PeopleSoft Basic Navigation

PeopleSoft Basic Navigation

Sept 2006

PeopleSoft Basic Navigation

This course explains PeopleSoft Academic Structure and how to navigate in PeopleSoft 8.9.

Course Objectives

This course explains:

  • Navigate through menus and application pages.
  • Describe the basic elements of the PeopleSoft Structure.
Course Contents

This module contains the following lessons:

PeopleSoft Basic Navigation

Academic Structure and Terminology

Sign-In Page

Setting User Defaults

Menus

Using the Search Page

Using Page Actions to View Data

Identifying Parts of the PeopleSoft Window

Working with Components and Pages

Opening a New Window

Data Navigation

Glossary of PeopleSoft Terms

Academic Structure and Terminology

Institution is an individual university or college.

Academic Group is a college or school within a university.

Academic Career is a grouping of all academic work undertaken by a student at a school, which the school groups into a single student record. ASU careers are Undergraduate, Graduate, Law and Non-Credit.

Academic Program is what the student applies to, is admitted into, and ultimately graduates from.

Academic Plan is an area of study within an Academic Program, with one degree or certificate per plan (a.k.a major, minor).

Academic Sub-Plan is an area of further specialization within an Academic Plan.

ArizonaStateUniversity

Institution Academic Group Academic Career/Program Academic Plan

Sign-In Page

The OASIS Sign-in page looks like this:

Field / Description
User ID / The location where you type in your unique User ID.
Your User ID controls the menus you see when you sign in.
Note: Your User ID must be typed in LOWER CAPS.
Password / The location where you type in your unique Password.
Note: Your Password is case sensitive.
/ If your User ID and Password are correct, clicking on this button signs you into OASIS.

Setting User Defaults

To save data entry time, you can set up ASU so that it automatically fills in certain fields for you. If at any point during data entry you find that you need a different value, you can simply type over the existing value.

Set Your User Defaults (Example)

Note that you may set different defaults for your job.

  1. Click on SetUpSACR>UserDefaults
  2. On the user Defaults 1 page enter the following:
  • Academic Institution = ASU00
  • Career Group SetID = ASU
  • Facility Group SetID = ASU

  1. Click on the User Defaults 2 page.
  2. On the user Defaults 2 page enter the following:
  • SetID: ASU00
  • Business Unit: ASU00
  • Department: A010

  1. Click when done.

The user defaults will be saved and effective immediately.

Menus

The left navigation menu provides access to a hierarchy of folders, and the structure collapses and expands based on selections. The main level, also known as Home, contains a list of the areas in the application that you can access. The folders are organized by business process to streamline access to all the steps in an activity.

Menu Columns / Description
1st Menu Column / The main column, also known as Home, contains a general list of the areas you can link to in that application. This menu displayed is determined by your system security.
2nd Menu Column / The second column contains the sub-levels to the main category you chose.
3rd Menu Column
= Activity / The third column typically contains menu items that lead you to different components, depending on the type of activity you want to complete.
In most applications, the basic activities you can choose are Use, Setup, Process, and Inquire.
4th Menu Column
= Procedures / The final menu column will be underlined links that, when clicked, will replace the menus with the search page for the component or page you selected.

Each folder in the navigations structure opens to a functional area navigation (FAN) page. This visual display of contents of folders and subfolders enables user to directly access the information they need.

Another useful method of navigation is favorites, which enable users to create their own lists of bookmarks to folders and content references. PeopleSoft favorites differ from Internet Explorer favorites in that PeopleSoft favorites are stored on the server and the user can reference them from any computer.

Menu Breadcrumbs

You may have noticed that just above the menus are the breadcrumbs, which are underlined links that indicate where you have navigated in the application. Once you have selected a link from the fourth column to get to a page, breadcrumbs disappear from the window.

Using the Search Page

After navigating through the menus to your desired procedure, the appropriate search page displays. This is the final step before you can view the actual record in ASU. Using the search helps you find the exact record you are looking for.

