Choosing a Validation Type for Your Value Set
There are several validation types that affect the way users enter and use segment or parameter values:
Attention: The Accounting Flexfield only supports Independent, Dependent, and Table validation.
You cannot change the validation type of an existing value set, since your changes affect all flexfields and report parameters that use the same value set.
You use a None type value set when you want to allow users to enter any value so long as that value meets the value set formatting rules. That is, the value must not exceed the maximum length you define for your value set, and it must meet any format requirements for that value set. For example, if the value set does not allow alphabetic characters, your user could not enter the value ABC, but could enter the value 456 (for a value set with maximum length of three). The values of the segment using this value set are not otherwise validated, and they do not have descriptions.
Because a None value set is not validated, a segment that uses this value set does not provide a list of values for your users. A segment that uses this value set (that is, a non-validated segment) cannot use flexfield value security rules to restrict the values a user can enter.
Independent
An Independent value set provides a predefined list of values for a segment. These values can have an associated description. For example, the value 01 could have a description of "Company 01". The meaning of a value in this value set does not depend on the value of any other segment. Independent values are stored in an Oracle Application Object Library table. You define independent values using an Oracle Applications window, Segment Values.
A table-validated value set provides a predefined list of values like an independent set, but its values are stored in an application table. You define which table you want to use, along with a WHERE cause to limit the values you want to use for your set. Typically, you use a table-validated set when you have a table whose values are already maintained in an application table (for example, a table of vendor names maintained by a Define Vendors form). Table validation also provides some advanced features such as allowing a segment to depend upon multiple prior segments in the same structure.
Dependent
A dependent value set is similar to an independent value set, except that the available values in the list and the meaning of a given value depend on which independent value was selected in a prior segment of the flexfield structure. You can think of a dependent value set as a collection of little value sets, with one little set for each independent value in the corresponding independent value set. You must define your independent value set before you define the dependent value set that depends on it. You define dependent values in the Segment Values windows, and your values are stored in an Oracle Application Object Library table. See: Relationship Between Independent and Dependent Values.
Special and pair value sets provide a mechanism to allow a "flexfield-within-a-flexfield". These value sets are primarily used for Standard Request Submission parameters. You do not generally use these value sets for normal flexfield segments.
Special and Pair value sets use special validation routines you define. For example, you can define validation routines to provide another flexfield as a value set for a single segment or to provide a range flexfield as a value set for a pair of segments.
See Also
Overview of Values and Value Sets
Planning Values and Value Sets
Choosing Value Formats
Decide What Your User Needs
Value Set Naming Conventions
Overview of Implementing Table-Validated Value Sets
Value Set Windows
Defining Value Sets
