Oracle PeopleTools 8.60 offers a wide range of enhancements enabled to better serve users. The main enhancements highlighted include:
- The Redwood Color Scheme Refresh
- User Interface Layout Changes
- Quick Access Bar Adjustments
- Global and Configurable Search Options
- User Personalization
- Search Frameworks
- Notifications Enhancements
- Lifecycle Mangement
- Integration
- Security and Privacy
Below you will find a synopsis of the overall PeopleTools 8.60 release, as well as important points from each feature enhancement category.
Redwood Color Scheme Refresh
The PeopleTools 8.60 transition to the Redwood Color Scheme represents Oracle’s next generation design system and incorporates this new scheme throughout the upgrade. Customers can now configure the Redwood CSS variables and personalize the system’s look and feel with ease.
User Interface Layout Changes
User Interface Layout Changes include updates to the banner layout. The banner layout now displays two new sections, a global section at the top and a contextual section at the bottom. The global section houses common controls like quick access bar items and the contextual section displays the title of the content you are viewing. PeopleTools 8.60 also refreshed icons, so be sure to look out for new layout designs like back arrows and title alignments.
Quick Access Bar
This feature provides one click access to your Favorites and Recently Visited items. It is available by default on all fluid home pages, dashboards, and transaction pages. The quick access bar buttons are located on the banner. On small form active devices, like mobile, the quick access bar is only available on the homepage at the bottom of the page, similar to Peopletools 8.59.
Global Search
Global Search is available on all PeopleSoft pages. On homepages, it is presented in expanded form so you can choose a category, enter your search term, and perform an advanced search. When navigating to dashboards and transaction pages, Global Search is in its muted form, and you must select the global search bar to activate it and begin searching. On mobile devices, the global search icon appears in the banner, the same as PeopleTools 8.59.
Configurable Search
Configurable Search provides a unified solution for classic and fluid component search. It also provides a consistent user search experience for classic and fluid components. PeopleTools 8.60 offers a search page for both classic and fluid components.
Using the new search configuration page, administration can configure search properties and reduce dependency on application designers. The search configuration page allows for a specific presentation that suits your business requirements.
In 8.60, the system displays the new search page by default. You can use the search configuration page to configure or override the search experience for any component. Within the search page, the “show more options” button allows you to perform an advanced search.
User Personalization
Peopletools 8.60 allows you to specify a value for your recently visited items. The value can range between 0 and 30, but the default is 10. In PeopleTools 8.59, you could not personalize the values attributed to recently visited items, and instead values were set by an administrator to 5 or 10.
Search Framework Enhancements:
The PeopleTools 8.60 Search Framework Enhancements include two sections, the Changes in Date Range Partitions for Search Indexing and Updates to Real Time Indexing Switch.
Date Range Partitions for Search Indexing
In 8.60, you can adjust the partition date ranges prior to running the index build processes. After the date range and number of partitions are specified, partitions of equal date span are generated. The dates can be personalized as needed to reflect the actual data distribution. Once you run the program, the search framework build process forms a unique control ID for each run and enables you to rerun a specific partition independent of the others.
Real Time Indexing Switch
Peopletools 8.60 search framework enables administrators to temporarily disable real time indexing on selected search definitions during dense volume transactions. You can turn off Real Time Indexing for batch transactions by both process type and process name. After, real-time indexing will be temporarily disabled and will only start again once the next incremental run begins. This feature also includes the real time indexing switch page, which includes the real time indexing status of all listed programs.
Notifications Enhancements:
The upgrade to PeopleTools 8.60 includes two main Notifications Enhancements. Enhancements include changes to Images or Attachments in Outbound Text Messages and the Mark Complete Notifications Action.
Images or Attachments in Outbound Text Messages
Oracle includes the ability to insert images or attachments in outbound text messages in the new 8.60 update. The system includes an authentication process that ensures only authorized users have access to attachments and images.
Mark Complete Notifications Action
The Mark Complete link is displayed for certain actionable notifications in the notifications panel. By clicking the link, you can remove finished notifications from the panel. This will then display the tasks as completed in the notifications list on the View All Notifications page.
Lifecycle Management Enhancements:
PeopleTools 8.60 release offers a host of Life Management Enhancement tools. New Life Managment’s tools include Simplifying Usage Monitor Setup and Usage Data Collection, Improving PAU Job Scheduler, Administer Metadata Options, and PTF Recorder with Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Simplifying Usage Monitor Setup and Usage Data Collection
Enabling Usage Monitor with PeopleTools 8.60 is simple and effective. This function can be found under the Lifecycle Tools Options page. Usage monitoring is no longer dependent on performance monitor configuration making it easier to track usage for PeopleSoft environments. The data can later be used for impact analysis.
