FND_GLOBAL
The server-side package FND_GLOBAL returns the values of system globals, such as
the login/signon or "session" type of values. You need to set Who columns for inserts
and updates from stored procedures. Although you can use the FND_GLOBAL package
for various purposes, setting Who columns is the package's primary use.
You should not use FND_GLOBAL routines in your forms (that is on the client side), as
FND_GLOBAL routines are stored procedures in the database and would cause extra
roundtrips to the database. On the client side, most of the procedures in the
FND_GLOBAL package are replaced by a user profile option with the same (or a
similar) name. You should use FND_PROFILE routines in your forms instead.
FND_PROFILE
You can use these user profile routines to manipulate the option values stored in client and
server user profile caches.+
On the client, a single user profile cache is shared by multiple form sessions. Thus,
when Form A and Form B are both running on a single client, any changes Form A
makes to the client's user profile cache affect Form B's run-time environment, and vice
versa.
On the server, each form session has its own user profile cache. Thus, even if Form A
and Form B are running on the same client, they have separate server profile caches.
Server profile values changed from Form A's session do not affect Form B's session, and
vice versa.
Similarly, profile caches on the server side for concurrent programs are separate. Also,
note that the server-side profile cache accessed by these PL/SQL routines is not
synchronized with the C-code cache. If you put a value using the PL/SQL routines, it
will not be readable with the C-code routines.
Any changes you make to profile option values using these routines affect only the
run-time environment. The effect of these settings ends when the program ends,
because the database session (which holds the profile cache) is terminated. To change
the default profile option values stored in the database, you must use the User Profiles