Top 50 Oracle Apps Technical Interview Questions and Answers by IT Trainings Institute
Introduction
So, let’s dive into this comprehensive collection of Oracle Apps Technical Interview Questions and Answers, carefully categorized by IT Trainings Institute to support your interview preparation journey:
Oracle Apps Technical Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers
Oracle Apps Technical Interview Questions and Answers for Experienced Professionals
Oracle Apps Technical Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers
1. What is Oracle Apps (E-Business Suite)?
Answer:
Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) is a comprehensive suite of business applications used to manage enterprise functions like:
-
Finance
-
HR
-
Supply Chain
-
Manufacturing
-
CRM
It includes modules like Oracle Financials, SCM, HRMS, and more.
2. What is the role of a Technical Consultant in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
A Technical Consultant is responsible for:
Developing RICE components (Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Extensions)
Writing SQL, PL/SQL code
Creating XML Publisher and Forms/Reports
Developing and managing workflow and personalizations
Working with Oracle APIs and concurrent programs
3. What is a Concurrent Program in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
A Concurrent Program is a batch job (PL/SQL, Shell, Java, or Report) that runs in the background to perform tasks like:
Generating reports
Running interfaces
Processing data
It is managed using the Concurrent Manager.
4. What are the types of Interfaces?
Answer:
Inbound Interface – Data coming into Oracle Apps (e.g., supplier invoices)
Outbound Interface – Data going out of Oracle Apps (e.g., sales reports to external tools)
5.What is the use of FND Tables?
Answer:
FND (Foundation) tables are part of Oracle Apps’ metadata and hold information like:
Users (FND_USER)
Concurrent requests (FND_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS)
Flexfields (FND_FLEX_VALUES)
Menus and responsibilities (FND_RESPONSIBILITY)
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6. What is a Value Set in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
A Value Set is a list of valid values attached to a field in a form or report. It controls the input and validation of data.
Types:
Independent
Dependent
Table
Special
Pair
7. What is Multi-Org in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
Multi-Org (Multiple Organizations) is a feature that enables:
Managing data for multiple legal entities or business units
Separation of transactional and setup data
Common tables include ORG_ID and SET_OF_BOOKS_ID.
8. What is a DFF (Descriptive Flexfield)?
Answer:
A Descriptive Flexfield is a customizable field that allows users to enter additional data. It has:
Context-sensitive segments
Stored in ATTRIBUTES (ATTRIBUTE1, ATTRIBUTE2, etc.)
9. What is a KFF (Key Flexfield)?
Answer:
A Key Flexfield is used to uniquely identify entities like Accounts, Items, and Locations. Examples:
Accounting Flexfield
Item Category Flexfield
They consist of segments like Company, Department, Account, etc.
10. What are APIs in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are PL/SQL procedures provided by Oracle to perform operations like:
Create customer (AR_CUSTOMER_PUB)
Create invoice (AR_INVOICE_API)
Create purchase order (PO_HEADERS_INTERFACE)
These ensure data integrity and reduce custom coding.
11. What is the difference between a DFF (Descriptive Flexfield) and a KFF (Key Flexfield)?
Answer:
The key differences between DFFs and KFFs lie in their purpose and structure:
DFF (Descriptive Flexfield):
- Purpose: Used to capture additional, descriptive information about an entity. It’s like adding extra columns to a table without modifying its structure.
- Structure: Consists of context-sensitive segments (fields that appear based on the value of a “context” field) and global segments (always visible). The values are stored in ATTRIBUTE columns (e.g., ATTRIBUTE1 , ATTRIBUTE2, …, ATTRIBUTE15) in the base table.
- Example: On a Customer form, you might use a DFF to store “Customer Industry” or “Preferred Communication Method”. The fields shown might change based on “Customer Type”.
KFF (Key Flexfield):
- Purpose: Used to create unique identifiers for entities and to enforce a structured, composite key. They define the “key” attributes of an object.
- Structure: Consists of segments that together form a unique code. These segments map to distinct columns in the base table, and Oracle maintains a concatenated segment value in a specific column (e.g., CONCATENATED_SEGMENTS).
- Example: The Accounting Flexfield in Oracle General Ledger (GL) is a KFF. It combines segments like Company, Department, Account, and Intercompany to form a unique GL account code (e.g., 100.010.5000.000).
