Oracle Flex Fields

Fundamentals of Flexfields
Overview
Copyright 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Fundamentals of Flexfields %ffective 0"&0#&07
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System References
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Distribution
Job Title*
Ownership
The Job Title [list@YourCompany.com?Subject=E !"""""# is responsible $or ensurin% that this &ocument is necessary an& that it re$lects actual practice.
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O*+ectives
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Agenda
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Overvie, of Flexfields
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.sing Flexfields to Configure Applications
Using Flexfields to Configure Applications ' $le"$iel& is a con$i%urable $iel& that opens in a (in&o( $rom a re%ular )racle 'pplications *in&o(. e$inin% $le"$iel&s enables you to tailor )racle 'pplications to your o(n business en+ironment. You can easily &e$ine $le"$iel&s to mo&i$y or e"ten& )racle 'pplications (ithout pro%rammin%. ,y usin% $le"$iel&s (ithin )racle 'pplications- you can. / Structure certain i&enti$iers re0uire& by )racle 'pplications accor&in% to your o(n business en+ironment / Collect an& &isplay a&&itional in$ormation $or your business as re0uire& 1le"$iel&s are important because they are use& throu%hout )racle 'pplications. 1le"$iel&s pro+i&e many opportunities $or simple mo&i$ication an& con$i%uration o$ stan&ar& )racle 'pplications processin%. 2embers o$ the implementation team as (ell as system a&ministration personnel shoul& be $amiliar (ith the concepts an& proce&ures o$ $le"$iel&s to &esi%n an& support an )racle 'pplications en+ironment that meets the nee&s o$ all o$ its users.
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/enefits of Flexfields
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0ey and 1escriptive Flexfields
ey and Descriptive Flexfields There are t(o types o$ $le"$iel&s. 3ey an& &escripti+e. Each type is &iscusse& in %reater &etail in the $ollo(in% sli&es. The main &i$$erences bet(een the t(o are. / 4ey $le"$iel&s are use& to &e$ine your o(n structure $or many o$ the i&enti$iers re0uire& by )racle 'pplications an& &ri+e reportin%. / escripti+e $le"$iel&s are use& to %ather a&&itional in$ormation about your business entities beyon& the in$ormation re0uire& by )racle 'pplications. Note: 5n some cases- &escripti+e $le"$iel&s are reser+e& $or pro&uct6speci$ic $unctionality. 1or e"ample- the 1le"ible '&&ress 1ormat.
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0ey Flexfields
ey Flexfields / 5n )racle 'pplications- you use 3ey $le"$iel&s as i&enti$iers $or entities. 7enerally- the i&enti$ier you create usin% a 3ey $le"$iel& is re0uire& by the o(nin% application 8$or e"ample- the 'ccountin% 1le"$iel& buil&s the account number use& by 7eneral 9e&%er:. / ' 3ey $le"$iel& appears as a normal $iel& on a $orm. 'ny e"istin% +alue $or the 3ey appears in the $iel& as a concatenate& +alue ha+in% se%ment separators. / You can use the 1le"$iel&s. )pen 4ey *in&o( pro$ile option to speci$y (hether you (ant the 3ey $le"$iel& (in&o( to be opene& automatically (hen you na+i%ate to the 3ey $le"$iel& on the base $orm. This pro$ile option is +isible an& can be up&ate& at the user le+el. / ' 3ey $le"$iel& structure usually consists o$ multiple se%ments- each o$ (hich contains meanin%$ul in$ormation. The resultin% combinations o$ +alues $rom these se%ments there$ore $unction as intelli%ent 3eys.
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.sing 0ey Flexfields to /uild 2ntelligent 0eys
Using ey Flexfields to !uild "ntelligent eys 5ntelli%ent 3eys are multipart co&es (here the +alue in each in&i+i&ual part contains meanin%$ul in$ormation. Each combination o$ +alues can- there$ore- i&enti$y a particular business entity or class o$ entities. Such intelli%ent 3ey structures are use& throu%hout )racle 'pplications. ,ecause you &e$ine the 3ey $le"$iel& structure yoursel$- it re$lects the or%ani;ation o$ your business. Accounting Flexfield: Example )ne important 3ey $le"$iel& is the 'ccountin% 1le"$iel&. The e"ample in the sli&e sho(s ho( t(o hypothetical businesses coul& &e$ine 'ccountin% 1le"$iel& structures- (hich re$lecte& their &i$$erent accountin% structures. ,usiness '<s accountin% structure has $i+e se%ments- (hereas ,usiness ,<s accountin% structure has $our se%ments. Additional Key Flexfield Features You can &e$ine +alue sets to control the permitte& +alues $or each se%ment o$ the 3ey. You can also &e$ine cross6+ali&ation rules to control the permitte& combinations o$ se%ment +alues (ithin the 3ey.
