Arrowhead Consulting

Oracle Applications: Navigation and Related Concepts

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 Oracle Applications

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 Course Objectives
 After this course, you should be able to:
• Logon and off of Oracle Applications
• Use forms and menus
• Enter data using forms
• Search for data using forms
• Run and monitor reports and programs
• Identify and use the two types of flexfields
• Request Processing
• Set personal user profile options

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 Starting Oracle Application
 Starting Oracle Applications
 To start Oracle Applications, you need to:
• Start up your computer system
• Start your Web Browser
• Start the Oracle Applications program
• Log on to Oracle Applications
• Choose a responsibility (if necessary)
• Navigate to an application window

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 Sign-on
 You need an Oracle Applications username and password, also
known as an Oracle Applications sign–on, to log on to Oracle
Applications.

 It is different from the username and password you use to log on to

your computer.

 Oracle Applications security is based on your Oracle Applications

sign–on.

 Your sign–on connects you to your responsibilities, which control

your access to applications, functions, reports, and data.

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 Sign-on
 Your Sign-on can look as two types : Oracle Applications screen

 This is also known as accessing Forms–based applications. Forms–

based responsibilities launch Oracle Applications Forms.

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 Sign-on
 Oracle Applications connects to Personal Homepage: page
• This further connects to
• Forms Based Applications
• Self-service Applications

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 Choosing Responsibility
 If you are an authorized user of Oracle Applications, one of two things occurs after
you sign on to Oracle Applications:
 The Navigate window appears listing your current responsibility in the window title.
 A window containing a list of responsibilities appears.

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 Oracle Applications: Navigation
 Login ( three tabs are visible)
• Functions : Access to Forms
• Process Navigator : Graphical maps to business processes, to
automate processes flows across product boundaries
• Documents ( Customizable Link to documents : PO, Invoices..)

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 Navigator Window
 Opening a Form from the
Navigator Window
• Use the Navigator window
to navigate to a form that
lets you perform a specific
business flow.
• The Navigator window is
always present during your
session of Oracle
Applications and displays
the name of your current
responsibility in its window
title.

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 Navigator Regions
 The Navigator consists of three regions:
 Functions, Documents, and Processes.
• Functions region provides a list of forms displayed like the files in a file
system.
• Documents region is a customizable region that allows you to create links
to specific documents that you use frequently.
• Processes region provides graphical maps of business processes,
allowing you to automate business flows across forms.

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 Navigator
 Navigator shows forms you can navigate to and has an explorer like
structure.

 Expand/collapse buttons:
• Double ++ to expand all the sub-levels
• Single + expands All children sublevels
• Double -- : collapses all sublevels
• Single - : collapses all child sublevels

 Most favorites addons : By passing them to righthand list

 Choosing a Form: select Open Form or Double Click or Use ^L to
get LOV and then select a specific form.

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 Navigator
 If there are forms that you use frequently, you can copy them over
to a navigation top ten list located on the right–hand side of the
Navigate window. The top ten list displays your forms numerically
so you can choose them instantly without having to search for them
in the navigation list.
 To open a form from the navigation top ten list:
• Type the top ten list number that precedes the form you want to open.

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 Switching Responsibility or User
 If you have several responsibilities and you want to work in Oracle
Applications under a different responsibility, you can do so without
exiting Oracle Applications.
• Choose Navigator from the Window menu to make the Navigate window
active then Choose Switch Responsibility from the File menu.
• Have a look at other menu options under File main menu.
• Logon as a different user
• Attention: When you sign on to Oracle Applications as a different user,
any windows that are currently opened will be automatically closed.
• You can change your password using: Choose Change Password... from
the Edit, Preferences menu, to display the Password Update window.

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 Using Forms & Menus
 Oracle Applications use a Multiple Document Interface (MDI). All
windows are displayed inside a single container window, with a single
toolbar, menu, message line, and status line attached to that window.
 Pulldown Menu : The pulldown menu bar includes the following
menus:
• File
• Edit
• View
• Folder
• Tools
• Special A & B (only visible when active)
• Window
• Help

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 Using Forms & Menus
 Use these menus to navigate through a form, to edit or retrieve data,
or to perform various other actions.
 To display a list of keyboard shortcuts:
• Choose Keyboard Help... from the Help menu.

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 User Interface
1. Applications Window
2. Title Bar
3. Menu
4. Toolbar
5. Window Title
6. Required Field
7. Field (display only)
8. Region Title
9. Disabled Button
10. Checkbox
11. Region Border
12. Button (enabled)
13. Message Line
14. Status Line

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 User Interface

15. Option Group

16. Selected Option
17. Disabled Option
18. Poplist

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 User Interface
19. Current Record
Indicator (If the
record allows
drill–down the
Current Record
Indicator is twice
as wide.)

