Blog entries

Single Pay Vouchers - Let Excel Key Them In For You!

Brent Martin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:37:57 +0100

Suppose you have a spreadsheet full of invoices that you want to load to PeopleSoft. If you’re running PeopleSoft 8.9 or later, that’s easy. You use the voucher load spreadsheet to get them into the system and then run Voucher Build to turn them into vouchers. But what if you want to load Single Pay vouchers? That’s something that the spreadsheet voucher load won’t handle.

Okay, so maybe use the ExcelToCI spreadsheet to populate the VCHR_EXPRESS component. Good luck with that. If you’ve ever tried then you’ll know all about the "First operand of .null" error. I spent some quality time with a component interface built off of that component and the PeopleCode debugger. Unless you’re ready to change some PeopleCode -- maybe a lot of PeopleCode -- I don’t recommend it.

I had one client create a couple of SQR’s to upload single pay vouchers as regular vouchers, then change them to single pay vouchers after voucher build runs. That solution works well (and if you want to know the details let me know), but if you’re not looking for a high-volume solution it might be overkill.

I recently stumbled across a way to do spreadsheet uploads with a simple spreadsheet macro that doesn’t depend on component interface. Basically you make an Excel macro open up a browser and key the data in for you.

Before I explain how it works, I just want to let you know that you need to be familiar with Excel macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. You also need to know a little about Application Programming Interfaces (API’s). And a little knowledge about the HTML Document Object Model (DOM) wouldn’t hurt. But if you meet most of these qualifications you shouldn’t have any trouble at all in making this work – no special PeopleSoft App Designer access or knowledge required.

And one more caveat: This was built on PeopleTools 8.48 and Financials 8.9. Due to how the script works it’s likely it won’t work for PeopleTools releases beyond 8.49.

Securing Enterprise Data in AWS

Brent Martin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:53:22 +0100

Sure, Amazon Web Services is great for geeks and small companies with nothing to lose, but what if your company is in the Fortune 1000? Can you really trust Amazon (or any cloud provider for that matter) with your employees, vendors, customers, and all of the associated confidential data like credit card numbers and tax ID’s?

That’s something I’ve been struggling with lately. We have successfully used AWS to spin up demo environments of PeopleSoft Enterprise, Hyperion, GoldenGate. We used demo data as opposed to any customer-specific data which has been fine so far. And I must say that AWS is an incredible tool to get the software up and running and build a sandbox for evaluation purposes. But the next logical step would be to use AWS to host conference room pilot and prototyping environments to support our initial requirements gathering efforts. Beyond that we’ll want to build Dev and Test environments. And all of these environments will need real data from existing systems.

We can certainly procure the hardware and host these environments in house, but I’m thinking about AWS because we could postpone our hardware purchases until closer to the end of the requirements gathering phase when we can be more precise about our needs. So I did some research and here are some of the things I’ve learned.

Amazon Web Services wants your Enterprise Business

For large enterprise customers, Amazon Web Services can assign you an enterprise account manager (a real person, not a piece of software) who can be the liaison between your company and Amazon’s sales team, solution architects, business architects, etc. The account managers can organize calls with the appropriate people to answer your questions and discuss topics at length with you – although some discussions require signing a non disclosure agreement first.

But better yet, enterprise customers can negotiate their own special contracts with Amazon. So if your CIO is looking for certain pricing targets, SLA’s, etc., Amazon will be glad to negotiate with you and put it in writing.

Other companies are doing it

Amazon Web Services does have reference customers. But you’ll have to talk to your account manager and get an NDA in place before you’ll be able to talk to them.

It is possible to meet some compliance requirements on the AWS platform

There is a whitepaper regarding achieving HIPAA compliance on the AWS platform. And you can achieve PCI DSS levels 2-4 for applications running on the AWS platform. PCI DSS level 1 is not yet possible due to the requirement for the customer’s auditor to physically audit the data center. Keep in mind that compliance is a shared responsibility between your enterprise and Amazon, and Amazon will do what it takes to meet it on their side. Short of giving every company’s auditor access to their data centers that is.

Amazon Web Services Physical Security is independently audited

If you’ve read the AWS security white paper, you know that AWS claims their physical security is formidable. Amazon backs up those claims with a SAS70 Type II audit report. Amazon has publicly stated that it is a non-qualified report meaning there were no deficiencies with the SAS70 certification. If you’d like to review the full report, you can request it by talking to your enterprise account manager and signing Amazon’s NDA.