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0ey Flexfield3 %xamples
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1escriptive Flexfields
Descriptive Flexfields You use &escripti+e $le"$iel&s to collect in$ormation beyon& (hat is collecte& by )racle 'pplications. ,y usin% &escripti+e $le"$iel&s- you can %ather a&&itional speciali;e& in$ormation re0uire& by your business. =o(e+er- the use o$ &escripti+e $le"$iel&s is optional. ' &escripti+e $le"$iel& appears on a $orm as a $iel& enclose& (ithin brac3ets. You can use the 1le"$iel&s. )pen escr *in&o( pro$ile option to speci$y (hether you (ant the &escripti+e $le"$iel& (in&o( to be opene& automatically (hen you na+i%ate to the brac3ete& $iel&- i$ the $le"$iel& is enable&. This pro$ile option is +isible an& can be up&ate& at the user le+el. ' &escripti+e $le"$iel& can use multiple structures. You can &e$ine. / ' basic structure that %athers a&&itional in$ormation $or all entities / Se+eral &i$$erent structures that %ather speciali;e& in$ormation $or &i$$erent types o$ the same %eneral entity / ' combination o$ the prece&in% t(o. This structure can %ather %eneral in$ormation about all entities- an& then optionally %ather certain in$ormation about certain types o$ entities. The e"ample sho(s a &escripti+e $le"$iel& that %athers &i$$erent payment in$ormation base& on the type o$ payment. chec3 8C4: or cre&it car& 8CC:.
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1escriptive Flexfield3 %xamples
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0ey and 1escriptive Flexfield3 Comparison
>e$er to 7ui&e& emonstration - Entering an Item, Discussing Key and Descriptive Flexfields (Required) [ !"#$!F%&
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Components of a Flexfield
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4egment 'rompts and 5alue 1escriptions
Segment #rompts and $alue Descriptions 5n a&&ition to &e$inin% the se%ments an& structures that ma3e up the $le"$iel&- you can also &e$ine the appearance o$ the $le"$iel&. You can also speci$y names an& &escriptions $or the se%ments appearin% on the (in&o( as (ell as &isplay the si;e $or the $iel&s. >e$er to 7ui&e& emonstration 6 Entering an !sset, Discuss '(ntext )ensitivity (Required) [ !"#$!E%&
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6eneral 4teps to 2mplement a Flexfield
%eneral Steps to "mplement a Flexfield !se the $ollo(in% steps (hen &e$inin% both 3ey an& &escripti+e $le"$iel&s. / ?lan your $le"$iel& structure an& layout. >emember many $le"$iel&s use more than one structure- an& each structure can consist o$ &i$$erent se%ments. 'lso plan any +alue sets an& their +alues. / e$ine $le"$iel& +alue sets. @alue sets &escribe the permitte& +alues $or the $le"$iel& se%ment. 5$ you create your +alue sets $irst- you can re$er to them (hen you are &e$inin% your $le"$iel& se%ments in the $ollo(in% step. / e$ine $le"$iel& se%ments an& structures. !se the plan that you &esi%ne& earlier. / e$ine +alues $or your +alue sets. / 1or 3ey $le"$iel&s- &e$ine the security an& cross6+ali&ation rules as necessary.
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Creating 5alue 4ets
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'lanning a 5alue 4et
#lanning a $alue Set There are t(o steps to plannin% your +alue set. / etermine the basic attributes $or the set. Select the con&itions that all the +alues must $ul$ill to be consi&ere& as +ali& +alues. The con&itions inclu&e &ata type 8CharacterNumeric:- +alue len%than& minimum an& ma"imum +alues- i$ appropriate. / Select the appropriate +ali&ation strate%y. Select the type o$ +ali&ation that is most appropriate $or the &ata. @ali&ation types are &iscusse& in the $ollo(in% pa%es. 1or some +alue sets- it &oes not ma3e sense to try an& pro+i&e a complete list o$ all the appro+e& +alues. 1or e"ample- a se%ment containin% customer telephone numbers probably &oes not nee& a list o$ +alues- because each ne( customer (ill ha+e a ne( telephone number that you &o not 3no( at &esi%n time.
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5alidating 2nput .sing 5alue 4ets
$alidating "nput Using $alue Sets @alue sets allo( you to control the +alues $or a se%ment or a report parameter. ' +alue set is a &e$inition o$ the +alues appro+e& $or entry or &isplay by a particular $le"$iel& se%ment. ' +alue set may also contain a list o$ actual appro+e& +alues althou%h it is not re0uire&. Value Sets Describe Acceptable Types of Values / Some +alue sets permit a limite& ran%e o$ +aluesA some permit only certain +aluesA others ha+e minimal restrictions. / i$$erent $le"$iel&s can share the same +alue set. 1or e"ample- a +alue set containin% the names o$ re%ional o$$ices coul& be use& by many &i$$erent $le"$iel&s. / i$$erent se%ments o$ the same $le"$iel& can use the same +alue set. 1or e"ample- a &ate +alue set. Se%ments &e$ine& to &i$$erent structures o$ the same $le"$iel& can also share a +alue set. 2any o$ the report parameters use& (ith Stan&ar& >e0uest Submission 8S>S: $orms use share& +alue sets. / epen&in% on the +ali&ation type- a +alue set may or may not nee& &e$ine& +alues.