Advanced and Basic Search Methods

There are two types of search pages: the advanced search page and the basic search page. When you select a page to navigate to, the system will often display the advanced search page, such as the Maintain Schedule of Classes page shown below. The advanced search page generally offers several fields by which you may search for your record. It allows you to narrow down your search by entering in more than one type of criteria. The Maintain Schedule of Classes Advanced Search page below contains nine fields to assist in searching for the correct record.

The Advanced search page offers a basic search option. It will appear as a link next to the search action buttons. In general, a basic search page offers just one or two fields by which you may perform your search. However, you may designate which key field you would like to search by from the Search By drop-down list box.

Search Criteria

You can enter a full value or a partial value for any search field, including wildcards. Based on what you enter in the dialog box, the system uses the search record to present you with a list of possible matches or, if there is only one match, the page you requested.

A search record is the list of defined search keys that help you locate data. These are the fields you are prompted for on a search page. Every transaction page or component listed in the menu columns has a search record associated with it. If you select other pages that have a common search record, such as pages within a component or an associated link, you will not be prompted to enter search criteria again. You'll be prompted for new search keys only when you select a new page outside of the component with a different search record.

Using Operators

Operator / Field Use
begins with / Character fields.
contains / Character fields.
= / All field types.
not= / All field types.
All field types.
<= / All field types.
All field types.
>= / All field types.
between / All field types.
in / All field types.

When performing an advanced search, you can use a variety of operators to narrow your searches—hunting for customers by a particular first letter, by values that are less than or greater than a specified amount, and so on. You can use the following operators:

Field-Level Prompts and Validation

Some edit box fields are linked to database prompt tables, which store values for shared information. They're called prompt tables because you can prompt the system to give you a list of values from which you can select the correct value. In many cases, fields are defined so that the system edits or validates the values you enter against a prompt table and ensures that the values are valid.

Fields prompting against this kind of prompt table appear as edit boxes on your screen with a prompt button to the right. When you click the prompt button (or select [Alt]+5), a Lookup page opens, allowing you to search for the value you need. For example, to determine the subject area for your department, on the Course Catalog Find page, press the prompt button next to the Subject Area field. The Lookup Subject Area page then opens.

You can click the Lookup button or press Enter to see a list of all valid options for this field. Or, you can type in the full or partial subject area in the Descriptionfield to Lookup the value you need.

A Search Results list displays on your lookup page. When you find the subject area you need, click the link in the Departmentor Description columns and the system automatically opens the Course Catalog Find page again and places that value in the Subject Area field.

Alternatively, if you know a partial value of the Subject Area, you can type that into the main page and then click the prompt button. The Search Results in the Lookup Department page are already populated with all the choices available to you based on the partial value you entered.

Wildcard Searches

You can use three different wildcard features to assist in searching for data. These wildcards can be helpful in finding the exact information you want to process. The following are the supported standard wildcard features:

Wildcard / Function
% (percent sign) / Match one or more characters.
_ (underscore) / Match any single character.
\ (back slash) / Escape character—don't treat the next character as a wildcard.

Page Action

You'll notice that many search pages, both the advanced and the basic, contain the Include History and Correct History check boxes as page action options. These options are included on effective dated records. You can select what type of action you want to perform for your record before retrieving that record by selecting the appropriate check box. Or, if you are unsure, you may leave the check boxes clear. You will again have an opportunity to select the page action once you open the page you are searching for.

Page Actions / Function
Include History / Accesses all rows of an existing effective dated record.
History, Current, and Future rows will be displayed in chronological order.
Correct History / Accesses all rows of an existing effective-dated record.
Current and historical rows can be modified using this page action.
Note: This option is based on your security.

Search Page Buttons

The following search related buttons are located on Search Pages:

Button / Function
/ Processes the search once you have entered search criteria in the key fields above the Search button.
Note: You can also run a search by pressing [Enter].
/ Clears entered text from all fields on the page (without saving) so you can enter new criteria.

