Search Results fnd_profile_cats




Overview
Explore in AI Chat

Overview

The FND_PROFILE_CATS table is a core Application Object Library table in Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) that serves as the master repository for Profile Option Categories. These categories are a fundamental part of the EBS profile hierarchy, providing a logical grouping mechanism for related user profile options. The table's primary role is to define the structure for organizing and managing the thousands of system and user-level profile options, enabling administrators to efficiently locate and set values within the "System Profile Values" form. Its integrity is enforced by a primary key and it is referenced by translation and assignment tables, making it a central component of the profile option framework in both EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.

Key Information Stored

The table stores the essential metadata that defines each profile category. The structure is relatively simple but critical for referential integrity. The key columns are the composite primary key, consisting of NAME and APPLICATION_ID. The NAME column holds the internal, non-translatable identifier for the category (e.g., 'GL Financials Options'). The APPLICATION_ID column stores the identifier of the product module (from FND_APPLICATION) that owns the category. This two-column key ensures category names can be unique within the context of a specific application. While the provided ETRM metadata does not list all columns, typical related tables suggest the base table holds creation and last update date columns, while user-facing descriptions are stored in the related translation table, FND_PROFILE_CATS_TL.

Common Use Cases and Queries

This table is primarily accessed for administrative reporting and troubleshooting within the profile system. A common use case is to generate a list of all profile categories defined in the system, often joined with their translated descriptions for readability. Developers and functional consultants may query it to understand the categorization of specific profile options when writing documentation or custom reports. A typical query would join with the translation table to retrieve user-friendly names in a specific language.

  • Sample Query: List Profile Categories with Descriptions
    SELECT b.NAME, b.APPLICATION_ID, t.USER_CATEGORY_NAME
    FROM APPLSYS.FND_PROFILE_CATS b,
         APPLSYS.FND_PROFILE_CATS_TL t
    WHERE b.NAME = t.NAME
    AND b.APPLICATION_ID = t.APPLICATION_ID
    AND t.LANGUAGE = USERENV('LANG')
    ORDER BY t.USER_CATEGORY_NAME;

Related Objects

As documented in the ETRM metadata, FND_PROFILE_CATS has defined relationships with two key tables in the profile hierarchy, forming the backbone of the categorization system.

  • FND_PROFILE_CATS_TL: This is the Translation table. It holds the translated, user-visible name (USER_CATEGORY_NAME) for each category in supported languages. It references FND_PROFILE_CATS via the foreign key on the columns (NAME, APPLICATION_ID).
  • FND_PROFILE_CAT_OPTIONS: This is the junction table that assigns individual profile options (from FND_PROFILE_OPTIONS) to a category. It references FND_PROFILE_CATS via the foreign key on the columns (CATEGORY_NAME, APPLICATION_ID), defining which category an option belongs to.

Therefore, the complete hierarchy for navigating profile categories is: FND_PROFILE_CATS → FND_PROFILE_CATS_TL (for descriptions) and FND_PROFILE_CATS → FND_PROFILE_CAT_OPTIONS → FND_PROFILE_OPTIONS (to see assigned options).