For those of you that have wondered what has happened to me, maybe this review will help give a glimpse of the things I have been doing at my job that has been consuming much of my time. With my current job, I have to deal with more than one computer system. One is an outdated DOS-looking contraption that is a bear to program and design beneficial reports. The other is a part of Peoplesoft, the Windows based database that is purchased in modules and each module is tailored for a specific need. These modules can fit together easily since they are still the same system but it is nice that they can be stand alone since each is extremely expensive. Small businesses I doubt could afford this software.

New Terms and Sample of Application
I module I have been interfacing with is PeopleSoft 7.5. This software is extremely customizable; however, for a novice, it may take time to learn to set up and administer everything. We use it to transfer our data from our old system, which still runs the operations portion of our company, to our General Ledger. Each of our branches are assigned Business Units that associates the branch to the General Ledger (GL) business unit. When charges to the GL business unit is different from the vouching business unit, PeopleSoft automatically creates InterUnit payables and receivables entries to denote the business transaction.

Take A Step Back
Sound a little confusing? There are templates provided to help get you started. Beginning from scratch takes an enormous amount of time, and some companies do not have this luxury. This system is extremely detailed as simple functions we take for granted in programs such as Microsoft Access and Excel, the function has to be set up for a specific user.

Settings and Options
Once you set up your ledgers, define your business units, and establish your charts of accounts, settings and options must be set up for journal processing. One can identify the options and sources for your journal entries once you have decided how your data will be organized.

Options can be defined for error processing, currency (which is needed in our case since we deal not only with United States dollars but also with Canadian currency), source, approval, and Value Added Taxes (VAT). In general you make these definition and option settings at the business unit, ledger, and source levels.

Is PeopleSoft Secure?
Do you want anyone and everyone to be able to see your company’s transactions? Of course not. What Business Manager would not be concerned about security? If you are concerned about data integrity, confidentiality, or operator productivity, this system is excellent and uses the capability and flexibility of multilevel security to establish and maintain control of your data.

When managing an environment where data is shared, a security system is needed that protects data at various access levels. Flexibility is needed to define the most efficient and secure path to that data across business groups, departments, panels, and tables.

PeopleSoft allows one to control data access even at different areas within your system.

Security access falls into three categories:
* Network security
* Database security
* PeopleSoft application security

Network security controls the overall area into your system’s hardware and software resources. Once a user enters the system, database security narrows the scope of user access to your information assets. Security can be implemented even down to a field level.

Most system users have access to a defined set of panels, functions (totally customizable), or fields that enable them to perform their jobs. In PeopleSoft applications, one has full control over security definitions and how they work. PeopleSoft creates a matrix that allows or blocks user access to the database with a series of authorizations.

Journal Settings and Options

PeopleSoft system uses the journal source as the identifier on the journal header line. The Journal Source ID is used when journal templates and journal summarization options are set up. One defines the journal source and the journal error processing, multicurrency, approval, and VAT options for that source on the Journal Source panel group.

PeopleSoft applications not only allows data tracking, but it allows secure yet flexible control with the flow of financial data. With revenue and expenses coming from many sources such as accounts receivable, budget allocations, accounts payable, payroll, operating expenses, investment income, and notes payable, PeopleSoft handles each of these data transfers with ease.

Our business has multiple Business Units where the interunit transactions are reflected between them. PeopleSoft allows tracking of the source of each transaction into the general ledger which is a must for an enterprise system.

Work Flow Administration

PeopleSoft applications allows the structuring of specific processing options for certain data entry sources, not limiting itself to only identifying the origin of each journal entry. This allows one control over when certain sources will be active.

Before building processes that incorporate workflow, the Workflow Administrator is used to set up the rules that govern how data flows through your business. Additions, modifications, accessing, monitoring, and analyzing of workflow in your organization uses the Workflow Administrator.

The Workflow Administrator to:
* Define routing control information
* Maintain roles of users
* Define approval rules
* Define worklist rules

This part of the program is used only during setup and when a change is needed to rule governing or new rules/roles are added.

Application Designer

The Application Designer is used to define a Business Process or Business Process Map (used to define a map within multiple Business Units).

