Organizational Structure

You must design an organizational structure in which to physically store your defined objects, the data on which they operate, and the outputs—reports such as tabulations, listings, and figures—that they produce. In the library analogy, the Oracle LSH organizational structure is equivalent to the rooms and sections of shelves where books are stored.

You can use the organizational structure in the security system you design. Using the library analogy, you can allow some groups access to the medical reference room, for example, but not the history reference room. (What people in the group can do in the room depends on their role; see Security System.)

Oracle LSH's organizational structure consists of three nested defined objects: Domains, Application Areas, and Work Areas. Domains are intended to contain Application Areas and a library of validated object definitions (such as Tables, Programs, Report Sets, Load Sets, and Workflows) suitable for reuse. Application Areas contain Work Areas and a library of object definitions in various stages of development. Work Areas contain instances of the object definitions contained in Domains and Application Areas. By maintaining separate Work Areas for development, quality control testing, and production, you can create distinct database environments for each development phase and keep production data clean.

Organizational concepts and design issues are covered in Designing an Organizational Structure.