PeopleSoft at UKOUG Applications Conference & Exhibition 2017 #ukoug_apps17 #PeopleSoft

Dear All,

This year UKOUG Apps17 was interesting with 14 PeopleSoft related sessions including strategic overview, practical demonstration and Q&A with oracle.  

The UK Oracle User Group conference, Apps17, is the largest independent gathering of Applications professionals in the UK. The committee members well organized the sessions with a mix of customer use cases, PeopleSoft roadmap and expert discussion. Key focus was on User Interface, Selective Adoption and PeopleSoft on the cloud.

PeopleSoft stream at UKOUG was kick started on 06th Dec by Graham Smith.

David Bain continued the session with ‘PeopleSoft Strategy – Application & Tools‘. He detailed the journey of PeopleSoft.

‘The Future is Now’ of PeopleSoft includes,

• Intuitive Mobile User Experience
• Actionable Embedded Link
• Global Search, Alerts, Notifications
• Flexible and Personalizable (Fluid)
• Selective Adoption of New Features
• No Application upgrades needed
• Deployment of Oracle cloud

Kovaion was delighted to see their customers on Oracle's selective adoption list. #ukoug_apps17 @kovaion  --Source twitter

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David’s session was followed multiple PeopleSoft focused sessions in parallel, I attend few sessions and shared my experience of those sessions.

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“Why PeopleSoft Test Framework is Part of the Hays Selective Adoption Strategy” was customer success story for both PTF and Selective Adoption.

Hays demonstrated the importance of testing on the agile delivery model. They use the method called as Pillar, managed by Model Office.

The Model Office allows the Functional Analysts and Developers to configure new PeopleSoft features and functionality in a Hays like environment so that they can work with the business Subject Matter Experts to determine how that functionality could be utilised to address business priorities and issues

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This session was followed by “PeopleSoft Test Framework – A Practical Demonstration” by Ken de Landro. He detailed the PTF implementation at Hays.

Key for delivery success is to identify the right use case for test automation. Hays selected AP, AR, Billing and Paybill modules for test automation.

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Next Session from David provided the insight of the PeopleTools features such as

• PeopleSoft Journey
• Fluid UI including Classic Plus
• Selective Adoption
• PeopleSoft Cloud Manager

He gave the insight of being the Fluid UI designer to practical user to use Fluid UI to pay the daughter’s university fee.

PeopleSoft Innovation is a great forum for customers to share innovative idea and requirements.

Quest International User group is again a good forum to collaborate ad share customer success.

I recommend PeopleSoft community to contribute towards innovation.

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Graham demonstrated the practical usage of PeopleSoft Cloud Manager. He shared his experience of drilling a hole in garden, bakeries generating/using electricity to PeopleSoft cloud manager. He was able to spin a new PeopleSoft instance within 30 mins. The Fluid features were interesting.

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Then it was my turn to share our experience on “Enhance User Experience by Adopting the Latest UI Features”. I shared my knowledge on

• Importance of User Experience and intelligent ways to measure its ROI.
• Benefits Accomplished by our customers.
• Why the Leading Automobile organization adopted Fluid UI and Mobile.
• Practical demonstration of Fluid UI, Navigation Collection, Related Content/Action

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Finally David Bain summarized the event with more information about Page Composer (Fluid Approvals), Elastic Search, PeopleSoft Cloud Manager v5 features. PeopleSoft customers should be delighted with Oracle’s continued investment.

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Last but not least, it was a great speech by @krissakabusi to DREAM BIG.

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I heard other sessions were equally good. I am waiting for the documents to the uploaded on UKOUG for member view. http://apps17.ukoug.org/default.asp?p=17862

We all are looking forward for ‘UKOUG PeopleSoft Roadshow 2018’ and #ukoug_apps18.

Thank you all.

Feel free to reach us for more info about PeopleSoft.

Author,

Nanda Kumar

Founder and Director - Kovaion Consulting

nanda.kumar@kovaion.com

PeopleTools 8.55- Pivot Grid Enhancement

 People Tools 8.55 introduces a number of important enhancements to the Pivot Grid functionality, beginning with the Fluid UI adoption of PeopleSoft Related Content framework. By using enhanced Pivot Grids, users can access a wide variety of transactional and analytic content online, in context with their daily work, rather than requiring them to produce static reports.