S3 Storage is maybe too reliable

Amazon provides S3 storage for general off-line disk storage and backup purposes. Access security on S3 is pretty good – it allows you to set ACL’s on each file which lets you control access at a very granular level. But physical security on S3 is even better. Files backed up to S3 are pretty much guaranteed to be there, even if Amazon looses two data centers. The fact is that it has a durability guarantee of eleven nines. That may be more than you need for your typical daily database export. That’s why Amazon recently released its reduced redundancy storage (RRS) at a more modest price point that has a durability guarantee of “only” four nines. Even with S2, Amazon could lose one data center and your backups will still be available.

The cloud has unique security requirements

There are a lot of different considerations when you’re thinking about securing your corporate data in the cloud. Case in point: The AWS Console. The AWS console is what you use to provision new AWS instances and disk volumes, back them up, build firewall rules, remove backups, etc. At the time of writing, the AWS console can be accessed from anywhere, and once you have access you have full access because there is no concept oRead More...

Software Testing and Development Newsletter - June 2010

Tim Jones — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:16:59 +0100

In our neck of the woods, the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. Hope that you get to enjoy a little time off and a hot dog or two. And I hope that this month's newsletter has a few tasty treats for your brain. Enjoy!

The latest issue of the newsletter (for June 2010) is now available online:
http://swtest.workshopmultimedia.com/jun2010.htm

Back issues (back to 1999) are also available from the contents page: http://swtest.workshopmultimedia.com/.

Also, I'm always looking for items to include in the newsletter. If you'd like to contribute, please send me an e-mail. Your contribution will be noted with appropriate attribution. Thanks!

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Regards,
Tim Jones

Software Testing and Development Newsletter - May 2010

Tim Jones — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:07:48 +0100

Quotable Quotes

Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in cases where it does not fit, is pedantry... To apply a rule with natural ease, with judgment, noticing the cases where it fits, and without ever letting the words of the rule obscure the purpose of the action or the opportunities of the situation, is mastery. –George Polya

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. –Chinese proverb

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. –C. S. Lewis

The end of wisdom is to dream high enough not to lose the dream in the seeking of it. –William Faulkner

Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth. –John F. Kennedy

Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life... The unexpected around the corner gives a sense of anticipation and surprise. Thank God for the unknown future. –E. Stanley Jones

There’s no sense in being precise when you don’t even know what you’re talking about. –John von Neumann

Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them. It’s not the tools that you have faith in—tools are just tools. –Steve Jobs

PeopleTools 8.50 Upgrade Issues To Avoid

Brent Martin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:36:01 +0100

In my recent podcast I interview Karen from Chesapeake Energy about Chesapeake's PeopleTools 8.50 Upgrade. She was generous enough to share their issue list, and so I wanted to pass it along. I hope you find it helpful!

The new auto-complete functionality does not allow you to select using the mouse. You must use your up and down arrows and the ‘Enter’ key.

Oracle supposedly has this fixed in 8.50.05.

External URLs – No longer work the same way they did before. Previously, URLs on content references that contained escape sequences would function correctly, but now PS replaces the “%” in the escape sequence with another escape sequence, “%” which breaks the URL. To work around, it was necessary to replace the escape sequence with the value it replaced (e.g. replacing with an actual space character).

Software Testing and Development Newsletter - April 2010

Tim Jones — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:19:51 +0100

Quotable Quotes

All good work is done in defiance of management. –Bob Woodward

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. –Albert Schweitzer

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. –Jack London

We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works. –Douglas Adams

You are more likely to be successful, overall, if you participate joyfully with projects and goals and do not think your life depends on achieving the mark because then you will be better able to connect to people all around you… When you are oriented to abundance, you care less about being in control, and you take more risks… In a measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set a context and let life unfold. –Rosamond Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, The Art of Possibility, pp. 21

For even as it is better to enlighten than merely to shine, so is it better to give to others the fruits of one's contemplation than merely to contemplate. –Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. –Vincent van Gogh

Accountability breeds “response-ability”. –Stephen R Covey

PeopleSoft 8.9 on AWS Installation Videos

Brent Martin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:31:57 +0100

Here are the long-awaited videos from our PeopleSoft 8.9 Installation Exercise from February 15th. You'll remember that was the day I needed to install PeopleSoft 8.9 on to an AWS instance, and I decided to do it in a GoToMeeting session so whoever wanted to could "look over my shoulder", ask questions and participate. It was more of a collaboration than a training session, and there were plenty of times I hit issues that the group bailed me out on. So I learned a lot, especially about SQL Server. Hopefully everybody else did too.

PeopleSoft Viewlets - Quick Training on Popular PTools Topics

Brent Martin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:52:42 +0100

Oracle just launched "PeopleTools Viewlets" at http://download.oracle.com/peopletools/viewlets.html. The viewlets are short training videos on PeopleTools topics like Web services & Integration Broker, reporting, security, enterprise 2.0 etc. They're great if you need a quick refresher or want to see a live example of something you need to do. Check it out.

