Search Results mtl_grades_b_pk

Overview

MTL_GRADES_B is a base table in the INV (Inventory) schema of Oracle E-Business Suite, documented as VALID in release 12.2.2 and present in 12.1.1. It stores the definition of grade codes, the quality or specification classifications that can be assigned to inventory items, lots, and receipts to distinguish material of differing quality, potency, or specification within the same item number. Grade codes allow organizations to track material that is physically similar but commercially or technically distinct — for example, a primary grade, a secondary grade, or an off-specification grade of the same finished good.

The table is the base (language-independent) component of the EBS translation pattern. Short and long descriptive text for each grade resides in the corresponding translation table, MTL_GRADES_TL, while MTL_GRADES_B holds the code itself together with control flags, auditing columns, and the standard DFF attribute block. Based on the FK structure mined from the schema, the table is classified heuristically as a standalone object in Data Vault terms. In practice, this suggests it can be modeled as a hub-like reference entity keyed on the grade code, with descriptive context in a dependent satellite, rather than as a link between other entities.

Key Information Stored

The documented physical schema contains 38 columns. The most significant are:

• GRADE_CODE — the primary key of MTL_GRADES_B_PK and the single unique business-key candidate. It is the value entered on item, lot, and receipt records to assign a grade, and it is the join key to MTL_GRADES_TL for translated descriptions.
• DISABLE_FLAG — controls whether a grade is available for selection in inventory transactions. Disabled grades remain valid historically on existing records but are excluded from new assignments.
• ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY and ATTRIBUTE1 through ATTRIBUTE30 — the standard Oracle descriptive flexfield (DFF) block. ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY selects the context, while the attribute columns store context-sensitive values configured at implementation.
• CREATION_DATE, CREATED_BY, LAST_UPDATE_DATE, LAST_UPDATED_BY, LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN — the standard WHO audit columns populated by EBS, used for change tracking and for incremental extraction in interfaces and data warehouses.

Because GRADE_CODE is both the primary key and the sole documented unique index, it functions as the natural business key rather than a surrogate identifier; there is no separately documented system-generated numeric ID on this table.

Common Use Cases and Queries

Typical uses include populating grade list-of-values on inventory forms, validating grade values in inbound interface tables, and reporting inventory balances or lot attributes by grade. A standard lookup of active grades is:

SELECT b.grade_code, t.description
FROM   mtl_grades_b b,
       mtl_grades_tl t
WHERE  b.grade_code = t.grade_code
AND    t.language = USERENV('LANG')
AND    b.disable_flag = 'N';

For audit or incremental interfaces, the WHO columns support delta extraction:

SELECT grade_code, disable_flag, last_update_date
FROM   mtl_grades_b
WHERE  last_update_date >= :p_since;

Reporting scenarios include grading analysis of on-hand quantities (joining grade codes to lot and on-hand tables), quality disposition reporting for received lots, and validation of staging data prior to import. Because the table carries a 30-column DFF, reports may also need to resolve ATTRIBUTE_CATEGORY to expose client-specific grade attributes.

Related Objects

• MTL_GRADES_TL — translation table for grade name and description; joins on GRADE_CODE.
• MTL_GRADES_VL — the language-validated view that unions the base and translation tables; the preferred query object for user-facing reporting.
• MTL_LOT_NUMBERS — records the grade assigned to each lot in lot-controlled inventories.
• MTL_ITEM_LOCATIONS / MTL_ONHAND_QUANTITIES_DETAIL — carry grade context for on-hand quantities and location-level reporting.
• RCV_TRANSACTIONS / RCV_SHIPMENT_LINES — receiving records where a grade is captured at receipt.
• MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS — transaction history that preserves the grade applied to each movement.
• Grade definition and assignment APIs in the Inventory open interface, which validate GRADE_CODE against MTL_GRADES_B before import.