Creating a Database Application from a Spreadsheet

Select From a Spreadsheet in the Create Application Wizard to load spreadsheet data and then create report on that data.

About Creating an Application from a Spreadsheet

Load spreadsheet data from a file or by copying and pasting and then create an interactive report on that data.

When you run the Create Application Wizard and select From a Spreadsheet, the Create From a Spreadsheet Wizard appears.

You then choose how to upload the spreadsheet data. Options include:

  • From a file. Select this option to upload spreadsheet data from a file as comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited file.

  • Copy and paste. Select this option to copy and paste tab delimited data.

Once you approve a page preview, the wizard loads the data into the database, creates a report and form on the data, and then displays the Create Application Wizard. A new interactive report with form page named after the table you imported displays under Pages. You then finish the application creation process by naming the application, specifying the application appearance, editing the report, create additional pages, selecting features, and configuring settings.

Copy and Paste Sample Data

If you choose the Copy and paste option, the wizard includes Sample Data. Simply expand the Sample Data region and select a sample.

Support for Uploading JSON Data

The Create From a Spreadsheet Wizard supports the upload of JSON data. To view two examples, select Copy and paste option, expand the Sample Data region, and select either JSON and Structured Test Data or JSON only Test Data.

Loading Spreadsheet Data from a File

Load spreadsheet data from a file as comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited file and then create an interactive report on that data.

To load spreadsheet data from a file:

  1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
  2. Click the Create button.

    The Create Application Wizard appears.

  3. Select From a Spreadsheet.
  4. When prompted how to load your spreadsheet data, select From a File.
    You can upload a comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited file. The file you upload must be text-based. To upload a *.xls file, you must first save it as *.csv.
  5. On From a Spreadsheet:
    1. Text File - Click Choose File to locate the file to be uploaded.
    2. Separator - Specify the column separator character. Use \t for tab separators.
    3. Optionally Enclosed By - Enter a delimiter character. You can use this character to deliminate the starting and ending boundary of a data value. If you specify a delimiter character, the wizard ignores white space occurring before the starting and ending boundary of a data value. You can also use this option to enclose a data value with the specified delimiter character.
    4. First row contains column names - If you enable this option and your data contains column names in the first row, the wizard will use the column names for the Oracle database table. Otherwise, you are prompted t update the column names manually.
    5. File Character Set - Choose the character set in which the text file is encoded.
    6. Globalization - Expand the region and specify the Currency Symbol, Group Separator, and Decimal Character..
      To learn more about an attribute, see field-level Help.
    7. Click Next.

  6. On Page Preview:
    1. Schema - Identify the database schema owner. Your application obtains its privileges by parsing all SQL as a specific database schema. 
    2. Table Name - Enter a name for the table being created.
    3. Preserve Case - If applicable, select this option to preserve the existing case.
    4. Set Table Properties - Review the table properties. The wizard determines the data types and column length for each column by reviewing the data contained in the first 20 rows of data.
      • Modify the data types or enter format masks.

      • Specify whether to include a column by selecting Yes or No from the Upload list.

  7. Click Load Spreadsheet.
  8. Click Continue to Create Application Wizard.

    The Create Application Wizard appears. A new Interactive Report with Form page named after the table you created displays under Pages. From here you can edit the report (such as change the report name) or create additional pages based on the imported data.

    Tip:

    The steps that follow summarize how to use the Create Application Wizard. For more information, see field-level help.

  9. For Name, enter the name used to identify the application to developers.
  10. For Appearance, you can either Accept the default (Vita, Side Menu), or change the appearance by clicking the Set Appearance icon and edit the attributes in the Appearance dialog.
  11. To add a page, click Add Page and select the desired page type. The user interface changes based on the selected page type.

    Pages you create display under Add Page. You can edit existing pages as follows:

    • Change the page order. To change the order in which pages appear in your application, click and hold the Drag to reorder page icon and drag and drop it to a new location in the list.

      The Home page always displays first and cannot be reordered. Administrative pages always display at the bottom of the list and the order dictates the order they appear in the Application Administration list on the Administration page.

    • Edit a page. To edit a page click Edit. In the dialog, edit the page name, change the icon, specify if the page is a Home Page or Administration Page, or define Page Help.

    • Delete a page. To delete a page, click Edit and the click Delete .

  12. For Features, select features to include with your application. Features provide application-level functionality and can only be added once per application. To learn more, see Help.

    Tip:

    Click the Check All button to select all features.