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5alue 4et Attri*utes
$alue Set Attributes Value Set Name 5$ an )racle 'pplication<s pre&e$ine& +alue set has the same name as a user6&e$ine& +alue setthe user6&e$ine& +alue set is o+erri&&en &urin% an up%ra&e. There$ore- $ollo( these namin% %ui&elines thou%h it is not be re0uire&. / o not use the patterns o$ either t(o or three characters $ollo(e& imme&iately by a hyphen or an un&erscore. These patterns are reser+e& by )racle 'pplications. / o not use spaces in your +alue set name. / 5nclu&e a custom or site pre$i" in the +alue set name to ma3e it uni0ue. )racle al(ays pro+i&es a list o$ reser+e& +alue set names be$ore an up%ra&e. 2a3e sure to chec3 this list a%ainst your e"istin% +alue sets. Description You can %i+e your +alue sets &escripti+e te"t in$ormation.
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List Type / Select 9ist o$ @alues i$ your +alue set shoul& not pro+i&e the 9on%9ist $eature in )racle 1orms 'pplications. ' user (ill not see a ?oplist in )racle Sel$ Ser+ice 'pplications. 5n %eneraluse a list o$ +alues (hen BC to DCC +alues are e"pecte&. / Select the 9on% 9ist o$ @alues i$ your +alue set shoul& pro+i&e the 9on%9ist $eature in )racle 1orms 'pplications. The 9on%9ist $eature re0uires a user to enter a partial se%ment +alue be$ore the list o$ +alues retrie+es all a+ailable +alues. You may not enable 9on%9ist $or a +alue set that has a +ali&ation type o$ None. ' user (ill not see a ?oplist in )racle Sel$ Ser+ice 'pplications. 5n %eneraluse a lon% list o$ +alues (hen more than DCC +alues are e"pecte&. / Select ?oplist i$ your +alue set shoul& not pro+i&e the 9on%9ist $eature in )racle 1orms 'pplications- but shoul& pro+i&e a ?oplist in )racle Sel$ Ser+ice 'pplications. 5n %eneraluse a ?oplist (hen $e(er than BC +alues are e"pecte&. Security Type / No Security: 'll security &isable& $or this +alue set / ierarc!ical Security: =ierarchical security is enable&. *ith hierarchical security- the $eatures o$ +alue security an& +alue hierarchies are combine&. *ith this $eature- any security rule that applies to a parent +alue also applies to its chil& +alues. / Non" ierarc!ical Security: Security is enable&- but the rules o$ hierarchical security &o not apply. That is- a security rule that applies to a parent +alue &oes not Ecasca&eF to its chil& +alues. Special +ali&ation +alue sets allo( you to call 3ey $le"$iel& user e"its to +ali&ate a $le"$iel& se%ment or report a parameter usin% the $le"$iel&6(ithin6a6$le"$iel& mechanism. You can call $le"$iel& routines an& use a complete $le"$iel& as the +alue passe& by this +alue set.
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7ypes of 5alue 4ets
&ypes of $alue Sets You can &e$ine se+eral types o$ +alue sets &epen&in% on ho( you nee& your +alues to be chec3e&. 'll +alue sets per$orm minimal chec3in%A some +alue sets also chec3 a%ainst the actual +alues- i$ you ha+e pro+i&e& any. None: oes not pro+i&e a list o$ +alues. ' None +alue set per$orms only minimal chec3in% o$$or e"ample- &ata type an& len%th. #ndependent: ?er$orms basic chec3in% but also chec3s a +alue entere& a%ainst the list o$ appro+e& +alues that you &e$ine Dependent: 'ssociate& (ith an in&epen&ent +alue set- &epen&ent +alue sets ensure that all &epen&ent +alues are associate& (ith a +alue in the relate& 5n&epen&ent +alue set. Table: 9ists o$ appro+e& +alues are obtaine& $rom e"istin% applications tables. *hen &e$inin% your table +alue set- you speci$y a SG9 0uery to retrie+e all the appro+e& +alues $rom the table. Special: ?ro+i&es another $le"$iel& as a +alue set $or a sin%le se%ment
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7ypes of 5alue 4ets
&ypes of $alue Sets 'continued( $air: ?ro+i&es a $le"$iel& ran%e as the +alue set $or a pair o$ se%ments Translatable #ndependent. Similar to an 5n&epen&ent +alue set in that it pro+i&es a pre&e$ine& list o$ +alues $or a se%ment. =o(e+er- a Translatable 5n&epen&ent +alue set can contain &isplay +alues that are translate& into &i$$erent lan%ua%es. Translatable Dependent. Similar to a epen&ent +alue set in that the a+ailable +alues in the list an& the meanin% o$ a %i+en +alue &epen& on the in&epen&ent +alue that (as selecte& in a prior se%ment o$ the $le"$iel& structure. =o(e+er- a Translatable epen&ent +alue set can contain &isplay +alues that are translate& into &i$$erent lan%ua%es.