Within the system, you can set the buffer size for the amount of data to be collected before storing the data. A buffer size of 2500 is the minimum production value. You will want to try different settings to discover the optimal size. Determining optimal buffer size can be based on the number of users and the amount of available system memory. Data can be collected anonymously or by user ID.
Improving PAU Job Scheduler
PUM Automated Updates (PAU) has two new features in Peopletools 8.60. PAU allows you to create and apply a change package defined or modified from the PUM update manager, as well as create a job that searches and downloads the latest PUM DPKs. You are no longer required to search My Oracle Support to find the latest application update image DPK, this process is now automated using PAU job scheduler. Additionally, you can now define a Change Package in one PAU job and create a package in another PAU job.
Administer Metadata Options
Starting with PeopleTools 8.60, you no longer have to use change assistant to synchronize data between PUM and Target environment databases. Use the new administer metadata tile on the update manager home page to upload older PUM source metadata. Select the Administer Metadata tile to access the DBs component and view current target databases and PUM source databases. On the Define Activity page you can schedule or run activities like BackUp PUM Metadata, Load Languages, and many more.
PTF Recorder with Chrome and Microsoft Edge
PeopleSoft Test Framework (PTF) now supports recording tests in Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers. To launch the new Chrome or Microsoft Edge based recorders, you must add the PeopleSoft application URL and select the required browser in runtime options with the PTF client.
Integration Enhancements:
The Integration Enhancement features offered with 8.60 include Application Services Framework and REST Enhancements, as well as a Data Distribution Framework.
Application Services Framework and REST Enhancements
The PeopleTools 8.60 Application Services Framework initiates enhancements to user interface, the ability to create a consumer application service, and update the Application Services Framework tester. All of these functions work to simplify integration with third party systems.
Data Distribution Framework
Creating and running data science jobs is automated, so the jobs can be scheduled to run periodically on the Data Science Setup page. You must perform a one-time configuration on the common configuration page by entering the OCID details. The data science configuration page allows you to capture the details of jobs and map the models using the data distribution framework. After the model is deployed, the corresponding data rest endpoint will be available, and the predicted logic can run the predicted endpoint data.
Security and Privacy Enhancements:
The PeopleTools 8.60 release offers a host of Security and Privacy Enhancements including Expanded Password Length, Improved Access Logging, User Profile Expiration Date, Improved Certificate Management, and Data Masking Support for Analytics.
Expanded Password Length
In order to better secure user accounts, 8.60 offers longer passwords of up to 64 characters. The longer password length can be used when setting up the user account on the user profile page. Passwords of 64 characters can be used for the LDAP password setup and the password for the public user ID on the Web Profile Configuration page.
Improved Access Logging
Access logs now have more data on the type of logins and reasons for logouts. Now, when the session times out, or the user abandons the session, it is recorded. Login data can be accessed on the Reviewed Security Information page. The administrator can track activity by user, by day, and by user list.
User Profile Expiration Date
Under 8.60, you can set user accounts to lock out on a specific date in order to ensure administrators more control and convenience. Additionally, temporary access can be granted for contingent workers and entire accounts can expire when an employee leaves the company.
Improve Certificate Management
The updated release offers Improved Certificate Management for web-based and application server-based certificates. Now, Pskeymanager supports the use of SAN attributed for creating private keys and certificate signing requests for web-based certificates.
Data Masking Support for Analytics
Personally identifiable information and sensitive data can now be masked from restricted users with PeopleTools 8.60. Data masked at the query level will now be restricted from display. Users who do not have access to certain data searches will not be able to access information outside the scope set by administrators.
Additional Key Features:
Lastly, some Additional Key Features included in the PeopleTools 8.60 upgrade are Component Interface Improvements, Image Catalog, and Extended Virus Scanning for Attachments.
Component Interface Improvements
Component interfaces now support configurable drop zones at designated design times. If drop zone configuration is detected, then records and fields from subpages will be added to the component interface properties list.
Image Catalog
Searching, reviewing, and selecting of images for tile definitions is now available through new secondary pages. This enhancement is available as a standalone component that allows you to review all images stored in your PeopleSoft database.
Extend Virus Scanning for Attachments
Previously in PeopleTools 8.59, attachments could be scanned for viruses on a web server. In PeopleTools 8.60, virus scanning abilities are now available on the application server. This enhancement allows for scanning before transitioning attachments to your PeopleSoft repository.
Reach Out and Learn More
If you would like to learn more about the Oracle PeopleTools 8.60 release, please visit the Oracle YouTube page and watch the PeopleTools 8.60 Highlights video. If you have questions about PeopleTools Application changes due to the 8.60 upgrade, feel free to reach out to [email protected] to speak with one of our Elire PeopleSoft Experts.
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