What are Open Interfaces?
-
The term Open Interfaces actually refers a programming interface, usually a database table, which automates the execution of Oracle APIs.
- Open Interfaces provide a single, simple interface for a specified business procedure.
- There are interface tables that we need to populate and run a concurrent request that will pick records from these tables do validation and insert it in the base tables.
-
These are called as a collection of “Black Box” interfaces that provide programmatic access into the Oracle ERP database.
- The term API refers to stored procedure driven interfaces, where you call a stored procedure to perform an action within an Oracle Module, and the data from your external application is passed through the stored procedure’s parameters.
- APIs are for not meant for mass data loading and they load a single record (not necessarily a single row) at a time, we have to pass parameters and generally they need data in a row/table type format to make use of APIs for mass loading we have to run it in a loop reading from a .csv file.
-
In EBS one Open Interface may run many API calls.
- Open Interface run asynchronously.
- The good is that if there is failure of record, they remain in the table until either fixed or purged.
- They automate the interface into the APIs.
- This requires less work and less code as few SQL DML would simply.
-
When there is no corresponding Open Interface.
- Normally all Oracle APIs run synchronously, and provide immediate responses, therefore mechanism to be provided to handle such situation.
- APIs requires custom error handling routine.
- This may requires lot more effort as these need fine grain control approach.
- API is faster than Open Interface.
- The APIs are also used by the front end screens, and in the same way, will require all the appropriate prerequisites to be implemented.
- Cannot use APIs as an alternative to implementation.