Search Results

There are two possible results after running a search:

  1. You go directly to the desired record if your search criteria exactly matched a specific record.
  2. A Search Results List displays at the bottom of the search page with records that match your search criteria. To access a specific record, click any of the underlined links in the Search Results grid row for that record.

Note.The Search Results for the Advanced search will contain a link for each column entry, while the Basic search page results will only display the first column as a link.

Note:The search function can retrieve up to 300 entries from the database.Use your browser's scroll bar to view all listings on the current page. If the list is subdivided, click the right-pointing arrow above the grid to view the next set of listings.

Tip: If your search retrieves more than the maximum 300 listings, you should then attempt to narrow your search in another way if you are not able to retrieve the data you need.

Using Page Actions to View Data

The page action buttons are located at the bottom right of each page on which they are applicable. You can toggle between these buttons by using the [Alt]+\ access key and then pressing [Enter] to activate the selected mode. A grayed out button indicates the page is currently in that mode.

The types of actions you can perform on rows of data depend on the data row type. When you retrieve, modify, or insert rows in a table, the Update/Display, Include History, and Correct History actions apply specific rules based on the effective date. The action type that you select will dictate whether you can access certain fields and what you can do with each type of row.

Action Button / View / Change / Insert New Rows

Update/Display / Current, Future / Future only / Effective date greater than or equal to current row.

Include History / History, Current, Future / Future only / Effective date greater than or equal to current row.

Correction / History, Current, Future / All existing rows / No effective date restrictions.

Note: Sometimes these actions appear as check boxes on the search page.

Effective Dates

Effective-dating logic enables PeopleSoft to maintain accurate historical information. Effective dating allows storage of historical data, viewing of changes in data over time, and entry of future data. For example, you may want to track several events in the career of a student, such as when they applied, was accepted, and graduated. By inserting rows of data based on the student’s ID, you can build their history. (See “Add a Row” section for how-to steps.)

When you enter new information that is related to existing data, you don't want to lose or overwrite the data already stored in the database. To retain history, you add a data row identified by the date when the information goes into effect: the Effective Date. You can use the information to look at what's happened in the past and plan for the future. PeopleSoft categorizes effective-dated rows into the following basic types:

Effective Dating / Description
Current / The data row with the date closest to—but not greater than—the system date.
Note: Only one row can be the current row.
History / Data rows that have effective dates earlier than the current data row.
Future / Data rows that have effective dates later than the system date.

Identifying Parts of the PeopleSoft Window

It will also be helpful if you familiarize yourself with the types of page elements you will encounter on pages and how they work. We use many different types of elements to organize information on pages and to enable you to enter data.

Navigation Header

The navigation header area in PeopleSoft remains static as you navigate through your pages. The navigation header contains a link back to your Home menu and a Sign Out button.

Button / Description
Home / Takes you back to your Home menu, the first menu column.
Worklist / Worklists are prioritized lists of the work items that a person (or group of people) has to do. When work is routed to a PeopleSoft user, it is put in the user’s worklist. To work on an item, the user selects it from the worklist and is presented with the appropriate page to begin work.
MultiChannel Console / If you are defined as an agent in PeopleSoft MultiChannel Framework, click to access and manage tasks assigned to you. This is an optional setting that your system administrator enables. If you do not have access to this feature, the system displays a warning message to that effect.
Add to Favorites / Enable users to create their own list of bookmarks.
Sign Out / This is the proper way to Sign Out of ASU when you are done.
Tip:Be sure to save before you Sign Out.
Help / Connects you to a context sensitive help item in PeopleBooks if possible.

Breadcrumbs

The breadcrumbs display just below the navigation header. The breadcrumbs are underlined links that indicate where you have navigated in the application. Use the breadcrumbs to return quickly to a particular level of the menu. They also serve as a quick reference to where you are in the system when you are on a page.