Oracle FastFormula User's Guide

1 OracleFastFormula user s GuideRelease No. A58346 01 Enabling the Information Age Oracle FastFormula user s Guide , Release No. A58346 01 Copyright E Oracle Corporation 1995 All rights reserved. Printed in the Author: John Cafolla, Juliette Fleming and Louise RaffoContributors: Mark Callaghan, Michael O SheaThis software was not developed for use in any nuclear, aviation, masstransit, medical, or other inherently dangerous applications. It is thecustomer s responsibility to take all appropriate measures to ensure the safeuse of such applications if the programs are used for such software/documentation contains proprietary information of OracleCorporation; it is provided under a license agreement containing restrictions onuse and disclosure and is also protected by copyright law.

2 Reverse engineeringof the software is this software/documentation is delivered to a Government Agency ofthe Department of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights and thefollowing legend is applicable:Restricted Rights Legend Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government issubject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of 7013, Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software (October 1988). Oracle Corporation, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City, CA this software/documentation is delivered to a Government Agency notwithin the Department of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights ,as defined in FAR 14, Rights in Data General, including Alternate III(June 1987).The information in this document is subject to change without notice.

3 If youfind any problems in the documentation, please report them to us in Corporation does not warrant that this document is error , Oracle Alert, Oracle Financials, SQL*Plus are registered trademarks of OracleCorporationOracle Application Object Library, Oracle General Ledger, Oracle Human Resources, Oracle Payroll, Oracle Reports, PL/SQL, SQL*TextRetrieval are trademarks of other products or company names are used for identification purposes only,and may be trademarks of their respective owners. iContentsContentsPrefacePreface i.. About This user s Guide ii.. Finding the Latest Information ii.. Assumptions iii.. Do Not Use Database Tools to Modify Oracle Applications Data iv.. Other Information Sources v.. About Oracle viii.. Thank You viii.. Chapter 1 Oracle FastFormula1 1.. Oracle FastFormula Overview1 2.

4 Writing a Simple Payroll Calculation1 2.. Types of Input1 3.. Writing More Complex Calculations1 5.. Incorporating Conditions1 6.. Commenting your Formulas1 8.. Formula Structure1 9.. Using the Formula Window1 10.. Using the Globals Window1 12.. Defining Functions1 13.. Using Oracle FastFormula for Payroll Calculations1 16.. Accessing Input Values in Payroll Formulas1 17.. Writing Efficient Payroll Calculation Formulas1 19.. Writing Formulas for Element Skip Rules1 21.. ii Oracle Human Resources UK user s GuideUsing Oracle FastFormula for Validation1 23.. Examples1 24.. Using Oracle FastFormula to Define QuickPaint Reports1 26.. Using Oracle FastFormula to Define Assignment Sets1 28.. Oracle FastFormula Reference1 29.. Constants and Variables1 30.

5 Constants1 31.. Variables1 32.. Expressions1 35.. Arithmetic Operators1 36.. Functions1 36.. Text Functions1 37.. Numeric Functions1 39.. Date Functions1 40.. Data Conversion Functions1 41.. GB Functions1 44.. Comments1 45.. Statements1 45.. Alias Statement1 45.. Default Statement1 46.. Inputs Statement1 46.. Assignment Statement1 47.. IF Statement1 48.. Return Statement1 50.. Compiling Formulas1 50.. Formula Errors1 51.. Appendix ADatabase ItemsA 1.. Static Database ItemsA 2.. Applicant InformationA 2.. Employee Assignment InformationA 2.. Contact AddressesA 7.. Contact InformationA 8.. Employee Hire InformationA 10.. Location DetailsA 10.. Payroll DetailsA 12.. People AddressesA 13.. People InformationA 15.. Recruiter InformationA 17.

6 Supervisor InformationA 18.. Date InformationA 18.. iiiContentsDynamic Database ItemsA 19.. Element Database ItemsA 19.. Grade Rate Database ItemsA 22.. Pay Scale Rate Database ItemsA 22.. Descriptive Flexfield Database ItemsA 23.. Key Flexfield Database ItemsA 25.. Absence Database ItemsA 26.. GlossaryIndex iPrefacePrefaceWelcome to Release of the Oracle FastFormula user s Guide includes the information you need to understand and useOracle FastFormula . It provides details of syntax for each of thestatements and functions available in FastFormula as well as examplesof the different types of formulas you may want to preface explains how the Guide is organized and introduces othersources of information that can help you. iiOracle FastFormula user s GuideAbout This user s GuideThe main body of information you need to understand OracleFastFormula together with the reference information for each commandor function is contained in Chapter Database Item Appendix provides a reference source that lists allstatic and dynamic database items that are available to you inFastFormula.

7 This list of items provides a simple method of accessingyour HRMS data in user s Guide is available onlineAll Oracle Applications user s guides are available online, in bothHTML and Adobe Acrobat format. Most other Oracle Applicationsdocumentation is available in Adobe Acrobat paper and online versions of this manual have identical content,and you can use whichever format is more HTML version of this book is optimized for on screen reading,and lets you follow hypertext links for easy access to books across ourentire library. You can also search for words and phrases if yournational language is supported by Oracle s Information HTML documentation is available from the Oracle Applicationstoolbar, or from a URL provided by your system administrator. Notethat the HTML documentation is translated into over can order an Oracle Applications Documentation Library CDcontaining Adobe Acrobat versions of each manual in the OracleApplications documentation set.

8 Using this CD, you can search forinformation, read it on screen, and print individual pages, sections, orentire books. When you print from Adobe Acrobat, the resultingprintouts look just like pages from an Oracle Applications the Latest InformationFor information about any new features that were not available whenthis user s Guide was printed, look at the What s New? section on themain Help menu. This information is updated for each new release ofOracle FastFormula HTML Help. iiiPrefaceAssumptionsThis Guide assumes you have a working knowledge of the following: the principles and customary practices of your business area the places where FastFormula are used in the Oracle HRMS product you are not familiar with Oracle HR or Oracle Payroll wesuggest you attend the introduction or implementation trainingclasses for these product available through Oracle Education.

9 The Oracle Applications graphical user learn more about this, read the Oracle Applications user Other Information Sources below for further details of OracleApplications product information. ivOracle FastFormula user s GuideDo Not Use Database Tools to Modify Oracle Applications DataOracle provides powerful tools you can use to create, store, change,retrieve and maintain information in an Oracle database. But if you useOracle tools like SQL*Plus to modify Oracle Applications data, you riskdestroying the integrity of your data and you lose the ability to auditchanges to your Oracle Applications tables are interrelated, any change youmake using an Oracle Applications form can update many tables atonce. But when you modify Oracle Applications data using anythingother than Oracle Applications forms, you may change a row in onetable without making corresponding changes in related tables.

10 If yourtables get out of synchronization with each other, you risk retrievingerroneous information and you risk unpredictable results throughoutOracle you use Oracle Applications forms to modify your data, OracleApplications automatically checks that your changes are valid. OracleApplications also keeps track of who changes information. But, if youenter information into database tables using database tools, you maystore invalid information. You also lose the ability to track who haschanged your information because SQL*Plus and other database toolsdo not keep a record of , we STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you never useSQL*Plus, Oracle Data Browser, database triggers, or any other tool tomodify Oracle Applications tables, unless we tell you to do so in ourmanuals. vPrefaceOther Information SourcesYou can choose from many sources of information, includingdocumentation, training, and support services, to increase yourknowledge and understanding of Oracle Oracle Applications documentation is available in Adobe Acrobatformat on the Oracle Applications Documentation Library CD.