PeopleSoft Jobs

This subtype of the JOBS object defines processing steps to be carried out in a PeopleSoft target system. Like all other job objects (JOBS), PeopleSoft jobs can run independently or they can be added to a group (JOBG) or to a workflow. For details on the integration between the Automation Engine and PeopleSoft please refer to AE and PeopleSoft.

This topic provides information on the following:

Overview

On the pages you specify parameters for PeopleSoft jobs:

Building scripts for PeopleSoft jobs is particularly user-friendly via the Forms that are supplied by default with the Automation Engine. They are predefined sets of commands that you can use out-of-the-box to build scripts without having to care about their format.

Provided you have an active connection to the target system, you can then execute the jobs from within the Automation Engine. You can check their status, restart them if necessary, retrieve reports created in PeopleSoft, etc.

PS Jobs and Child Tasks

PeopleSoft commands can contain statements that start multiple processes. As happens with all other executable objects, each execution of a job or process in PeopleSoft is identified in the Automation Engine by a unique runID.

The PS job you specify here is the parent and serves as container for the actual processes; the object type of its children is JOBD. They are displayed as subordinate to the job in the Tasks list (Process Monitoring perspective) as follows:

Here you can check their status in the target system, add comments, restart and edit them as well as open the list of objects in which they are being used.

Please make sure that the Tasks list in the Process Monitoring perspective is in hierarchical view mode to be able to see the parent/child tree structure.

Child Processes

In addition to the Process pages common to all jobs, PeopleSoft provides an additional Child Process page; The script defined on this page is processed immediately after the child process itself finishes. See PeopleSoft Jobs - Child Processes.

Restarting PS Jobs from the Automation Engine

If a job fails (its status is ENDED_NOT_OK), instead of initiating a new process request, you can simply restart it from the Task list in the Process Monitoring perspective.

See Monitoring and Restarting External Tasks.

Tracking External Jobs via the Remote Task Manager

Furthermore, the Remote Task Manager Object (JOBQ) allows you to control and keep track of processes that have not been started by the Automation Engine via a PeopleSoft job. For this purpose, the following prerequisites must be met:

Transferring PeopleSoft Output Files to the Automation Engine

Two PeopleSoft commands create output files that you may want to store in the Automation Engine, PS_RUN_PROCESS and PS_RUN_JOB. To activate this function you must configure the PS jobs accordingly. For this purpose, you activate the Register Outputfile(s) checkbox in the corresponding Form, for example:

As a result, the files generated by the execution of the job are transferred to the Automation Engine's database and are stored there as external reports. Do the following to download them:

  1. Do one of the following to open the Reports window:

    • Right-click the job in the Process Assembly perspective and select Last Report from the context menu.
    • Right-click the task in the Process Monitoring perspective and select Open Report.
    • After executing a job (JOBS) a success message is displayed at the top of the screen that also provides a link to the report window.

  2. Select Directory to display the list of available external reports, for example:

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Click the download icon.
    • Right-click the report and select Partial Download.

Downloaded reports can be displayed via Automation Engine external viewers

To Define a PeopleSoft Job

  1. In the Runtime Options section activate the Process Request: Delete after execution checkbox if you want the process request to be deleted in PeopleSoft after it has been executed.

  2. In the Job Report section specify what should happen with the process logs:

    The following table describes the available options:

    Field Description
    Store to: Database

    As soon as the job has been processed, the process log available on the target system is stored in the database.
    Store to: File The process log is stored as a file on the target system.
    Generate: Always

    The operating system process log is always written.
    Generate: On error only

    The process log is written only when an error occurs, for example, when the job is canceled or aborted.

  3. Create the scripts you need to process the PS jobs in the the Pre-Process Page and in the Post-Process Page.

    In addition to the Pre-Process Page and the Post-Process Page available for all Job objects, PeopleSoft jobs provide additional features that allow you to build functions that you can then execute in your PeopleSoft system directly from within the Automation Engine (see PeopleSoft Forms).

    The Child Post-Process Page, on the other hand, allows you to write statements that apply to all children of the job.

Next Steps

The list below tries to depict a possible road-map to define and work with Job objects and provides short descriptions of the actions you can take, additional information that can help you understand how they work and links to topics that further describe them:

  1. Define the job general settings, which include the following:

    • The basics, on the General Page.
    • If required, apply a Sync object to the job; You do so on the Sync Page.
    • On the Runtime Page specify the job runtime settings.
    • Fine-tune access rights at object level on the Managing Authorizations at Object Level.
    • Specify the object Attributes on the Attributes Page.
    • Register the output files that will be produced when processing them on the Output Page.
    • To be able to carry out searches in those output files and, if required, perform follow-up actions, specify these settings on the Output-Scan Page.
    • You may want to use variables or prompts. You do so on the Variables & Prompts Pages.
    • You may want to define the settings to backup and restore a job task when included in a workflow. This is useful to recover the last successful status in case of failed processes. You do this on the Rollback Page.
    • The Version Management Page lists all the versions of an object and allows you to restore it to an older version in case of a misconfiguration.
    • Enter information on the job you are defining on the Documentation Page.

  2. Job objects (JOBS) have three pages on which you enter the scripts to be processed. They provide a number of convenience functions to help you with your work. If you enter scripts on all of them, they are processed in the following order:

    1. Pre-Process Page
    2. Process Pages
    3. Child Post-Process (SAP and PeopleSoft only), see Child Post-Process Page.
    4. Post-Process Page
  3. You can easily reuse code using Include Object (JOBI), which saves time and helps you keep your scripts consistent.

  4. Execute the job.

    There are multiple ways to do this that can be grouped as follows:

    • By a parent task.

      This is the case of jobs that are included in a parent object (for example a Workflow or a Group). When defining them, take into account that their activation time can be different from their start time; the latter usually depends on the parent object.

      See Superordinate Tasks (Parents).

    • Stand alone

      This is the case when the job is not part of a parent object or, even if it is, you execute it independently of its parent. You have three possibilities:

    When executable objects are processed, they go through the following four stages: 1. Activation, 2. Generation, 3. Processing and 4. Completion. Take a look at these topics to understand what happens with every processing stage.

  5. When processing jobs, the Automation Engine generates output files and reports that guarantee traceability and auditability. Have a look at the following topics to learn more about this:

  6. Monitor the generated object.

    As soon as the job is activated, it is available as task in the Process Monitoring perspective. In the Task list you can see its status.

    Right-click it to open its monitor (see Monitoring Jobs); it contains three pages that provide the most important information on the job parameters.

    You can also access the Job Monitor from the Process Assembly perspective.

  7. In the Process Monitoring perspective a number of functions are available, depending on the status of the job. See Working with Tasks.

See also: