Introduction of Oracle Form Builder

Oracle Forms is a software product for creating screens that interact with an Oracle database. It has an IDE including an object navigator, property sheet and code editor that uses PL/SQL. It was originally developed to run server-side in character mode terminal sessions. It was ported to other platforms, including Windows, to function in a client–server environment. Later versions were ported to Java where it runs in a Java EE container and can integrate with Java and web services.

The primary focus of Forms is to create data entry systems that access an Oracle database.
 Introduction:

• Native frontend tool of Oracle.
• Supports PL/SQL coding.
• Supports communication with database.
• Supports all database objects of SQL and PL/SQL ( Tables, Views, Synonym, Sequence, Triggers, Sub programs)
• Supports to view and define database objects from forms environment.
• Supports to share properties of controls using visual attributes and property classes.
• Supports OOPS features.
• Supports to share application with multiple users and multiple platforms.

Forms Developer 10g  suite:
It consists of three components

Oracle Forms
Used to develop user friendly application screens for data manipulations and retrieval purpose.

Oracle Reports
Used to represent information for read only purpose in a user friendly format.

Oracle Graphics
Used to represent the information in char formar with X and Y co-ordinates.

Forms 10g
Supports to manipulate data or retrieve data available in RDBMS.

Interfaces in forms

• Object Navigator  ( F3 ): Allows to create components and navigate between other screens of forms.
• Layout Editor  ( F2 ): Used to design application screens. Supports to create controls ( GUI Controls).
• Property pallete ( F4 ): Used to assign properties for controls.
• PL/SQL Editor ( F11 ): Used to provide code for procedures, functions, packages, triggers.
• Menu Editor: Used to design menus.
• Wizards: Used to  make components like blocks, canvas, charts, LOV.

Form Components
There are two important forms components.

• Blocks
• Canvas

Blocks :
Represents collection of controls (items). There are two types of blocks

• Base table block
• Control block

Base Table Block:
Block created based on table, view or synonym or stored procedure.

Control Block:
Block created without any table. It will not represent any table.
Control blocks are created manually.

Canvas
Used to hold block items. It is a container which can hold more than one block on it.
Canvas can be created through layout wizard or manually.

Note

• The default type of canvas is content canvas.
• Default type of item is text item.
• Text item:   It is an editable control, used to represent column of a table.
• At least one content or tab canvas must be there to run the application.
• At least one editable item must be available to run the application.
• Whenever base table block is created in a form, it automatically frames an internal insert, update, delete and select statements.

Shortcut keys :
ctrl + s save the FMB file
ctrl + t compiles the FMB file and gives FMX file
ctrl + r Runs FMX file ( Gives the final output )
F8 Execute the query ( used to retrieve the data from table

Wizards
Data block wizard  —  Used for creating datablock.
Layout wizard        —  used for creating  Canvas.
LOV wizard            — used for creating list of values
Chart wizard         — used for creating chart.
Report   wizard     —  used for creating wizard.

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Reasons Why You Need ERP

Many small to mid-sized manufacturers believe that they can do without an ERP system. They believe that their operation is simple enough that they can control it with a few spreadsheets. Often, this is simply not the case

1. Real-time information for decisions
Without an ERP system, your team is flying blind. They make decisions based on guesswork and rules of thumb because they don’t have the data they need. Sometimes they are the right decisions, but more often, they are sub-optimum decisions that can cost you money and customer goodwill.

2. Best practice procedures
Software companies often design their ERP systems to support specific industries or verticals. As they add customers, they learn industry best practices and incorporate them into the software. By implementing an ERP system designed for your industry, you automatically make your business processes more efficient.

3. Improved visibility
If customers want to know when their order will ship or if you need to know whether you have enough of a critical component to accept a rush order, an ERP system gives you instant visibility into your operations and your supply chain.

4. Faster month-end close
ERP systems automatically process transactions and generate audit trails and financial reports that can simplify period-end closings. They flag anomalies so you can investigate quickly, and they simplify repetitive journal entries and other activities that make closing so complex and time consuming. Faster closes mean you know the health of your business sooner.

5. Increased customer satisfaction
Customers like accurate delivery dates, and ERP can help you provide them with improved inventory and shop floor visibility. In addition, the increased visibility and accuracy will help you improve your DIFOT rate (delivery in full on time), which helps keep customers happy.

6. Managed and controlled costs
ERP systems calculate and collect costs so you always have an accurate picture of your product cost and margins.

7. Better operational efficiency
By helping you to plan production more effectively, your operational efficiency will improve as you reduce setups and tear downs or unnecessary downtime.

8. Accurate records
The uniformity of record data that an ERP system instills will help ensure that your records are more accurate, which will increase process accuracy across the board.

