Subject: You won't read this in PeopleBooks any time soon
Hi All,
This is a summary of the information I learned during the 1998 PeopleSoft San Francisco User Conference.
Just as last year, I believe it is invaluable to attend this conference because the information we can gather is so massive and in a short period of time, and most of it will not be printed and disseminated any time soon. My head is still spinning from information overload! We would likely make different decisions during the next 12 months without this sort of technical information.
I've grouped the information into the following topics:
- PEOPLESOFT WEB ACCESS
- DATA WAREHOUSING
- APPLICATION ENGINE
- MASS CHANGE
- APPLICATION SERVER
- SECURITY
- APPLICATION UPGRADES
- CHANGE TRACKING AND CONTROL
- PEOPLE TOOLS
- OTHER
If you use Outlook and want to search for your topics, then use F4 when this message is in its own window.
Please pardon my use of the following abbreviations:
NU = Northeastern University
PS = PeopleSoft
PT = PeopleTools
PC = PeopleCode
ASP = Active Server Pages
AE = Application Engine
AD = Application Designer
MC = MassChange Applications
MA = Message Agent/API
JMAC = Java Message Agent Client/API
CM = Cube Manager
DW = Data Warehousing/Data Marts/Operational Data Store
IIS = Microsoft's Internet Information Server
*** = my comments
=================================================
PEOPLESOFT WEB ACCESS
PT version 7.53 (Q1-Q2 1999) will come with a couple of new web access
capabilities and the Java web client has been enhanced for 7.5x.
The Java web client now (7.5x) includes more GUI controls such as the
grid-control and support for server based SMTP mail, e.g. one can now use PS
workflow panels that trigger e-messages and e-forms from the Java web client. PS
now targets the web client only at intranets, i.e. it is way too slow for
anything else!
The two new PS web access approaches are known as "PS HTML Access". The first approach makes use of pre-defined API call sets, HTML and ASP templates that are customized using a new "HTML Access Wizard" included in the new version of the PS Business Process Designer tool. HTML 3.2 will be supported.
*** I recommend that this approach be initially used only as a prototyping tool
since it is not likely that the "wizard" technology could write efficient and
maintainable (no two-way engineering here) source HTML pages.***
The second HTML access approach is to code free-form low level access to the Application Server (i.e. Tuxedo). This approach consists of coding (inside the HTML page) API calls to the new Java version of the Message Agent (now
multi-threaded) running in the web server machine (Microsoft's IIS with Active
Server Pages technology). Each call accesses PS panel functionality supported in
the Java Message Agent (using a COM wrapper for asp) and the Tuxedo based
Application Server using BEA's JOLT. Both approaches allow HTML site-specific
customization and can be signon-less for services like publishing the course
catalog. Here's a simplified diagram of components and interfaces:
Browser|-(http)->IIS/asp|-(MA API)->JMAC|-(JOLT)->App.Server|-->Database
HTML Access will not support secondary panels, popups or scrolls. *** These are not really needed in a web user interface.***
PeopleSoft is currently certifying Netscape Navigator 4.x. Currently only
Microsoft's IE 4.x is certified to run the Java client. Any browser that
supports HTML 3.2 is supported with HTML Access.
During the conference, Netscape announced (http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=34684) two PS integration products, the Netscape Application Server for PS (NAS) and PerLDAP for PS. NAS was formerly known as Kiva's Java application server which Netscape has integrated with the new PS Java Message Agent. NSA for PS "serves" PS data and transactions (panel-groups, workflows, queries, etc.) using the native NAS development tools for web applications. NAS for PS and associated development tools will ship in 1999 starting at list price of $70,000.
PerLDAP is a tool to synchronize PeopleSoft databases with LDAP compatible
server(s), e.g. to a Netscape Directory Services. PerLDAP for PS is available
now as a free download at http://www.mozilla.org/directory/tools/ldaptools.html
and it uses the LDAP protocol.
*** I recommend we consider perLDAP to create an indirect software layer for the
development of web-based (self-service and otherwise; PS or mainframe sourced)
applications. This approach would allow us to have a single access interface to
PS and non-ps data sources for developers to master.***
DATA WAREHOUSING
IBM presented its "Visual Data warehouse" line of products, see
www.software.ibm.com/data/vw for details. The most salient feature, as yet to be
proven, of this line of products is that IBM has taken the Essbase OLAP engine
and snapped on it a DB2 Universal (DB2 OLAP Server) server in place of Essbase's
proprietary MDD database. In theory, one could go at the information using the
sophisticated Essbase OLAP tools or native SQL/DB2 access and reporting tools.
This is advantageous for PS customer since PS already provides the tools to
populate Essbase systems with PS data using familiar PT panels and record
structures (e.g., the PT Cube Manager tool).
