What is Value Sets? What are Types Of Value Sets?

Oracle Application Object Library uses values; value sets and validation tables as important components of key FLEXFIELDs, descriptive FLEXFIELDs, and Standard Request Submission. This section helps you understand, use and change values, value sets, and validation tables. When you first define your FLEXFIELDs, you choose how many segments you want to use and what order you want them to appear. You also choose how you want to validate each of your segments. The decisions you make affect how you define your value sets and your values. You define your value sets first, either before or while you define your FLEXFIELD segment structures. You typically define your individual values only after your FLEXFIELD has been completely defined (and frozen and compiled). Depending on what type of value set you use, you may not need to predefine individual values at all before you can use your FLEXFIELD.
You can share value sets among segments in different FLEXFIELDs, segments in different structures of the same FLEXFIELD, and even segments within the same FLEXFIELD structure. You can share value sets across key and descriptive FLEXFIELDs. You can also use value sets for report parameters for your reports that use the Standard Request Submission feature.
Because the conditions you specify for your value sets determine what values you can use with them, you should plan both your values and your value sets at the same time. For example, if your values are 01, 02 instead of 1, 2, you would define the value set with Right–Justify Zero–fill set to Yes.
Value set is nothing but List of Values with validations. We can use the Value Sets when ever the Concurrent Program has parameters and while defining the Flex Fields. We have to attach the value sets to the Concurrent Program. Validations are depending on Client Requirement.

Value sets are of 8 types. 

There are several validation types that affect the way users enter and use segment or parameter values:

1. None (not validated at all)
2. Independent
3. Dependent
4. Table
5. Special (advanced)
6. Pair (advanced)
7. Translatable Independent
8. Translatable Dependent

You cannot change the validation type of an existing value set, since your changes affect all FLEXFIELDs and report parameters that use the same value set.

None: You use a None type value set when you want to allow users to enter any value so long as that value meets the value set formatting rules. That is, the value must not exceed the maximum length you define for your value set, and it must meet any format requirements for that value set. For example, if the value set does not allow alphabetic characters, your user could not enter the value ABC, but could enter the value 456 (for a value set with maximum length of three). The values of the segment using this value set are not otherwise validated, and they do not have descriptions. Because a NONE value set is not validated, a segment that uses this value set does not provide a list of values for your users. A segment that uses this value set (that is, a non–validated segment) cannot use FLEXFIELD value security rules to restrict the values a user can enter.

Independent : An Independent value set provides a predefined list of values for a segment. These values can have an associated description. For example, the value 01 could have a description of ‘Company 01’. The meaning of a value in this value set does not depend on the value of any other segment. Independent values are stored in an Oracle Application Object Library table. You define independent values using an Oracle Applications window, Segment Values.

Table: A table–validated value set provides a predefined list of values like an independent set, but its values are stored in an application table. You define which table you want to use, along with a WHERE cause to limit the values you want to use for your set. Typically, you use a table–validated set when you have a table whose values are already maintained in an application table (for example, a table of vendor names maintained by a Define Vendors form). Table validation also provides some advanced features such as allowing a segment to depend upon multiple prior segments in the same structure.

Dependent : A dependent value set is similar to an independent value set, except that the available values in the list and the meaning of a given value depend on which independent value was selected in a prior segment of the FLEXFIELD structure. You can think of a dependent value set as a collection of little value sets, with one little set for each independent value in the corresponding independent value set. You must define your independent value set before you define the dependent value set that depends on it. You define dependent values in the Segment Values windows, and your values are stored in an Oracle Application Object Library table.

Special and Pair Value Sets:
Special and pair value sets provide a mechanism to allow a”FLEXFIELD–within–a–FLEXFIELD”. These value sets are primarily used for Standard Request Submission parameters. You do not generally use these value sets for normal FLEXFIELD segments. Special and Pair value sets use special validation routines you define. For example, you can define validation routines to provide another FLEXFIELD as a value set for a single segment or to provide a range FLEXFIELD as a value set for a pair of segments.

Translatable Independent and Translatable Dependent :A Translatable Independent value set is similar to Independent value set in that it provides a predefined list of values for a segment. However, a translated value can be used. A Translatable Dependent value set is similar to Dependent value set in that the available values in the list and the meaning of a given value depend on which independent value was selected in a prior segment of the FLEXFIELD structure. However, a translated value can be used. FLEXFIELD Value Security cannot be used with Translatable Independent or Translatable Dependent value sets. For format validation, translatable value sets must use the format type Char. The maximum size must be no greater than 150. The Number Only option and the Right–justify and Zero–Fill Numbers option cannot be used with translatable value sets. Range FLEXFIELDs cannot use Translatable Independent or Translatable Dependent value sets.