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'lanning 1ata Format 5alidation
#lanning Data Format $alidation Format Type: Select the a+ailable &ata types $rom the list o$ +alues. %aximum Si&e: Speci$y the ma"imum si;e o$ the +alue. The ma"imum si;e must be less than or e0ual to the si;e o$ the un&erlyin% column in the base application. $recision: 1or numeric &ata- speci$y the number o$ &ecimal places. Numbers 'nly: Select Numbers )nly to accept only &i%its. (ppercase 'nly: Select !ppercase )nly to $orce any lo(ercase input to become uppercase. )ig!t"*ustify and +ero"Fill: Select these options to shi$t a number to the ri%ht an& then pa& $rom the le$t (ith ;eros. This is an alternate $ormat $or alphanumeric numbers. %aximum,%inimum Value: To &e$ine a ran%e o$ +alues $or a +alue set- speci$y a be%innin% +alue an& an en&in% +alue.
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1efining 5alue 4ets
Defining $alue Sets The proce&ure $or &e$inin% +alue sets is sho(n in the sli&e. You shoul& al(ays chec3 the e"istin% +alue sets to see i$ there is an e"istin% +alue set that you can use. (sing $redefined Value Sets / Choosin% a pre&e$ine& +alue set limits the necessary maintenance o$ +alues. / 2ost pre&e$ine& +alue sets are table6+ali&ate& +alue sets. / ' use$ul +alue set is YesHNo- containin% the +alues Yes an& No. / Ne+er alter +alue sets pro+i&e& by )racle 'pplications- especially the S>S +alue set. Defining a Ne- Value Set !se the @alue Sets *in&o( to enter. / @alue Set Name an& attributes / 1ormat @ali&ation options / @ali&ation Type >e$er to ?ractice 6 'reating *alue )ets (Required) [ !"#$"+%&
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1efining the 0ey Flexfield 4tructure
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'lanning a 0ey Flexfield
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1esigning the 0ey Flexfield 8ayout
Designing the ey Flexfield )ayout esi%n the structures that are nee&e& an& the se%ments $or each structure. / 5&enti$y the structure titles. / ?lan the number an& or&er o$ se%ments. / 5&enti$y the se%ment separator. / etermine the +alue sets an& the +alues that are to be use&. / ?lan the (in&o( prompts.
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0ey Flexfield 4tructure
ey Flexfield Structure 4ey $le"$iel&s typically consist o$ se+eral se%ments. The +alues pro+i&e& by these se%ments ma3e up the co&e combinations that $unction as intelli%ent 3eys $or use by )racle 'pplications.
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0ey Flexfield Code Com*inations
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4toring Code Com*inations
Storing Code Combinations Each $le"$iel& stores its co&e combinations in a &atabase table calle& a co&e combinations table. 5n the combinations table- there is one column $or e+ery 3ey $le"$iel& se%ment. These columns are usually name& SEGMENTn- (here n is a number. There are a set number o$ SEGMENT columns a+ailable $or each 3ey $le"$iel&. You assi%n a 3ey $le"$iel& se%ment to a particular SEGMENT column (hen you &e$ine the 3ey $le"$iel&. Each ro( in the combinations table 8that is- each uni0ue combination o$ se%ment +alues: is i&enti$ie& by a uni0ue 5 +alue store& in a uni0ue 5 column. This column $unctions as the primary 3ey $or the combinations table. 1or 3ey $le"$iel&s that ha+e multiple structures- there is also a structure 5 column.
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0ey Flexfield 9ualifiers
ey Flexfield *ualifiers ,oth &escripti+e $le"$iel&s an& 3ey $le"$iel&s allo( the user to &esi%n the $le"$iel& structures an& their se%ments. *ith &escripti+e $le"$iel&s- neither the in$ormation %athere& nor the (ay in (hich the in$ormation is structure& is use& internally by )racle 'pplications. 4ey $le"$iel&sho(e+er- are &i$$erent. )racle 'pplications use certain pieces o$ in$ormation collecte& by some 3ey $le"$iel& se%ments internally. 1or e"ample- 7eneral 9e&%er nee&s to 3no( (hich se%ment in the 'ccountin% $le"$iel& to use $or balancin% operations. ,ut because the location o$ the balancin% se%ment in the 'ccountin% $le"$iel& can be con$i%ure&- the application must ha+e a (ay o$ locatin% the se%ment that it nee&s (ithin any 'ccountin% $le"$iel& structure. ,ein% able to locate particular se%ments in a 3ey $le"$iel& structure is the purpose $or 0uali$iers. ' 0uali$ier is a label attache& to a particular 3ey $le"$iel& se%ment so that it can be locate& by the application re0uirin% its in$ormation.
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7ypes of 0ey Flexfield 9ualifiers
&ypes of ey Flexfield *ualifiers There are t(o types o$ 0uali$iers. / 1le"$iel& 0uali$iers i&enti$y a se%ment in a $le"$iel&. / Se%ment 0uali$iers i&enti$y a +alue in a se%ment. The sli&e sho(s both types o$ 0uali$iers assi%ne& to an 'ccountin% $le"$iel& combination.
