UDA or User-Defined Attributes provide an infrastructure that you can use to define new attributes, group them and associate that group to one or more type of documents transacted within CLM. The UDA framework is used for information only attributes that do not impact the E-Business Suite business flows and for information defaulting in purchasing documents. Examples of UDA include MDAP/MAIS Codes, program codes etc.
User-defined attributes capture all the detailed information about an object. The Attribute Setup Workbench enables you to create user-defined attributes with validation logic to support the needs of your organization.
A large number of federal fields are applicable to all type of documents transacted within the CLM application. The application captures and maintains these fields at the document header or for every line present on the document. Most of these fields are informational and are implemented as pre-defined UDAs
Note: CLM UDA uses the framework provided by Oracle Product Information Management UDA. However, Oracle CLM uses only parts of that infrastructure. This guide provides you details of UDAs that are applicable for Oracle CLM users.
A summary of the steps you need to complete when planning your implementation, are listed below:
Plan the attributes you require.
Group the attributes.
Define the values sets for attributes.
Write PL/SQL code and load this to the database in apps schema.
Register the code as PL/SQL function.
Update the attribute template for usage and optionally as actions.
The key decision areas when planning your UDA implementation are:
Decide upon the attributes you require and the levels (business entities) at which you need the attributes.
Decide on how you want to group the set of attributes which need to display on the same set of levels into attribute groups in to suit your requirements. All operations on UDAs happen at the Attribute Group level. Attributes cannot exist outside an attribute group.
Decide where the attribute groups should render. There are predefined locations on the application pages where UDAs can display. Usages on the Attribute Template control this display.
Now, decide upon the allowable set of values for each attribute and how you would like it to render. For example, an attribute could render as a text field, check box, list, and so on.
At this stage, decide whether you need any actions on your attribute groups. Actions are optional and enable you to configure the behavior of UDAs beyond simple data capture. Actions execute predefined PLSQL program units, which you need to write and load to the database in apps schema. You also need to register these program units as functions in the Attribute Setup Workbench and also associate these functions to the attribute group as actions via attribute template.
It is recommended that you create your value set before defining your attribute groups. Ensure you identify the attributes you want to capture on specific documents, and group the attributes into functional group based on the way you intend to share them across documents.
You use the Attribute Setup Workbench to complete your UDA setup. Use the CLM Purchasing Super User responsibility to access the Attribute Setup Workbench. Navigate to Setup : Attribute Setup Workbench: Attribute Setup Workbench to access and use the following tabs to complete the UDA setup:
To be able to set up UDA, you must:
Define value sets for User-Defined Attributes.
Define attribute groups.
Define functions and function parameters.
Create new revisions to existing templates or create a new template.
Create and update actions on the attribute template to associate attribute groups with functions.
Simulate and test your setup.