*** I recommend we consider Essbase for PS + IBM's Visual Warehouse for any
future DW projects since it builds and capitalizes on PT and DB2 training,
installed software, expertise, and vendor relations. I also like that our data
is in DB2, accessible (at least in theory) to us at any and all levels.***
- The new CM (7.5x) will support star-schema definitions (Essbase, not on
Cognos)
- New OLAP API will be implemented in 7.5x
- the CM will support effective dated tables/fields and logic and SETIDs
- A new OLAP designer will support conforming dimensions and platform
independent definitions (e.g. Essbase vs. Cognos)
- New dimension designer, and Analysis model designer as separate tools
- CM definitions supported by upgrade tools
- CM integrated with PS metadata
- CM will come with Cube templates
- Dimension Designer (how to roll up data) will support PS Tress, Queries and
combined Tress+Queries.
- It is critical to implement naming conventions for dimensions
- CM to support dimension attributes, alises and multiple hierarchies
- The new Analysis Model Designer in CM will support multiple data sources and
multiple queries
- CM will use typical run control records to process Cognos and Essbase cubes
- CM + Cognos PowerPlay targeted for NT as low administration overhead, powerful
front-end features (runs against Essbase cubes) and strong reporting tools.
- CM + Essbase targeted for larger DWs, when more security and flexibility are
required. In 7.5 this approach includes level-less dimension queries,
pre-defined cubes.
- In PT 8.x: nVision will be enhanced to include use multiples dimension levels
concurrently, VBA code snipets instead of excel macros, access to multiple cubes
either as star-schema or Essbase MDDs, ROLAP, and sub-totals per level of
implosion. CM will include incremental loading (processing bookmarks),
aggregation, narrow and wide queries, changed and new terminology, will include
a ROLAP engine.
APPLICATION ENGINE (AE)
PS continues to inform (warn) customers that the AE will be used by PS more an more for batch processing instead of SQR and COBOL. New features in AE in PT 7.x/7.5x include:
- AE applications can be re-started (continued from last DB commit) from Process
Scheduler
- AE applications can call sections in other AE applications
- the work record can be cached, but not if re-starting is needed
- AE trace files can now be directed to the standard "log" directory
- optimized use of SQL -single SQL-prepare for multiple executions (e.g. when
used in a loop construct)
- multiple cache records (including long data types)
- use of PeopleCode functions and extensions for arrays, files and for
conditional logic constructs
- DBMS specific sections
- new meta SQL functions
- multiple sections per application
- new design user interface (tree control used) and SQL editor
- file layout sections (e.g. for file driven external interfaces like EDI)
- AE objects cached at the client and the application server
- tests show AE applications as fast and efficient as SQR and COBOL processing
but much less coding required, and AE applications will be supported by upgrade
tools
MASS CHANGE
- Definitely clone PS supplied MassChange Application definitions as a starting
point for new MCs.
- Always provide specialized end user and developer training for MC
APPLICATION SERVER
- In PT 7.5x, the application server (Tuxedo) will be used by the new Java based
Message Agent.
- MA clients running on NT, Unix
- Expected performance is 20X better than in 7.0x
- Provides support for HTML access (PT 7.53)
- Initiates SMTP mail requests
- Able to control Process Scheduler
- Delivered with latest Tuxedo version with on-demand process spawning
- Able to run multiple instances on NT (e.g. no registry entries used)
- More PeopleCode support and can automatically revert executions back to the
client
- On NT will provide PSNTSRV to start/stop domains and processes and for
automated startup
- SaveEdit event execution
- DBMS tracing and monitoring by OPRID
- New APIs coming: Business Components, Publish-Subscribe (point-to-point)
messaging, Trees (not real-time).
- On NT, event logging to NT event log
- Run Application Engine applications as "service" (e.g. a daemon) executed from
PeopleCode.
- Support for e-mail based report distribution and printing on local printers
- Cache more PS objects
- New Publication-Dispatch and Subscription Dispatch Servers (PDS and SDS) to
provide:
# Message Definitions (a business need)
# Message Channels (message sequencing)
# Message Nodes (multiple databases)
# Message Filters (business rules and routing)
SECURITY
- MassChange applications offer no row-level security mechanisms (i.e., do not
use search record views).
- MassChange definitions should be saved always by the same OPRID, i.e. the
MassChange System Administrator. This means all developers working on MC
applications must share this OPRID. The presenter of this information claimed
that not doing so would be costly at upgrade time. *** I took the PS MassChange
course and I don't recall this being mentioned, and is definitely not in the
training materials. I'll look further into it.***
- See also "APPLICATION UPGRADES" below.
