Search Results pay_shadow_element_api




Overview
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Overview

PAY_SHADOW_ELEMENT_API is a PL/SQL package owned by the APPS schema in Oracle E-Business Suite, classified by ETRM as a public API. Its object status is VALID in both the 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 releases. The package supports the Payroll (PAY) product family's shadow element infrastructure. Shadow elements are the internal runtime representation that Oracle Payroll and Oracle HRMS generate and maintain for elements, and they sit behind the payroll processing engine used to calculate earnings, deductions, and other element-driven results. This package provides the sanctioned programmatic interface through which calling code can maintain the shadow element definition record, rather than issuing direct DML against the underlying payroll tables. Because it is documented as an API classification, it is intended for supported external invocation by other Oracle modules, product extensions, and customer or partner code.

Key Procedures and Functions

ETRM documents a single callable unit within the package:

  • UPDATE_SHADOW_ELEMENT — The sole documented procedure. It applies updates to a shadow element definition, allowing the caller to modify the stored attributes of the shadow element through a validated, supported entry point rather than by direct table manipulation. Because the documented metadata does not expose the formal parameter list, the exact arguments are not reproduced here; callers should consult the package specification in the APPS schema for the authoritative signature.

Tables Accessed

The ETRM excerpt does not enumerate the base tables touched by PAY_SHADOW_ELEMENT_API; the tables-referenced list is empty in the supplied metadata. The dependency listing is more informative and shows the package's collaborators, including HR_API, HR_UTILITY, PAY_SET_UPD, and the package's own specification (PAY_SHADOW_ELEMENT_API), plus the SYS.STANDARD library. PAY_SET_UPD is particularly relevant in this context, as it belongs to the payroll settings update family that maintains the PAY_* configuration and element-related tables. HR_API and HR_UTILITY supply the standard HRMS validation, date-tracking, and error-handling routines that this API relies on to enforce business rules before any row is committed. Any table write therefore occurs indirectly through these dependent units and the shadow element definition itself, consistent with the HRMS dictate that shadow element data never be modified by unsupported DML.

Usage Notes

PAY_SHADOW_ELEMENT_API is designed for controlled invocation. Typical callers are payroll setup forms, concurrent programs that maintain element and shadow element definitions, and custom or partner code that must adjust shadow element data as part of a supported extension. The strong indicator of its role is the dependency report: ETRM records that this package is not referenced by any other database object but is referenced by 23 other packages, placing it squarely in the middle of the payroll API call stack.

The following practices apply when using it:

  • Invoke the API rather than inserting, updating, or deleting shadow element rows directly, to preserve HRMS validation and date-tracked consistency.
  • Observe the standard API conventions inherited from HR_API, including date-effective handling and the business-group context expected by HRMS calls.
  • Perform all calls within a defined transaction, validating the return status before committing, and roll back on error.
  • Confirm the procedure signature against the package specification for the specific release, since ETRM documents the object and procedure name only.

Because the object is VALID and its dependencies are standard Oracle HRMS units, it is a reliable target for supported customization in 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 environments.