Organizing Programs into Request Sets (User, System Administrator, and Flexfields Help)


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Organizing Programs into Request Sets

Request sets are a quick and convenient way to run several reports and concurrent programs with predefined print options and parameter values. Request sets group requests into stages that are submitted by the set. The order in which the stages are submitted is determined by the status of previous stages.

Request sets can also be used by a System Administrator to customize access to reports and concurrent programs. Using request sets, a System Administrator can:

grant users of a responsibility the ability to run selected reports and concurrent programs that are outside their request security group.

grant access to requests and other concurrent programs on a user-by-user basis.

guarantee that reports in the set run with print options and parameter values that cannot be edited by end users.

As System Administrator, you have privileges beyond those of your application users, including a privileged version of the Request Set window. See: Request Set Windows.

Defining Request Sets

You can run the same set of concurrent requests regularly by defining a request set, and then submitting the request set from the Submit Requests form.

As System Administrator, you can include any Standard Request Submission report or concurrent program in the request sets you define. When end users define a request set, they can only select from reports and programs that belong to their responsibility's request security group.

Use the Request Set form to create and edit request sets. See: Request Set Windows.

Request Set Stages

Organizing Request Sets into Stages

Request sets are divided into one or more "stages" which are linked to determine the sequence in which requests are run. Each stage consists of one or more requests that you want to run in parallel (at the same time in any order). For example, in the simplest request set structure, all requests are assigned to a single stage. This allows all of the requests to run in parallel.

To run requests in sequence, you assign requests to different stages, and then link the stages in the order you want the requests to run.

The concurrent manager allows only one stage in a request set to run at a time. When one stage is complete, the following stage is submitted. A stage is not considered to be complete until all of the requests in the stage are complete.

One advantage of using stages is the ability to run several requests in parallel and then move sequentially to the next stage. This allows for a more versatile and efficient request set.

Using Stage Status

Like request sets and concurrent requests, stages can complete with different statuses. Each stage can complete with a status of Success, Warning, or Error. You can use these completion statuses to structure your request set, by defining which stage will follow the current stage based on its completion status. For example, the request set in Figure 1 - 59 always begins with Stage 1. If Stage 1 complete with the status Warning, then the Warning link is followed, and Stage 3 is submitted. After Stage 3 completes, the set ends, since there are no links that may be followed.

Figure 1 - 2.

In this example, the stage status is determined using the Standard stage function. The Standard stage function uses the statuses of the requests within the stage to calculate the status for the stage. If all of the requests in a stage complete with a status of Success, then the status for the stage is Success. If one or more requests complete with a status of Error, then the status of the stage is Error. For a stage's status to be Warning, one or more of the requests must have a status of Warning, and no request may have a status of Error.

Linking of Stages

There are no restrictions on linking stages within a request set. Any stage may be linked to any other stage, including itself. Two or more links can point to the same stage. For example, Stage 1 can link to Stage 2 if the completion status of Stage 1 is Success or Warning, and link to Stage 3 if the status is Error.

Figure 1 - 3.

You determine the end of a request set by not specifying a followup stage for each completion status. You can end a request set after any stage in the request set. When any stage completes with a status that does not link to another stage, the request set ends.

Stage Functions

The completion status of a stage is determined by a predefined function. A function can use information about the requests in a stage when determining the completion status for the stage. The Standard Oracle Applications function uses the completion status of the requests it contains, but almost any information from the request may be used to determine the completion status of a stage. Stage functions are defined by your Oracle application or can be customized at your site. For information on creating custom stage functions see the Oracle Applications Developer's Guide.

Request Set Completion Status

When a stage completes with a status for which there is no link defined, the request set ends. The completion status for the request set is determined by one of the following methods:

Using the completion status of the last stage run in the request set. This method is used by default.

The user can override the default behavior by defining a specific stage within the set to be "critical". If the request set runs a critical stage, then the completion status of the set will be the same as the completion status of the most recently run critical stage. This can be useful if the final stage of the set is a "clean up" stage and is not considered important to the overall status of the set.

Printing Request Sets

On a report-by-report basis, you can select a different printer for each report in a request set. When you define a request set, print options, such as the printer a report is sent to, are saved so you do not have to specify them again when you run the request set.

Attention: If a printer is defined for a concurrent program using the Concurrent Programs form, then that value cannot be updated, either by a user profile option setting, a request set definition, or when running the program or request set.

Note: Defining a printer for a request set concurrent program (e.g., Request Set Payables Aging Reports) in the Concurrent Programs form has no effect; the printer definition is not referred to.

Request Sets as Concurrent Programs

When you define a request set or a stage within a request set that allows incompatabilities, a concurrent program is created to run the requests in your request set according to the instructions you enter.

All concurrent programs that run request sets are titled Request Set <name of request set>, and programs that run request set stages are titled Request Set Stage <name of request set stage>. In the Concurrent Programs form, to query request set or request set stage concurrent programs on the basis of a program's name, enter the following in the Name field:

"Request Set" or "Request Set Stage" before the name of the concurrent program

"Request Set %" or "Request Set Stage %" to perform a query on all request set programs

Request set and request set stage concurrent programs create log files documenting the execution of the request set or stage. Each report or concurrent program within a request set or stage also creates its own log file.

When you run a request set that allows incompatabilities, you submit a request to run the concurrent program that defines the request set. The request set concurrent program submits a request set stage concurrent program. The request set stage concurrent program submits the requests for the individual programs and reports within the stage. A request to run the request set concurrent program or the request set stage concurrent program is a Parent request, while the requests to run the programs and reports are Child requests.

You can review the status of a request set and the programs it contains using the Concurrent Requests form. Table 1 - 3 displays request phase and status information that pertains to request sets.

Request Set Request Phase and Status

Phase Status Description

RUNNING Paused Parent request pauses for all its Child requests to complete. For example, a request set stage pauses for all reports in the stage to complete.

Resuming All requests submitted by the same Parent request have completed running. The Parent request resumes running.

Table 1 - 3. (Page 1 of 1)

Phase	Status	Description

RUNNING	Paused	Parent request pauses for all its Child requests to complete. For example, a request set stage pauses for all reports in the stage to complete.
	Resuming	All requests submitted by the same Parent request have completed running. The Parent request resumes running.
Table 1 - 3. (Page 1 of 1)

Modifying Request Sets

A request set can only be modified by its owner or by a System Administrator. To make modifications, query the request set you want to modify in the Request Set window.

Note: If you wish to retain modifications to request sets provided by your Oracle application during upgrades, you must rename or recreate the request set using a different name before you upgrade. If you modify a predefined request set without changing the name, your modifications are overwritten when you upgrade your Oracle Applications.