20. Scroll Bar

 Message Line: The message line near the bottom of the Oracle
Applications window displays helpful hints or messages when
you encounter a minor error.
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 User Interface
Drill–Down Indicators

 When a record or field provides the drill–down capability, it lets you

navigate directly to another window that displays details of the
current record or field, or information related to the current record
or field.

 Records that provide drill–down are indicated by a wide width

current record indicator. By double–clicking on the indicator you
will navigate to the detail window.

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 Tool Bar
 The toolbar is a collection
of iconic buttons, where
each button performs a
specific action when you New - Opens a new record in the active form

choose it. Find – Displays the Find window to retrieve records.

 Each toolbar button Show Navigator – Displays the Navigator window.

replicates a commonly–
Save – Saves any pending changes in the active form
used menu item.
Next Step – Updates the Process workflow in the Navigator
 Depending on the context by advancing to the next step in the process.

of the current field or Print – Prints the current screen that the cursor is in. In some
cases it may print a report associated with the current data.
window, a toolbar button
can be enabled or
disabled.

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 Entering Data
 Clearing Data
 Simple data entry features & ability to cut, paste, copy and dulpicate
record are available.
 You can clear data from the screen at almost any time. The data you
clear is simply erased from the screen and not deleted from your
database.
• Choose Clear, Field or Record, Block or Form from the Edit menu.
• This is useful when user wants to start a Query but actually enters
data in normal entry mode.
 Learning About a Record
• You can always display information about a record that has been
saved before. The information includes who created the record, the
date of creation, and the database table where the record resides.
• Choose Record History from the Help menu.

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 Navigation ( 1 of 3)
 Form Fields Color
• White with green underline text: Supports Drill down
• Yellow field require data entry
• Blue: Fields to use in query enter mode
• Region : Logically related fields, enclosed by a rectangular box.
 Current Active Record:
• One character filled on left side in a multi record block
• If the current record has two character wide fields then it supports drill
down.
 Status Line:
• Number of records.. and Message Line: Helpful hints

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 Navigation ( 2 of 3)
 Other basics
• Combinations Block : Supports both MultiRecord and Single record format. This can be
done by selecting Summary/Detail from View menu.
 Query
• Query Navigation if large number of records: Use View > Record > Last gets the 100th
record then ask if to continue
 Export:
• From the File Menu, to export Multirecord data into tabbed delimited file use query find
and the export .
• Use the Export feature to export records in a multi–row block to a tabbed–delimited file
which you can open in the application of your choice. Export always uses the records
and format currently queried in the form. Thus, you can control the data to be exported
using the query functions of the form, such as Query Find.

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 Navigation ( 3 of 3)
 To Select Multiple Records for some actions use the Ctrl Key, hold it
down and select by clicking on each record.

 Folder Block:
• A special block where user can customize field and record layout. Can
be recognized by Folder icon in the block and folder tools in tool bar.
• Folder allows user to select fields to be displayed, prompts, width,
sequence, Order and specific criteria for subset of records. This folder
can be saved to use later for later use again.

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 Flexfields
 A flexfield is a flexible data field that your organization can
customize to your business needs without programming.

 Oracle Applications uses two types of flexfields, key flexfields and

descriptive flexfields.
• A key flexfield is a field you can customize to enter multi–segment values
such as part numbers, account numbers, and so on.
• A descriptive flexfield is a field you customize to enter additional
information for which your Oracle Applications product has not already
provided a field.

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 Key flexfields
 A key flexfield is a field made up of segments, where each segment
has both a value and a meaning.
 You can think of a key flexfield as an “intelligent” field that your
business can use to store information represented as “codes.”
 Most organizations use “codes” to identify general ledger
accounts, part numbers, and other business entities.
 Each segment in the code represents a characteristic of the entity.
 A key flexfield is flexible enough to let you use any code scheme
you want to describe an entity.

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 Descriptive Flexfield
 A descriptive flexfield gives you room to expand your forms, since Oracle
Applications cannot predict all the possible information you may want to
track.
 Your organization can use descriptive flexfields to capture additional
information that is important and unique to your business.
 A descriptive flexfield appears in a block as a two character, unnamed field
enclosed in brackets.
 A descriptive flexfield window appears when you move your cursor into a
customized descriptive flexfield.
 Each segment in a descriptive flexfield window has a name, and can have a
set of valid values. Your organization can define dependencies among the
segments or customize a descriptive flexfield to display context–sensitive
segments, so that different segments appear depending on the values you
enter in other fields or segments.

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 Entering Data into Flexfield
 Descriptive Flexfield Window
• Move your cursor into a customized descriptive flexfield to display the
flexfield window.
• When the window appears, the cursor moves to the first segment that
does not contain a default value.
• Enter a value in each segment.
• Depending on how your organization customizes a descriptive flexfield,
you can either type a value into a segment, or if the <List> lamp appears
on the status line for a particular segment, you can display a list of values
to choose from for that segment.

