Oracle Portal provides build wizards that guide you step by step through the process of creating a database portlet. These steps include choosing:
The provider that will own the finished database portlet.
Database objects such as tables, views, and procedures on which the database portlet will be based.
The database portlet's data. Most wizards automatically build the SQL query that selects the data used in the database portlet. In addition, the calendar, chart, report, and frame driver build wizards allow you to write your own SQL query.
An optional customization form for the database portlet that enables end users to choose which data to use.
A look and feel for the database portlet, the customization form, and the Web pages on which they appear.
You don't have to complete every step in the wizard. Each build wizard includes Finish buttons that allow you to create the database portlet based on the information already collected by the wizard. The buttons appear once the build wizard has collected enough information to create the database portlet.
Clicking the Finish button creates the database portlet and stores it in the database as a PL/SQL stored procedure. You now have the option of running the database portlet you created as is or editing it. You edit a database portlet using a collection of tabbed pages that allow you to reselect options you originally selected in the wizard. If you clicked the Finish button, Oracle Portal created the database portlet using the default values for options on all the wizard steps you didn't complete. You can now go back and change any of these values using the tabbed edit pages.
When you are ready for other users to run the database portlet, you only need to provide them a URL to the database portlet and access privileges to execute it.
Each wizard step contains buttons that you can use to navigate through the steps in the wizard. You should use these buttons to navigate through the wizard, not your Web browser's Forward and Back buttons. Click Next > to display the next step and <Previous to display the previous step. A step is complete only if you click Next> to navigate to the next step or Finish. Your selections are saved as you navigate from step to step.