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Oracle Fast Formula

Training – Part 3

An ERPWebTutor Presentation

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Section 3 – Writing Fast Formulas

• Formula Structure • Comparators

• Calculation Section • Checking for Defaults
• Assignment Statement • Nested If Statements
• Return Statement • Functions
• Other Statements • User Tables
• Adding Comments • Lookup Values
• Fast Formula Compiler • User Defined Formulas
• IF Statement

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Formula Structure

 Formulas are linear and do not loop

 They are run from the top,
in sequence, until Fast Formula
reaches a Return statement

RETURN ...

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Formula Structure

alias grade_hourly_rate_value 1. Alias statement

as hourly_rate
default for hours_worked is 0
2. Default
default for statement
grade_hourly_rate_value is 25
inputs are hours_worked 3. Inputs
wage = hours_worked * 4. Calculation
hourly_rate section
return wage 5. Return
Statement

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Calculation Section

 The core of the formula, where values are calculated or

validated
 Includes assignment statements, such as:
time_available = accrued_PTO - amount_over_ceiling
 May include IF statements for conditional processing, such as:
IF amount_over_ceiling > accrued_PTO THEN
time_available = 0

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Assignment Statement

 The left hand side of an assignment statement is a local

variable
 The right hand side can contain constants or variable of the
same data type
 Examples:
salary = annual_salary/12
message = ‘This value exceeds the
maximum‘

Note: Always assign a value to a local variable before you use it

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Return Statement

 Calculation results can be passed back to the application

using the RETURN statement
 Many values can be returned from a formula with a single
Return statement:
RETURN value1, value2, … and so on

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Formula Statements

 Alias <x> as <y>

 Default for <a> is <b>
 Inputs are <1>, <2>, ….
 Assignment
 If …. Then(…) Else(…)
 Return <R1>, <R2>, ….

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Comments

 Use comments to explain what your formula does

 You can put comments anywhere in your formula
 Start the comment with /* and end with */
 Use white space and indentation, as well as comments, to
make your formulas easier to read and understand
 Do not put a comment within a comment

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Introduction to Fast Formula

FastFormula Compiler

 When you have written a formula, you compile it by choosing

the Verify button on the Formula window
 The compiler:
 Checks syntax
 Interprets database items
 Interprets functions
 Produces executable PL/SQL

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Introduction to Fast Formula

If Statement

 IF clause
 THEN clause
 ELSE clause
For example:

IF age < 20
THEN training_allowance = 30
ELSE training_allowance = 0

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Conditions

 Simple conditions compare a variable with a constant

IF salary > 20000
 You can also combine variables using arithmetical operators
and compare them to constants or other variables
IF (total_accrued_time + time_carried_forward + time_bought
> ceiling)
 You can combine conditions using the logical operators AND,
OR, NOT
IF (years_service > 15) AND (long_service_accrual = 0)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Multiple Actions Example - No Brackets
INPUTS ARE acct_balance, account (text),
debit_amt
IF acct_balance >= debit_amt
THEN
new_balance = acct_balance - debit_amt
message = ‘Full amount deducted.’
RETURN new_balance
Executed
unconditionally
ELSE Never gets here!
message = ‘Account number ‘ + account +
‘ has insufficient funds.’
RETURN message

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Comparators

 Use comparators to compare variables with constants or

other variables
 Examples:
 Equals--Text expressions must be in the same case, so
‘Smith’ does not equal ‘SMITH’
 Greater than--The first expression must be
alphabetically after, or numerically greater, or a later
date than the second expression

= > <
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Introduction to Fast Formula

Checking for Defaults

If <variable> Was Defaulted then ….

 Use the Was Defaulted test to check whether a database
item or input is null
 For example, you might want to check whether there is a
termination date or continuous service date on record for an
employee

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Nested IF Statements

You can nest an IF statement within a THEN or ELSE clause

IF NOT termination_date WAS DEFAULTED

THEN
(
early_end_date = termination_date
IF (early_end_date < first_period_end_date)
THEN
accrued_pto = 0
)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Functions

 Oracle Fast Formula comes supplied with a number of

functions that make it easier to perform common
calculations or transformations of data
 Examples:
 Rounding numbers to two decimal places
 Converting dates to the text data type so they can be
used in messages
 Functions are also supplied for accessing data from user
tables and translating lookup codes into meanings
 You can create your own functions using PL/SQL then
register them with Oracle FastFormula

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Example Functions

 greatest  add_years
 least  days_between
 floor  months_between
 round  to_text
 trunc  num_to_char
 add_days  to_date
 add_months  to_number

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Example Functions

 greatest  add_years
 least  days_between
 floor  months_between
 round  to_text
 trunc  num_to_char
 add_days  to_date
 add_months  to_number
annual_leave = 20 + FLOOR(years_service/2)

bonus = (monthly_salary * (bonus_percentage/100))

* MONTHS_BETWEEN(calculation_date, start_date)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

User Tables

 User tables are matrixes of information that can be

accessed using Oracle Fast Formula
 Some user tables are predefined for each legislation
 You can define as many additional user tables as you
require
 Examples
 Location allowance against locations
 PTO accrual entitlement by grade or job
 Shift differentials (normal shift against shift worked)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

GET_TABLE_VALUE Function

 Use the GET_TABLE_VALUE function in a formula to access

user table values

GET_TABLE_VALUE

 The required format is:

GET_TABLE_VALUE(table_name, column_name,
row_value [,effective date])

 The effective date parameter is optional

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Introduction to Fast Formula

User Table Example

Yearly PTO Accrual

Years Service Grade A Grade B

0-5 20 22
6 - 10 22 24
10 - 50 25 26

yearly_accrual =
GET_TABLE_VALUE(‘yearly_pto_accrual’, ‘Grade A’, 6)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

GET_LOOKUP_MEANING Function

 Use this function when you want Oracle FastFormula to

translate a lookup code into a meaning
 The required format is:

GET_LOOKUP_MEANING(lookup_type, lookup_code)

GET_LOOKUP_MEANING(‘eth_type’, ‘people_gb_ethnic_origin’)

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Introduction to Fast Formula

User-Defined Functions

 Create your own PL/SQL functions and register them with

Oracle Fast Formula using the Define Function window
 When you register the function, specify the contexts
and parameters it requires
 Functions used in Oracle Fast Formula must not have any
commit, rollback, or savepoint statements
 Fast Formula is a read-only tool

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Compiling Formulas

 Normally you compile a formula by choosing the Verify

button on the Formulas window
 You can recompile all formulas (for example, after an
upgrade) by running the Bulk Compile Formulas process (
FFXBCP )
 If you edit a user-defined function, you must recompile all
formulas that use the function

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Introduction to Fast Formula

Summary

Section 3 - Writing Fast Formulas

• Fast Formulas are linear and do not Loop. They Run upto
Return Statement.
• Basic statements like Inputs, Defaults, Aliases, IF and Return
Statements can be used.
• Local Inputs, Database Items and Global Values can be used in
Fast Formulas.
• Pre-defined Functions, Values from User Tables and Meanings
from Lookup Codes can also be accessed in Fast Formula.

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