- Java Web client (since 7.0) uses DES 40 & 128, RSA RC4 algorithm
- Look for Mike Perriel's white papers on the web for more web client security
info.
- Version 8, LDAP interface for authentication
APPLICATION UPGRADES
- Starting with 7.x all objects will be saved (stamped) with "PPLSOFT" as the
last OPRID to have saved it. This is used by the upgrade tools to identify which
objects in a customer's database remain as in a "vanilla" installation.
*** In order to minimize upgrade efforts, we need to make sure that developers
do NOT save objects that have not changed but that Application Designer thinks
have changed, e.g., a field box is resized by mistake and then set back to
original size. For the same reason, we need to set the tools to default to
include only objects being worked on a project, not related objects, and
automatically include objects when changes are saved.***
- Upgrade scripts will start using native RDBMS "rename" (rather than
copy-create-drop-copy) features to cut processing by 100% or more. When alter
in-place is used, note that field order will not be maintained.
- Scripts will generate and use unique temporary table names so scripts can be
run in parallel to shorten upgrade time.
- In v.8, No synonyms required (for when source and target systems reside on
different machines). More object types (AE applications) will be compared and
upgraded using AD c/c++ code to do the comparisons (not SQR) and will allow
re-ordering of "alter" scripts execution.
- Use unique and dedicated OPRID to perform Tax updates an fixes
- Use PT to set table creation parameters (e.g., table space name, sizing, etc.)
- Success Factors (D. Garrison):
.- Create and communicate project plan
.- Have or obtain comprehensive documentation of customizations. User reverse
upgrade if necessary.
.- Create a DBA/Development/Users project team and guarantee availability.
.- Train team members where needed
.- Confirm infrastructure availability and performance
.- Team study all upgrade instructions, release notes, etc.
- Upgrades must be planned for an "end of payroll period"
- The most time consuming step could be review and analysis of comparison
reports. Must have module business experts available.
- Can view compare reports by associating the SQR output files extension ".spf"
with the SQR for Windows viewer (sqrwv.exe)
- If possible, plan upgrade so tax updates are performed on upgraded system
prior to moving to production.
- Upgrade path 7.0 to 7.5 for HE is available (no need to apply any PUUFs)
- Upgrade path 7.0x to 7.53 of tools available.
- For HE7.0 to 7.5 one significant impact is that the field "TERM" has been
renamed in the 7.5 data model to "STRM" due to miscommunication between
PeopleSoft development teams. This will impact customizations and interfaces
that use "TERM".
- For Campus Community, the ADDR_TYPE_TBL prompt table has become a translate
table (value set). It was char(10) an in 7.5 will be Char(4). ADDR_TYPE_TBL
dropped in 7.5. Upgrade will move values if unique after truncation, and will
warn those that are no longer unique after truncation.
CHANGE TRACKING AND CONTROL
PS recommends the following process and terminology:
1) Change request (NU's modification). Not provided in PT. Must be atomic (link
all and only needed objects):
.- Open, close, etc.
.- Change set tracking = application objects, files, documents
.- Assign revision numbers
2) Change Tracking (date stamp and OPRID done by PT):
.- Maintain an audit trail (when, who, what, why, where, how)
.- Done after-the-fact
.- *** We are investigating using the "incident number" provided by PT to tie customizations done with Application Designer to NU's Modification numbers.***
3) Change Control:
.- Object Locking (lock when opened, enter change history comments on save).
Locked objects are not copied when doing a project upgrade. Each developer must
have unique OPRID. Upgrade is faster if all objects are locked, i.e. all objects
should be locked for "test" and "production" systems. Problems with object
locking in 7.0 resolved in 7.5. Some problems solved in 7.01, 7.02 patches. PT
8.x will provide more locking granularity, e.g. just an individual PeopleCode
snipet, not the whole panel/record. Change history comments are not copied from
source to target using the project Upgrader. Change history comments reside in
PSCHANGE table which is a standalone table.
.- Use role based security for access types: restricted, development and
supervisor.
4) Version Control (may be provided in PT version 9)
.- Provide development sandboxes
.- Provide external object reference within PT project (SQR/SQC, COBOL, Word, SQA, SQL, etc.)
.- Keep repository of deltas
.- Provide ability to recall past revisions
.- Provide facility to compare revisions
.- Provide capability to merge parallel revisions
.- May be integrated with Intersolve's PVCS (some work-in progress at
PeopleSoft labs).
- Customizations DO's and Dont's:
DO:
.- use LASTUPDOPRID<>"PPLSOFT" OPRID to list objects customized locally.