12. What is a Request Group in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
A Request Group in Oracle Apps is a logical grouping of Concurrent Programs. It controls which concurrent programs a specific Responsibility can submit. A responsibility is linked to one or more request groups. This mechanism helps in managing user access to background processes.
Example:
A “Payables Manager” responsibility might be assigned a “Payables Reports” request group, which contains concurrent programs for “Invoice Aging Report,” “Payment Register,” etc.
13. What is a Responsibility in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
A Responsibility in Oracle Apps defines a user’s access privileges within the E-Business Suite. It determines:
- Which menus and functions a user can access.
- Which request groups (and thus, concurrent programs) a user can submit.
- Which data they can see (e.g., through Multi-Org setup).
- Which profile options are set for that responsibility.
A user can have multiple responsibilities.
Example: “General Ledger Super User” responsibility would give access to all GL functions and reports, while “Accounts Payable Inquiry” responsibility would only allow viewing AP data.
14. What are Profile Options in Oracle Apps? Give examples.
Answer:
Profile Options are user-definable parameters that control the behavior of Oracle Applications. They can be set at various levels: Site, Application, Responsibility, and User. The lowest level setting takes precedence.
Examples:
- GL: Set of Books Name: Determines which ledger (Set of Books) is defaulted for a General Ledger responsibility.
- HR: Business Group: Specifies the default business group for HR functions.
- PO: Allow Reqimport: Controls whether requisitions can be imported via an interface.
- OE: Item Validation Organization: Defines the organization used for validating items in Order Management.
15. What is Workflow in Oracle Apps? What is its primary purpose?
Answer:
Oracle Workflow is a powerful engine that enables organizations to automate business processes by defining and managing their routing, notification, and approval logic.
Primary Purpose:
To automate business processes by sending notifications, initiating approvals, and executing specific actions based on predefined rules and conditions. It streamlines operations, reduces manual effort, and enforces business policies.
Example:
An “AP Invoice Approval Workflow” could route an invoice for approval based on its amount and supplier, sending notifications to approvers and updating the invoice status upon approval or rejection.
16. What is XML Publisher (now Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher or BI Publisher)?
Answer:
XML Publisher (now commonly known as Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher or BI Publisher) is Oracle’s primary reporting solution for creating highly formatted, pixel-perfect reports from various data sources.
Key Features:
- Data Source Separation: Separates report layout from report data.
- Template-Based Reporting: Uses templates (e.g., RTF, PDF, XPT, Excel) designed in familiar tools (like Microsoft Word) to define report layouts.
- Multiple Output Formats: Generates reports in various formats (PDF, HTML, Excel, RTF, CSV, XML).
- Flexible Data Sources: Can connect to SQL, PL/SQL functions, web services, XML files, etc.
Example:
You can create a “Customer Invoice” report where the data is extracted via a SQL query, and the layout (company logo, address, line items table) is defined in an RTF template.
17. What is ADI (Applications Desktop Integrator)?
Answer:
Oracle Applications Desktop Integrator (ADI) is a tool that allows users to perform Oracle E-Business Suite tasks directly from Microsoft Excel. It enables uploading data into Oracle Apps and downloading data for analysis, typically using a spreadsheet interface.
Purpose:
To facilitate mass data entry, data extraction, and financial reporting by leveraging the familiar Excel environment, reducing the need for manual data entry within the Oracle Forms interface.
Example: Financial users often use ADI to upload journal entries from Excel into the General Ledger module.
18. What is the significance of the APPS schema in Oracle E-Business Suite?
Answer:
The APPS schema is the central schema in Oracle E-Business Suite. It is a synonym-only schema that provides access to all the underlying product-specific schemas (e.g., GL, AP, AR, PO, HR, FND).
Significance:
- Simplified Access: Developers and users connect to the APPS schema to access data and objects from different modules without needing to know the specific underlying product schema (e.g., AP.AP_INVOICES_ALL, GL.GL_JE_HEADERS).
- Security and Management: Oracle manages privileges and grants on the underlying tables and views to the APPS schema, ensuring that APPS has the necessary permissions to access all required data.
- Portability: Code written using APPS synonyms is more portable and less dependent on specific schema names, which can change during upgrades or patching.
19. What is a Custom Top in Oracle Apps? Why is it used?
Answer:
A Custom Top (or custom application top) is a directory structure created on the Oracle Apps file system to house custom development objects (reports, forms, concurrent programs, PL/SQL packages, etc.) that are not part of standard Oracle products. It mirrors the standard Oracle application directory structure.
