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EBSintermediate

Flexfields: Key and Descriptive

Differentiate key flexfields from descriptive flexfields and explain their configuration and use

A flexfield extends EBS's data structures without changing the schema. There are two kinds and they do different jobs.

A key flexfield is like a postal address system — structured segments (street, city, zip) that together form one intelligent, validated key. A descriptive flexfield is like a customizable form footnote — you can add sticky-note-style extra fields depending on context, without redesigning the whole form.

Key Concepts

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    Key Flexfield (KFF)         a structured, multi-part identifier
    Descriptive Flexfield (DFF) extra attributes on a record
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A key flexfield is an identity. The Accounting Flexfield — the chart of accounts — is the standard example:
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    01  .  200  .  5300  .  000
    company  cost centre  account  future
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Each segment is validated against a value set, and the whole combination is stored once in a combinations table:
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    GL_CODE_COMBINATIONS
      CODE_COMBINATION_ID  1042
      SEGMENT1 '01'  SEGMENT2 '200'  SEGMENT3 '5300' ...
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Everything else in EBS stores CODE_COMBINATION_ID — a single number — rather than the four segments. That is the design: a compact foreign key everywhere, with the structure and validation held in one place.
CODE_COMBINATION_ID
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A descriptive flexfield adds attributes. Generic columns already exist on the table:
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    ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY, ATTRIBUTE1, ATTRIBUTE2, ... ATTRIBUTE15
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A DFF gives them names, prompts and validation for your installation. No column is added and no table is altered.
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Context sensitivity is what makes DFFs flexible. The category column selects which set of segments appears:
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    context 'Domestic Supplier'      ATTRIBUTE1 = GST number
    context 'International Supplier' ATTRIBUTE1 = customs code
                                     ATTRIBUTE2 = incoterms
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One set of columns serves many different attribute sets, chosen at data entry.
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The cost of that design. ATTRIBUTE1 means different things in different rows, so a report has to know the context before it can interpret the column. Querying a DFF column without filtering on ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY returns a mixture of unrelated values.
ATTRIBUTE1ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY
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Value sets validate segments, and the three kinds are asked about:
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    independent      a fixed list of values you maintain
    dependent        valid values depend on another segment's value
    table            validated by a query against a table
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Flexfields must be compiled after definition changes. An uncompiled flexfield behaves as the previous version, which is the standard reason a new segment does not appear.
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The distinction to state. A KFF defines what something is — an account, an item. A DFF records extra things about it. Structure against annotation.
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What the interviewer is probing.1. "What is the difference between a key and a descriptive flexfield?" Probing: the distinction. Stalls: "Nothing." Moves up: a key flexfield is a structured identifier such as the accounting code combination; a descriptive flexfield adds optional attributes to a record.
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2. "Where are DFF values stored?" Probing: the mechanism. Stalls: "A new table." Moves up: in ATTRIBUTE columns already present on the base table, which is why the number available is limited.
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3. "What is a context-sensitive DFF?" Probing: the capability. Stalls: "Nothing." *Moves up:* different segments appear depending on a context field, so one attribute set serves several record types.
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4. "Why are key flexfields hard to change later?" Probing: the practical warning. Stalls: "They are not." Moves up: the accounting structure is embedded in data, reports and interfaces, so adding or resizing a segment is a major project.
Use cases:flexfieldskffdffchart-of-accountsextensibility