.- use "vanilla" compares to identify customizations
.- run DDDAUDIT, SYSAUDIT, Alter-Audit frequently (at least monthly)
.- use naming conventions
.- keep the DEMO system updated (e.g., apply PUUFs)
.- use project upgrades
.- add custom translate values dated 01-01-1901 and set as inactive if not in use.
.- document all. Place latest comments at the top.
.- frame PeopleCode changes with local comments, not just at the top.
.- clearly identify PS instructed manual fixes with special marked local
comments to facilitate identification during upgrades. Use a unique OPRID to
apply this type of PUUFs.
Don'ts:
.- do not rename PS delivered objects
.- do not delete objects. Instead make fields invisible, comment out
PeopleCode, or remove security access to panels or menus.
.- do not clone panels. %Panel...% used in PeopleCode logic. It won't work if renamed. Instead modify and document.
.- do not modify the DEMO system
.- do not modify COBOL or function library records
.- do not do back-door updates (e.g., using SQL on PT/App. tables)
- AT&T presented their "pseudo-version control system". It consists of a 16 step
process and does not use object-locking (not available in PT 6.x). Used to
manage a large number of customizations by large group of administrators and
developers. *** After talking with the PS developers it seems feasible that we
at NU could implement a rudimentary version-control system using the saved
upgrade comparison reports since they contain the "text" describing both the
source and target changed objects.***
PEOPLE TOOLS
- PT 7.53 is the version to watch for in 2nd Qtr. 1999.
- PT and Applications v. 8.x will start coming in Summer 2000.
- PT and Applications 8.x:
.- will support ActiveX components, field auto-align, layout ordering, grid attributes control, color scrolls, call to COM components, ValidatePassword() and SetSearchDialog() PeopleCode functions, grid control used to edit record definitions, tree-control structure viewer of panel processor buffers, event-driven panel groups, data buffers at the panel group level.
.- integrated debugger in App. Designer with visible break points, current line execution, hover inspection, for PC, AE, and components (ActiveX?), new
messaging components and business components.
.- PeopleCode will support VB-like dot object references, classes (SQL, Scroll, Row, Record, Field, File, Array), by-directional scrolling of SQL objects. Post-Save PeopleCode event.
.- Modal panel groups
.- Auto convert scroll controls to grid controls
.- Persistent setting controls for grids
.- Search dialog with sorting
.- RTF documents in long-edit boxes
.- BLOB storage and download using ActiveX controls
.- In PT 7.52 we may get the beta SQA Robot version for testing web interfaces
(Java, HTML ?). *** Consider using current Robot to capture test data from
production system to reproduce problems in test system.***
.- PT 8.x may bundle SQA Manager, NO plans to distribute test scripts developed
and used by PeopleSoft.
OTHER
- Currently working on certifying DB2 v.5.2 on AIX. NT 5 will be certified in
mid 1999 along with Windows'98.
- PT 8.x will likely require AIX 4.3 and DB2 v.5.x as a minimum.
- Platform certification is separate from applications certification and usually
application certification covers less platforms and lags behind tools
certification.
- Windows'98 will not be supported for releases earlier than 7.5
------
The following is a list of the sessions where I gathered the information above (PeopleSoft presenters unless noted):
8035 - Application Engine 7.5 and Beyond by Mr. Ota from PS
8067 - Performance Benchmarking by M. Stillman, V. Pittman, J. Arman
1312 - The 3C's of MassChange
8024 - Application Server 7.5 and Beyond
8027 - OLAP and Datawarehousing by Larry Gray
8102 - PeopleSoft Upgrade Tools by Jim Benge and Ken Sedlund
8000 - Web Deployment
8029 - Change Control in PeopleTools by Dean Delton, James Tsay
8007 - PeopleTools Tables Tips & Tricks by James Forgerson
8006 - Customization Standards by Michael Rigano and Michelle Riordan
8021 - PeopleTools 7.5 and Beyond by K. More, B. Shay, and B. Steward
8082 - Reporting Infrastructure by Eric Katnick
8112 - Workflow and the Web by Laura Steward and Rick Frost
8091 - Security on the Web by Nancy Dirgo
8042 - Change Control and Pseudo version Control by Kevin McClosky (AT&T)
8033 - Testing Tips & Techinques by M. Martin, E. Blazin, and S. Bogart
8060 - Platform Certification
8100 - Preparing for 7.5 Upgrades by C. Taylor, D. Garrison, C. Carter
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Regards, - Ramon
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|Ramon H. Venegas | Administrative Computer Services |
|C/S Application Architect | Northeastern University |
|ramon@acs.neu.edu | Suite 448 CP |
|(617) 373-3262 | 360 Huntington Ave. |
|Fax (617) 373-4354 | Boston, MA 02115, USA |
|http://acs.neu.edu/~ramon | PGP key available on request |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+