9. Balance of supply and demand
MRP, a component of ERP systems, will help you balance supply and demand so you can reduce inventory while keeping customers happy.

10. Reduced lead times and increased throughput
Better scheduling and accurate records ensure that your schedules focus on priorities, leading to shorter lead times. Since you won’t have as many orders waiting for tooling or parts, your throughput will increase.

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Oracle Apps Basics Interview questions - Part I

1.What is the Diff between APPS Schema and other Sachems?

Apps schema contains only Synonyms we can't create tables in apps schema,where as other sachems contains tables, & all the objects. Here only we will create the tables and giving grants on created tables. Almost all every time we  will connect to apps schema only.
           
2.What is meant by Custom Top and what is the Purpose?

Custom Top is nothing but Customer Top, which is created for customer only. we can have multiple custom tops based on client requirement. It is used to store developed & customized components. whenever oracle corp applying patches it will over ride on all the modules except custom top. that's why we will use custom top.
             
3.What is the Significance of US Folder?

It is nothing but language specification by default it is in american language. We can have multiple languages folders  based on installed languages from back end we can get it from,
FND_LANGUAGES -- COL --INSTALLED_FLAG I,B,D

              I--INSTALLED,
              B--BASE,
              D--DISABLE
select language_code,nls_language from fnd_languages where installed_flag like 'B'

4.Where did U find the Application short name and base path names?

select base path,application_short_name from fnd_application from the back end. From the from end we can get it Navigation Application Developer.-----> Application---->Register The application name we will get from FND_APPLICATION_TL
             
5.Where can U find the release version from back end?

SELECT release_name from FND_PRODUCT_GROUPS; ---11.5.10.2  
          .
6.What are the Folders we will find below the 11.5.0 Folder?
Reports,forms,sql,lib,log,out,bin,admin,html,xml,msg,def, etc            

7.Can we create Tables in the Apps Schema?
No.            

8.Can we have custom schema when it it required?
yes, we can have custom schema, when we want to create a new table we required custom schema.              
9.What is meant by concurrent Program?
It is nothing but Instance of the execution along with parameters & Incompatibles. Here Incompatibles nothing but if we  are submitting cc programs if any one can be execute in those program , which programs r not imp yet this time we will  mention those programs in incompatibles tab.              

10.What are the steps we will follow to register Reports as Concurrent Program?
 First develop the report & save it in local machine. upload into custom_top/11.5.0/reports/us/ go to system  administrator  open executable form create executable by mentioning executable method as reports ,executable  as report name which  was created. go to cc program form create concurrent program by attach executable name in executable section. then attach this  concurrent program to request group, Request group to Responsibility.Responsibility to User.                  

11.What is meant by Request group?
It is nothing but collection of concurrent programs.        
 
12.Value Validation Types?

1. Dependant
2. Independent
3. None
4. Pair
5. Special
6. Table
7. Translate Independent
8. Translate Dependent

13. Incompatibility in report registration and Run Alone?

Identify programs that should not run simultaneously with your concurrent program because they might interfere with its execution. You can specify your program as being incompatible with itself.
Application: Although the default for this field is the application of your concurrent program, you can enter any valid application name.
Name: The program name and application you specify must uniquely identify a
concurrent program. Your list displays the user-friendly name of the program, the short name, and the description of the program.
Scope: Enter Set or Program Only to specify whether your concurrent program is incompatible with this program and all its child requests (Set) or only with this program (Program Only).
Run Alone: Indicate whether your program should run alone relative to all other programs in the same logical database. If the execution of your program interferes with the execution of all other programs in the same logical database (in other words, if your program is incompatible with all programs in its logical database, including itself), it should run alone.

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Oracle Apps Modules List

It consists many modules, often grouped into product families. Oracle apps ERP is in use since 30+ years, initially started with oracle financials and expanded to manufacturing, logistics, supply chain planning, product life cycle management & customer relationship management. Industry specific modules are also available for Healthcare, Aerospace, Life Sciences, High Tech industries.

Oracle Apps product families and related module offerings:

Application Administration

• i Setups
• Alerts
• Trading Community Architecture

Integration

• e-commerce gateway
• Workflow
• XML gateway
• Report Manager
• Web Applications Desktop Integrator

Marketing and Sales

• Marketing
• Trade Management
• TeleSales
• Field Sales
• Sales for Handhelds
• Quoting
• Partner Management
• Proposals
• Incentive Compensation
• Price Protection
• Contracts
• Sales Contracts
• Sales offline
• Territory Manager
• Web Analytics and Administration

Order Management

• Order Management
• Sales Contracts
• Configurator
• iStore
• Advanced Pricing
• Release Management

Logistics

• Inventory Management
• Transportation Management
• Shipping
• Warehouse Management System
• Mobile Supply Chain Applications

