How Do I Use Data Tables and Reports – Interactive Report in Oracle APEX

Interactive Reports in Oracle APEX are a powerful and flexible way to allow users to explore, search, filter, sort, and manipulate data directly within a web page. Unlike Classic Reports, Interactive Reports provide end users with built-in tools for customizing how data is displayed and interacted with—without requiring any coding. This makes them ideal for business applications where users need control over how they view and analyze information.

How to Use Interactive Reports in Oracle APEX

1. Creating an Interactive Report

   • In the APEX App Builder, navigate to the desired page or create a new one.

   • Add a new region and choose Interactive Report.

   • Provide a region title, like “Customer Orders” or “Product Inventory”.

   • Write the SQL query that retrieves the data you want to display. Example:

     SELECT order_id,
            customer_name,
            order_date,
            status,
            total_amount
       FROM orders
      ORDER BY order_date DESC
     

2. Region and Column Configuration

   • In Page Designer, select the Interactive Report region.

   • Under Attributes, configure options such as:

     • Enable Search Bar

     • Show Rows Per Page Selector

     • Download Formats (CSV, PDF, etc.)

     • Highlighting, Aggregates, and Group By

   • For each column, you can:

     • Set alignment and formatting (dates, currency, percentages).

     • Choose whether a column is visible or hidden.

     • Enable sorting or column filtering.

     • Add links for navigation to detail pages.

3. User Features in Interactive Reports

   Interactive Reports offer many built-in features to end users:

   • Column Filters: Filter on values, ranges, or custom conditions.

   • Search Bar: Full-text search across visible columns.

   • Sort: Click on column headers to sort ascending or descending.

   • Control Breaks: Group rows based on column values.

   • Aggregations: Show sum, avg, min, max, or count for numeric columns.

   • Highlights: Color rows or cells based on conditions.

   • Charts: Create basic visualizations from the data.

   • Save Report Settings: Users can save custom views as private or public reports.

   • Download: Export data in various formats (CSV, Excel, PDF, etc.).

4. Interactive Report Settings for Developers

   Developers can control what features users can access:

   • Set default filters, sorting, or highlights.

   • Restrict public report saving for security or simplicity.

   • Define Authorization Schemes for different report views.

   • Customize report appearance using templates and CSS classes.

Examples

Example 1: Sales Dashboard

• Users can search by customer name or product

• Download report as Excel for offline analysis

• Add conditional formatting to highlight high-value sales

Example 2: Employee Directory

• Enable full-text search for employee name or department

• Add links on employee names to navigate to detail pages

• Enable group by department using Control Breaks

Example 3: Help Desk Tickets

• Use filters to show only open or high-priority tickets

• Highlight overdue tickets in red

• Allow users to save a default view as their favorite

Best Practices

• Keep the initial SQL query efficient to ensure fast loading.

• Limit the number of columns if users don’t need them all at once.

• Use meaningful column headings and enable sorting where useful.

• Set default filters or sorting to present the most relevant data first.

• Allow users to save their preferred views for convenience.

• Disable features like PDF export or public reports if not needed to reduce complexity.

• Sanitize and validate any links or inputs to ensure security.

• Test on different devices for responsiveness and usability.

Interactive Reports provide powerful features for customizing your report such as searching, filtering, sorting, highlighting, group-by, pivot, aggregations, calculations, charting, and more.

Available Option

• Remove Border

• Show Maximize Button

Heading Level	Item Spacing	Item Size	Item Width	Label Alignment	Label Position
H1	Default	Default	Default	Right	Inline - Default
H2	Standard	Large	Stretch Form Fields	Left	Show form Labels Above
H3	Slim	X-Large
H4	None
H5
H6

Sort Order Alignment	Top Margin	Bottom Margin	Left Margin	Right Margin
Center	Default	Default	Default	Default
End	None	None	None	None
	Small	Small	Small	Small
	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
	Large	Large	Large	Large

Example 2:

Oracle APEX Documentation

For complete information on Interactive Reports, refer to the official documentation:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/apex/
Search for “Interactive Report” to access in-depth guides and options.

