PeopleSoft- HRMS, FMS, SCM, CRM: PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA)

PeopleSoft Internet Architecture

This section provides an overview and discusses these elements of the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture:

PeopleSoft database.
PeopleSoft Application Server.
Web server.
PeopleTools Development Environment.
Application access types.

Understanding the PeopleSoft Topology

The PeopleSoft Internet Architecture is comprised of these main server types:

RDBMS.
PeopleSoft Application Server(s).
Web server(s).

The servers facilitate connections and process requests from:

PeopleTools Development Environment: A Windows workstation running a development tool, such as PeopleSoft Application Designer.
Browser: A supported browser type and version displaying a PeopleSoft application or administrative interface.
Remote system: A PeopleSoft or third-party system integrated through PeopleSoft Integration Broker's service oriented architecture (SOA).

The following diagram illustrates the relationship between the elements of the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture.

Application requests are received at the web server, then sent to the application server, which submits the SQL to the RDBMS

PeopleSoft Database

PeopleSoft has a long history of offering customers a choice of market-leading databases. PeopleTools provides an abstraction layer, which insulates application developers from the intricacies of each of the specific database platforms. Customer databases choices include:

Oracle
IBM DB2
Microsoft SQL Server
Informix
Sybase

After you install your database engine there are three distinct layers within the database that work in concert to store and manage data for your PeopleSoft system. The database system tables manage both the PeopleTools and PeopleSoft application database objects, while the PeopleSoft application tables reside within the infrastructure defined by the PeopleTools metadata.

PeopleSoft database comprised of distinct, yet integrated, layers including system tables, PeopleTools metadata, and PeopleSoft application data

The following table describes each layer of a PeopleSoft database.

PeopleSoft Database Layer	Description
System Tables	System tables, also called system catalog tables, are analogous to a table of contents for a book or to file allocation tables on a hard drive. The structure and table names vary depending on which RDBMS you use. System catalog tables: Keep track of all of the objects that reside in the database instance. Are created by and owned by the RDBMS. Are often described as system metadata.
PeopleTools metadata	PeopleTools tables provide the infrastructure for PeopleSoft applications by storing and managing PeopleSoft application metadata. This metadata consists of information that defines the application, such as records, fields, pages, PeopleCode, and security. PeopleTools tables: Define the structure of all object definitions that make up an application. Use the same table structure for all applications. Contain data that is added and updated only when the application is installed, or when using development tools such as PeopleSoft Application Designer or Data Mover.
PeopleSoft application data tables	Application data tables store data entered through a PeopleSoft application. The specific tables and their structures vary by application. Application data tables: Contain transactional data entered by users. Are empty prior to data entry (except the demo databases).

PeopleSoft Application Server

The application server handles the bulk of the workload within the PeopleSoft system. It runs the business logic and processes all application requests. The application server relies on Oracle Tuxedo middleware to process transaction requests. Oracle Jolt provides the Java interface making Oracle Tuxedo available for web-based requests.

Unique server processes run on the application server, with each server process type designed to handle specific types of transactions. For example, some server processes are designed to handle browser requests, while others are designed to handle Integration Broker requests.

Server processes are configured to boot within a domain. The number of and type of server processes that boot within a particular domain varies depending on the purpose of the domain. For example, if the domain is configured to handle application requests, primarily, it can contain only server processes designed to handle such requests. Likewise, if a domain is configured to handle Integration Broker processing, it can contain a predominant amount of the integration server processes. A domain can connect to one, and only one, database, while a database can accept connections from multiple domains.

An application server can contain multiple domains with each domain containing multiple server processes

To enhance the scalability of your system, you can configure multiple domains on a single application server machine, and you can also incorporate multiple application server machines to meet the demands of your system.

Web Server

The web server receives application requests from the web environment (internet and intranet) and forwards the requests to the Oracle Jolt port on the application server. A collection of PeopleSoft servlets running on the web server handle incoming requests. Like the server processes on the application server, each PeopleSoft servlet is designed to perform unique functions. For example, the portal servlet handles browser requests while the gateway servlet handles service oriented architecture (SOA) messages and requests.

PeopleSoft servlets on the web server receive web-based requests and forward those to Jolt on the application server

Supported web servers include:

Oracle WebLogic
IBM WebSphere

PeopleTools Development Environment

While many development and administrative tools and interfaces are accessible by browser, some tools are only available from a Windows-based workstation. The PeopleTools Development Environment refers to the Microsoft Windows workstations that run the collection of Windows-based PeopleTools, which enables application developers, technical specialists, and system administrators to perform a variety of tasks.

For example, application developers use PeopleSoft Application Designer in the development environment to create and modify application definitions such as fields, records, pages, and components. System administrators use PeopleSoft Data Mover in the development environment to import data into the database, for example.

The PeopleTools Development Environment can access the system using these connection types:

Connection Type	Description
Two-tier	Involves connecting directly to the database. A two-tier connection requires connectivity software to be installed and configured on the workstation. A two-tier connection is required for many upgrade and installation tasks.
Three-tier	Involves connecting to the database through the application server. A three-tier connection requires no connectivity software to be installed on the workstation. In a three-tier connection, the application server maintains the connection to the database for transmitting SQL statements between the application server and the database. Only lightweight Tuxedo messages are sent between the workstation and the application server.

Application Access Types

The PeopleSoft Internet Architecture enables these application access types:

Connection Type	Description
Browser	All PeopleSoft applications as well as many PeopleTools interfaces are rendered within a browser. No connectivity software is required on the workstation running the browser, nor are there any applets downloaded to the browser. All processing occurs within servlets on the web server and server processes on the application server. The system sends to the browser only HTML, JavaScript, and XML. Supported browser types include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla, FireFox, and Safari.
Remote system	A remote system may be a separate PeopleSoft application, a third-party system, or a legacy system. The service oriented architecture (SOA) provided by PeopleSoft Integration Broker enables you to configure your PeopleSoft system to produce services for and consume services from other systems.