Search Results pay_magtape_generic




Overview
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Overview

APPS.PAY_MAGTAPE_GENERIC is the core PL/SQL package body that drives Oracle E-Business Suite Payroll magnetic tape (magtape) file generation. It provides the generic, format-independent engine that transforms payroll assignment, element, and balance data into the flat-file records and blocks required by external agencies such as banks, tax authorities, and third-party payment processors. Rather than encoding a specific country or institution format, the package exposes a reusable framework onto which format-specific implementations are layered. Third-party or Oracle-delivered format packages supply the layout definitions and block logic, while PAY_MAGTAPE_GENERIC coordinates record assembly, parameter substitution, formula evaluation, and cursor execution against the underlying payroll tables. In Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 it is validated in the APPS schema and is a foundational dependency for the wider magnetic media subsystem.

Key Procedures and Functions

The ETRM metadata documents seven callable units:

  • NEW_FORMULA — Establishes or resets a formula context used during record layout evaluation, allowing derived values to be computed from payroll data as each record is produced.
  • DATE_EARNED — Determines the date-earned value associated with a payment or assignment, supplying the effective-dated basis used in tape record generation.
  • GET_PARAMETER_VALUE — Retrieves the value of a named magtape or format parameter, enabling configuration-driven control of record content and file behavior.
  • SET_PARAMTER_VALUE — Assigns or overrides the value of a named parameter within the package's runtime context (note the preserved EBS spelling "PARAMTER").
  • GET_CURSOR_RETURN — Executes or advances a dynamically defined cursor and returns its result, supporting data-driven record creation.
  • CLEAR_CACHE — Flushes cached values held across records to ensure correctness between runs or assignments.
  • CLEAR_CURSORS — Releases dynamically opened cursors to free resources after processing completes.

Tables Accessed

The package body references the following objects through APPS synonyms:

  • PAY_MAGNETIC_BLOCKS — Block definitions that describe the repeating structure of a magnetic file.
  • PAY_MAGNETIC_RECORDS — Record layouts defining field positions, lengths, and sources.
  • FF_ARCHIVE_ITEMS / FF_ARCHIVE_ITEMS_S — FastFormula archive definitions used to evaluate formulas attached to records or blocks.
  • PER_ALL_ASSIGNMENTS_F — Assignment and effective-dated employment data supplying employee values for tape output.
  • DBMS_SQL — Oracle-supplied dynamic SQL package used to build and execute cursors at runtime.

Usage Notes

PAY_MAGTAPE_GENERIC is not normally invoked directly by end users. It is called by format-specific magtape packages and is referenced by 158 other database objects, reflecting its central role in the magnetic media architecture. Typical invocation paths include Oracle Payroll magnetic tape concurrent programs and any custom format package implementing a bank or agency layout, which delegate record assembly, formula evaluation, and dynamic cursor handling to this generic engine. The parameter getter and setter routines allow formats to pass configuration values at runtime, while the cache-clearing routines ensure that consecutive runs or multiple assignments do not carry stale data forward. Because it depends on FF_ARCHIVE_ITEMS and DBMS_SQL, environments using it must have FastFormula and the standard PL/SQL supplied packages available. Customizations should extend through format packages rather than modifying this body, preserving upgrade safety across 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.