Search Results read_clob

Overview

AST_NOTE_PACKAGE is a PL/SQL package body owned by the APPS schema in Oracle E-Business Suite, shipped in releases 12.1.1 and 12.2.2. It belongs to the Application Object Library note-handling infrastructure used by the Asset (AST) product family, providing reusable program units that support the display, reclassification, and retrieval of free-form notes attached to business entities. Rather than acting as a top-level API in its own right, the package is best characterized as a supporting utility layer: the ETRM registry classifies it as OTHER, and its procedures are consumed by other packages and by the forms and concurrent programs that present note content to end users. It sits alongside the shared Notes framework (JTF_NOTES_TL and related Note infrastructure), a technology stack that was introduced during the 11i cycle and retained through 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 to maintain backward compatibility for seeded and custom code.

Key Procedures and Functions

The ETRM metadata documents five callable units within the package body:

• NOTE_CONTEXT_INFO — Resolves and returns context information for a note, that is, the identifying attributes that tie a note record to the entity it annotates. This is typically used by calling code that must render or validate a note before display or update.
• PARTY_TYPE_INFO — Returns classification information about a party (customer, prospect, or related entity) recorded in the TCA layer. It allows note-processing logic to determine the party type associated with a note so that appropriate formatting or routing rules can be applied.
• READ_CLOB — Reads character large object content associated with a note. Because note text in the Notes framework can exceed the limits of a VARCHAR2 column, note bodies are held as CLOBs, and this routine extracts the stored text for presentation or downstream processing.
• Two additional procedures are present in the validated package body but are not individually enumerated in the available excerpt; they form part of the same internal support surface and are not documented as public integration entry points.

No parameter lists are published in the ETRM record, and callers should not assume a stable public signature beyond what the source of the package reveals. The package is not documented as an integration API.

Tables Accessed

The dependency listing shows that AST_NOTE_PACKAGE references a small, focused set of objects:

• JTF_NOTES_TL — The translatable notes table that stores note identifiers, source objects, and language-specific note text. This is the primary data source for note context and CLOB retrieval.
• HZ_PARTIES — The TCA registry table holding party records. It is consulted to derive party type and identity information for notes attached to customer or prospect records.
• DBMS_LOB — The Oracle-supplied LOB package, invoked to read and manipulate CLOB note content.
• AR_LOOKUPS — The Receivables lookup view, used to translate coded values (for example, note context or party-type codes) into meaningful display values.

The package does not write to any documented table; its role is predominantly read-oriented.

Usage Notes

AST_NOTE_PACKAGE is invoked indirectly. The ETRM listing shows it is referenced by two other packages, and it is not referenced by any database object outside that set, indicating that it is called from EBS forms and from the packages that back note-enabled windows rather than from concurrent programs or published interfaces. In practice it executes when a user views or edits a note associated with an asset or party record, and when higher-level note packages need to resolve context or fetch CLOB text. Because it is a package body only with no corresponding documented public API classification, it should not be used as a supported integration point; customizations should call the supported Notes framework APIs instead. Its dependencies on HZ_PARTIES and JTF_NOTES_TL mean any upgrade of the TCA or Notes schema carries a corresponding regression risk, and the package should be revalidated after such upgrades in both 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 environments.