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0ey Flexfield 9ualifiers 2dentify 0ey Flexfield 4egments
ey Flexfield *ualifiers "dentify ey Flexfield Segments 1le"$iel& 0uali$iers may be uni0ue- %lobal- or re0uire&. / (ni.ue: E5s this the se%ment that this $le"$iel& can ha+e only one o$?F / )e.uired: E5s this the se%ment that this $le"$iel& must ha+e to &o its (or3?F / /lobal: E5s this a se%ment?F 7lobal 0uali$iers e"ist as EcarriersF $or se%ment 0uali$iers. Assigning Flexfield 0ualifiers to Segments / 7lobal 0uali$iers nee& not be assi%ne& because they apply automatically to e+ery se%ment in the $le"$iel&. / 'ssi%n $le"$iel& 0uali$iers (hen &e$inin% se%ments.
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2dentifying 5alues in Flexfield 4egments ,ith 4egment 9ualifiers
"dentifying $alues in Flexfield Segments with Segment *ualifiers ' se%ment 0uali$ier is similar to the se%ment as3in% each +alue the 0uestion- E*hat type o$ +alue are you?F 1or e"ample- the account number ICC may be use& (ithin a company as a re+enue account. !se the $ollo(in% se%ment 0uali$iers (ith the 'ccountin% $le"$iel&. / 'llo( ,u&%etin% / 'llo( ?ostin% / 'ccount Type. 'sset- E"pense- 9iability- )(nershipJStoc3hol&er<s E0uity- or >e+enue
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1efining Flexfield 9ualifiers
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4egment 1efaults3 %xamples
Segment Defaults+ ,xamples e$ault Type. Constant e$ault @alue. The constant speci$ie& E"ample. !S' >esult. !S' e$ault Type. Current ate e$ault @alue. The &ate at the time o$ entry E"ample. 2ay CB- DCCK >esult. 2'Y CB- DCCK e$ault Type. Current Time e$ault @alue. The ateJTime at the time o$ entry E"ample. BL.IC.CC- 2ay CB- DCCK >esult. BL.IC.CC- 2'Y CB- DCCK
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e$ault Type. 1iel& e$ault @alue. The +alue in the speci$ie& $iel&. !se the ,loc3.1iel& $ormat. E"ample. )> E>.95NE >esult. I e$ault Type. ?ro$ile e$ault @alue. The +alue o$ the speci$ie& pro$ile option. !se the application name o$ the pro$ile option. E"ample. LEDGER_ID >esult. BCB e$ault Type. Se%ment e$ault @alue. The +alue returne& by the speci$ie&- pre+ious se%ment E"ample. Company >esult. CB e$ault Type. SG9 Statement e$ault @alue. The +alue returne& by the speci$ie& SG9 statement. The statement must return a sin%le +alue. $PROFILES$ an& $FLEX$ can be use& in the statement. E"ample. SE9ECT N'2E 1>)2 E2? *=E>E J),=CE) >esult. Jones >e$er to ?ractice 6 'reating a )tructure f(r a Key Flexfield and !dding *alue )ets (Required) [ !"#$",%& >e$er to ?ractice 6 -esting t.e Flexfield (Required) [ !"#$"$%&
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Other 0ey Flexfield Features
Other ey Flexfield Features There are other capabilities o$ 3ey $le"$iel&s that are a+ailable $or use. You shoul& consi&er usin% these capabilities (here appropriate. / ynamic insertion o$ ne( +alues / Cross6+ali&ation o$ se%ment +alue combinations / Security on +alues accessible / 'liases to spee& up entry o$ $re0uently use& +alue combinations
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Allo,ing 1ynamic 2nsertion
Allowing Dynamic "nsertion 4ey $le"$iel& co&e combinations appear on many types o$ (in&o(s. Typically- )racle 'pplications use a particular $orm 8calle& a combination $orm: $or &irectly enterin% the ne( co&e combinations. )ther (in&o(s can then &isplay the same co&e combinations. )n these relate& (in&o(s- ho(e+er- the $iel&s are typically rea&6only an& cannot be up&ate&. There$orene( co&e combinations cannot be entere& $rom these $orms. =o(e+er- i$ you allo( &ynamic insertion- you can enter ne( co&e combinations $rom such &isplay (in&o(s as (ell as $rom re%ular entry (in&o(s.
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Cross:5alidating 5alues
Cross-$alidating $alues 1or 3ey $le"$iel&s (ith multiple se%ments- you can &e$ine rules to cross6chec3 the +alue combinations that ha+e been entere&. 5n this (ay- you can pre+ent combinations o$ se%ment +alues that are illo%ical or that shoul& not be allo(e&- $rom bein% entere&. The sli&e sho(s an illo%ical combination o$ +alues $or the 'sset 3ey $le"$iel& bein% &isallo(e&.
