Can data be fetched from Oracle Database to ApEx websheets?

Question

Hi,
Oracle 11g R2
ApEx 4.2.2
We are in need of giving an MRU form for the customized data by the users. The number of columns will be defined dynamically by the end user. We thought of using apex's standard tabular forms, but they cannot have dynamic columns. We also thought of having manual tabular forms using apex collections, but there is a limitation that the collection can have maximum of 50 character datatypes, 5 numeric, 5 date and 1 each for clob and blob. The number of columns at runtime may exceed these numbers. so we ruled out this. We then thought of using apex websheets. We know that the data can be fetched from Oracle database to websheet reports, but the reports cannot be edited. We know that the data grid gives option to edit the data, but I couldnt find a way to fetch the data from database to it.  I understand that the data in the apex websheets can be queried from apex's meta tables apex$_ws_... views and somehow in a back door way of doing these can be updated to the business tables. But we also need to fetch the data  from Oracle database to the grid. I do not want to insert into the apex$_ws tables as Oracle does not support it. Is there any other possibility?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Natarajan

Answer 1

Nattu wrote:
Thanks for your reply. Actually it is a data that is fully customized by the end user. These custom attributes are really stored as rows and a complex code returns them as columns at run time. So the number of columns is different user to user based on the number of rows they have.
They'd never have got that far if I'd been around...
They now want to edit them in a tabular form as well.
Well once you've implemented one really bad idea, one more isn't going to make much difference.
It rather sounds like you've got people who know nothing about relational databases or user interfaces responsible for the design of both. You need to be very, very, worried.