Run PeopleSoft Application

Engine Programs with Stat

Written By William R. Hart

Stat Solutions Architect
Quest Software

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Formatting Notes ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
About the PeopleSoft Application Engine .................................................................................................................. 4
What is a PeopleSoft Enterprise Application Engine? ................................................................................................. 4
Application Engine Structure ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Example Application Engine Program ......................................................................................................................... 5
Creating a Post-Migration Step .................................................................................................................................... 6
Using Command-Line Parameters .............................................................................................................................. 6
Storing Parameters in Stat ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Creating the Post-Migration Step ................................................................................................................................ 7
Editing the Post-Migration Step ................................................................................................................................... 8
Its All in the Interpretation ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Lets Take It for a Spin ................................................................................................................................................ 10
About the Author ......................................................................................................................................................... 12

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

Abstract
This technical brief is written for Stat administrators of PeopleSoft ERP systems. It explains how to create and launch
a Stat post-migration step that will run a PeopleSoft application engine process when that process is migrated from
one environment to another.

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

Introduction
This technical brief is written for Stat administrators of PeopleSoft ERP systems. It explains how to create and launch
a Stat post-migration step that will run a PeopleSoft application engine process when that process is migrated from
one environment to another.
For some, these procedures can be a bit convoluted. However, we are seasoned PeopleSoft DBAs and PeopleSoft
administrators. Remember: We are the courageous! We are the valiant! We are the Stat Administrators!

Formatting Notes
In this document, local Stat or other application screen menus are displayed in the following format:
Menu Name > Menu Name > Menu Name > Target Menu Item
System output, keyboard input, and screen-related text are displayed in the Courier New font style.

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

About the PeopleSoft Application Engine

What is a PeopleSoft Enterprise Application Engine?
An application engine (commonly called an app engine) is a PeopleTool designed to help you develop background
SQL processing programs. This tool is intended to be used by developers with knowledge of SQL, SQL tools, and
PeopleTools. The application engine offers an alternative to writing COBOL or SQR programs for background SQL
processing. While an application engine does not generate, parse, or understand SQL, it does execute SQL that you
provide.

Application Engine Structure

The diagram below shows the program structure of an application engine, as illustrated in Oracle's PeopleTools
PeopleBook - PeopleTools 8.52: Application Engine:

Figure 1. Structure of an application engine

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Example Application Engine Program

This paper applies to an application engine of any type and of any purpose. Whats important for us is that we want to
ensure it is executed when it is migrated to the target environment.
Below is a sample app engine that we might want to execute when it hits our target environment:

Figure 2. Sample application engine program

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Creating a Post-Migration Step

Using Command-Line Parameters
Many PS admins are aware that, just like an SQR, you can kick off application engine processes using the commandline method. For those not familiar with the process and command-line variables, please refer to Oracle's PeopleTools PeopleBook - PeopleTools 8.52: Application Engine. For a full list of app engine command-line parameters, see
the PeopleSoft Application Engine Guide.
The command-line parameters that we will be using for our example are:
PSAE -CT dbtype -CD database_name -CO oprid -CP oprpswd -R run_control_id -AI program_id -DEBUG(Y|N)
In addition, if your command-line options are stored in a text file, you can pass the file name as a command-line
option: PSAE optfilename.
Storing Parameters in Stat
There are several ways we could set up our post-migration step within Stat. If we know we will be running the step
often, it makes sense to create pre- and post-migration step parameters and store them with Stat.
To create these stored parameters, from the Stat main user interface, go to Maintenance > General > Pre/Post
Migration Steps Parameters.
Use the New button to create as many of the command-line parameters as you would like to store, based on the
PSAE command-line parameters you use on a regular basis. Below is a screen shot of the ones Ive set up locally:

Figure 3. Storing command-line parameters in Stat

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Creating the Post-Migration Step

Once youve set up any parameters you need, you can proceed to creating the post-migration step itself. From the
Stat Main User interface, go to Maintenance > Service Domain > Post Migration Steps. Select the New Button
to add a new record to the Post Migration Step Maintenance window.
Next, click Custom Command, enter a name for your step (such as Run App Engine Cmd Line, and then select
PeopleSoft Proprietary Objects and App Engine Program (PS V7/8). Last, click the Apply button to save
your changes. Below is an example of the step I created:

Figure 4. Example post-migration step

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Editing the Post-Migration Step

Once the step is saved, the Define Command button will be enabled. Click this button to edit the post-migration
step. You will see two boxes, one for specifying your parameters and one for seeing the results of Stat interpreting
them. Initially, the screen values on both boxes will be blank.
At this point, most of the next few steps are a matter of either double-clicking the Stat pre- or post-migration parameters you set up earlier, or entering in the required values to run PS app engines command-line mode.