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 Key Flexfield
 To enter a known combination into a key flexfield:
• Move your cursor into the key flexfield.
• If you know the exact combination of segment values you want, enter the
concatenated combination directly into the key flexfield
 To display a list of existing combinations:
• Move your cursor into the key flexfield.
• Choose the List of Values icon to open the Flexfield window.
• Choose Combinations in the flexfield window to display the existing
combinations.
• If there are several combinations you may be asked to enter values for
the segments to shorten the list.
• To see all combinations enter ’%’ in one of the segment fields and choose
OK.

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 Reports & Programs
 Every Oracle Applications product contains reports and programs
that are specific to that product.
 A report generates a summary or detail presentation of Oracle
Applications information, whereas a program can perform a
function.
 The reports and programs you have access to are defined by the
responsibility you use.
 Oracle Applications provides two features called
• Concurrent processing and Standard Request Submission to help you
run the reports and programs that are a part of your responsibility.

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 Running Reports & Programs
 Running Oracle Applications Reports and Programs
• Concurrent Processing implies ability to run non-interactive, data
dependent function such as a report or program simultaneously with
online operations
• With concurrent processing, you can complete non–interactive tasks
without interfering with the interactive work you perform at your computer.
• Standard request submission works with concurrent processing and
provides a common interface for running Oracle applications reports and
programs
• Oracle Applications runs all of its reports and programs as concurrent
processes.

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 Request set
 Request Set
• Request set is a collection of report/programs that you group together
and can be submitted to run is a single interaction
• The concurrent requests are run and monitored by a concurrent manager
.

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 Some Definitions
 Concurrent Program
• A concurrent program is a program that does not require continued
interaction on your part to perform a specific task.

 Concurrent Request
• A concurrent request is a request that you submit to run a concurrent
program as a concurrent process. You issue a concurrent request when
you submit a report or program to run using Standard Request
submission.

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 Concurrent Processing
 Concurrent Manager
• A concurrent manager is a component of concurrent processing that
monitors and runs tasks without tying up your computer.

 Concurrent Processing Options

• you control and change the number of copies to print, what print style to
use, and which printer to use
• you can also choose to hold a request from being run, choose a specific
date or time to start a request
• choose to save the results of your concurrent request in a standard file
format.

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 Concurrent Processing
 Online Request Review
• You can review the output and log files from your concurrent requests
online.
• You can see the results of a concurrent request without the delay of
printing out the entire report or log file.

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 Concurrent Processing
 Scheduling
• Using Standard Request Submission, you can define schedules to
automatically resubmit your program, report, or request set. At
submission time, you can specify:
• starting date and time
• the time of day for resubmission
• the resubmission interval in months, days, hours, or minutes from either
the start or completion of the request
• the date and time to stop repeating the program, report, or request set
day or days of the week or month to resubmit
• Oracle Applications automatically resubmits the program, report, or
request set until the end date.

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 Standard Request Submission
 Standard Request Submission provides you with a set of windows
for running reports and programs and a set of windows for creating
groups of reports and programs to run together.

 These windows give you control over the submission and output of
your reports and programs.

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 Standard Request Submission- Features
 Use a standard interface to run your programs and reports.
• Control access to different programs and reports.
• Pass parameters from your environment to your reports and programs.
• View report output online.
• Create and run sets of reports and programs.
• Automatically run programs, reports, or request sets at specific time
intervals.

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 SRS-Features
• Specify whether reports and programs in a request set run sequentially or
simultaneously.
• Specify whether to continue with a request set if a report or program in a
sequential set fails.
• Specify alternative requests to run based on the completion status of
previously run requests in a request set.
• View a log file that summarizes the completion information about all the
reports and programs in a request set.

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 Submitting a request
 There are three elements to submitting a request. Selecting the
request or request set to be submitted, defining a submission
schedule, and providing completion options.
• Selecting the request or request set may require you to provide request
parameters and the output language.
• Defining a schedule can be as simple as submitting as soon as possible
or using a more complex schedule that you define when you first submit
your request and may be used for other requests in the future.
• Completion options allow you to deliver request output to others and
specify which printers and how many copies of the output you want to
produce for each request.

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 Request submission

To submit a request:
1. Navigate to the Submit a New
Request window (Other –> Requests
–> Run).
2. Check the Request option to submit
single requests, or choose to submit a
predefined group of requests by
checking Request Set.
3. Choose OK.

