FND_GLOBAL

SELECT  FND_GLOBAL.EMPLOYEE_ID
FROM    DUAL

EMPLOYEE_ID - Return employee id of current user. Employee_id is a foreign key to PER_PEOPLE_F.PERSON_ID

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE "FND_GLOBAL"

"The server-side package APPS.FND_GLOBAL returns the values of system globals, such as the login/signon or "session" type of values. You should not use FND_GLOBAL routines in your forms (that is on the client side). 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." (from package documentation)

- in a sense this package must only be used on server side context
- a facility for accessing environment / DB session variables
- global variables, profile values, security context

procedure APPS_INITIALIZE(user_id in number, resp_id in number, resp_appl_id in number);
used for applications which are not directly integrated with Oracle Applications and need to establish  environment variables for it's DB session

Sets up global variables and profile values in a database session. Call this procedure to initialize the global security context for a database session.This routine should only be used when a session must be established outside of a normal form or concurrent program connection. (from package documentation)

function list:
function USER_ID return number;
function RESP_ID return number;
function RESP_APPL_ID return number;
function SECURITY_GROUP_ID return number;
function USER_NAME return varchar2;
function RESP_NAME return varchar2;
function APPLICATION_NAME return varchar2;
function APPLICATION_SHORT_NAME return varchar2;
function LOGIN_ID return number;
function CONC_LOGIN_ID return number;
function PROG_APPL_ID return number;
function CONC_PROGRAM_ID return number;
function CONC_REQUEST_ID return number;
function CONC_PRIORITY_REQUEST return number;
function PER_BUSINESS_GROUP_ID return number;
function PER_SECURITY_PROFILE_ID return number;
function LANGUAGE_COUNT return number;
function CURRENT_LANGUAGE return varchar2;
function BASE_LANGUAGE return varchar2;
function RT_TEST_ID return number;
function SECURITY_GROUP_ID_POLICY(d1 varchar2, d2 varchar2) return varchar2;
function AUDIT_ACTIVE return BOOLEAN;
function Lookup_Security_Group(lookup_type in varchar2, view_application_id in number) return number;
function Get_Session_Context return number;
function Compare_Session_Context(context_id in number) return boolean;
function Assert_No_Pool return boolean;
function EMPLOYEE_ID return number;
function CUSTOMER_ID return number;
function SUPPLIER_ID return number;
function FORM_ID return number;
function FORM_APPL_ID return number;
function CONC_PROCESS_ID return number;
function CONC_QUEUE_ID return number;
function QUEUE_APPL_ID return number;
function SESSION_ID return number;
function SERVER_ID return number;
function ORG_ID return number;
function ORG_NAME return varchar2;
function PARTY_ID return number;
function NLS_LANGUAGE return varchar2;
function NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS return varchar2;
function NLS_DATE_FORMAT return varchar2;
function NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE return varchar2;
function NLS_TERRITORY return varchar2;
function NLS_SORT return varchar2;


sources:
murthy
appsbi

todo: expound v0.3