Why it is used:
- Isolation: Keeps custom code separate from Oracle standard code, preventing accidental overwrites or issues during patching and upgrades.
- Organization: Provides a structured way to manage and deploy custom objects.
- Maintenance: Simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting of custom components.
- Compliance: Adheres to Oracle’s best practices for customizations.
Example: You might have a custom top named XXAP (for your company’s custom Accounts Payable extensions), where you’d store custom AP reports, interfaces, and PL/SQL packages.
20. What is a Self-Service Page in Oracle Apps? How are they typically developed?
Answer:
Self-Service Pages (also known as OAF pages, built using Oracle Application Framework) are web-based pages in Oracle E-Business Suite that allow end-users to perform specific tasks themselves, typically without direct intervention from IT or HR.
Examples:
- Employee self-service (viewing payslips, applying for leave)
- Manager self-service (approving expenses, managing team performance)
- Supplier self-service (submitting invoices, checking payment status)
Development: They are typically developed using Oracle Application Framework (OAF), which is a Java-based framework. Development involves:
- Creating Java Beans for business logic.
- Designing XML Pages for the user interface.
- Using JDeveloper (Oracle’s IDE) for development.
21. What is an AOL Object? Give some examples.
Answer: AOL (Applications Object Library) is a foundational set of shared components and utilities within Oracle E-Business Suite that provide the framework for building and running applications. AOL objects are the building blocks defined within this framework.
Examples of AOL Objects:
- Concurrent Programs: (as discussed)
- Executables: The actual program file (PL/SQL, SQL*Report, Java, Shell script) that a concurrent program runs.
- Request Groups: (as discussed)
- Responsibilities: (as discussed)
- Menus: Define the navigation structure within a responsibility.
- Functions: Individual programs or forms that can be invoked from a menu.
- Value Sets: (as discussed)
- Flexfields (DFFs, KFFs): (as discussed)
- Profile Options: (as discussed)
- Lookups: Predefined lists of values used in various modules (similar to static LOVs in APEX).
22. What is the significance of "WHO" columns in Oracle Apps tables?
Answer:
“WHO” columns are a standard set of columns found in almost every transactional and setup table in Oracle E-Business Suite. They capture audit trail information.
Standard WHO Columns:
- CREATED_BY: User ID of the person who created the record.
- CREATION_DATE: Date and time when the record was created.
- LAST_UPDATED_BY: User ID of the person who last updated the record.
- LAST_UPDATE_DATE: Date and time when the record was last updated.
- LAST_UPDATE_LOGIN: Login ID (session ID) from which the update was made.
Significance:
- Audit Trail: Provides a clear history of who created and last modified a record and when.
- Troubleshooting: Helps in debugging and identifying the source of data changes.
- Security: Contributes to data accountability.
23. What is a Custom Report in Oracle Apps? How do you register it?
Answer:
A Custom Report is a report developed by a technical consultant to meet specific business requirements not covered by standard Oracle reports. They are typically developed using SQLPlus, SQLReport Writer, or BI Publisher.
Registration Process (Simplified):
- Develop the Report: Write the SQL query or create the data model and layout.
- Create an Executable: Register the actual report file (e.g., .rdf for Reports, .xdo for BI Publisher) as an “Executable” in Oracle Apps (Navigation: Application Developer -> Concurrent -> Executable).
- Define a Concurrent Program: Create a “Concurrent Program” and link it to the executable created in step 2 (Navigation: Application Developer -> Concurrent -> Program). Here you define parameters, output format, etc.
- Add to a Request Group: Assign the concurrent program to an appropriate “Request Group” that is associated with the relevant responsibility (Navigation: Application Developer -> Concurrent -> Request Group).
- Assign to Responsibility: Ensure the user’s responsibility has access to the request group.
24. What is a Lookup in Oracle Apps? How is it different from a Value Set?
Answer:
A Lookup (or FND Lookups) is a predefined list of valid values, often static, used throughout Oracle Applications for various fields. They are managed through the “Application Lookups” form.
Differences from Value Set:
- Scope: Lookups are typically pre-seeded by Oracle or used for common, relatively static lists across many applications. Value Sets are more flexible and can be defined dynamically using SQL queries for specific fields.
- Usage: Lookups are often used for fields with a finite, unchanging set of options (e.g., Yes/No, Status codes, Transaction Types). Value Sets are used when the list of values might change frequently or needs to be derived from database tables.
