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Overview

APPS.HXC_TIME_ENTRY_RULES_UTILS_PKG is a utility package within the Oracle E-Business Suite Time and Labor (OTL) module, owned by the APPS schema and defined with AUTHID CURRENT_USER. Its primary business function is to support the evaluation of time entry rules that govern how timecard records are validated, calculated, and processed. Time entry rules are user-defined business rules configured in Time and Labor that determine eligibility, accrual handling, overtime treatment, and exception generation against timecards. This package provides the underlying programmatic utilities that fetch rule definitions, calculate timecard and reference periods, extract assignment and preference information, and execute the rule logic that drives timecard outcomes.

The package is documented as an OTHER classification API in ETRM 12.2.2, meaning it is intended for internal use by the Time and Labor engine and related components rather than as a public, customer-facing API. It is referenced by 14 other packages, positioning it as a shared utility layer consumed by higher-level Time and Labor processing routines.

Key Procedures and Functions

The package exposes 24 documented procedures and functions. The most significant are summarized below.

• GET_TIMECARD_INFO — Retrieves timecard-level information required for rule processing, including period and preference data.
• CALC_TIMECARD_PERIODS — Calculates the period boundaries (start and end dates) that apply to a timecard, using recurring period definitions.
• CALC_REFERENCE_PERIODS — Derives reference periods, including pre-period, post-period, and reference-period ranges, used for comparative or historical rule evaluations.
• EXECUTE_TIME_ENTRY_RULES — The core routine that applies configured time entry rules to timecards and produces rule outcomes.
• EXECUTE_ELP_TIME_ENTRY_RULES and EXECUTE_CLA_TIME_ENTRY_RULES — Specialized variants for executing rules in the context of accrual plans (ELP) and alternative rule processing (CLA).
• ADD_ERROR_TO_TABLE — Registers validation errors encountered during rule evaluation.
• PERIOD_MAXIMUM — Returns the maximum period value for a given calculation.
• ASG_STATUS_ID — Resolves the assignment status identifier relevant to rule evaluation.
• TC_EDIT_ALLOWED — Determines whether a timecard is currently editable.
• CALC_TIMECARD_HRS — Calculates hours associated with a timecard for rule processing.
• CHK_PTO_PLAN — Checks Paid Time Off plan attributes relevant to eligibility.
• GET_PROMPTS — Retrieves prompt values used in rule or message generation.
• PUBLISH_MESSAGE — Publishes messages, typically via FND_NEW_MESSAGES, for user notification during rule processing.
• RETURN_ARCHIVED_STATUS — Returns archived status information for timecard records.
• CHECK_VALID_CALC_DATE_ACCRUAL — Validates calculation dates against accrual plan rules.

Tables Accessed

The package reads and writes a defined set of tables through APPS synonyms. Rule definitions are sourced from HXC_TIME_ENTRY_RULES, with formula references resolved against FF_FORMULAS_F. Grouping and component relationships are drawn from HXC_TIME_ENTRY_RULE_COMPS_V, HXC_MAPPING_COMPONENTS, and HXC_BLD_BLK_INFO_TYPES. Recurring period data is obtained from HXC_RECURRING_PERIODS. Assignment and preference context comes from PER_ALL_ASSIGNMENTS_F and HXC_PREF_HIERARCHIES. Accrual logic references PAY_ACCRUAL_PLANS. Timecard and time attribute data is read from HXC_TIMECARD_SUMMARY, HXC_TIME_ATTRIBUTES, HXC_DATA_SETS, and HXC_TIME_BUILDING_BLOCKS. Message publishing relies on FND_NEW_MESSAGES, while flexfield and timezone metadata are read from FND_DESCR_FLEX_COL_USAGE_TL and FND_TIMEZONES_B.

Usage Notes

This package is invoked indirectly by the Time and Labor processing engine whenever time entry rules are evaluated against timecards—during timecard submission, approval, and calculation. It is consumed by other packages (14 documented dependencies) rather than called directly from forms. Customers should treat it as internal infrastructure; customizations should not call these procedures directly because signatures and behavior may change without notice across patch levels. PUBLISH_MESSAGE is of particular interest to developers tracing how rule outcomes surface to end users, since it writes to FND_NEW_MESSAGES and drives Time and Labor message notifications.