The Object Workspace for a business process consists of two parts, the work space and the floating palette. The floating palette allows for additions to the blank map, and this varies depending on what type of map is under construction.

The palette for a business process includes: Select, Text Line, Link Business Process, Activity, Decision, and Bitmap Image

An Activity Palette is used to define the activities within the business process: Select, Text Line, Link, Step, Event, Worklist, Email, Outgoing Form, Incoming Form, IVR, World Wide Web, Kiosk, EDI, Other Application, Database Agent, PS/nVision, Background Process, Manual Processing, Decision, Bitmap Image.

This palette helps in linking together different activity steps.

Programmers, Start Your Engines

Run Controls are a must with PeopleSoft applications. Whether a process is needed daily, weekly, or monthly, repetitive operations can be executed through a Run Control. A Run Control stores specific criteria for a particular process. Once ran, the system restores the parameters within the process panel and in the Process Scheduler.

Reporting

PeopleSoft applications are equipped with a set of standard reports designed to provide
information that help many companies. Simply select a report from a menu and enter any parameters necessary to narrow down the selection. But many times the standard reports that come with programs are not enough for everyone. That’s where PeopleSoft can once again help reformat report output.

Online Analytical Processing

Online Analytical Processing or OLAP is the multidimensional analysis of application data, performed interactively. Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) contrasts with OLAP. With OLTP, one performs the transactions that keep the company running by entering and updating data. OLAP analyzes the results of all the transactions.

OLAP allows one to slice and dice data effortlessly (such as an OLAP cube) to analyze areas that could not be looked at through conventional means. OLAP cube is a database with multi dimensions. The dimensions are similar to fields in a relational database. Dimensions remind me of criteria used to zero in on a piece of data.

The PeopleTools Cube Manager links between your PeopleSoft application data and your OLAP tool by enabling you to define and save dimensions and templates for building and updating OLAP cubes. This is an excellent interface. The Cube Manager speeds up and makes much easier working and managing updates to cube structures and data. It allows one to set default parameters for Arbor Essbase and Cognos PowerPlay when creating the cube. OLAP cubes are exciting to me. It brings a new “dimension”, so to speak, to financial reporting.

PeopleSoft Query

PeopleSoft Query allows the user to create and run database queries without having to know SQL statements. Simple or complex queries can be designed from one-time queries to queries that will be used over and over.

Queries can be created to display data in a list box, output to a spreadsheet (I use this feature quite a bit) or Crystal Report, or to search for records. One can select a predefined query or create a new one instead of entering the criteria for the query. Queries can be used to also check database conditions that trigger workflow events.

Process Scheduler

Although not a reporting tool, the Process Scheduler is very important to reporting. It is was actually runs the reports. By selecting a standard report, the Process Scheduler is asked to run it.

This PeopleTool is what performs the work and can run several types of processes such as COBOL programs, database queries, and reports on a specific schedule as you desire. It can run the processes at a workstation or on a server. While the Process Scheduler is running the report, one can work on something else. I keep track of my reports by clicking on “Sparky”, the PeopleSoft dog icon that disappears the next version of PeopleSoft.

In Closing

This review is getting quite lengthy, and I feel that I have only scratched the surface. In my last few months of using this software, I have found one drawback that can make me pull my hair out each month. Uploading data to this software from an outside source is possible; however, it is extremely picky of the format.

I have to interface our older system to the PeopleSoft system with a simple Excel spreadsheet. Whether I am uploading information to our General Ledger for our Budget or Actual data, the format has to be just so-so or it will die on you. We have a term for this. We call it “crapping out”.

Since I deal with a couple of hundred different Business Units that cross states, I have to actually program the changes into a report from the other system to all allow the transfer of the necessary format of the data or PeopleSoft will not recognize the data at all. Yes, I am a human trying to be a computer interface. A single stray character or a column in Excel not the exact width will deter your data transfer.

PeopleSoft is a very reliable system; however, on other counts, and I would recommend it for any enterprise business. For the small business, I think it’s too expensive and probably too complicated for the average person to set up. Since this module is dealing with financials, I would recommend extensive training so that the users know what they are doing since using this product interacts with the company’s General Ledger.


Recommended: Yes