Let us talk about something that many people find confusing at first. It is customer tables in Oracle Apps R12. I remember when I first heard about it.
I felt like I was reading another language. But after some time, it became clear that it is not as scary as it looks.
If you have ever opened Oracle Apps R12 and tried to understand how customer data is stored, you might have seen many tables with names that look strange.
But every one of those tables has a purpose. And when you learn how they all work together, the whole system starts to make sense.
What Customer Tables Are
Think about your small business. You have customers who buy your products or services. You need a place to keep all their details safe.
Maybe you use a notebook or a spreadsheet. Oracle Apps R12 does the same thing but in a much bigger and smarter way.
Customer tables are like a large and organized notebook inside Oracle. They keep all the details about customers in one place. This includes their names, addresses, contact numbers, payment details, and anything that helps your company manage its relationship with them.
But Oracle does not use just one table. It uses several tables that work together. Each one has a special job to do. You can think of them as different sections of a big filing system.
Main Customer Tables
Oracle Apps R12 uses something called Trading Community Architecture. It is a big word but the idea is simple. It is a system that keeps data about people and organizations that your business deals with. These can be customers, suppliers, or even employees.
Here are the main tables that you should know about
HZ_PARTIES
This is like the main contact list. It stores information about every person or company your business connects with. It does not matter if the person is a customer or a supplier.
HZ_CUST_ACCOUNTS
This table keeps the details of the customer accounts. It is where you find account information such as credit limits or account numbers.
HZ_CUST_ACCT_SITES_ALL
This table holds details of customer sites or locations. If a customer has more than one office, this table helps you store that information.
HZ_CUST_SITE_USES_ALL
This table defines how each customer site is used. Some sites may be for billing, others for shipping, and some may be for both.
RA_CUSTOMERS
This is an older table that was used before Oracle created the TCA model. Some systems still use it, but new ones usually work with the HZ tables.
When I first started using these tables, I mixed them up many times. I remember searching for customer addresses in the wrong table for hours. But once I understood how they are connected, I felt like I had unlocked a secret path inside Oracle.
Why These Tables Are Important
Every business needs to know who its customers are. These tables make sure all customer data stays correct and organized. Without them, you could send an invoice to the wrong place or use an old customer address.
These tables are not just about storage. They help different parts of Oracle Apps talk to each other. The Receivables module, the Payables module, and the Order Management module all depend on this customer information.
So when you hear people talk about customer tables, remember they are at the heart of how your business handles customer data.
How AP Tables in Oracle Apps R12 Connect to This
You might have heard about AP tables in oracle apps r12. These are not about customers but about suppliers. If customer tables handle who pays you, AP tables in oracle apps r12 handle who you pay.
Imagine you run a company that sells mobile phones. Your customers pay you for the phones. But you also have suppliers who sell you the phone parts. The details of those suppliers are stored in AP tables in oracle apps r12.
Both customer tables and AP tables in oracle apps r12 work in a similar way. Once you understand one of them, the other one becomes easier. In fact, many people start with customer tables because they are simpler to understand.
How The Tables Connect
Now let us see how these tables link together.
- You start with HZ_PARTIES to get the main information about a customer. Then you move to HZ_CUST_ACCOUNTS to get their account details. From there you check
- HZ_CUST_ACCT_SITES_ALL to find their site information. Finally, you look at
- HZ_CUST_SITE_USES_ALL to see what each site does.
Each of these tables has a special ID that connects it to the others. For example, the PARTY_ID connects the party table to the account table. Once you understand these links, you can easily create queries that pull the exact information you want.
When I wrote my first query that joined all the customer tables correctly, it felt like magic. I could see the full picture of the customer data for the first time.
A Simple Example
Imagine you work for a company that sells computers. You have a customer named Priya who owns a company with two offices. One office is in Mumbai and another one is in Chennai.
Here is how Oracle Apps R12 will store her details
- HZ_PARTIES will keep Priya’s name and contact details.
- HZ_CUST_ACCOUNTS will keep her customer account information such as her account number.
- HZ_CUST_ACCT_SITES_ALL will have the addresses for both her Mumbai and Chennai offices.
- HZ_CUST_SITE_USES_ALL will tell you that Mumbai is her shipping site and Chennai is her billing site.
So when someone asks for Priya’s billing address, the system knows exactly where to look.
Helpful Tips For Beginners
- Always begin with the party table when searching for customer information.
- Keep note of the IDs that connect the tables. They are the keys to everything.
- If your query does not work, do not worry. It might be because you joined the wrong columns.
- Start with small queries to understand how data is stored. Then slowly make bigger ones.
- Remember that AP tables in oracle apps r12 follow the same idea but are for suppliers instead of customers.
Why Learning This Is So Useful
Many people find Oracle Apps R12 too technical. But once you learn how these customer tables work, you can solve problems that others cannot. You can build reports, fix wrong data, and even find out why something is not working.
I once worked on a project where an invoice was showing the wrong customer name. Everyone thought it was a system bug. But it was just a mismatch between two customer tables. Once I corrected it, the issue was fixed in minutes.
That day, I learned that understanding customer tables saves time and helps everyone in the team.
Once you get comfortable with customer tables, moving to AP tables in oracle apps r12 becomes much easier. Both are part of the same big picture.
Wrapping Everything Up
Customer tables in Oracle Apps R12 store all your customer information. They tell you who your customers are, where they are located, and how you do business with them.
The AP tables in oracle apps r12, on the other hand, store information about the suppliers and vendors that you pay. Both sets of tables are important. They help your company keep its financial data correct and connected.
At first, all these table names may sound difficult, but once you spend some time with them, they start to make sense. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
Learning this will not only make you more confident but will also make you valuable to your team.
When you can pull customer data easily, create accurate reports, and fix errors fast, you become the person everyone goes to for help. And trust me, that feels great.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the use of customer tables in Oracle Apps R12
Customer tables are used to store and manage all information related to customers such as names, addresses, and account details.
2. What is the difference between customer tables and AP tables in oracle apps r12
Customer tables store data about customers who pay you while AP tables in oracle apps r12 store data about suppliers that you pay.
3. What is the purpose of the HZ_PARTIES table
The HZ_PARTIES table keeps the main information about every person or company that your business deals with.
4. Why should we understand customer tables in Oracle Apps R12
Knowing these tables helps you fix data issues, build reports, and understand how different modules in Oracle Apps are connected.
5. Can one company be both a customer and a supplier
Yes. Sometimes the same company can appear in both customer tables and AP tables in oracle apps r12 because it buys from you and also sells to you.
6. Is the structure of these tables the same in all Oracle versions
The structure is almost the same in all recent versions though some table names or columns might change slightly.
7. How can a beginner learn to use customer tables
The best way is to start practicing. Run small SQL queries on one table at a time, look at the data, and slowly understand how they are connected ap tables in oracle apps r12.
