Author: digitaleagle

Changing Records in Queries

This isn’t best practice, but I found a way to switch out a record in a query without redoing the criteria. Here’s the situation: I have a query in which the row-level security is causing problems. It is slowing down the query and also eliminating future-dated rows from the results. So, I created a view of the table which would select all of the rows from the original table. It was basically a copy with the query security view removed. The next challenge was to change the query to use that new record. If I remove the old record and add the new, I would have to redo the whole complicated query just about.

So, I found that I could update two records in the database:

UPDATE PSQRYFIELD
SET RECNAME = '<new record name>'
WHERE QRYNAME = '<query name>'
AND RECNAME = '<old record name>';

UPDATE PSQRYRECORD
SET RECNAME = '<new record name>'
WHERE QRYNAME = '<query name>'
AND RECNAME = '<old record name>';

After that, I found that I needed to open the query online in query manager, make a small change, and save it. After that, it worked fine with no problems.

Warning: use at your own risk. This isn’t the intended way to edit queries.

Null Date in PeopleCode

Just the other day, I needed to set a Date to null or blank, and I couldn’t remember how to do it.  Here’s my notes so that I can remember next time.  Javier’s blog came to the rescue:

Javier’s PeopleSoft blog: Setting Date Variables to Null in PeopleCode

The short version is: use the Date(0) function:

     Local Date &hireDate;

     &hireDate = Date(0);

Here’s some more information to explore a little more in depth…

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Import/Export with Data Mover

A common development task is to move data between two different PeopleSoft environments.  You can use App Designer to move code, table structures, and pages, but data is a different story.  Data Mover is your tool for moving your data.

My biggest challenge is that I don’t use it enough to have the syntax memorized.  This post is a list of common tasks with the syntax to make it easier to remember…

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Scheduling a Process from PeopleCode

The process scheduler provides a good standard way to launch a process.  You simply add a subpage to your run control page, and the delivered “Run” button does all of the work for you.  But sometimes, you want to run the process other ways.  Sometimes, you might want to create a more customized feel on a end-user page and launch a process from a push button.  Or, you might want to launch an additional process from an App Engine program.

In this post, I would like to drop notes to make this easier the next time I need to do it.

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Using Open COBOL with PeopleSoft

COBOL in PeopleSoft has long been one of my frustrations.  I have had trouble with change assistant not getting the right version of the files in the correct directories.  The compiler is an extra set of steps for installing and getting the system working.  The license has to be installed in addition to the compiler, and most likely several run time environments.  Typically, you would have to ship the COBOL programs between servers assuming you only have one server that is licensed to compile.

I can understand paying money for a program that you use, but COBOL doesn’t fit that description in my mind.  Every client that I have worked at won’t touch a COBOL program: every customization must be outside the COBOL programs.  So, why then should I have to pay thousands of dollars for a COBOL compiler?

So, I thought I would play with an open source compiler.  I thought it would do two things:

  1. Maybe in some small way influence toward Open COBOL as an official certified alternative
  2. Help me better learn how the COBOL system works

So, here’s what I learned:

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Turning Oracle Linux 6.1 Graphical

I have an experimental Oracle Linux VM that I am playing with, and I am going to want to try to run some desktop applications inside the image.  So, I want to enable the X Window Graphical Environment.

Here’s the command to install it all:

yum groupinstall “X Window System” XFCE

Then, I had to edit the /etc/inittab and change the “3” to a “5” (on the last line).

When I rebooted, it didn’t offer the login screen.  I had to press Alt+F2 to get to a regular login.  Then, I installed 2 more groups:

yum groupinstall Desktop “General Purpose Desktop”

I am not sure that this got me an XFCE Desktop, but it got me what I needed.

Resources

No Cheating: PeopleSoft 9.2 / PeopleTools 8.53 Need 64-bit

I know it hasn’t been supported for a while now, but I have been using some 32-bit hardware for testing non-production, non-critical stuff in PeopleSoft for a while now.  It’s been okay for just playing around.  While the 64-bit was certified, all of the Windows binaries were still actually 32-bit.  Linux was a different story … the binary on the Linux side was actually 64-bit and would not work on a 32-bit machine.

Well, I tried to install PeopleSoft 9.2, which requires PeopleTools 8.53.  It doesn’t work even on Windows.  This is the error message:

psadmin failing on 32-bits

Here’s the text if you can’t see the image:

The image file <path>\psadmin.exe is valid, but is for a machine type other than the current machine.

So, no more cheating.  If you want to play around with PeopleSoft, you have to have 64-bit hardware.