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.sing 5alue 4et 4ecurity
Using $alue Set Security You can speci$y (ho shoul& use particular se%ment +alues by &e$inin% $le"$iel& +alue security rules. 1or e"ample- the sli&e sho(s a security rule &isallo(in% use o$ the COM +alue $rom the secure& Cate%ory +alue set. The unsecure& Cate%ory +alue set allo(s use o$ this +alue. Note that you &e$ine the rules $or a particular +alue set an& then associate the rule (ith the appropriate responsibility.
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.sing 4horthand Aliases
Using Shorthand Aliases You can enable users to enter &ata $aster an& more easily (ith shorthan& aliases. 'n alias is a label $or a particular combination o$ 3ey $le"$iel& se%ment +alues. You shoul& %i+e aliases $or combinations that are entere& $re0uently. You can then enter the alias into the $le"$iel& to automatically populate the +alues $or the se%ments.
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'lanning 1ecisions
#lanning Decisions 2ultiple structures / oes the application support &i$$erent se%ment structures? / =o( many structures are nee&e&? >esources a+ailable / =o( many se%ment columns are a+ailable? / *hat are the se%ments nee&e&? Guali$iers re0uire& / *hat $le"$iel& 0uali$iers &oes the $le"$iel& use or nee&? / o se%ments correspon& to each re0uire& 0uali$ier? ynamic inserts / 're &ynamic inserts $easible? / *ho can create ne( combinations?
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Cross +ali&ation / Shoul& cross6+ali&ation be enable&? / 5s protection $rom in+ali& combinations re0uire&? Shorthan& aliases / Shoul& shorthan& $le"$iel& entry be enable&? / 're many combinations use& repeate&ly? @alue chec3in% / *hich are the +alue sets a+ailable? / =o( shoul& the se%ments be +ali&ate&? @alue security / *hich se%ments shoul& use $le"$iel& +alue security? / 're some se%ment +alues pri+ile%e& or applicable only $or some users?
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Free;ing and Compiling the 1efinition
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1efining the 1escriptive Flexfield 4tructure
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2dentifying a 1escriptive Flexfield
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1etermining the 1escriptive Flexfield <ame
Determining the Descriptive Flexfield .ame Additional 1ays to Determine t!e Descripti2e Flexfield Name / Clic3 the ,loc3 list o$ +alues button to &isplay a list o$ the a+ailable bloc3s $or this $orm. Select $DESCRIPTIVE_FLEXFIELD$. / Clic3 the 1iel& list o$ +alues button to &isplay a list o$ the &escripti+e $le"$iel&s $or this $orm. Each entry is pre$i"e& by the name o$ the bloc3 in (hich the &escripti+e $le"$iel& appears. 1in& the entries $or the bloc3 (hose name you &etermine& in step D. / Select the $le"$iel& that you (ish to implement $rom the entries $or that bloc3. The username o$ the &escripti+e $le"$iel& appears in the @alue $iel&.
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1etermining Availa*le )esources
Determining Available Resources You must i&enti$y the number o$ ATTRIBUTE columns in the un&erlyin% table to &etermine the number o$ se%ments you can plan $or. 1in& the $le"$iel& &e$inition an& na+i%ate to the Se%ments Summary *in&o( $or that $le"$iel&. !se the list o$ +alues on the Column $iel& to &isplay a list o$ the ATTRIBUTE columns. You (ill use this list o$ +alues a%ain later to assi%n a se%ment to an un&erlyin% column- but you can also use it no( $or plannin%. The columns are numbere& se0uentially- so the hi%hest numbere& column tells you ho( many se%ments you can use.
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2dentifying =our 2nformation <eeds
"dentifying /our "nformation .eeds *hen you 3no( the resources that are a+ailable (ith you- you can be%in to plan the layout o$ the $le"$iel&. 1irst &etermine your in$ormation nee&s. Some o$ the 0uestions that you must as3 are sho(n in the sli&e. ,ut- be$ore you can start &esi%nin% the $le"$iel& structure- you shoul& 3no( the in$ormation that is to be %athere& by this $le"$iel&- an& ho( the in$ormation (oul& be use&.
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2dentifying the <ecessary 2nformation
"dentifying the .ecessary "nformation 'ssume that you are plannin% a &escripti+e $le"$iel& that (ill %ather a&&itional in$ormation about sales payment. Some o$ the possible &ata items that mi%ht interest you are &isplaye& in the sli&e.
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6rouping 2nformation *y .sage
%rouping "nformation by Usage '$ter you ha+e i&enti$ie& all the items o$ in$ormation that you (ant to %ather- or%ani;e them by usa%e. 're all the items use& all the time? 're all the items use& in the same (ay? The sli&e sho(s three &i$$erent payment situations an& the items o$ in$ormation appropriate $or each situation.
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2solate Common 2nformation
"solate Common "nformation '$ter you ha+e or%ani;e& the items o$ in$ormation by usa%e- isolate any items that occur in all situations. You &e$ine the in$ormation use& by all tas3s in one structure an& the in$ormation that +aries by tas3 in another- tas36speci$ic structure.
