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Overview

FND_FLEX_VALUES_VL is a seeded, language-sensitive (VL suffix denotes "view language") view owned by the APPS schema in Oracle E-Business Suite. It is the primary dictionary view through which key flexfield values and descriptive flexfield value sets are queried in a translated, user-facing form. The view combines the base value definition rows from FND_FLEX_VALUES with the translated meaning and description from FND_FLEX_VALUES_TL, resolving the translation using the session language. In FND terminology, a flex value is an individual member of a value set, such as a specific account segment value, a cost center, or a category code. FND_FLEX_VALUES_VL therefore underpins validation lists, list-of-values (LOV) windows, concurrent program parameter pickers, and any reporting or integration query that needs value-set members alongside their human-readable meaning. Because it filters correctly by language, it is the recommended access point rather than the underlying base tables when the intent is presentation-oriented read access.

Underlying Base Objects

The view is defined over two documented base objects: FND_FLEX_VALUES and FND_FLEX_VALUES_TL, both referenced through synonyms in the APPS schema. FND_FLEX_VALUES holds the language-independent flex value record, keyed by FLEX_VALUE_ID and linked to its value set through FLEX_VALUE_SET_ID. It carries the raw value string, enabled and summary flags, date-range activation controls, hierarchy attributes, and the 50-attribute compiled/segment descriptor array. FND_FLEX_VALUES_TL is the translation table, keyed by FLEX_VALUE_ID and LANGUAGE, and supplies the FLEX_VALUE_MEANING and DESCRIPTION columns that are language dependent. The view joins these two tables on FLEX_VALUE_ID and restricts the translation row with the condition T.LANGUAGE = USERENV('LANG'), ensuring the caller sees the meaning and description in the current session language. The view text also remaps the base ROWID as ROW_ID. Documented metadata lists the referenced objects as SYNONYM references in the FND module (Application Object Library).

Key Columns

• ROW_ID — the ROWID of the base FND_FLEX_VALUES row, exposed for row-addressable operations.
• FLEX_VALUE_SET_ID — foreign key identifying the owning value set.
• FLEX_VALUE_ID — unique identifier of the flex value; the join key between the base and translation tables.
• FLEX_VALUE — the stored value string (the code, e.g. 01, 1000, NORTH).
• FLEX_VALUE_MEANING — the translated meaning presented to users in LOVs and reports.
• DESCRIPTION — the translated long description of the value.
• ENABLED_FLAG — Y/N indicator of whether the value is active and available for entry or validation.
• SUMMARY_FLAG — Y/N indicator marking a parent/summary value in a hierarchical value set.
• START_DATE_ACTIVE / END_DATE_ACTIVE — effective date range controlling when the value is valid.
• PARENT_FLEX_VALUE_LOW / PARENT_FLEX_VALUE_HIGH and HIERARCHY_LEVEL / STRUCTURED_HIERARCHY_LEVEL — hierarchy and rollup descriptors.
• COMPILED_VALUE_ATTRIBUTES — the concatenated segment descriptor string used for validation.
• VALUE_CATEGORY — the category assigned to the value.
• ATTRIBUTE1 through ATTRIBUTE50 — the segment attribute array carried through from the base table, and ATTRIBUTE_SORT_ORDER from the translation table.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Typical scenarios include resolving value-set members for a concurrent program, building custom LOVs, validating imported values during interface loads, and extracting meaning text for reporting. A representative query retrieves all enabled values for a given value set in the session language:

SELECT FLEX_VALUE_ID, FLEX_VALUE, FLEX_VALUE_MEANING, DESCRIPTION
FROM APPS.FND_FLEX_VALUES_VL
WHERE FLEX_VALUE_SET_ID = :p_value_set_id
AND ENABLED_FLAG = 'Y'
AND TRUNC(SYSDATE) BETWEEN NVL(START_DATE_ACTIVE, SYSDATE)
AND NVL(END_DATE_ACTIVE, SYSDATE)
ORDER BY FLEX_VALUE;

Excluding summary values for entry-level LOVs is accomplished by adding AND NVL(SUMMARY_FLAG,'N') = 'N'. Because the view joins the translation table with the USERENV language filter, language handling is automatic and no explicit LANGUAGE predicate is required in caller SQL. This makes FND_FLEX_VALUES_VL the canonical, documented access path for translated flex value data in Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.