Search Results get_db_version

Overview

The PL/SQL package APPS.BEN_EFC_INFO is a utility package within the Oracle E-Business Suite Benefits (BEN) module. Its sole documented purpose, as reflected in the package header source, is to determine the latest minipack version that has been applied to the database. In the context of Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2, minipacks represent incremental patch bundles that deliver fixes and enhancements between major release updates. Knowing which minipack is present is essential for determining whether a given database environment is compatible with particular form definitions, concurrent program logic, or dependent code paths that were introduced or modified by a specific patch level.

The package is classified as OTHER in the ETRM catalog, indicating that it is not a public, supported integration API but an internal helper routine. It contains no business rules relating to benefits enrollment, eligibility, or plan administration; rather, it exposes a single version-inquiry function that other code can interrogate at runtime. This makes it a diagnostic and conditional-execution aid rather than a transactional component.

Key Procedures and Functions

The package header declares exactly one documented function:

• GET_DB_VERSION — Returns a VARCHAR2 value representing the latest minipack version applied to the database. The header comment states its purpose plainly: "Determines the latest minipack version to have been applied." Callers use the returned string to compare the current environment against an expected or minimum patch level. Because the ETRM metadata does not expose a formal argument list, no parameters should be assumed; the function is documented as taking no input and returning the version identifier as its result.

No other procedures or functions are documented for this package. The implementation body is not part of the published ETRM extract, so the internal derivation logic is not described here.

Tables Accessed

The documented table reference for BEN_EFC_INFO resolves, through an APPS synonym, to ALL_TAB_COLUMNS. This is the standard Oracle data dictionary view that describes the columns of every table and view accessible to the current user, including column names, data types, lengths, and nullability.

Reading ALL_TAB_COLUMNS is consistent with a version-detection routine: the presence, absence, or definition of a specific column in a Benefits table can be used as a reliable indicator that a particular minipack has been applied. When a patch adds or alters a column, that structural change is visible in the dictionary, allowing the package to infer the environment's patch level without relying on a dedicated version-tracking table. The package is documented as referencing this view only; no write operations are reported.

Usage Notes

Typical invocation scenarios include diagnostic scripts, upgrade pre-checks, and conditional code paths in Benefits forms or concurrent programs that must behave differently depending on the applied minipack. A developer or DBA may run a simple query such as selecting BEN_EFC_INFO.GET_DB_VERSION from dual to confirm the current patch level before applying a dependent patch or troubleshooting an inconsistency.

Because the package is classified as OTHER and is not documented as being referenced by any other package, it should be treated as an internal utility. Custom code that calls it should do so defensively, treating the return value as informational rather than as a guaranteed contractual value, and should avoid embedding the function in long-lived business logic where patch-level changes could alter behavior. Support statements also discourage direct modification of seeded Benefits packages; any extension should be performed through supported customization mechanisms.