Search Results fnd_timezone_pub




Overview
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Overview

The APPS.FND_TIMEZONE_PUB package body is a public API wrapper within the Oracle E-Business Suite time zone infrastructure. Its singular business function is to expose a supported, externally callable entry point for converting a date-time value from one time zone to another. In the Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 releases, time zone handling is critical because the application stores many transactional timestamps in the database server's time zone (often GMT) while end users operate in their own local time zones. This package provides the thin public layer that client code can safely invoke without depending directly on the internal private implementation.

The package header is classified as PUB (public) in the ETRM metadata, confirming it is intended for supported programmatic use rather than internal-only consumption. The source header comment ($Header: AFTZPUBB.pls 120.0) indicates the file was frozen in its current form as of 2006, meaning the interface has been stable across both 12.1.1 and 12.2.2. Stability of this sort is characteristic of foundational utility packages that many downstream components depend upon.

Key Procedures and Functions

ETRM documents exactly one public program unit in this package body:

  • ADJUST_DATETIME — A function that accepts a source date-time value together with a source time zone and a target time zone, and returns the equivalent date-time expressed in the target time zone. Its purpose is to provide a single, supported conversion service for callers that need to translate timestamps between zones.

Notably, ADJUST_DATETIME does not contain the conversion logic itself. The body simply delegates the call to FND_TIMEZONES_PVT.ADJUST_DATETIME, the private package where the actual time zone arithmetic and any fallback behavior reside. This delegate pattern is deliberate: it isolates the public contract (stable, documented, safe to call) from the private implementation (subject to internal change). Callers should therefore always use FND_TIMEZONE_PUB and never call the private package directly. The parameter list is not reproduced here, but the function follows the conventional signature of a source date-time, a source zone, and a destination zone.

Tables Accessed

The documented metadata for APPS.FND_TIMEZONE_PUB lists no directly referenced tables via APPS synonyms. This is consistent with its role as a pass-through wrapper: any data access—such as reading time zone definitions or offset rules—is performed within the private package FND_TIMEZONES_PVT, not in the public body. Consequently, this package imposes no direct table-level dependencies of its own, which further reduces the risk associated with calling it.

Usage Notes

Because the metadata records that this package is referenced by 7 other packages, it is clearly a widely consumed utility rather than a standalone feature. Typical invocation patterns include:

  • Custom PL/SQL code that must display or store timestamps in a user's local time zone while the underlying data is held in a canonical (server or GMT) zone.
  • Other EBS API packages that require a supported, version-stable conversion call and choose to route through the public wrapper.
  • Concurrent programs and reports that format date-time output for users in different geographic regions.

Given the delegation model, performance and behavior are determined by FND_TIMEZONES_PVT. When troubleshooting conversion anomalies—for example, incorrect daylight-saving transitions or unexpected offsets—the investigation should proceed into the private package, while the call site in custom code correctly remains on FND_TIMEZONE_PUB.ADJUST_DATETIME. This separation ensures customizations remain upgrade-safe across 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.