Contents

introduction xv

1    PeopleSoft Financials 1

1.1 The company 2

1.2 The PeopleSoft Financials modules 5

General Ledger 5, Accounts Payable 6, Accounts Receivable 6, Asset Management 7, Billing 7, Inventory 8, Project Costing 8, Purchasing 8

1.3 The technology platform 9

Data Designer 9, Panel Designer 10, Menu Designer 10, Object Security 10, Help Designer 10, Operator Security 10, Tree Manager 11, Workflow 11, Process Scheduler 11, Data manipulation tools 11, Reporting tools 11

1.4 Distinguishing characteristics 12

Effective dating 12, Flexibility 13, Integration 13, "Fat Client" software 14, Integrated software distribution 15, End-user orientation 15, Built to be customized 16, Great expectations 16, Outstanding financial reporting 18

1.5 Benefits of PeopleSoft Financials 18

1.6 Who should implement PeopleSoft Financials? 20

1.7 Implementation: a road map to success 21

Know the technology 21, Ensure adequate training 22, Develop an implementation strategy 22, Install the technology 23, Reengineer your business 23, Customize the software 24, Set up financial options 24, Convert the data 25, Manage relationships 27

2    Technology 28

2.1 PeopleTools database structure 31

2.2 Application definition tools 33

Data Designer 33, PeopleCode 35, Panel Designer 38, Menu Designer 41, Help Designer 47

2.3 Batch processing environment 47

Application engine 48, PeopleSoft COBOL programs 49, PeopleSoft SQR processes 50, Process Scheduler 52

2.4 Data management 53

Import Manager 53, Data Mover 53, Mass Change 55

2.5 PeopleSoft trees 56

Financial Trees 58, Human resources trees 59, Query Trees 59

2.6 PeopleSoft security 60

Operator Security 60, Object Security 62, Sign-on security 62, Functional security 63, Row-level and field-level security 63, Batch-processing security 64

2.7 PeopleSoft development steps 65

3    Expertise 60

3.1 Technical complexity of PeopleSoft 70

Traditional software 70, PeopleSoft Financials 70

3.2 Essential technical skills 71

Workstation 71, PeopleSoft technical skills 73, Database administration and network skills 74, Performance tuning 75, Business acumen 75, Adaptability 76

3.3 How to arm the organization with the essential skills 77

Acquiring PeopleSoft expertise 78, The legacy programmer 80

3.4 Functional expertise on the implementation team 84

3.5 The rest of the organization 87

Power users 87, Occasional or particular users 88, Executives 89, Peripheral users 89, End-user technical staff 90

4    Implementation strategy 92

4.1 Form the implementation team 93

Choose the right skills and the right people 94

4.2 Develop the project plan 99

Key plan elements 100

4.3 Assess and manage the risk 105

4.4 Communicate the plan 107

Status reports 110

4.5 Problems and opportunities 112

Implementation obstacles 115

5    Choosing an implementation partner 116

5.1 Consultant roles 117

Project management 117, Project review 119, Technical assistance 119, Application design 120, Programming resources 121

5.2 Selecting implementation partners and consultants 122

5.3 Implications to the project team 124

6    Installation 127

6.1 Installation prerequisites 128

Workstations 129, Network 130, File server 131, Database server 132, Printers 133, Installation team 133, Preinstallation steps 134

6.2 PeopleSoft installation 135

Set up the file server 135, Set up the workstation 136, Create databases 137, Set up the batch COBOL and Process Schedulers 138

6.3 Remote access 139

7    Implementation options 141

7.1 Business process reengineering and PeopleSoft 142

Business rules 143, Policies 143, Process 144, Workflow 144

7.2 Why reengineer? 144

Project buy-in 145, Maximize the software's fit 145, Minimize software support costs 145

7.3 Obstacles to reengineering 146

Process owners 146, "If it ain't broke" 147, Fear of change 147, Lack of clout 148, Lack of abilities 148

7.4 Model the current business processes 149

7.5 Establish chart fields 151

Chart fields in PeopleSoft 153

7.6 Product review sessions 155

8    Putting the prototype into action 160

8.1 The PeopleSoft upgrade architecture 161

8.2 Politics and customizations 165

8.3 Customization "best practices" 166

Don't customize 166, Keep the upgrade in mind 167, Extend instead of modify 167, Customize the PeopleSoft COBOL only as a last resort 168, Don't rename PeopleSoft variables 168, Hide fields, don't delete them 169, Document all modifications 169

8.4 Business process improvement 171

Tell everyone everything--set expectations 172, Ask for input, if possible 172, Market the benefits 173, Secure executive support 173

8.5 Building interfaces 174

8.6 Financial reporting 176

9    Production 177

9.1 Data conversion 178

9.2 Conversion tools 180

Data extracting tools 181, Import Manager 182, SQR 183, Data Mover 184

9.3 Testing 185

Software acceptance testing 185, Unit testing 185, Integration testing 186, Stress testing 187, Parallel testing 188

9.4 Production cutover 188

9.5 Performance tuning 191

Set proper performance expectations 191, Record benchmark timings 192, Determine what to tune 193

10    Financial reporting 196

10.1 Types of information queries 197

Operational reports 197, What is? reports 198, Financial statements 198, Known search criteria 198, Hunting trips 198

10.2 PeopleSoft reporting tools 199

Inquiry panels 199, PeopleSoft nVision 200, Query 203, Crystal Reports 205, SQR 205

10.3 Matching reports to tools 205

10.4 Generating reports in PeopleSoft Financials 206

10.5 PeopleSoft deployment scope and reporting implications 208

11    Keys to success 210

11.1 What is success? 211

Traditional engineering projects 211, Software engineering projects 211

11.2 Implementation checklist 213

glossary 218

index 236