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Overview

APPS.FND_FLEX_DSC_API is an Oracle E-Business Suite application programming interface that manages the definition and lifecycle of descriptive flexfields (DFFs) at runtime. In Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2, descriptive flexfields provide the configurable attribute columns that allow customers to extend standard product tables without modifying the underlying schema. While the Forms-based Descriptive Flexfields window is the conventional maintenance path, FND_FLEX_DSC_API exposes equivalent registration, structure creation, context and segment management, and freeze operations programmatically.

The package enables Oracle applications, setup utilities, and partner integrations to register a descriptive flexfield against an application table, define its context field behavior, build context-dependent and global segments, attach reference fields and value set validation, and freeze the definition once configuration is complete. This supports automated deployment of flexfield metadata across instances and consistent, repeatable configuration without manual data entry.

Key Procedures and Functions

• REGISTER — Registers a descriptive flexfield, associating appl_short_name and flexfield_name with the underlying table, structure column, context prompt, enable-column pattern, and concatenated segments view.
• CREATE_CONTEXT — Creates a new context (a named structure variation) with a context code, name, description, enabled flag, and global flag.
• UPDATE_CONTEXT and DELETE_CONTEXT — Maintain and remove existing context definitions.
• CREATE_SEGMENT, MODIFY_SEGMENT, and DELETE_SEGMENT — Manage the individual flexfield segments belonging to contexts.
• CREATE_REFERENCE_FIELD — Defines reference fields used to derive segment validation or defaults.
• SETUP_CONTEXT_FIELD — Configures the context field, including the segment separator, prompt, default value, reference field, required and override behavior, and optional runtime property function.
• ENABLE_COLUMNS and DISABLE_COLUMNS — Apply or remove the pattern that governs which underlying table columns the flexfield uses.
• FREEZE — Freezes a flexfield definition, compiling and locking it for productive use.
• DELETE_FLEXFIELD — Removes a flexfield definition entirely.
• FLEXFIELD_EXISTS — Returns whether a specified flexfield is already registered, supporting idempotent configuration scripts.
• SET_SESSION_MODE, SET_VALIDATION, DEBUG_ON, and DEBUG_OFF — Control session and validation context and diagnostic output; SET_VALIDATION is documented as restricted.
• VERSION and MESSAGE — Return the package version and the last message or error text.

Tables Accessed

The package reads and writes the core DFF metadata repository through APPS synonyms. FND_DESCRIPTIVE_FLEXS and FND_DESCRIPTIVE_FLEXS_TL hold the flexfield header and its translated title and description; FND_DESCR_FLEX_CONTEXTS and FND_DESCR_FLEX_CONTEXTS_TL store context definitions. Segment usage is maintained in FND_DESCR_FLEX_COLUMN_USAGES and FND_DESCR_FLEX_COL_USAGE_TL, with validation against FND_FLEX_VALIDATION_TABLES and FND_FLEX_VALUE_SETS. FND_DEFAULT_CONTEXT_FIELDS holds context field defaults, FND_COMPILED_DESCRIPTIVE_FLEXS stores the runtime-compiled structure produced by FREEZE, and FND_TABLES and FND_COLUMNS describe the underlying table and its columns. FND_APPLICATION resolves the application short name, while FND_LANGUAGES and FND_LOOKUP_VALUES support translation and lookup-driven attributes.

Usage Notes

FND_FLEX_DSC_API is an administrative, setup-time API rather than a transaction-time interface. It is invoked from concurrent programs, Oracle Forms setup utilities, and custom deployment scripts that register or migrate descriptive flexfield definitions between environments. Because REGISTER and subsequent create operations populate shared metadata, they should be executed under controlled conditions, typically with a defined APPL_TOP session context, and followed by FREEZE to compile the flexfield for end-user access. Callers should verify prerequisites with FLEXFIELD_EXISTS before creating structures to avoid duplicate definitions, check MESSAGE and VERSION for diagnostics, and treat SET_VALIDATION as restricted. The package is referenced by 18 other EBS packages, reflecting its role as a foundational metadata service.