Search Results msc_questions_b_pk

Overview

MSC_QUESTIONS_B is a base table in the MSC schema (Advanced Supply Chain Planning) within Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.1 and 12.2.2. It stores the seeded and user-defined questions that drive the "Ask Oracle" feature, a guided interrogation mechanism that allows planners to launch predefined analytical queries against planning data. Each row represents a discrete question definition, while the associated MSC_QUESTIONS_TL table holds the language-specific translated question text. Because MSC_QUESTIONS_B carries only language-independent attributes, it functions as the master table in a standard EBS base/translation pair. The table is documented as VALID with ten physical columns in the ETRM 12.2.2 schema.

From a data modeling perspective, the heuristic Data Vault classification mined from the foreign-key structure is standalone. In Data Vault terms this suggests the object is best treated as a hub-like reference entity anchored on its own business key, rather than as a link or satellite, since no incoming or outgoing FK relationships were mined. Modelers should treat this as a suggested pattern, not an enforced constraint.

Key Information Stored

The table's primary key is enforced by MSC_QUESTIONS_B_PK on QUESTION_ID, a system-generated surrogate identifier. A second unique index, MSC_QUESTIONS_B_U1, constrains QUESTION_CODE, making it the natural business-key candidate that uniquely identifies a question independent of its internal ID.

• QUESTION_ID — surrogate primary key; joins to ANSWER_ID relationships and to translation rows.
• ANSWER_ID — reference to the answer or result definition associated with the question.
• QUESTION_CODE — the unique, user-meaningful short code identifying the seeded or custom question.
• QUESTION_TYPE — classifies the question (for example, seeded versus user-defined behavior).
• PACKAGE_NAME — the PL/SQL package that implements the logic invoked when the question is executed.
• LAST_UPDATE_DATE, LAST_UPDATED_BY, CREATION_DATE, CREATED_BY, LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN — standard EBS audit columns recording who created and last modified the definition and when.

Because only ten columns exist, the design deliberately separates descriptive text (in MSC_QUESTIONS_TL) from structural metadata held here.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Primary use cases include auditing which Ask Oracle questions are seeded versus customer-defined, identifying the PL/SQL package backing a question, and driving custom guided-analysis menus. A typical query lists active question definitions with their implementing package:

• SELECT question_id, question_code, question_type, package_name FROM msc.msc_questions_b ORDER BY question_code;
• Joining to translations: SELECT b.question_code, t.question FROM msc.msc_questions_b b, msc.msc_questions_tl t WHERE b.question_id = t.question_id AND t.language = USERENV('LANG');
• Audit filtering: SELECT question_code, created_by, creation_date, last_updated_by, last_update_date FROM msc.msc_questions_b WHERE last_update_date > :cutoff;

Reporting scenarios include change-tracking of seeded questions after patching and inventory of custom questions introduced by specific users.

Related Objects

• MSC_QUESTIONS_TL — translation table joined on QUESTION_ID; supplies the display text per language.
• MSC_ANSWERS_B / MSC_ANSWERS_TL — answer definitions referenced through ANSWER_ID.
• MSC_QUESTIONS_B_PK and MSC_QUESTIONS_B_U1 — the primary and unique indexes enforcing QUESTION_ID and QUESTION_CODE.
• Ask Oracle PL/SQL packages — the routines named in PACKAGE_NAME that execute question logic.
• MSC schema planning tables — the underlying supply chain planning data interrogated by the answers.

No foreign-key relationships were mined for this object, confirming its standalone classification; dependencies are therefore logical rather than referential and should be validated against the deployed environment before use in custom integrations.