Software Testing and Development Newsletter - March 2010

Tim Jones — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:12:33 +0100

Up to Newsletter Index

Quotable Quotes

The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust. .Henry L. Stimson

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. .African Proverb

The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. .Frances Willard

Every now and then go away.for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. .Leonardo DaVinci

I'm not a genius. I'm just a tremendous bundle of experience. .R. Buckminster Fuller

Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success. .Henry Ford

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart. .Charles Dickens

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things. .Edmund Hillary

On two occasions I have been asked [by members of British Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. .Charles Babbage

Installing PeopleSoft Today

Brent Martin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:42:11 +0100

I'm going to do a PeopleSoft Install today. It'll be PeopleTools 8.48, Financials 8.9 on SQL Server 2005 and Windows 2003 to a server in the Amazon cloud. I know these are old versions but I need a machine that matches a client's current state config, and the installation basics haven't changed that much anyway.

I set up a Go To meeting that you can join if you'd like to "look over my shoulder" and ask questions. Feel free to drop in and out as you get time. I'll record it for posterity in case you miss it.

Connection info is:

1. Please join my meeting.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/532050768

2. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial 312-878-0207
Access Code: 532-050-768
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 532-050-768

GoToMeeting®
Online Meetings Made Easy.

Software Testing and Development Newsletter - February 2010

Tim Jones — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:23:55 +0100

Quotable Quotes

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. –Thomas Jefferson

Patience with others is love. Patience with self is hope. Patience with God is faith. –Adel Bestavros

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. –Margaret Young

Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing. –William James

Oracle Finalizes Sun Acquisition

Brent Martin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:58:32 +0100

Well, it's final -- I got the e-mail from Charles Phillips and Safra Catz this morning. Oracle has finally satisfied the regulators and now is the proud new owner of Sun Microsystems. What can we expect from Enterprise Software going forward? Well, according to the e-mail:

Performance levels will be unmatched. Oracle’s software already runs faster on Sun SPARC/Solaris than on any other server or operating system. With Sun as a part of Oracle, each layer of the stack will be engineered to further improve performance, reliability and manageability so that IT will be more predictable, more supportable, and more secure. Customers will benefit as their system performance goes up and their system integration and management costs go down.

In addition, our open standards-based technology will give customers choice. Customers can purchase our fully integrated systems, or easily integrate our best-of-breed technologies with their existing environments. Our open technology also enables customers to take full advantage of third party innovations. Oracle also plans to extend its partner specialization program to include Sun technologies to better enable partners to deliver differentiated and value-added solutions to customers.

Congrats guys. Feel free to cut out a couple of hours early. You've earned it.

Error when running PeopleTools 8.50 from a file server

Brent Martin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0100

If you try to run PeopleTools 8.50 from a file server, or if you copied the directory to your home directory and tried to launch it, you may get the following error:

The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log for more detail.

This happens because PeopleTools 8.50 is developed using the Microsoft Visual C++, and the C run time files must be installed on your workstation or the PeopleTools client programs will not run.

Here's how to fix it:

Go to PS_HOME/setup/vcredist
Run vcredist_x86.exe

Tracking PeopleSoft usage with Google Analytics

Brent Martin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I’ve been using Google Analytics to track how users use my web site for years now, but it just occurred to me that Google Analytics would be a powerful way to track usage in a PeopleSoft system as well.

Turns out it’s not all that hard to put the Google Analytics code on your Peoplesoft component pages. Here’s how to do it:

1) Launch App Designer

2) Pull up HTML Object PT_HNAV_TEMPLATE

3) Scroll to the bottom, and just after the closing tag but before the closing Body tag, add the Google Analytics code.

4) Save.

That’s all there is to it. Let this run for a day or two, and pretty soon you’ll see URL’s like this in your “Content Overview” section of Google Analytics:

Here are a few points to bear in mind:

Site Upgrade

Brent Martin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:07:12 +0100

I spent some time upgrading the web site over the weekend. I'm now running the latest versions of Joomla and all of the components and modules. The look and feel has changed considerably and I even took the time to make up a logo for my company, ERP Associates.

PeopleSoft Corner Blog and the forum are where they've always been. Hopefully all of your old shortcuts still work. Your old username/password combination should work if you're a registered user.

I do encourage you to register if you haven't already done so. Registration makes it easier to post messages on the forum or leave comments. You'll also get access to the members only area of the web site, and you'll be able to use the social networking features when they start rolling out in the near future.

If you do find a problem, have a suggestion about something that could be better or see something you like, please let me know. You can use the "Contact Us" on the main menu, or leave a comment on this post.