Supply Chain Planning

• Advanced Supply Chain Planning
• Inventory Optimization
• Global Order Promising
• Collaborative Planning
• Demand Planning
• Demantra Demand Management
• Demantra Predictive Trade Planning
• Demantra Deductions and Settlement Management
• Demantra Sales and Operations Planning
• Advanced Planning Command Center
• Demand Signal Repository
• Production Scheduling
• Rapid Planning
• Service Parts Planning
• Strategic Network Optimization

Procurement

• Purchasing
• Supplier Scheduling
• iSupplier Portal
• Procurement Contracts
• Sourcing
• iProcurement

Manufacturing

• Work In Process
• Bills Of Material
• Engineering
• Quality
• Manufacturing Execution Systems
• Manufacturing Operations Center
• Landed Cost Management
• Enterprise Asset Management
• Costing
• Flow Manufacturing
• Manufacturing – Subcontracting
• Shop Floor Management
• Process Manufacturing Cost Management
• Process Manufacturing Process Planning
• Process Manufacturing Process Execution
• Process Manufacturing Product Development
• Process Manufacturing Quality Management
• Process Manufacturing Regulatory Management
• Process Manufacturing System Administration
• Capacity
• Manufacturing Scheduling
• Master Scheduling/MRP and Supply Chain Planning

Service

• TeleService
• Service Contracts
• Field Service
• Depot Repair
• iSupport
• Install Base
• Service Contracts
• Advanced Scheduler
• Knowledge Management
• Mobile Field Service
• Spares Management

Projects

• Project Costing
• Project Resource Management
• Project Collaboration
• Project Management
• Project Portfolio Analysis
• Project Contracts
• Project Billing

Real Estate Management

• Property Manager

Product Life cycle Management

• Product Lifecycle Management
• CADView-3D
• Advanced Product Catalog

Financials

• Accounts Payables
• Accounts Receivables
• General Ledger
• Advanced Collections
• Internet Expenses
• iReceivables
• Treasury
• Internal Controls Manager
• Financial Consolidation Hub
• Financial Services Accounting Hub
• Accounts Receivable Deductions Settlement
• Chaannel Rebate and Point of sale management
• Revenue Management
• Supplier Ship and Debit
• Assets
• iAssets
• Cash Management
• Treasury
• Bill Presentment
• Credit Management
• Advanced Global Intercompany
• Public Sector Budgetting
• Public Sector Financials
• U.S. Federal Financials
• E-Business Tax
• Lease and Finance
• Enterprise Performance Foundation
• Performance Management

Human Resources

• Human Resources
• Self-Service Human Resources
• Advanced Benefits
• iRecruitment
• Payroll
• Time and Labor
• HR Intelligence
• Succession Planning
• Labor Distribution

Learning Management

• Learning Management (formerly Training Administration)
• iLearning

Customer Data Management

• Customer Data Librarian
• Customer Data Hub

Product Information Management

• Product Information Management Data Librarian
• Product Information Management Data Hub

Interaction Center Technology

• Advanced Inbound Telephony
• Advanced Outbound Telephony
• Scripting
• eMail Center

Communications/Utilities

• CRL Financial Management
• Asset Tracking
• Telco Provisioning
• Number Portability
• Telecommunications Billing Integrator

Public Sector/University

• Student System
• Financial Aid
• Student Recruiting
• Personal Portfolio
• Grants
• Loans

Financial Services

• Regulatory Capital Manager
• Profitability Manager
• Transfer Pricing
• Transfer Pricing Online
• Budgeting and Planning
• Risk Manager
• Financial Data Manager
• Financial Services Provisioning
• Lease Management

Healthcare

• Adverse Event Reporting System
• Clinical
• Remote Data Capture
• Thesaurus Management System
• Clinical TrialMinder
• Clinical SiteMinder
• Life Sciences Data Hub
• Healthcare Transaction Base

High Tech

• Shop Floor Management
• Supply Chain Planning Connector for RosettaNet

Aerospace, Defense and Transportation

• Complex Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul

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Unix - Useful Commands

This quick guide lists commands, including a syntax and brief description. For more detail, use -

$man command

Files and Directories
These commands allow you to create directories and handle files.

Command	Description
cat	Display File Contents
cd	Changes Directory to dirname
chgrp	change file group
chmod	Changing Permissions
cp	Copy source file into destination
file	Determine file type
find	Find files
grep	Search files for regular expressions.
head	Display first few lines of a file
ln	Create softlink on oldname
ls	Display information about file type.
mkdir	Create a new directory dirname
more	Display data in paginated form.
mv	Move (Rename) a oldname to newname.
pwd	Print current working directory.
rm	Remove (Delete) filename
rmdir	Delete an existing directory provided it is empty.
tail	Prints last few lines in a file.
touch	Update access and modification time of a file.

