Oracle APPS: Interface Basics

 What is Interface?

 Device or program for connecting two items of hardware or software so that they can be   operated jointly or communicate with each other.

"an application program interface"(API)

Interface can be segregated as two types

1)    Inbound  2)Outbound

Inbound (Open Interfaces):By using this data can be transmitted from source to target system

Source may be flat file or any third party systems

OPEN INTERFACES

Oracle Apps. open interfaces are powerful, flexible tools that allow you to capture data from your own applications, define necessary format conversions, and direct data to your Oracle Apps.

We can integrate Oracle Apps. With other legacy systems, by Open interface using following methods:

·         Integrating Oracle Apps. Applications with your proprietary or custom applications

·         Importing historical data  from your previous application system into your Oracle applications

·         Importing information from various financial information providers

·         Importing information from spreadsheets, flat files.

CHOOSING A FEEDER PROGRAM:

You need to choose a tool for writing a feeder program to extract data from your existing application system's printed reports, flat file, relational database, or other repository of application information.

Using a feeder program, you write, populate an Oracle Applications import table with the information you want to introduce to your Oracle Apps. System using SQL*Loader,.

SQL*Loader is a powerful and easy–to–use tool you can to write a feeder program.

SQL*Loader lets you map elements of a regularly formatted file, such as a listing or flat file, and specify which columns of which tables to populate.

Chances are, SQL*Loader is a powerful enough tool to use for your feeder program.

DO NOT USE DATABASE TOOLS TO MODIFY ORACLE APPLICATIONS DATA:

Oracle provides powerful tools you can use to create, store, change, retrieve and maintain information in an Oracle database.

But if you use Oracle tools like SQL*Plus to modify Oracle Applications data, you risk destroying the integrity of your data and you lose the ability to audit changes to your data.

Because Oracle Applications tables are interrelated, any change you make using an Oracle Applications form can update many tables at once. But when you modify Oracle Applications data using anything other than Oracle applications forms, you may change a row in one table without making corresponding changes in related tables. If your tables get out of synchronization with each other, you risk retrieving erroneous information and you risk unpredictable results throughout Oracle Applications.

When you use Oracle Applications forms to modify your data, Oracle Applications automatically checks that your changes are valid. Oracle Applications also keeps track of who changes information. But, if you enter information into database tables using database tools, you may store invalid information. You also lose the ability to track who has changed your information because SQL*Plus and other database tools do not keep a record of changes.

What is the difference between OPEN INTERFACE & API's?

OPEN INTERFACE:

There is no much difference between the open other than the way we load data.

In case of open interface the data is loaded in to open interface table like GL_INTERFACE or Sales Order Interface(OE_ORDER_HEADERS_IFACE_ALL).

Run the interface import program.

This will validate the data and put it into oracle applications. All the invalid records are marked as Error.

One thing is there are GUI Screens available for most of these interface where you check the error message correct it there only and resubmit the interface.

From the technical perspective there are Error tables available for each interface

API:

API's are the oracle built packages where the validation logic is wrapped inside a package and the data is passed as parameters to the API.

Most of these api's use the PLSQL tables as parameters to take the advantage of bulk binding concepts for faster loading data.

They will have the two OUT parameters to throw back the error code and message in case of data validation failure

Apis' are comparatively faster than open interfaces.

If a API's and open interface are available it is better to load through API's.If the records are more...