Pivot Grids content will be available to users within dynamic Fluid Tiles, on the Related Content pane, on Fluid Dashboards as well as a number of other easily accessible uses within the PeopleSoft applications.

New Pivot Grid enhancements in 8.55 release of People Tools span multiple aspects of this important functional area. People tools 8.55 focused more on concerns for performance as well as the ease of use of Pivot Grids for developers and business analysts to design, construct and publish Pivot Grids. From People Tools 8.55, Composite Query is added as a source for Pivot Grid content, a feature that greatly extends the reusability of a portfolio of underlying modular query sources.

Pivot Grids also provides the option for users to “Save As,” so that users  can name and save a Pivot Grid definition for their own future use. This section describes the new features for Pivot Grid, including:

• Simplified Analytics
• Introducing Editable Facet in Fluid
•  Introducing  Single select and Multi select Facets
• Sort Data in Pivot Grid Fluid
•  Drilling URLS in Fluid
• Format Date Fields in Pivot Grids Charts/Grid
•  Introducing new Aggregate Function ‘Count Distinct’
•  Introducing new Dual Y Axis
•  Display Mode Section now Removed
•  Introducing Threshold Settings Configuration
•  Introducing Composite Queries as Data Source
•  Copy Pivot Grid Model Now available for all users.

Create Contextual Reports using Simplified Analytics:

1.       Starting People Tools 8.55, Simplified Analytics feature enables users to create contextual reports when accessing an application page.

2.       The Simplified Analytics feature is only available for fluid components, and this feature must be enabled for fluid components before users can use the Simplified Analytics wizard to create and view analytic reports.

3.       Users can create own Pivot grid models for Simplified Analytics, starting People Tools 8.55!

4.       Associate one or more pivot grid models to a component

5.       Map page fields to the prompts that are associated with the template model and define the required context.

Introducing ‘Editable Facet’ for Fluid:

1.       Use the Editable Facet field in Pivot Grid Wizard to enable the data source columns as editable facets (prompts) in fluid view.

2.       Enable this option for the columns that are set as Axis or Value and not Display in the column type.

3.       Different operators are available for different type of fields.

4.       Editable facets are valid only while viewing the Pivot Grid models in fluid view.

Note: Editable facets are not applied while viewing the pivot grid in classic view.

Introducing Single-select and Multi-select Facets:

1.       Use the Specify Data Model Options page, Fluid Mode Options section, Facet Selection region to set the facet display options to display the single-select and multi-select facets as charts and as lists in fluid views.

2.       In the chart facets, drill down by clicking the chart data point in the facets.

Note: Update Filters option can be used in the Menu Options list to add or remove existing facets in the model.Inorder to sort data in facets and filters, use the Facet Sort icon at the top-right of each facet

  Sort Data in Pivot Grid Fluid:

   Sorting the data is possible in four areas of the Pivot Grid fluid views: detailed view, facets or filters, charts, or grids, (sorting facts only).

  Drilling URLs in Fluid:

1.      Use the Specify Data Model Options page, Fluid Mode Options section, Drilling URL Options region to define how mapped drilling URLs will appear in fluid view.

2.      The available options are Full Page Modal, Modal Window, New Window, and Replace Window.

   Format ‘Date’ fields in Pivot Grid charts/grids:

1.       Use the Date Format field on the My Preferences page (Main Homepage, My Reference, and Regional Settings) to set the format of the date fields in Pivot Grid charts and Pivot Grid grids.

2.       The format settings at this page are applied for all date values in fluid view.

   Note: This applies to classic view as well.

   Introducing new Aggregate function ‘Count Distinct:

1.       Beginning from People Tools 8.55, additional option Count Distinct is available to define the aggregate functions.

2.       Note that Count or Count Distinct aggregates are available for the fact fields that are set to character.

   Introducing new ‘Dual Y Axis’:

1.       This is available only for the columns that are set to Y axis.

2.       Use this column to set the corresponding Y axis column as a dual Y axis on the Pivot Grid charts; this means that the system will display a second Y axis on the chart.

