The newest version of PeopleTools is here and available on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. PeopleTools 8.57 is ready to impress with enhanced user experience with friendlier, customizable homepages, dashboards, and Work Centers. To increase all-important productivity, PeopleTools helps users access pivot grids, conduct successful elastic searches more easily than ever, and set important notifications.

In addition, the newest version of PeopleSoft helps customers isolate customizations while maintaining an environment that can accommodate upgrades easily and quickly. Users can opt to migrate customizations slowly and plan time with each PeopleSoft Update Manager apply cycle, or users can opt to make a one-time effort to isolate as many customizations as possible. There are tools to help with this option including:

• Event Mapping with AppClass methods that can run before or after built-in exit points
• Drop Zones with frameworks to add custom fields
• Page Composer/Form Builder with utilities to build fluid pages
• Page and Field Configuration with metadata captured to define common changes to pages

Getting Started

Once a company decides to make the upgrade to PeopleTools 8.57, the process is easy—so easy that some, including Graham Smith of Cedar Consulting, call it “magic.” Businesses subscribe to PeopleSoft, select the upgrade, and simply click a button. The process from there takes only about 3.5 hours.

Customers will be able to “lift and shift” environments to the Cloud. Self-service provisioning makes it possible to start and stop environments when needed. The best part is that lifecycle processes are automated.

This is only the start. PeopleTools users can prepare to adopt new technology on an ongoing basis. Customers only need to be on the latest Cloud Manager and maintain a subscription to the PeopleTools 8.57 channel. From there, new releases and patches will automatically download as soon as they are available.

There are three easy steps to get users started:

1. Go to the PeopleSoft Information Portal.
2. Click the training tab.
3. Click the link to the Spotlight Series.

Customers can choose between PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface or Classic Plus. With PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface, customers have access to a modern, responsive UI that works on phones, tablets, and desktops. With Classic Plus, customers can access that same Fluid styling through Classic desktop pages for continuity across all PeopleSoft applications.

Kibana Analytics is also now part of PeopleTools. Many already know it as a great tool for visualizing and exploring data. Kibana Analytics provide metrics on indexing processes, index segment growth, and the number of documents indexed. Users can also monitor Elasticsearch System Health parameters like memory, CU, etc. It helps with managing infrastructure planning and maintenance.

With 8.57, personalized analytics notifications will change the way users interact with the system. Using pivot grids, users can decide when and how they want reminders sent.

Searches are also easier and more effective with PeopleTools 8.57. Users can start by casting a wide search net and then add criteria to narrow the results.

Drop Zones are another new feature within PeopleTools 8.57. Basically, it is a placeholder for customers to add new fields or grids within a page. With Drop Zones, customers can add these fields and not worry about any interference with future upgrades.

Fluid grid capabilities allow users to personalize and save searches. Results from searches can be downloaded to Excel.

For more on the update and roadmap for PeopleTools and PeopleSoft technology, check out David Bain’s full presentation attached below.

Additional Resources

Want more resources like this, all in one place? Discover everything available at COLLABORATE 19, the Technology and Applications Forum for the Oracle Community, April 7-11, 2019, in San Antonio. Learn more and follow #C19TX on Twitter to stay up-to-date on all things COLLABORATE 19!

If you’re looking for more PeopleSoft content, join us at RECONNECT 19, the premier deep-dive PeopleSoft focused event of the year! The event will take place July 16-18 in Rosemont, Illinois. Register by June 19 to take advantage of Early Bird prices!