Author: psgeek

Compare Reports Made Easy

Whether applying a patch or upgrading an entire PeopleSoft application, this article is for you.

When you run the compare reports, most developers cringe at the pain-staking task of reviewing what was changed in order to do the retrofits.

This attached zip document should ease that pain.  Utilizing an SQR to Excel utility I wrote (www.SQRTricks.com), I pull the project items from the database and export them into an easy to read Excel file, complete with developer names.  The zip file contains a Word document that will assist in the required steps to get this to work.

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Data Conversion Analysis During An Upgrade

During the upgrade, a large portion of the time is dealt in the Data Conversion area.  This is where PeopleSoft executes several Application Engines programs.

More data on how this is constructed will be added soon.

The below SQLs can be used to see how the Data Conversion is progressing.

SELECT RUN_STATUS_FLAG, COUNT(*) from PS_EOUF_DATACONV
WHERE UPG_PATH = 'HC89'
GROUP BY RUN_STATUS_FLAG
-- Value Translation  N = Not run, R = Running, Y = Already Run

This next SQL shows what is running.  By default, there could be up to three processes running at once.

SELECT A.AE_APPLID, AE_SECTION, A.* from PS_EOUF_RUNSTATUS A

This SQL shows all of the steps that will be run:

SELECT * from PS_EOUF_DATACONV
WHERE UPG_PATH = 'HC89'

Step Through PeopleCode

In PeopleTools 7.5, we had Application Reviewer for debugging PeopleSoft. For PeopleTools 8.4x and 8.50, since the panels are now pages on the browser, how do we debug peoplecode (interactively)? The answer follows:

How to Step Through PeopleCode

To step through PeopleCode that is running on the browser, do the following. The first four steps will be handled by your PeopleSoft Administrator.

  1.  Ensure the appropriate PSDBGSRV Listener Port is specified on the App Server.
  2.  At least two PSAPPSRV processes should be configured on the App Server.
  3.  The Service Timeout parameter should be set to zero.
  4.  The “Enable PSDBGSRV Server Process” should be set to Yes on the App Server.
  5.  Launch Application Designer on the workstation. Log in using 3-tier and your userid.
  6.  Under menu item Debug, select “Enter Debug Mode”.
  7.  Launch PeopleSoft through the browser, and use the same userid as in step 5.
  8. Go the page needing review.
  9. On the debug menu in App Designer, select either debug at start or create new breakpoints (similar to 7.5).
  10. Go back to the browser and trigger the PeopleCode. Once the breakpoint is triggered, the App Designer will wait for you to respond. The web browser will appear to be loading the next page (“Processing” might flash).

 

Special Notes

  1. May not work on Windows 95 and 98 machines.
  2. Debug will slow performance.
  3. Debug should not be run in Production.
  4. Use a user id that is not being shared (use your own id, not VP1).
  5. Some clients have seen connection problems for other users after the debug has been performed. If this happens, perform debugging in the evening or during times that few users are in the database. If the connection problem occurs, then reboot the Application and Web Servers. Since the debug should not be run in Production, this minor occurrence can be handled by rebooting the proper servers/services.

XML Publisher Primer

Quick Primer to Learn XML/Bi Publisher

We created a Word document Primer for those getting their feet wet with XML Publisher (now called BI Publisher).  This Primer has you build a query, walks you thru the install of the addin for Word, build a quick RTF file in Word, then use Peoplecode to execute the XML/BI Publisher.  It then wraps up with some helpful tips on building the template in Word.

Enjoy.

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Turn SQL and PeopleCode Trace on for Application Engine

  1.  Go into the process definition of the Application Engine.
  2. On the “Override Options” tab, on the parameter list, choose APPEND and enter the following:
    -TRACE 7 -TOOLSTRACEPC 3596 -TOOLSTRACESQL 131

    Change the numbers to reflect the level of tracing you desire.
  3. Run the App Engine through the normal processing pages. In the process monitor, you can retrieve the SQL and PeopleCode trace files with the logs.
  4. Once you are finished, change the settings back (most likely it was originally set as NONE).