Defining Descriptive Flexfields (User, System Administrator, and Flexfields Help)


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Defining Descriptive Flexfields

To define your descriptive flexfield, you define the segments that make up your descriptive flexfield structures, and the descriptive information and validation information for each segment in a structure. You also determine the appearance of your descriptive flexfield window, including the size of the window, the number and order of the segments, and the segment descriptions and default values. The maximum number of segments you can have within a single structure depends on which descriptive flexfield you are defining.

To take advantage of the flexibility and power of descriptive flexfields in your application, you must define your flexfield structure. If you do not define any descriptive flexfield segments, you cannot use descriptive flexfields within your windows, but there is no other loss of functionality.

Once you define or change your flexfield, you must freeze your flexfield definition and save your changes. When you do, Oracle Applications automatically compiles your flexfield to improve online performance.

Once you freeze your flexfield definition and save your changes, Oracle Applications submits a concurrent request to generate a database view of the table that contains your flexfield segment columns. You can use these views for custom reporting at your site. See: Overview of Flexfield Views.

You can see your flexfield changes immediately after you freeze and recompile your flexfield. However, your changes do not affect other users until they change responsibilities or exit the application they are using and sign back on.

Suggestion: Plan your descriptive flexfield structures carefully, including all your segment information such as segment order and field lengths, before you set up your segments using this window. You can define your descriptive flexfields any way you want, but changing your structures once you acquire flexfield data may create data inconsistencies that could have a significant impact on the performance of your application or require a complex conversion program.

Defining Descriptive Flexfields

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