3.       The values for the second Y axis will be plotted like a Series on the chart.

4.       Now use Multiple Columns as Y-Axis.

5.       When Pivot Grid Wizard is used to specify axis information, multiple columns can be set as Y axes, and these Y axes will be plotted as series on the charts.

   Display Mode’ section now removed:

1.      Beginning from People Tools 8.55, the Display Mode section is no longer available in Pivot Grid Wizard, Specifying Data Model Options page.

2.      Use the Pivot Grid Viewer search page to open and view the Pivot Grid models in either fluid view or classic view.

PeopleTools-8.54

PeopleTools-8.55

  Introducing Threshold Settings Configuration:

Ø  Use the Configure Thresholds page to configure the basic threshold settings for the grids and the charts. 

  Note:All threshold settings are applied for both classic and fluid views.

   Introducing Composite Queries as Data Source:

1.       People Tools8.55 onwards, composites queries can be associated as the data sources while creating Pivot Grid models.

2.       The steps used to create composite query Pivot Grid models are similar to the steps used to create PS Query or component Pivot Grid models.

   Copy Pivot Grid Models’- now available for All Users:

1.       In the previous People Tools releases, only Pivot Grid administrators could copy an existing Pivot Grid models while viewing the models in Pivot Grid Viewer.

2.       Beginning from People Tools 8.55, all users can use the Save As option in the Menu Options list to copy the current Pivot Grid model and save it as a different one.

3.       If personalisation are defined for the current Pivot Grid model, then personalisation are also copied and included in the new model.

   Pivot Grid Configuration

   While creating a pivot grid model, the configuration is stored as application data in numerous People Tools Pivot Grid Tables.    

   Application Data can be migrated using either:

•     Data Mover ->  No compare or validation.
•       Data Migration Work Bench -> Ability to perform a compare

   Migrating Pivot Grids Models with Data Mover:

1.       On the source database, select Reporting tools, pivot grid, pivot grid Administration.

2.       Select the Generate Scripts Tab.

3.       Search for and select the pivot grids to export.

4.       Optionally include personalization.

5.       Click Generate Scripts.

6.       Copy the Export Scripts to a file.

7.       Copy the Import Script to a file.

   To Export the Pivot Grid Model:

1.       Sign onto Data Mover for the source database

2.       Open the export script in Data mover.

3.      Modify the script for the output file locations and name, if desired.

4.      Execute the script.

5.      The .dat and Log files are created.

    To Import the Pivot Grid on the Target Database:

1.       Sign on to data mover on the target database.

2.       Open the import script in Data Mover.

3.       Modify the script for the output file locations and name, if desired.

4.       Execute the script.

    NOTE: This will import the Pivot Grid only-the PS Query for the pivot grid must exist on the target database.

    Data Migration Work Bench

  ·         Ability to perform a compare

   Best Practices:

•       Use query with no joins and unions

•       Don’t use the query that has and expression as the axis field.

•        Make sure that Query performance should be efficient enough to render quickly in the grid and in the chart.

•       Pivot Grids offer a strong option for analytical reporting needs.  

•       The data needed to manage the company will be at user’s fingertips.

•       PeopleSoft Pivot Grids enables users to drill down to the transactional level. 

•       Eliminates the need for exporting the data to excel and pivoting it over there

•       Another added advantage is that user could configure related actions.

  Benefits:

•       Pivot Grids offer a strong option for analytical reporting needs.  

•       The data needed to manage the company will be at user’s fingertips.

•       PeopleSoft Pivot Grids enables users to drill down to the transactional level. 

•       Eliminates the need for exporting the data to excel and pivoting it over there

•      Another added advantage is that user could configure related actions.

    Limitations:

•       It does not have a vertical scroll bar for viewing data, but it displays all possible rows based on the current layout.

•        Pagination is not available.

•        Pivot Grid supports up to 75 axes and values and the character limit for each is 30.

Author: Keerthi Chaitanya P

Kovaion Consulting- PeopleSoft Practice

Email:keerthi.chaitanya@kovaion.com