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1etermine 1ifferent Contexts
Determine Different Contexts '$ter you ha+e remo+e& the commonly occurrin% in$ormation- you can or%ani;e the remainin% in$ormation into %roups accor&in% to the type o$ in$ormation bein% %athere& or the (ay the in$ormation is bein% use&. These &i$$erent %roups o$ in$ormation are calle& conte"ts. *hen you ha+e &etermine& the items o$ in$ormation that are al(ays appropriate an& the &i$$erent conte"ts (ith each o$ their pieces o$ in$ormation- you are rea&y to be%in &e$inin% your $le"$iel&.
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1escriptive Flexfield Components
Descriptive Flexfield Components escripti+e $le"$iel&s are constructe& $rom se%ments. Each se%ment contains one item o$ in$ormation. ,ecause the same $le"$iel& can be use& by &i$$erent conte"ts- an& each conte"t nee&s &i$$erent items o$ in$ormation- you nee& to &esi%n &i$$erent layouts $or the same $le"$iel& to support the &i$$erent conte"ts. Speci$y your layout in terms o$ %lobal se%ments an& conte"t6sensiti+e se%ments.
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.sing 6lo*al 4egments
Using %lobal Segments 7lobal se%ments are se%ments that appear re%ar&less o$ conte"t. 'l(ays plan your %lobal se%ments $irst. ,ecause- some &escripti+e $le"$iel&s use only %lobal se%ments. Continuin% the payment in$ormation e"ample- the sli&e sho(s that the store number is appropriate $or all conte"ts. There$ore- it is an ob+ious %lobal se%ment. 7lobal se%ments are the easiest to &e$ine. =o(e+er- they may use up the allotte& columns. Columns use& $or %lobal se%ments cannot hol& conte"t6sensiti+e se%ments. You can a&& conte"t6sensiti+e se%ments later i$ columns are a+ailable- but enable& %lobal se%ments al(ays appear.
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Context:4ensitive 4egments
Context-Sensitive Segments Conte"t6sensiti+e se%ments occur &epen&in% on the conte"t. The sli&e sho(s the sample conte"ts- an& the se%ments that are uni0ue to each o$ them.
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1istinguishing /et,een Contexts
Distinguishing !etween Contexts 5$ your &escripti+e $le"$iel& uses &i$$erent conte"ts- you must &eci&e ho( to &istin%uish bet(een them. You must i&enti$y a $iel& (hose +alue can &istin%uish bet(een conte"ts. This $iel& is calle& the conte"t $iel&. 5n some cases- you can use an e"istin% $iel& as the conte"t $iel&A in other cases- you must create a se%ment on the &escripti+e $le"$iel&.
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.sing )eference and Context Fields
Using Reference and Context Fields There are t(o &esi%n options $or &istin%uishin% bet(een conte"ts. / 5$ there is an e"istin% $iel& on the base (in&o( or an e"istin% pro$ile option (hose +alue can be use& to &istin%uish bet(een conte"ts- it can be use& as a re$erence $iel&. / 5$ there is not an e"istin% $iel& or pro$ile option a+ailable- you may choose to allo( users to manually select the conte"t. Note / You can use pro$ile options to &etermine conte"t by usin% the $PROFILES$.profile_option_n !e synta". / 8=elp: )racle 'pplications 1le"$iel&s M )+er+ie( o$ 5mplementin% Table6@ali&ate& @alue Sets M ,in& @ariables
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.sing )eference Fields
Using Reference Fields >e$erence $iel&s are $iel&s on an e"istin% (in&o( (hose +alues can &etermine the conte"t that a &escripti+e $le"$iel& uses- un&er the $ollo(in% con&itions. / The $iel& must be &e$ine& so that it can be re$erence&. Not all $iel&s on a (in&o( can be use& as a re$erence $iel&. / The +alues appearin% in the re$erence $iel& shoul& be 3no(n an& pre&ictable. / ,ecause the same &escripti+e $le"$iel& can appear on &i$$erent (in&o(s- any $iel& use& as a re$erence $iel& $or that &escripti+e $le"$iel& must appear on the same (in&o(s. 'lso- the re$erence $iel& must ha+e the same internal name in all the $orms (here the $le"$iel& is use&.
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2dentifying )eferencea*le Columns
"dentifying Referenceable Columns The list o$ +alues $or the >e$erence 1iel& &isplays the $iel&s on the base (in&o( that are most li3ely to be re$erence&. )ther $iel&s may also be re$erenceable as lon% as all the $orms that use the &escripti+e $le"$iel& ha+e the same name $or the re$erence $iel&.
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.sing Context Fields
Using Context Fields Sometimes there is no $iel& on the e"istin% (in&o( that is appropriate $or use as a re$erence $iel&. 5n this case- you nee& to create a column on the &escripti+e $le"$iel& itsel$ to hol& an& &isplay the &i$$erent possible conte"t +alues. / ' conte"t $iel& is an a&&itional $iel& appearin% on the &escripti+e $le"$iel&. / The user can &isplay the appropriate conte"t by selectin% a +alue $rom the pop6up list $or the conte"t $iel&. ' conte"t $iel& is not a se%ment. / ' conte"t $iel& has a conte"t $iel& prompt. / The response- calle& a conte"t $iel& +alue- &etermines (hich %roup o$ conte"t6sensiti+e se%ments appears ne"t. / Each +alue $or the conte"t $iel& can correspon& to a separate conte"t6sensiti+e structure. / Conte"t $iel&s &o not al(ays &isplay. Non6&isplaye& conte"t $iel&s &eri+e +alues $rom a &e$ault or a re$erence $iel&- an& the user cannot chan%e the conte"t $iel& +alue.
