Designing an Application

Designing An ApplicationChapter 1: System Overview

Chapter 1System Overview

This is a system overview of the PeopleSoft technical environment and development requirements.

Chapter Objectives

This chapter provides:

• Basic understanding of PeopleSoft Internet Architecture
• Basic understanding of a Relational Database
• Requirements for Development

Chapter Contents

This chapter contains the following items:

Overview of PeopleSoft Internet Architecture...... 2

What Is A Relational Database?...... 4

Development Requirements...... 5

Overview of PeopleSoft Internet Architecture

PeopleSoft application runs on PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA) which consists of the following elements:

• Web Browsers
• Web Servers
• Application Servers
• Database Servers
• Batch Servers

High Level PeopleSoft Internet Architecture Relationships

Web Browser

The web browser interprets the HTML that is being sent from the Web Server and also passes it transaction requests from the application. It is responsible for displaying the HTML that is built by Application Server.

Web Server

The web server interprets the browser requests and works with the application server messaging to pass data back and forth from the browser to the PeopleSoft application.

Application Server

The application server runs all the business logic on the requested data and is also responsible for keeping the connection to the database server. It sends requests for retrieving as well as saving data to the database server.

Batch Server

The batch server is responsible for running the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler, which is used to run reports and processes against the data.

Database Server

The database server holds the database engine that contains all the PeopleSoft application object definitions, system tables, application tables, and data.

What Is A Relational Database?

PeopleSoft’s database is a relational database. This means that data is broken down into a series of tables. When retrieving data, the system only accesses the tables that contain the requested data.

You can think of a relational database as a filing cabinet. The filing cabinet represents the database. The drawers of the cabinet represent data files or tables, while individual forms represent data records or rows.

What is a Table?

In a relational database, tables are used to store information. This information is stored in a format that is similar to a spreadsheet. The table consists of a series of columns and rows. The columns represent the fields on the various pages in the system. The rows represent the actual data on those pages.

This is a partial example of the Personal Data table:

Each table in the database contains unique data, data that is not available in any other table. Therefore, it only needs to be maintained in one place but can be accessed from various pages in the system.

Development Requirements

How is it determined that a modification is needed to the application?

There are differing reasons for making modifications to the PeopleSoft system. Some possible scenarios:

• Business Processes
• Missing Data
• Presentation of data
• Extend Functionality

Business Processes

A modification to a business process is needed or a new one created. Examples might be a new interface to export/import data to a new vendor or a process that does a new calculation on data that already exists. A business process can cause change to an SQR Report, Application Engine or even workflow logic.

Missing Data

Missing data could be something that you want to track that isn’t being kept anywhere in the database. This can include anything from a simple edit value on a field to an entire record needing many fields. This will generally call for changes to fields and records and possibly pages to capture and display the new data.

Presentation of Data

This is normally when the data you want exists in the database but is not being presented, either online or in a report, in the manner which is desired. There might simply be a need for a new query written, changes to pages, or entire new report.

Extend Functionality

Delivered functionality of a component may not be adequate to satisfy all your business needs. In which case, there may be a need to extend the functionality of an existing module within the application.

Modification Considerations

Questions you should ask when considering making modifications to the application.

• What type of development is required?
• Does it already exist in the system?
• Does it require changes to delivered objects or will it be a bolt-on modification?
• What is the effort involved to make the modification?
• What benefits will it render?
• Can a large solution be submitted as a smaller unit of work?
• What is the impact to the maintenance of the application (i.e. upgrades)?

01/12/2006Proprietary and Confidential to CedarCrestone, Inc.1-1

and Arizona State University