Architecture Overview
Each Exadata Express account provides one or several managed Pluggable Databases (PDBs) per account, of Oracle Database Enterprise Edition and relevant options, running on Exadata in Oracle Cloud. The number of PDBs depend on how many PDBs a customer purchases.
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Connecting database clients including language drivers, developer IDEs, and command-line tools
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Accessing and manipulating your data using REST interfaces
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Rapidly developing web applications in Oracle Application Express (APEX)
Many administrative tasks are taken care of for you in this managed service. Users can perform self-service administration through the web console, which provides access to the main functions of the service.
Database Clients
Oracle Database clients connect to Exadata Express over Oracle Net Services (SQL*Net). Oracle Connection Manager (CMAN) cluster running in Oracle Cloud arranges these connections. SQL*Net connections are encrypted and mutually authenticated using TLS 1.2. Exadata Express customers receive a public IP address, a SQL*Net port number, and a set of credentials to configure on the client. Connections can be established from the internet or other Oracle Cloud PaaS and IaaS services. Once connected, clients authenticate to the database as a standard user or a pre-defined administrator account (PDB_ADMIN).
REST Interfaces
Exadata Express users can configure REST endpoints using Oracle SQL Developer or APEX. REST connections go to Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) running on an Oracle WebLogic Server (WLS) cluster in Oracle Cloud. This application tier is shared between customers and is managed by Oracle. From there, the connections route to a Container Database (CDB) and then on to the PDB of the user. Only HTTPS connections are supported.
ORDS can return responses in JSON format and other data format. Also, you optionally can configure Simple Oracle Document Access (SODA) to provide document-style interfaces over REST. REST endpoints can be protected using OAuth2 authentication.
APEX Applications
Each customer PDB includes a dedicated Oracle Application Express (APEX) instance, which is configured and managed by Oracle. APEX is a native low code framework of the Oracle Database for rapid development and deployment of modern, responsive, and scalable web applications. APEX applications are developed in a browser-based environment without the requirement of additional tools. Access to APEX is only enabled over HTTPS protocol.
Service Console
The service console is a web application for administering Exadata Express. The service console provides access to the main functions of the service. Users can set or reset the PDB_ADMIN password, enable or disable client access, quickly create a database schema, and so on.
Cloud Database
Exadata Express provides Oracle Database in an Oracle Multitenant architecture. Each user account consists of one or several dedicated PDB within a multitenant CDB. The CDBs run on bare metal Oracle Exadata machines in Oracle Cloud. Because Exadata Express is based on Oracle Database Enterprise Edition, users get advanced data management, analytics, and security capabilities (For example, data partitioning, data mining SQL, and data redaction, and so on). The largest Exadata Express shape includes Oracle Database In-Memory Column Store. Because the service runs on Exadata, it delivers unique features of Oracle engineered systems such as Hybrid Columnar Compression.