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 Request Submission
Submitting requests
4. Use the Copy...button to take advantage of
previously entered
request submissions.
5. Select the Name of the request (report or
program) you want to run from the list of
available requests.
Note: Your responsibility’s request group
determines which requests appear in the list.
Defining Parameters
6. A Parameters window automatically appears if
you select a request
that requires parameter values and your profile
Flexfields:Open Descr Window is set to Yes.
Choose a type of schedule from the following:
• As Soon as possible,
• Once: Submits your request once at the time and
date you specify.
• Periodically
• On Specific Days ( of week or month)

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 Monitor & View Request
 Use the Find Requests window
 Use the Requests window
 View the progress of a concurrent request
 Cancel a request or change its processing options
• Since all reports, programs, and request sets are run as concurrent
requests in Oracle Applications, you use the Requests window to view
the status and output of your requests.

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 Requests Window
 When submit a request Oracle Applications assigns a request ID to
the request. You can use this Request Id to search for your request.
 You can use the Requests window to view
• a list of all submitted concurrent requests
• check whether your request has run
• Change aspects of a request’s processing options, diagnose errors,
• find the position of your request in the queues of available concurrent
managers
 Navigating to View Requests
• Use Find Requests window from the Navigator menu
 Checking detailed status and Output, Log etc.
• Navigate to your request and use buttons to display as needed

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 View Output & Log
 To View Request
Output: Choose
View Output

 To view requests
log files: Choose
View Log to display
the request’s error
log file.

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 Monitoring Requests
 Monitoring Requests
• Oracle Applications lets you monitor your concurrent requests when you
display the Requests window. And, if your request has not yet started
running, Oracle Applications lets you cancel or change some of the
request’s parameter, scheduling, or completion options.
 Concurrent Request Phase and Status
• The Requests window displays a phase and status summary for each
concurrent request listed.
• A concurrent request has a life cycle consisting of the following phases:
pending, running, completed, and inactive.
• During each phase, a concurrent request has a specific condition or
status.

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 Monitoring Request
 Generally the first phase set for a request is “Pending”.
Phase Status Description

PENDING Normal Request is waiting for the next available manager.

Standby Program to run request is incompatible with other
program(s) currently running

Scheduled Request is scheduled to start at a future time or date.

Waiting A chid request is waiting for its Parent request to mark it
ready to run. For example, a request in a request set that
runs sequentially must wait for a prior request to
complete.

RUNNING Normal Request is running normally.

Paused Parent request pauses for all its child requests to finish
running. For example, a request set pauses for all requests
in the set to complete.

Resuming All requests submitted by the same parent request have

completed running. The Parent request resumes running.

Terminating Request is terminated by choosing the Cancel Request

button in Requests window.

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 Monitoring
Phase Status Description

COMPLETED Normal Request completed successfully.

Error Request failed to complete successfully.

Warning Request completed with warnings. For example, a request

is generated successfully but fails to print.

Cancelled Pending or Inactive request is cancelled by choosing the

Cancel Request button in the Requests window.

Terminated Request is terminated by choosing the Cancel Request

button in the Requests window.

INACTIVE Disabled Program to run request is not enabled. Contact your

system administrator.

On Hold Pending request is placed on hold by choosing the Hold

Request button in the Requests window.

No Manager No manager is defined to run the request. Check with your

system administrator. A status of No Manager is also given
when all managers are locked by the run-alone requests.

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 Canceling Request
 Use the Requests window to cancel a request (report, program, or
request set) that has not yet completed.
 To cancel a request that has not yet completed:
• Navigate to the Find Requests window.
• Check My Requests in Progress.
• Choose Find.
 With your cursor on the request you wish to cancel, choose Cancel
Request to terminate the request.
 You can only cancel a request if it is in the Running, Pending, or
Inactive phase.
 You can put your request on hold by choosing Hold Request if the
request is Pending or Inactive.

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 Request
 If you terminate a request while it is in the Running phase, the
current run stops, but the resubmission does not.
 While the resubmitted request is in the Pending phase
• you can go to the Resubmission tabbed region of the Requests
window and change the Interval for the request to 0 or change the End
Date to a date that has passed to cancel the resubmission.
 Changing Request Options
• If your request or request set has not started running, you can change
how your request or request set runs and prints its output using the
Requests window.

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 User Profiles : Examples
 Edit menu is used to open profiles window. Checkout some of these
examples
• Attachment File upload directory : This Provides the directory path used to
upload attachment files.
• Set of Books Name : Provides access to specific Set of Books in GL
• MO Operating Unit : This allows user to specify operating unit
• Sign-on Notification : Messages about failed concurrent programs or failed
logins
• Viewer: To set up Browser for viewing the documents.
• Default Country : This is the default source for the Country field for all
address zones and is used by the Flexible Address Formats feature, the
Flexible Bank Structures feature and the Tax Registration Number and
Taxpayer ID validation routines.
• Flexfields:Open Descr Window: You can control whether a descriptive
flexfield window automatically opens when you navigate to a customized
descriptive flexfield.

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