Oracle has recently released the PeopleTools 8.61 update. A video recap of the key changes in the 8.61 release is available here on the PSFT Oracle YouTube channel. Below, take a look at the key features and enhancements released in this most recent update.
User Experience
User experience features include homepage sections, fluid prompt page enhancements, and accessibility help. Administrations can sectionalize a fluid homepage or dashboard. A section is a collection of tiles under a categorization label that generalizes the purpose of the tiles in the specified section. To create sections on homepages, use the content ref administration page. It’s worth noting that you must select tiles on the tile content page before using the section assignments page. Another way to add a section to the homepage is to use the import section button. When you import a section, the system copies a predefined section to your homepage, which is stored in the fluid section templates folder.
Fluid Prompt Page Enhancements
Fluid prompt page enhancements improve the user interaction with the search criteria. In fluid, the search criteria on the prompt lookup page are automatically collapsed by default. To use the criteria you have to expand the search criteria, and then select the show operators link to access additional search operators. Additionally, end users can use the “my preferences” general options to personalize the default behavior of their fluid prompt search criteria.
Deployment-Support for Containers
One of the top requests coming out of the Ideas Lab has been the support of containers. Containers provide a lightweight deployment solution with significant customization and automation capabilities. Containers provide an easy way to standardize environments and provide easier troubleshooting. Using the delivered DPKs along with a new API and scripts, customers can build a podman container for the middle-tier search and application update images.
Insights
Embedding insights in fluid work centers makes it easier for you to analyze insights data and take necessary action from work center pages. For example, when you’re in the projects work center and you want to analyze insights data, you can easily access the project billing analytics dashboard from your current work center and then return to the budgets to finalize page whenever you’re ready to continue your task.
Search
Search features include global search and suggestions, and indexing improvements. In 8.60 and prior releases the navigation route folder was displayed as additional detail for menu items in the search results. This release shows the content reference descriptions as additional details, providing further context to the search results.
Configurable Search
Configurable search features include search exception handling and expanded PeopleTools options. In prior releases, if keyword search wasn’t working, you’d see an error message and the page would be unusable until the issue was resolved. In this release, if you encounter an error during keyword search, the system automatically toggles to the standard search page until the issue is resolved. The additional details in the message such as search server is down, search definition is not deployed, or search definition is not indexed, enable your administrators to identify the underlying issue.
Configuration Frameworks-Application Engine Plug-ins
PeopleSoft enables you to create a plug-in for a call section action. The plugin can direct the system to run a SQL or PeopleCode action, or call an application engine section.
PeopleSoft Update Manager-Current Maintenance Level of Your PeopleSoft Environments
PeopleSoft enables administrators to find out how current their target database is. The PUM Source calculates the highest image maintenance number where 90% or more of the delivered fixes up to that Image number are applied to the Target database.
Security
When an end-user requests a password, they need to enter their user ID on the form. However, some end users forget or don’t know the user ID for their profile. In this release, the end user can request the user ID that is associated with a valid email address and have an email sent to them without the need to contact the security administrator. Password controls allow for admins to exclude characters from randomly generated passwords.
These are just some of the key features available in the PeopleTools 8.61 release. To stay up to date on all the PeopleTools releases and PeopleSoft updates, subscribe to Elire’s monthly PeopleSoft Newsletter here and reach out to [email protected] to get in touch with our team and discuss how to take advantage of these updates and changes.