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8ocating the Flexfield 1efinition
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4toring 1escriptive Flexfield 4egments
Storing Descriptive Flexfield Segments 's mentione& earlier- the se%ments that ma3e up a &escripti+e $le"$iel& are store& in columns in the un&erlyin% tables. Each se%ment stores its &ata in one o$ the ATTRIBUTE columns. This &oes not mean- ho(e+er- that e+ery se%ment on the $le"$iel& nee&s its o(n column. 's sho(n in the sli&e- conte"t6sensiti+e columns $rom &i$$erent conte"ts can share the same column. The +alue in the CONTEXT column &istin%uishes bet(een the conte"t se%ments.
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Free;ing and Compiling the 1efinition
Free0ing and Compiling the Definition 1ree;e the $le"$iel& in$ormation to noti$y the application to be%in usin% the $le"$iel&. Compilin% the $le"$iel& stores the in$ormation e$$iciently. 5$ the compile &etects any problemsa (arnin% messa%e is &isplaye&. 1le"$iel&s automatically compile the $le"$iel& &e$inition at e+ery commit on the $orm. The re0uest $or +ie( %eneration automatically $ollo(s compilation. You see your o(n chan%es imme&iately. =o(e+er- other users must e"it or chan%e responsibilities to see the ne( &e$initions ta3e e$$ect. >e$er to ?ractice - Defining a Descriptive Flexfield /it. '(ntext-)ensitive )egment (Required) [ !"#$"0%&
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1efining 5alues
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1efining 5alues for a 5alue 4et
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>odifying 5alue 1efinitions
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Flexfield %nhancements
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Flexfield %nhancements
Flexfield ,nhancements Error andling 1le"$iel& errors are han&le& more %race$ully. *arnin%s are raise& at $le"$iel& compile time i$ an )' 1rame(or3 $le"$iel& uses $eatures that are incompatible (ith those use& by $le"$iel&s in the )racle 1orms6base& $orms. 'racle AD# Flexfield Form: Vie-er Flexfield Formatting The &e$inition o$ $le"$iel& +alue sets pro+i&es the implementation team (ith some use$ul shortcuts that assist en& users in per$ormin% &ata entry. This $eature enhances the )racle *eb ' 5 $le"$iel& $orm- re0uirin% the en& user to con$orm to these &ata entry rules. ri%ht6justi$y an& ;ero pa&- numeric only- uppercase only- an& (i&th. This $eature enables the ri%ht6justi$y an& ;ero pa& settin% to be o+erri&&en- an& ha+e this settin% turne& on $or all se%ments o$ a particular $le"$iel& or $le"$iel& structure. This $unctionality is a+ailable by &e$ault to any solution that has implemente& $le"$iel&s. The enhancement to the $le"$iel& $orm is controlle& by the &e$inition o$ the $le"$iel& +alue sets. ' system a&ministrator is responsible $or o+erri&in% the ri%ht6justi$y an& ;ero pa& settin%- by usin% a $lo( in a Sel$6Ser+ice 'pplication. *hen enable&- the settin% automatically ;ero pa&s the +alues in the sprea&sheet an& in the
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$le"$iel& $orm. *hen &isable&- (hich is the &e$ault beha+ior- the settin% is base& on the &e$inition o$ the +alue set. Flexfield As $arameter ?arameter lists e"ist in )racle *eb ' 5 as a (ay o$ &e$inin% lists o$ &ata EparametersF in meta&ata that may be use& $or a number o$ &i$$erent purposes. )racle *eb ' 5 supports the Strin%- ate- Number- an& ,oolean parameter types. This $eature a&&s 4ey 1le"$iel&s to the list- both as an in&i+i&ual parameter an& as a parameter ran%e- pro+i&in% &e+elopers the $le"ibility to use $le"$iel&s as part o$ the )racle *eb ' 5 pa%e $lo(s. e+elopers &e$ine a parameter as a 3ey $le"$iel& usin% meta&ata- assi%nin% attributes that pro+i&e the in$ormation $or retrie+in% the correct $le"$iel& structure. This type o$ parameter is initially re0uire& $or the Content parameter list in 7eneral 9e&%er 6 ,u&%ets an& 7eneral 9e&%er 6 aily >ates solutions.
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4ummary
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Oracle Flex Fields

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Oracle Flex Fields

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Fundamentals of Flexfields

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Fundamentals of Flexfields %ffective 0"&0#&07

Copyright 2007, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Fundamentals of Flexfields %ffective 0"&0#&07

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