Overview of Attachments

The attachments feature enables users to link unstructured data, such as images, word processing documents,
spreadsheets, or text to their application data. To illustrate or clarify your application data, you can use the
attachment functionality .For example, you could attach to an invoice a photograph of items you ordered.
Attachment information can flow through your entire application. You can provide security to limit which
attachments users can see from particular forms by assigning document categories to your form functions. Users
then assign individual attachments to particular categories.
You can provide security to limit which attachments users can see from particular forms by assigning document
categories to your form functions. Users then assign individual attachments to particular categories.
You can add the attachments feature to your application forms and functions without modifying form code, so long
as your forms are built using Oracle E-Business Suite standards (starting with the Oracle E-Business Suite
TEMPLATE form).
Note: The current version of the Attachments feature supports attachments to a restricted set of applications data.
Check your product-specific documentation to determine if the Attachments feature is enabled for your Oracle
Applications product, and if so, for what data.

Usage
One way that Oracle empowers their customers to go green, is by enabling an attachment feature in their Oracle
forms and functions; from expense report receipts, to supplier invoices, to Payables backup.
Oracle allows their customers the flexibility to attach documents, files, and URLs to their database. If workflow
approval is enabled, the customer may also use their workflow approval processes to include the sending of
attachments to suppliers, approvers, etc.

Definitions
It is useful to specifically define certain terms that have special meaning within the context of the attachments
feature.
Invoice: Oracle Payable Invoice
Document: A document is any object that provides information to support another object or action. Examples
include images, word processing documents, spreadsheets, or text.
Entity: An entity is an object within Oracle Applications data, such as an item, an invoice. The attachments feature
must be enabled for an entity before users can link attachments to the entity.
Attachment: A document associated with an entity is called an attachment.
Attachment Function: A form or form function in your application cannot use attachments until the attachments
feature is set up for that form or function; that is, it must be defined as an "attachment function" in the Attachment
Functions window.
Document Category: A document category is a label that users apply to individual attachments and documents.
Document categories provide security by restricting the documents that can be viewed or added via a specific form
or form function.
When you set up the attachments feature, you assign document categories to particular forms or form functions.
When a user defines a document, the user assigns a category to the document. The attachments form can query only
those documents that are assigned to a category to which the calling form or form function is associated. A
"Miscellaneous" category is seeded to provide easy visibility of a document across forms.

How Attachments Work

How Users Use Attachments
When a user is using a block in a form where the attachments feature has been enabled, the attachments icon is
enabled in the toolbar (empty paper clip). If the user clicks on the icon, the Attachments window opens. In the
Attachments window, the user can either create a new attachment document or attach an existing document to the
base entity of the block.
The toolbar Attachment icon indicates whether the Attachments feature is enabled in a form. When the button is
greyed out, the Attachment feature is not available. When the Attachment feature is enabled in a form, the icon
becomes a solid paper clip. The icon switches to a paper clip holding a paper when the Attachment feature is enabled
in a form and the current record has at least one attachment.
Depending on how attachments have been set up, if a document has already been attached to the entity, the icon in
the toolbar indicates that an attachment is present (paper in paper clip). If the user clicks on the icon, the
Attachments window opens and automatically queries the attachment. For a given form function, the user only sees
attachments whose assigned categories are available for that form function.
For some setups of the attachment feature, the Attachments window automatically queries attachments for the base
entity of the block. To see attachments that are attached to related entities, the user checks the Include Related
Documents check box. The Attachments window then queries those attachments as well as the attachments for the
base entity.
However, the attachments feature can be set up so that all attachments for both the base entity and related entities of
the block can be seen initially (without the user checking the Related Documents check box). The user cannot
modify or insert attachments for the related entities in either case.

Using the Oracle Payables Attachment Feature

Adding Attachments to invoices

From a Payables responsibility, go to Invoices-> Entry->Invoices

Enter the invoice or Query an existing invoice. Notice the paperclip at the top of the toolbar, this should be
highlighted. Save your work. Click on the paperclip.

Choose a category for your attachment. Categories can be added as part of your Payables configuration.

Enter a Title and Description, which is optional and Choose a Data Type from the LOV

You will be prompted to upload the File and Submit.

Click Yes if the file was uploaded successfully

The file name or URL will appear in the appropriate column

How to Publish to Catalog

Choose the Publish to Catalog icon to publish the document to the document catalog so that it can be attached to
other records.
To attach a document that has already been published to the Catalog, choose the Document Catalog.
To Publish to Catalog, click on the Publish to Catalog button.

Click OK.

How to choose from the Document Catalog

To choose a document that already exists in the Document Catalog, click on the Document Catalog button. Enter
the Category, or description and click Find.

Click Attach to attach the published document to your invoice or invoice batches.

A. Attachment Features
1. In payables application invoice workbench form, query or enter a data record.
2. Choose the Attachment toolbar icon. The Attachments window opens.
3. Enter a category and description.
4. Save your work.

B. To attach an existing document to an Oracle Applications record:

1. In payables application invoice workbench window, query or enter a data record.
2. Choose the Attachment toolbar icon. The Attachments window opens.
3. Choose the Document Catalog... button. The Document Catalog window opens.
4. Query an existing document.
5. Check one or more documents.
6. Choose Attach (1).
7. Save your work.

C. To view an attached document:

1. Query a record.
2. Press the Attachment toolbar icon.
3. Move your cursor to the document you want to view. The Attachments appear in the document block.
D. To delete an attached document:
When you delete an attachment, you merely remove the association between a record and a document. The
document itself is not removed from your file system or database.

To delete a record's attachment:

1. In an application window, query a data record.
2. Choose the Attachment toolbar icon.
3. Move your cursor to the document you want to delete.
4. Choose Delete Record from the Edit menu.

5. Save your work.

If you choose to delete a attachment of Data type Long Text then the below caution message is displayed .

And if you choose to delete a attachment of web page or file ,the below caution message is displayed.

E. To Copy an Attachment from another record

Oracle Applications keeps a catalog of documents that have been attached to applications data records so far;
therefore, you can take advantage of this catalog if you want to attach an existing document to another data record.
To copy an attachment from another record:
1. In an application window, query the record that you want to attach a document to. (Don't query the record that
already has the attachment.)
2. Choose the Attachments toolbar icon.
3. Choose Document Catalog
4. Enter query criteria in the Attached To: field for the application object you want to copy attachments from.
5. Choose Find.
6. Check one or more documents.
7. Choose Attach (1).
8. Save your work.

Invoice Approval Workflow Attachments

Approvers can view the Invoice Attachments in the Payables Invoice Approval Workflow Notification. Workflow notification attachment list will
show attachments of all category including custom categories.
Earlier only two attachment category (From Supplier and Miscellaneous) was listed but after the Patch 10023225 all the categories are displayed
in the invoice approval notification page.
Below steps shows a scenario of how a Attachment can be viewed by the invoice approver.

Setup Invoice Approval Rules in AME

Enter the Invoice in Invoice Workbench

Add the attachments of different category (including custom category) to the invoice.

Initiate workflow approval.

Login as approver and goto the notification. Click on View Additional Invoice Details link.
Click on the Attachment List.
All attachments will be visible here.

Invoice approvers can update and delete attachments from the html invoice approval page.

Conclusion
The goal of this document is to help you learn and understand the Attachment feature in Payables application and
use the same in day to day transactions.