Search Results ff_globals_x

Overview

FF_GLOBALS_X is a date-effective view owned by the APPS schema in Oracle E-Business Suite releases 12.1.1 and 12.2.2. It belongs to the FastFormula (FF) product family, the component responsible for storing and evaluating the formula-based rules used across Oracle HRMS, Payroll, and related applications. The view exposes global values: named constants or variables that FastFormula writers reference inside formula text instead of hard-coding literal values. Typical globals include company-wide thresholds, rate ceilings, and statutory values that must be centrally maintained and versioned over time.

The "_X" suffix is the standard Oracle EBS convention for a date-effective (or "date-tracked") view. Such views present only the row that is valid as of the current system date, hiding the historical and future-dated versions that are physically retained in the underlying table. For reporting and integration purposes FF_GLOBALS_X therefore provides the current effective definition of each global, keyed by GLOBAL_ID and scoped by BUSINESS_GROUP_ID and LEGISLATION_CODE. Its status is VALID in the ETRM metadata, indicating a supported, documented object.

The view is also relevant to users searching on the GLOBAL_NAME attribute, since GLOBAL_NAME is the human-readable identifier by which a global is known and referenced in formula definitions.

Underlying Base Objects

FF_GLOBALS_X is defined exclusively over a single base object, FF_GLOBALS_F, which is documented as a synonym. FF_GLOBALS_F is the date-effective ("_F") entity holding multiple time-bounded versions of each global record, each delimited by EFFECTIVE_START_DATE and EFFECTIVE_END_DATE.

The view applies a filter of TRUNC(SYSDATE) BETWEEN EFFECTIVE_START_DATE AND EFFECTIVE_END_DATE. This means it returns only rows whose effective range contains the current date, collapsing the full history maintained in FF_GLOBALS_F into a single current row per global. Because the filter is evaluated at query time, the contents of FF_GLOBALS_X change automatically as effective dates roll forward; no scheduled process is required. The view is read-only with respect to this date logic and inherits the APPS schema grants of the base synonym.

Key Columns

• GLOBAL_ID — Surrogate primary key identifying the global record.
• EFFECTIVE_START_DATE / EFFECTIVE_END_DATE — The validity window of the row; only the version spanning the current date is returned.
• BUSINESS_GROUP_ID — Business group context, allowing the same global name to hold different values per enterprise group.
• LEGISLATION_CODE — Country or legislation context, enabling jurisdiction-specific values for the same global.
• DATA_TYPE — The data type of the global, governing how GLOBAL_VALUE is interpreted (for example character, number, or date).
• GLOBAL_NAME — The logical name by which the global is referenced in FastFormula text and by which users search for it.
• GLOBAL_DESCRIPTION — Free-text description of the global's purpose.
• GLOBAL_VALUE — The currently effective value returned to formulas and reports.
• Audit columns — LAST_UPDATE_DATE, LAST_UPDATED_BY, LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN, CREATED_BY, and CREATION_DATE provide standard who-column auditing.

Common Use Cases and Queries

The primary use case is retrieving the current effective value of a named global for validation, reporting, or integration with external systems. The following query returns the current definition of a global by name:

• SELECT global_name, global_value, data_type FROM apps.ff_globals_x WHERE global_name = 'MY_GLOBAL_NAME';

Because the view is scoped by business group and legislation, a more precise lookup qualifies those columns:

• SELECT global_name, global_value FROM apps.ff_globals_x WHERE global_name = 'MY_GLOBAL_NAME' AND business_group_id = :bg_id AND legislation_code = :leg_code;

Analysts frequently list all globals for a jurisdiction to audit maintained thresholds:

• SELECT global_name, global_value, data_type, global_description FROM apps.ff_globals_x WHERE legislation_code = 'US' ORDER BY global_name;

To compare current values against history, query FF_GLOBALS_F directly, since FF_GLOBALS_X intentionally suppresses non-current versions. Integrations should always read FF_GLOBALS_X rather than FF_GLOBALS_F when only the effective value is required, ensuring consistent date-effective behavior across 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.