Search Results dbms_outln_edit

Overview

SYS.OUTLN_EDIT_PKG is a Oracle-supplied PL/SQL package that forms part of the stored outline infrastructure within the Oracle E-Business Suite database tier. In EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2, the package is owned by the SYS schema and maintains a VALID status. Its primary role is to support the editing and management of stored outlines, which are database objects that preserve execution plans for SQL statements. Stored outlines allow DBAs and developers to stabilize execution plans across environment changes, statistics refreshes, or optimizer version migrations, and are especially relevant to EBS performance tuning where plan regressions can cause significant degradation.

The package operates in close cooperation with the DBMS_OUTLN_EDIT dictionary package. The dependency metadata confirms that OUTLN_EDIT_PKG is referenced by DBMS_OUTLN_EDIT, which is exposed publicly, and that OUTLN_EDIT_PKG itself depends on the SYS STANDARD package. This layered relationship positions OUTLN_EDIT_PKG as the underlying implementation layer behind the documented, publicly callable DBMS_OUTLN_EDIT interface. In ETRM the object is classified as an OTHER API, reflecting that it is not an EBS business API but a database utility package.

Key Procedures and Functions

The documented package body exposes five procedures and functions that address the lifecycle of outline editing:

• CREATE_EDIT_TABLES — Establishes the edit tables required to hold outline data during an editing session, providing the working structures needed before outlines can be modified.
• DROP_EDIT_TABLES — Removes the edit tables once an editing session completes, cleaning up the supporting schema objects created by CREATE_EDIT_TABLES.
• REFRESH_PRIVATE_OUTLINE — Refreshes a private outline so that edits made in the edit tables are propagated back into the private outline definition, making the changes available for testing or promotion.
• CHANGE_JOIN_POS — Modifies the join position within an outline, a capability relevant to tuning join order in execution plans without rewriting the underlying SQL.
• GENERATE_SIGNATURE — Produces the signature that uniquely identifies an outline, which is used to match an outline to the SQL statement it governs.

Parameter lists are not documented in the supplied metadata and are therefore not reproduced here.

Tables Accessed

The provided metadata does not enumerate specific tables accessed through APPS synonyms, and no underlying dictionary table names are listed in the excerpt. Functionally, the package operates against the outline repository maintained by the OUTLN schema and the transient edit tables that CREATE_EDIT_TABLES builds. These edit tables serve as staging areas where a DBA modifies outline attributes such as join position or hints before refreshing the private outline. No EBS application tables are documented as being referenced by this package; its scope is confined to the database outline subsystem.

Usage Notes

SYS.OUTLN_EDIT_PKG is not typically invoked directly from EBS forms or concurrent programs. It is an internal implementation package, and the supported entry point for outline editing is DBMS_OUTLN_EDIT, which references OUTLN_EDIT_PKG. DBAs working in a 12.1.1 or 12.2.2 environment generally call DBMS_OUTLN_EDIT routines rather than the SYS package directly, and Oracle does not recommend direct invocation of the underlying package. The typical workflow involves creating edit tables, modifying outline content, generating or validating the outline signature, changing join positions as needed, and refreshing the private outline to materialize edits. Because the package resides in SYS and carries the Oracle Proprietary, Confidential Information designation, any custom code should treat it as a stable internal dependency accessed only through its documented public wrapper.