Results for “fa_categories_b”

AI-generated from documented ETRM metadata — verify critical details on the linked pages.

Overview

FA_CATEGORIES_B is the base Multi-Lingual Support (MLS) table in the Oracle Assets (OFA) module that stores the default financial information for asset categories. An asset category is the central classification object in Oracle Assets; it controls depreciation rules, asset account generation, capitalization thresholds, and default book assignments. Every capitalized asset, mass transaction, and project-related asset line ultimately resolves to a category defined in this table. FA_CATEGORIES_B holds the language-independent, non-translatable attributes of the category, while the corresponding translatable name and description columns reside in FA_CATEGORIES_T. The physical table is owned by the FA schema, contains 62 documented columns in ETRM 12.2.2, and is designated VALID.

From a dimensional or Data Vault modeling perspective, the ETRM metadata classifies this object heuristically as hub-leaning. This is a reasonable modeling suggestion: FA_CATEGORIES_B behaves like a hub because it anchors a stable, unique business concept (CATEGORY_ID) that is referenced by more than twenty dependent tables through foreign keys, rather than acting as a transactional link or a mutable satellite.

Key Information Stored

The primary key is the surrogate identifier CATEGORY_ID, enforced by the FA_CATEGORIES_B_PK constraint and mirrored by the unique index FA_CATEGORIES_B_U1. Beyond the key, the most operationally significant columns include:

• CATEGORY_TYPE — distinguishes the category's role (for example, capital versus expensed treatment).
• CAPITALIZE_FLAG — indicates whether costs assigned to this category are capitalized or expensed.
• OWNED_LEASED — identifies whether assets in the category are owned or leased.
• PROPERTY_TYPE_CODE and PROPERTY_1245_1250_CODE — support tax and property classification for depreciation reporting.
• PRODUCTION_CAPACITY — used for units-of-production depreciation.
• INVENTORIAL — flags whether the category is subject to physical inventory verification.
• SEGMENT1 through SEGMENT7 — the account segment defaults used to derive asset clearing and cost accounts.
• START_DATE_ACTIVE / END_DATE_ACTIVE — define the effective date range during which the category may be used.
• DATE_INEFFECTIVE — marks when the category became inactive.
• ENABLED_FLAG and SUMMARY_FLAG — control availability and hierarchical rollup behavior.
• ATTRIBUTE1–ATTRIBUTE15, GLOBAL_ATTRIBUTE1–GLOBAL_ATTRIBUTE20, and the corresponding ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY_CODE / GLOBAL_ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY — provide the standard Oracle EBS flexfield descriptor columns.

The descriptive business name is not stored here; it lives in the MLS companion table FA_CATEGORIES_T, keyed by the same CATEGORY_ID.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Typical scenarios include retrieving the default depreciation book assignment for a category, validating that a category is enabled and within its active date range before using it on an asset addition, and reporting capitalized cost account segments for financial reconciliation.

A simple lookup of active, enabled categories:

SELECT category_id, category_type, capitalize_flag, enabled_flag
FROM   fa_categories_b
WHERE  enabled_flag = 'Y'
AND    (end_date_active IS NULL OR end_date_active > SYSDATE);

Joining to the MLS table to return the user-visible category name, and to FA_CATEGORY_BOOKS for the assigned book, is the most common reporting pattern:

SELECT b.category_id, t.name, k.book_type_code
FROM   fa_categories_b b
       JOIN fa_categories_t t ON t.category_id = b.category_id
       JOIN fa_category_books k ON k.category_id = b.category_id
WHERE  b.enabled_flag = 'Y';

Reconciling asset balances by category typically aggregates from FA_ADDITIONS_B joined back to FA_CATEGORIES_B on ASSET_CATEGORY_ID. Integration with Oracle Purchasing and Inventory frequently resolves MTL_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B.ASSET_CATEGORY_ID to these defaults.

Related Objects

Given the hub-leaning structure, FA_CATEGORIES_B is referenced by a large set of dependent tables. The most significant are:

• FA_CATEGORIES_T — translatable name and description for the same CATEGORY_ID.
• FA_ADDITIONS_B — asset additions, via ASSET_CATEGORY_ID.
• FA_CATEGORY_BOOKS and FA_CATEGORY_BOOK_DEFAULTS — book-level depreciation and account defaults, via CATEGORY_ID.
• FA_ASSET_HISTORY — historical asset movements, via CATEGORY_ID.
• FA_MASS_ADDITIONS, FA_MASS_CHANGES, FA_MASS_RECLASS (FROM_CATEGORY_ID and TO_CATEGORY_ID), FA_MASS_RETIREMENTS, FA_MASS_TRANSFERS — mass transaction staging tables driven by category.
• FA_MAINT_SCHEDULE_HDR — maintenance schedules, via CATEGORY_ID.
• MTL_SYSTEM_ITEMS_B — inventory item definitions, via ASSET_CATEGORY_ID.
• PA_PROJECT_ASSETS_ALL and PA_PROJECT_ASSET_LINES_ALL — project capitalizations, via ASSET_CATEGORY_ID.

These relationships confirm that FA_CATEGORIES_B is a foundational reference object within Oracle Assets, Oracle Projects, and Oracle Inventory, and any change to a category record has broad downstream impact on asset reporting and depreciation processing.