing application name in the Manage Application panel of the navigator pane. The Application Review Settings Page is displayed.

2. Click Modify. The Application General Properties Page is displayed.

3. Click BPEL Configuration in the Application navigation train. Note that the BPEL Configuration option in the navigation train is only available if a connection to a BPEL server has been defined. The Application BPEL Configuration Page is displayed.

4. Click Modify. The BPEL Server Properties Page is displayed. Follow the procedure in the section "Configuring BPEL Integration".

4.2.7 Reviewing Application Settings

To review application settings, do the following:

1. From the Application Review Settings Page, review the application settings and ensure they are correct.

2. Make any necessary changes by clicking Back to return to the necessary section, or click the specific section in the navigation train to return the section directly.

3. Once you are satisfied that the application is correct, return to the Application Review Settings Page and click Submit.