Figure 5. Editing the post-migration step

The following are some of the key parameters in the figure above:

Outlined in purple is the PS_SERVER_CFG. If you do not have the system variable PS_SERVER_CFG value set on
your environment, you will want to set that variable at runtime.

We set up a PSAE Stat parameter (in yellow) to hold the run location of the PS app engine program (psae.exe).
When we select it from the list above and double-click it, Stat places the parameter into our post-migration step
command as %%PSAE%%. The double percent signs tell Stat that these are variables that need to be interpreted at runtime.

The %%AEDBTYPE%% parameter, wrapped in orange, is interpreted as CT <DBTYPE>. Since I am running

Oracle, my stored parameter becomes CT ORACLE.

The last command-line variable passed (outlined in blue) is the app engine debug parameter. I set it to yes in my
stored parameter, so it will be equal to: AEDBUG = -DEBUG Y

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Its All in the Interpretation

Once youve entered all the values or command-line parameters that you want for the new post-migration step, click
the Interpret Command button on the right. Stat will run an analysis on the values and convert the associated
parameters with the actual values. Since this is a test it is not being executed during runtime we will expect to see
one or two null values where theres no data as of yet.
You should see something similar to the following in the lower right box:

Figure 6. Results of clicking the Interpret Command button

You can see above that the values that we added as parameters are now interpreted as the stored values and
replaced on the right side.
If you compare Figure 5 and Figure 6 above, you will see how the color-coded parameters are interpreted and
resolved in the Interpret Command window.

The purple text is hardcoded and will appear every time this call is run; it is the Set PS_SERVER_CFG call.
The yellow PSAE value is interpreted to the full path of P:\PT8.52\bin\client\win86\PSAE.exe.
The orange AEDBTYPE value is interpreted to the database type value of -CT ORACLE.
The blue AEDBUG value is interpreted to the app engine debug Y/N value of -DEBUG Y
On the last line in Figure 6 above, you will notice that the -CD parameter is set to <Null>. If you look back at the
command entry, that value is set as text -CD and then %%TARGET_DB_NAME%%. If this was being called at runtime,
and we were migrating this to our HRPROD environment, then Stat would interpret is as -CD HRPRD.

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

Lets Take It for a Spin

If we create a new CSR, add an application engine program to it, save it, and migrate it, we should see the following.
When the migration completes, Stat will review the objects that were migrated and act accordingly. For example, if
DMS scripts were included, they will be executed as required. If there are SQL Scripts that need to be executed, they
too will be executed, if thats how weve set up our Stat environment to react to them.
For our app engines, when its time to run them, we will see the following:

Figure 7. Running the app engine

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Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

TECHNICAL BRIEF

For our valid run, we will replace the parameters as required and let the app engine execute. All values will be passed
out to the psae executable and the app engine will be executed within its own command shell window.
The following image shows the successful execution of our app engine program:

Figure 8. Success message

We ran the call with the CMD /K beginning parameter, which tells the command window to stay open when
execution completes so that we can review the output. We could have left off the /K parameter, and the window
would have closed on completion of the app engine call.

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TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

About the Author

William R. Hart is a Solutions Architect with Quest Software specializing in the Stat application change management
product. William has years of software engineering experience with PeopleSoft, ASP, Java, HTML, and various other
programming languages.
William has authored numerous technical and business-focused whitepapers in his years at Quest. Many of these
whitepapers are available on the Stat user community. In addition, Stat user interface videos are also available on
Quest Softwares YouTube page at QuestSoftware_StatforPSoft.
William resides in Palm Harbor, FL with his wife, two children, two dogs, two cats, and other various creatures that
tend to come and go in their lives.

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TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

2012 Quest Software, Inc.

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UpdatedMAY, 2012

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TECHNICAL BRIEF

Run PeopleSoft Application Engine Programs with Stat

About Quest Software, Inc.

Quest Software (Nasdaq: QSFT) simplifies and reduces the cost of managing IT for more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Our innovative
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TBA-RunPSAppEng-US-VG

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