Monday, April 12, 2010

User Management Package For Business Users to Access VIA APEX

Application Express has allowed us (DBA types) to add GUI front end to some of the day to day maintenance tasks that we not only do for administration, but also for handling tasks for business users that don't fit cleanly into our current applications. Although developers may have an issue with building a GUI application with a GUI application -- as DBA I find it convenient, efficient and I don't have to wait on anyone to create an app for me. Makes me independent and I like being independent, but also keeps the developers from being tasked to spend time creating an in-house application for the DBAs.

I'm not the one that installed Application Express, nor am I the one that created the original applications. I have however, taught myself how to modify the applications, as well as created new ones. An application that I'm currently working on putting together is User Management. The preferred solution would be a purchased product with single sign on, but this is the next best thing, as creating users, unlocking accounts and changing passwords is not how I like to spend my days.

The User Management application is very simple it allows across all databases the cloning of business users, changing of passwords even if they do not know their passwords, and the unlocking of accounts. All of these tasks have security wrapped around them, so only certain users can clone accounts and they are further restricted to the type of account they can clone (basically only in their department). Change password they must know their password or respond to the verification email which is sent to the email assigned to the employee account (this is a business email and not a personal email account). The unlock account works the same way, they must respond to an email to verify its them and only certain accounts will be unlocked -- those that have the business profiles assigned. With all of these procedures no DBA accounts, or system privileged accounts can be cloned, have their password changed or unlocked.

In its simplest terms its a self service application. The following is the code behind the package that is executed through Application Express:



There is addition setup within the application that allows for the certain users to clone accounts, as well as the verification email for changing unknown passwords. I'll save that information for a future blog.

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