Search Results fnd_col_priv_attributes_b

Overview

The FND_COL_PRIV_ATTRIBUTES_B table is a core metadata repository within the Oracle E-Business Suite Application Object Library (FND) product family. It resides in the APPLSYS schema and stores the base (_B) definitions governing column-level privacy attributes applied to database columns registered in the Oracle EBS data dictionary. This table is fundamental to Oracle's Data Vault and privacy enforcement framework, which allows administrators to classify and protect sensitive columns—such as personally identifiable information—at the schema level rather than relying solely on application-tier controls.

The ETRM metadata classifies this object heuristically as standalone within the Data Vault modeling convention. This suggests the table operates as an independent definition entity rather than a pure hub, link, or satellite, maintaining its own business key and referencing security grouping only loosely through a single foreign key. Its design is version-aware: the _B suffix denotes a base table that typically pairs with a translated (_TL) counterpart for language-specific descriptions, although the documented schema here does not enumerate the associated _TL object.

Key Information Stored

The table comprises 30 documented columns. The most significant include the composite business key and the privacy-specific configuration fields:

• PRIVACY_ATTRIBUTE_CODE — The user-facing identifier naming the privacy attribute being defined.
• APPLICATION_ID — Identifies the Oracle application (product) to which the protected column belongs.
• TABLE_ID — References the registered database table containing the column under protection.
• COLUMN_ID — References the specific column to which the privacy rule applies.
• COLUMN_SEQUENCE — Orders the column within its privacy attribute grouping.
• DSCRAM_LEVEL — Defines the data scrambling or obfuscation severity applied to the column value.
• DSCRAM_ALGO_ID — Identifies the scrambling algorithm used for value transformation.
• SECURITY_GROUP_ID — Links the attribute to an Oracle security group, scoping access control.
• OBJECT_VERSION_NUMBER — Supports optimistic concurrency control for concurrent updates.
• ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY and ATTRIBUTE1–ATTRIBUTE15 — The standard FND descriptive flexfield columns enabling extensible configuration.
• CREATED_BY, CREATION_DATE, LAST_UPDATED_BY, LAST_UPDATE_DATE, LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN — The WHO audit columns tracking record provenance.

The unique business-key candidate is documented as FND_COL_PRIV_ATTR_B_U1, spanning PRIVACY_ATTRIBUTE_CODE, APPLICATION_ID, TABLE_ID, COLUMN_ID. The metadata does not document a single surrogate primary-key column; the uniqueness of a privacy attribute is therefore enforced through this composite index rather than a synthetic key.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Typical uses center on auditing and administering privacy classifications. A common query resolves the protected columns for a given application:

• Reporting all privacy attributes assigned to a specific table: SELECT * FROM fnd_col_priv_attributes_b WHERE table_id = :table_id;
• Listing high-sensitivity columns by scrambling level: SELECT privacy_attribute_code, column_id, dscram_level FROM fnd_col_priv_attributes_b WHERE dscram_level >= :threshold;
• Joining to security groups to validate scope: SELECT p.*, s.security_group_name FROM fnd_col_priv_attributes_b p, fnd_security_groups s WHERE p.security_group_id = s.security_group_id;

These queries support compliance audits, pre-upgrade data-privacy assessments, and migration planning by identifying which columns carry obfuscation rules.

Related Objects

The most significant related object is FND_SECURITY_GROUPS, joined via SECURITY_GROUP_ID, which governs access scoping. Related FND dictionary tables include FND_TABLES (joined through TABLE_ID), FND_COLUMNS (through COLUMN_ID), and FND_APPLICATION (through APPLICATION_ID). The translated companion object (typically FND_COL_PRIV_ATTRIBUTES_TL) holds language-specific descriptions. Administrators also interact with these definitions indirectly through the Data Vault responsibility and its associated maintenance forms and concurrent programs that populate and query this table.