Extending Luminis/Self Service Banner Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Adam HowardSystems Analyst

North Orange County Community College District

Application Express (APEX)

• Web-based• Rapid application development environment• Installed to your Oracle database• Free to use

More APEX features

• Minimal coding required to create functional apps/reports; wizards

• Access to any table in database (with perms)• Can customize processing with PL/SQL• Powerful Interactive Reports for

sorting/filtering results• Can run on your SSB web server (DAD)

Authentication via Luminis/SSB

• Technique presented at SETA 2008 by Debra Miller and Nicole Johns of Athens State:• Custom APEX authentication scheme• Code for auto-login• Procedure in SSB redirects to APEX app

• Luminis SSO to SSB via sctssb connector

Authentication details

• SSB session values passed to APEX from SSB procedure and stored in “application items”

• Authentication scheme calls function to verify SSB session values

• Login page process can populate username and other data to persist for the session

Authentication steps

• User logs into Luminis• User clicks link for APEX app• Luminis performs SSO to SSB• SSB page briefly processes• User arrives at application “landing” page

Authorization options

• Control what parts of app which users can use• Use any means available via SQL, PL/SQL:

• “Role” tables in Banner: WebTailor, GOVROLE, GURIROL, GURUCLS

• User attributes from Banner (e.g. student in current term)

• Table local to your app• Others: Luminis directory via DBMS_LDAP, etc,

etc

Authorization details

• Set up one or more “Authorization Schemes” in the application

• Schemes can be applied at app, page, page region, or page item level

Demo screenshots follow

Questions?

If you have any questions contact:

Adam Howard: ahoward@nocccd.edu

Or post your question to the Banner Application Express Yahoo Group

Goodies

Inside the embedded zip file to the right, you’ll find:

• f135.sql – Import this file to your APEX workspace for a simple app that demonstrates SSO from SSB

•bzgkapex.sql – Database package body containing code for APEX SSO and self-service Banner procedure

•Single Sign-On to APEX Applications.html – Instructions on setting up SSO to APEX from our dept wiki

The End!

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