Oracle OpenWorld was a whirlwind for me, but such a great learning opportunity as well. It really doesn’t get better than meeting with customers, partners and Oracle and seeing what the future holds, especially for customers. There was a lot of PeopleSoft information to take in throughout the week, but there were three main topics I heard in particular within the presentations:

1. Implement Fluid User Interface (UI)
2. Execute Fully on Selective Adoption
3. Deploy PeopleSoft to Oracle Cloud

These were the points I saw over and over again in the “recommendations to maximize your investment” slide that Oracle PeopleSoft repeatedly used. With that in mind, I want to talk a little bit about all of these and how they were presented throughout OpenWorld.

Fluid User Interface

If Fluid isn’t in your strategy for PeopleSoft, it may be time to rethink whether or not it should be. What I heard clearer than ever at OpenWorld is that Fluid is here to stay and you should be moving to it. This was not just the message from Oracle, but from customers and partners as well. Fluid helps deliver a state-of-the-art user experience that is more intuitive and efficient.

Here are the key Fluid features and benefits Oracle stressed throughout the week:

• Any device, any location, anytime you want
• Better user experience
• Quicker and easier
• Improved productivity

In his keynote on Tuesday, Paco Aubrejuan discussed a new style sheet that will be arriving with PeopleTools 8.56 called Classic Plus. This style sheet will make classic pages look like Fluid pages, which will make the transition back and forth from classic to fluid pages smoother for anyone using both. I think this is a baby step to get customers into Fluid without having to change everything at once.

Here are some of the specific new Fluid features and functionalities Paco talked about in his session:

• The Expense Module is now present in Fluid UI
• Mobile approvals will now be implemented in Fluid UI
• Page Composer for Mobile Approvals

Paco also announced that Oracle will be ending support for any classic page with a Fluid counterpart two years after the Fluid page is announced.

I attended another session about Page Composer on Wednesday and learned that this feature will make common changes to Fluid Approval User Interfaces very easy. It will also enable users to make complex changes without update impact and will simplify the rollout of Fluid approvals. It also looks like it is built to be extended and can be a game changer for Fluid User Interface.

I was also able to attend a session about PeopleSoft’s recruiting solution, and I have to say the new 9.2 PeopleSoft Fluid Candidate Gateway is another fantastic Fluid UI achievement. I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I actually searched/applied for a job on my desktop and now, with Fluid Candidate Gateway, I don’t have to as it allows candidates to search and apply for job openings from their mobile devices.

Here are some comments about Fluid from customers I spoke with onsite:

• “Take Fluid UI pages based on your business needs.”
• “It seemed like such a no-brainer to implement.”
• “We are delivering a consistent interface that makes it easier on our employees to use the software.”
• “We are delivering the most current technology that works on any device, seamlessly.”
• “Take advantage of the delivered Fluid applications.”

Selective Adoption

Selective Adoption allows PeopleSoft 9.2 users to pick and choose the types of enhancements, patches and fixes released in a PeopleSoft Image. Instead of waiting three to five years to perform an upgrade for the latest enhancements, new enhancements are made available immediately through PeopleSoft Images that are released every 10 to 12 weeks.

Perhaps the most important thing I have learned about Selective Adoption is that it’s more than just applying enhancements, patches, fixes, features, etc. It’s truly a change in mindset for how you handle your PeopleSoft environment. Your strategy should start with understanding Selective Adoption.

Here are some of the most common Selective Adoption tips and best practices I heard at OpenWorld:

• Apply regulatory and critical changes on a regular basis
• Take as many new enhancements into your environment as your business needs
• Plan to do a “get current” every so often, again based on your business needs
• Get your end users involved in the discussion of what to roll out, as they will be the users
• Ensure the line of business and IT are collaborating
• Selective Adoption provides:
  • Increased value
  • Impactful technology
  • Efficient use of resources
  • Ability to keep up with the changing technology
  • Control of your technology
  • Faster deployment time
  • A way to meet the ever-changing needs of your organization
  • Cost and resource savings
  • You get the best of both worlds when you have an on-premise environment with a cloud mindset

PeopleSoft in the Cloud

It was announced that PeopleSoft Cloud Manager is coming later this year which, from what I can tell, is an exciting announcement. Deploying PeopleSoft to the Oracle Cloud provides many capabilities such as cloud computing, life cycle management, migration to Oracle Cloud, and self-service provisioning.

Here are some of the most impressive things I heard about Cloud Manager (and why I feel like this is a great thing for PeopleSoft customers).

• Easier to apply updates automatically in demo environments
• Great for development, testing, and training
• Makes it easier to use the “lift and shift” model into the Oracle Cloud
• You can create testing environments from templates based on Fluid

Moving Forward from OpenWorld

After what I heard at OpenWorld, I would suggest staying in tune with these three topics and how they can affect you, your company and the investment you have in PeopleSoft. These areas not only offer new features and functionality to your system, but require new strategies and mindsets. In one of the sessions I attended, the speaker said an appropriate outlook includes “more strategy than technology.” I think that might be the best advice I received all week. The best implementation starts with strategy and there are many great resources out there for you to stay up-to-date, including:

• www.peoplesoftinfo.com
• www.support.oracle.com
• dev.questoraclecommunity.org

I also suggest you join Quest at one of our upcoming events:

• Quest Experience Week
• COLLABORATE
• RECONNECT

If you can’t get enough top-quality PeopleSoft education, we strongly suggest you attend our Oracle COLLABORATE conference, COLLABORATE 18, April 22-26, 2018! You can also follow us on Twitter at our COLLABORATE 2018 hashtag, #C18LV!

I hope to see you at one of these events and that you continue to be engaged with us as we dig deeper into what these new PeopleSoft developments mean for you!