JSON

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Here is another one of those technologies that I would love to play with but have to wait for a client that actually needs it: JSON.  I found Jim’s post on JSON very interesting and would love to have the need to come back to it.

One other solution that might be worth considering is this library for Java.  You would have to compile it and place it on the class path, but you could access it from PeopleCode.  Or, I wonder if it would be worth implementing the library in a PeopleCode Application Package?

And in conjunction, you can’t mention JSON, without mentioning jQuery.

PSUnit

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I just noticed Jim’s annoucement of PSUnit, a tool for automated testing in PeopleSoft.   I had to link it so I could come back and give it a try.  To download load it, look for the link at the bottom of the PeopleSoft Technology Blog post.

In my opinion, automated testing would be huge for PeopleSoft.  It is such a huge and complex system that a complete system test requires many users to perform many different actions.  Maintaining a series of automated tests would allow an organization to run a full test everytime they apply a tax update, bundle, or any sort of modification to their system.

Well, I will report when I get a change to play with it some more.

Resources

Jim’s PeopleSoft Journal: Test Driven Development for PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft Technology Blog: PSUnit

Version Control in PeopleSoft

I just noticed that the folks over at Grey Sparling have finished their Version Control product that they have been talking about.

Version Control for PeopleSoft Demo

Grey Sparling Version Control for PeopleSoft

Okay, now I just need to find a client who needs and wants to use it so I can get a chance to see how it works!

JDBC From PeopleCode — Disadvantage/Advantage

Jim Marion’s post on JDBC made me think a little more.  (By the way, thanks, Jim, for linking me.)  The one disadvantage about accessing the PeopleSoft database via JDBC is that you have to supply the password to make the connection.

I have thought about trying to read the password from the application server or batch server configuration file, but if I remember right it only has the connect id and the connect password.  With the connect password, I might be able to use it to read the Access id and password from the database, but I have would have to be able to unencrypt it.

One advantage that SQL Server might have is that you can use Window’s security.  Assuming that the account running the application server or batch server has access to the database, you could just use the integrated security instead of an actual user name or password.

The advantage that JDBC has is that you don’t have to know the number of fields/columns that you want until run time.  With both the SQL object and SQLExec, you have to have a variable for each field you return or a return that contains all of those fields.

For example, I am trying to loop through a group of tables in a linked server and copy all of their fields to a table in the current database.  I have a problem using INSERT … SELECT, and I have to read the values in and then write them out.  I can’t figure another way to do it other than use JDBC.

Please correct me if I am wrong on any of this.  Maybe these thoughts will give someone else an idea that I overlooked.

Tips for Editing PeopleCode

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http://psst0101.digitaleagle.net/2009/03/16/tips-for-editing-peoplecode/

Today, I came across this interesting tip about editing PeopleCode:

Editing Enhancements for SQR and PeopleCode

I had something like this for gVim, but I need to dig it out again.

They also posted information about shortcuts in the Application Designer PeopleCode editor:

PeopleCode Editor Shortcuts

The article references PeopleBooks:

Appendix: PeopleCode Editor Shortcut Keys