- Storage: Lookups are stored in FND_LOOKUP_TYPES and FND_LOOKUP_VALUES. Value Sets have their own tables (FND_FLEX_VALUE_SETS, FND_FLEX_VALUES, etc.).
25. What is the significance of APPL_TOP and COMMON_TOP in Oracle Apps directory structure?
Answer:
These are crucial environment variables pointing to key directories in the Oracle E-Business Suite file system:
- APPL_TOP: This is the top-level directory for all Oracle Application products. It contains the code for all installed application modules (e.g., AP, GL, PO, HR, FND). Within APPL_TOP, each product has its own sub-directory (e.g., $APPL_TOP/ap/12.0.0/).
- COMMON_TOP: This directory (usually $APPL_TOP/common) contains common files, utilities, and components shared across multiple Oracle Application products.
Significance:
- Organization: Provides a standardized and logical structure for storing application files.
- Deployment: Helps in deploying and managing application code, patches, and customizations.
- Environment Setup: Crucial for setting up the environment for users and concurrent managers to locate application executables, forms, reports, and other files.
26. What is a Discoverer Report?
Answer:
Oracle Discoverer is a Business Intelligence (BI) tool that allows end-users to create ad-hoc queries, reports, and analyses directly from the Oracle Database without requiring extensive technical knowledge. It has a graphical interface (Desktop and Web versions).
Purpose:
To provide ad-hoc reporting and analysis capabilities to business users, enabling them to explore data independently and make informed decisions. It connects to the database via “Business Areas” (metadata layer).
27. What is a System Administrator Responsibility?
Answer:
The System Administrator responsibility is a high-privileged responsibility in Oracle E-Business Suite that provides access to core administrative functions related to users, responsibilities, concurrent programs, profiles, and more.
Key Functions:
- Creating and managing users.
- Creating and managing responsibilities, menus, and functions.
- Registering concurrent programs and executables.
- Setting profile options.
- Managing concurrent managers.
- Performing patching and maintenance tasks (though some require direct file system access).
28. How do you find the underlying table name for a particular form in Oracle Apps?
Answer:
This is a common task for technical consultants. Several methods:
- Form Personalization/Customization: If the form is customized, examine the code for triggers or custom events where the tables might be referenced.
- FND_FORM_FUNCTIONS and FND_APPLICATION tables: Query these tables to find the form name associated with a function, and sometimes the form name itself might give a clue to the main table.
- Trace (SQL Trace): Enable SQL trace for the user session while navigating the form. The trace file will capture all SQL statements executed, revealing the tables queried.
- Backend Analysis: Often, the form name or module name is very similar to the main table name (e.g., “PO_POXPOV” form is likely related to PO_HEADERS_ALL and PO_LINES_ALL).
- Documentation: Refer to Oracle’s technical documentation or common knowledge bases for specific modules.
29. What is Oracle Applications Framework (OAF)?
Answer:
Oracle Applications Framework (OAF) is Oracle’s proprietary Java-based framework used for developing and extending web-based (HTML) user interfaces in Oracle E-Business Suite. It is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture.
Purpose:
- To build new Self-Service web pages within EBS.
- To customize or extend existing OAF pages.
- To provide a modern, browser-based user experience as a replacement for older Oracle Forms-based interfaces.
Tools: OAF development primarily uses Oracle JDeveloper IDE.
30. What are Interfaces in Oracle Apps? How do they work (high level)?
Answer:
Interfaces in Oracle Apps are mechanisms for exchanging data between Oracle E-Business Suite and external systems. They involve bringing data into EBS (inbound) or sending data out of EBS (outbound).
High-Level Working (Inbound):
- Staging Table: Data from the external system is first loaded into a temporary staging table (also known as an interface table) within the Oracle database.
- Validation: Concurrent programs or custom PL/SQL processes perform validations on the data in the staging table to ensure it meets Oracle’s business rules and data integrity constraints.
- Standard API/Interface Program: If validation is successful, a standard Oracle Interface Program (a concurrent program provided by Oracle for specific modules, or a custom program utilizing Oracle APIs) is run to transfer the valid data from the staging table into the base tables of the respective Oracle Apps module.
- Error Handling: Invalid records remain in the staging table with error messages for correction.
Example (Inbound): Loading daily sales orders from a retail system into Oracle Order Management.