Conclusion

Interactive Reports in Oracle APEX provide an efficient and user-friendly way to explore and analyze data. Their built-in flexibility and features empower users to customize the data view without developer intervention. Whether you’re building a reporting dashboard, an inventory list, or a support ticket tracker, Interactive Reports can adapt to a wide range of use cases. By applying best practices and tuning the options for your users, you can deliver rich, dynamic data experiences that enhance the value and usability of your applications.

How Do I Use the Contextual Info Report Template Component in Oracle APEX

The Contextual Info report template in Oracle APEX is designed to present data in a compact and visually organized way, highlighting key information alongside related details. It is often used when you want to display a list of items where each item has a title, supporting text, and contextual icons or badges that provide additional information at a glance. This template enhances user experience by making reports more readable and interactive, especially on dashboard or summary pages.

How to Use the Contextual Info Report Template Component in Oracle APEX

Using the Contextual Info report template involves creating a report region and applying the appropriate template while mapping the data fields properly to leverage the template’s features. Here is how to implement it in detail:

1. Create a Report Region

   • In Oracle APEX App Builder, open the page where you want to add the report.

   • Click + Add Region and select a report type such as Classic Report or Interactive Report.

   • Provide a meaningful name for the region, for example, "Project Overview".

2. Write Your SQL Query

   • Your SQL query should return columns that will be mapped to the contextual info fields.

   • Example:

     SELECT project_name,
            project_manager,
            status,
            start_date,
            end_date,
            priority
       FROM projects
      WHERE status = 'Active'
     

   • Include any columns you want to use as titles, subtitles, badges, or dates.

3. Apply the Contextual Info Report Template

   • In the region attributes, find the Template property.

   • Select Contextual Info or a similarly named template (the exact name may depend on your APEX version and theme).

   • This template structures the output into a main title, supporting text, badges, and optional icons.

4. Map Columns to Template Positions

   • Map the SQL query columns to the Contextual Info template fields, such as:

     • Title → project_name

     • Subtitle → project_manager

     • Badge → priority (e.g., High, Medium, Low)

     • Additional Info → formatted dates or status

   • You can use substitution strings in the template or the region’s settings to format this data.

5. Customize Appearance and Behavior

   • Configure badges with different colors based on values (for example, red for “High” priority).

   • Use CSS classes or APEX template options to adjust spacing and font sizes.

   • Enable links on titles or badges if you want navigation to detail pages.

6. Preview and Adjust

   • Run the page and verify the contextual info layout.

   • Adjust SQL, mappings, or styles as needed for clarity and visual appeal.

Examples

Example 1: Project Status Overview

• Title: Project Name

• Subtitle: Project Manager

• Badge: Priority with color coding (High = red, Medium = yellow, Low = green)

• Additional Info: Start and end dates formatted as “Jan 1 – Dec 31”

Example 2: Employee Directory

• Title: Employee Name

• Subtitle: Job Title

• Badge: Department abbreviation

• Additional Info: Office location or phone number

Example 3: Support Tickets List

• Title: Ticket Subject

• Subtitle: Assigned To

• Badge: Status (Open, In Progress, Closed) with colors

• Additional Info: Created Date

Best Practices

• Ensure your SQL returns clean, concise data to fit the compact layout.

• Use badges sparingly to avoid clutter and highlight truly important statuses.

• Use meaningful titles and subtitles to maximize quick scanning by users.

• Apply consistent color schemes for badges to convey status or priority clearly.

• Combine the Contextual Info report with links to detailed pages for full information.

• Test on different screen sizes to ensure readability and responsiveness.

This report template is useful for displaying key value pairs.

Options:

Hide Empty Values
Display Items Inline(default)
Display Items - Stacked
Display Labels – Inline (default)
Display Labels - Stacked
Pagination	Displayed, or Hidden when all rows displayed

Oracle APEX Documentation

For additional details and examples, visit the official Oracle APEX documentation:
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/apex/
Search for "Contextual Info" or "Report Templates" for the most relevant guides.

Conclusion

The Contextual Info report template in Oracle APEX is a practical and visually effective way to display lists of records with associated details and statuses. By mapping your data correctly and using badges and formatting thoughtfully, you can build reports that are easy to read and navigate. This enhances user experience and allows users to get key information at a glance, making it a valuable component for dashboards, directories, and summary pages in your Oracle APEX applications.