Manipulating data

The contents of files can be compared and altered with the following commands.

Command	Description
awk	Pattern scanning and processing language
cmp	Compare the contents of two files
comm	Compare sorted data
cut	Cut out selected fields of each line of a file
diff	Differential file comparator
expand	Expand tabs to spaces
join	Join files on some common field
perl	Data manipulation language
sed	Stream text editor
sort	Sort file data
split	Split file into smaller files
tr	Translate characters
uniq	Report repeated lines in a file
wc	Count words, lines, and characters
vi	Opens vi text editor
vim	Opens vim text editor
fmt	Simple text formatter
spell	Check text for spelling error
ispell	Check text for spelling error
ispell	Check text for spelling error
emacs	GNU project Emacs
ex, edit	Line editor
emacs	GNU project Emacs
emacs	GNU project Emacs

Compressed Files

Files may be compressed to save space. Compressed files can be created and examined -

Command	Description
compress	Compress files
gunzip	Uncompress gzipped files
gzip	GNU alternative compression method
uncompress	Uncompress files
unzip	List, test and extract compressed files in a ZIP archive
zcat	Cat a compressed file
zcmp	Compare compressed files
zdiff	Compare compressed files
zmore	File perusal filter for crt viewing of compressed text

Getting Information

Various Unix manuals and documentation are available on-line. The following Shell commands give information -

Command	Description
apropos	Locate commands by keyword lookup
info	Displays command information pages online
man	Displays manual pages online
whatis	Search the whatis database for complete words.
yelp	GNOME help viewer

Network Communication

These following commands are used to send and receive files from a local UNIX hosts to the remote host around the world.

Command	Description
ftp	File transfer program
rcp	Remote file copy
rlogin	Remote login to a UNIX host
rsh	Remote shell
tftp	Trivial file transfer program
telnet	Make terminal connection to another host
ssh	Secure shell terminal or command connection
scp	Secure shell remote file copy
sftp	secure shell file transfer program

Some of these commands may be restricted at your computer for security reasons.

Messages between Users

The UNIX systems support on-screen messages to other users and world-wide electronic mail -

Command	Description
evolution	GUI mail handling tool on Linux
mail	Simple send or read mail program
mesg	Permit or deny messages
parcel	Send files to another user
pine	Vdu-based mail utility
talk	Talk to another user
write	Write message to another user

Programming Utilities

The following programming tools and languages are available based on what you have installed on your Unix.

Command	Description
dbx	Sun debugger
gdb	GNU debugger
make	Maintain program groups and compile programs.
nm	Print program's name list
size	Print program's sizes
strip	Remove symbol table and relocation bits
cb	C program beautifier
cc	ANSI C compiler for Suns SPARC systems
ctrace	C program debugger
gcc	GNU ANSI C Compiler
indent	Indent and format C program source
bc	Interactive arithmetic language processor
gcl	GNU Common Lisp
perl	General purpose language
php	Web page embedded language
py	Python language interpreter
asp	Web page embedded language
CC	C++ compiler for Suns SPARC systems
g++	GNU C++ Compiler
javac	JAVA compiler
appletvieweir	JAVA applet viewer
netbeans	Java integrated development environment on Linux
sqlplus	Run the Oracle SQL interpreter
sqlldr	Run the Oracle SQL data loader
mysql	Run the mysql SQL interpreter

Misc Commands

These commands list or alter information about the system -

Command	Description
chfn	Change your finger information
chgrp	Change the group ownership of a file
chown	Change owner
date	Print the date
determin	Automatically find terminal type
du	Print amount of disk usage
echo	Echo arguments to the standard options
exit	Quit the system
finger	Print information about logged-in users
groupadd	Create a user group
Show group memberships
homequota	Show quota and file usage
iostat	Report I/O statistics
kill	Send a signal to a process
last	Show last logins of users
logout	log off UNIX
lun	List user names or login ID
netstat	Show network status
passwd	Change user password
passwd	Change your login password
printenv	Display value of a shell variable
ps	Display the status of current processes
ps	Print process status statistics
quota -v	Display disk usage and limits
reset	Reset terminal mode
script	Keep script of terminal session
script	Save the output of a command or process
setenv	Set environment variables
stty	Set terminal options
time	Time a command
top	Display all system processes
tset	Set terminal mode
tty	Print current terminal name
umask	Show the permissions that are given to view files by default
uname	Display name of the current system
uptime	Get the system up time
useradd	Create a user account
users	Print names of logged in users
vmstat	Report virtual memory statistics
w	Show what logged in users are doing
who	List logged in users

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