  13. For Settings:
    1. Application ID - Enter a unique, numeric identifier for your application. This field contains an automatically generated identifier by default. Application IDs between 3000 to 9000 are reserved for internal use by Oracle Application Express.
    2. Schema - Select the database schema which stores the database objects you want to use in this application. Each application obtains its privileges by parsing all SQL as a specific database schema.
    3. Application Languages - The primary language used in the app. To change the primary language or translate the app into additional languages, click the Select Languages icon.
    4. Advanced Settings - Click the icon adjacent to the Advanced Settings to edit the application definition settings and preferences and security and globalization attributes. To learn more, see Help.
    5. Authentication - Select how authenticate users.
    6. User Interface Defaults - Click the icon to apply User Interface Defaults to this application.
  14. Click Create Application.

Loading Spreadsheet Data by Copying and Pasting

Select From a Spreadsheet in the Create Application Wizard to load spreadsheet data and then create report on that data.

To load spreadsheet data by copying and pasting:

  1. On the Workspace home page, click the App Builder icon.
  2. Click the Create button.

    The Create Application Wizard appears.

  3. Select From a Spreadsheet.
  4. When prompted how to load your spreadsheet data, select Copy and paste.
    You can upload a comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited file. The file you upload must be text-based. To upload a *.xls file, you must first save it as *.csv.
  5. On From a Spreadsheet:
    1. Copy and Paste Tab Delimited Data - Copy and paste the tab delimited data you want to import.
    2. First row contains column names - If you enable this option and your data contains column names in the first row, the wizard will use the column names for the Oracle database table. Otherwise, you are prompted t update the column names manually.
    3. File Character Set - Choose the character set in which the text file is encoded.
    4. Globalization - Expand the region and specify the Currency Symbol, Group Separator, and Decimal Character. To learn more, see field-level Help.
      To learn more about an attribute, see field-level Help.
    5. Sample Data - Expand the region and select a sample. Once selected, the sample appears in Copy and Paste Tab Delimited Data.
    6. Click Next.

  6. On Page Preview:
    1. Schema - Identify the database schema owner. Your application obtains its privileges by parsing all SQL as a specific database schema. 
    2. Table Name - Enter a name for the table being created.
    3. Preserve Case - If applicable, select this option to preserve the existing case.
    4. Set Table Properties - Review the table properties. The wizard determines the data types and column length for each column by reviewing the data contained in the first 20 rows of data.
      • Modify the data types or enter format masks.

      • Specify whether to include a column by selecting Yes or No from the Upload list.

  7. Click Load Spreadsheet.
  8. Click Continue to Create Application Wizard.

    The Create Application Wizard appears. A new Interactive Report with Form page named after the table you created displays under Pages. From here you can edit the report (such as change the report name) or create additional pages based on the imported data.

    Tip:

    The steps that follow summarize how to use the Create Application Wizard. For more information, see field-level help.

  9. For Name, enter the name used to identify the application to developers.
  10. For Appearance, you can either Accept the default (Vita, Side Menu), or change the appearance by clicking the Set Appearance icon and edit the attributes in the Appearance dialog.
  11. To add a page, click Add Page and select the desired page type. The user interface changes based on the selected page type.

    Pages you create display under Add Page. You can edit existing pages as follows:

    • Change the page order. To change the order in which pages appear in your application, click and hold the Drag to reorder page icon and drag and drop it to a new location in the list.

      The Home page always displays first and cannot be reordered. Administrative pages always display at the bottom of the list and the order dictates the order they appear in the Application Administration list on the Administration page.

    • Edit a page. To edit a page click Edit. In the dialog, edit the page name, change the icon, specify if the page is a Home Page or Administration Page, or define Page Help.

    • Delete a page. To delete a page, click Edit and the click Delete .

  12. For Features, select features to include with your application. Features provide application-level functionality and can only be added once per application. To learn more, see Help.

    Tip:

    Click the Check All button to select all features.

  13. For Settings:
    1. Application ID - Enter a unique, numeric identifier for your application. This field contains an automatically generated identifier by default. Application IDs between 3000 to 9000 are reserved for internal use by Oracle Application Express.
    2. Schema - Select the database schema which stores the database objects you want to use in this application. Each application obtains its privileges by parsing all SQL as a specific database schema.
    3. Application Languages - The primary language used in the app. To change the primary language or translate the app into additional languages, click the Select Languages icon.
    4. Advanced Settings - Click the icon adjacent to the Advanced Settings to edit the application definition settings and preferences and security and globalization attributes. To learn more, see Help.
    5. Authentication - Select how authenticate users.
    6. User Interface Defaults - Click the icon to apply User Interface Defaults to this application.
  14. Click Create Application.