Enterprise PeopleTools 8.51 PeopleBook: PS/nVision

Getting Started with PS/nVision

This chapter provides an overview of PS/nVision and discusses how to implement PS/nVision.

PS/nVision Overview

PS/nVision retrieves information from your PeopleSoft database and places it into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, in a form that helps you see the big picture, explore details, and make decisions. You use familiar Excel commands to format and analyze the data. With PS/nVision, you spend your time analyzing results rather than summarizing data and entering it into a spreadsheet.

PS/nVision works within spreadsheets. You access PS/nVision features from a special PS/nVision menu within Microsoft Excel to create templates (layouts) for data retrieval. Once you create a report layout (XNV file), you can use it to format data automatically.

The PS/nVision interface is similar to a Web browser, with buttons and displays that can be customized. You can also create a custom front-end macro sheet for point-and-click access to reports and reporting functions.

PS/nVision selects data from your PeopleSoft database using ledgers, trees, and queries. Queries are useful for extracting data from sources other than ledgers, so you should be familiar with PeopleSoft Query concepts, especially query result sets, before working with PS/nVision. Also, tree data is used to limit the query results, so you should be familiar with nodes and detail values.

On the Web version, PS/nVision works closely with Process Scheduler and Distribution Agent and forms a report server with them in a Windows NT machine. When running and drilling a PS/nVision report, Process Scheduler is the bridge between nVision engine and PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture applications that launch nVision engine and communicates the report running status back to the applications. PS/nVision uses Distribution Agent to transfer the report instances between nVision file server and the report repository. The report repository servlet in the Web server enables users to access PS/nVision reports in Report Manager.

PS/nVision - Excel Automation Mode

PS/nVision has been using the Excel automation mode that enables Excel API to generate Excel-compatible documents in PeopleTools PIA architecture. If any software that generates Excel documents programmatically, it is said to be automating Excel. When Excel is automated on the server, it is called server-side automation of Excel.

Note. Excel automation mode was the only operation mode of nVision in PeopleTools releases 8.50 and earlier; therefore, setting the UseExcelAutomation flag in psprcs.cfg was not necessary. However, in PeopleTools releases 8.51 and later, when the UseExcelAutomation flag in psprcs.cfg is set to 1, nVision enables the Excel automation mode, which is the default mode of nVision operation.

Excel Automation Mode and Open XML modes are mutually exclusive. Only one mode is in effect at any given time.

The following diagram illustrates the Web version of PS/nVision in Excel automation mode:

nVision Architecture - Web version of PS/nVision in Excel automation mode

PS/nVision – Open XML Mode

Beginning from PeopleTools release 8.51, nVision uses an additional operation mode called Open XML mode on the batch server that uses Microsoft's Open XML SDK to generate Excel-compatible documents.

Note. To enables the Open XML mode in PeopleTools 8.51 and later, set the UseExcelAutomation flag in psprcs.cfg to 0.

Excel Automation Mode and Open XML modes are mutually exclusive. Only one mode is in effect at any given time.

The following diagram illustrates the Web version of PS/nVision in Open XML mode.

nVision Architecture - Web version of PS/nVision in Open XML mode

PS/nVision - Windows Version

The following diagram illustrates the Windows version of PS/nVision:

nVision Architecture - Windows version

PS/nVision Implementation

Although PeopleSoft delivers a number of PS/nVision layouts that you can use to run PS/nVision reports, you probably want to create your own report layouts and set up PS/nVision to suit your particular needs. Use the following steps, as appropriate.

Note. These setup steps assume that you have already installed and implemented your PeopleSoft applications, that you are familiar with PeopleSoft Query, that you have set up your ledgers in PeopleSoft General Ledger (if you are using PS/nVision to run ledger-based reports), and that you have set up ChartField trees in PeopleSoft Tree Manager (if you are using PS/nVision to run reports based on tree nodes and detail values).

Basic PS/nVision Setup

The following table lists the basic setup tasks that you perform to create and run your own PS/nVision report layouts:

Step	Reference
Set up the PeopleSoft Configuration Manager settings for your Microsoft Windows client. You must define the directories where PS/nVision looks for various file types on the nVision tab on the Edit Profile dialog box in Configuration Manager. Note. If, when you first try to access PS/nVision, an error message indicates that your client machine is not configured for nVision, you may also need to click the Install Workstation button on the Client Setup tab in Configuration Manager to load important PS/nVision DLL files to your machine's Windows registry.	See Using Configuration Manager.
Set up PeopleSoft Process Scheduler settings for the PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture.	See Configuring PS/nVision on the Web.
Plan your layouts.	See Using Layouts.
Create layouts.	See Creating Layouts. See Creating Tabular Layouts. See Creating Matrix Layouts. See Creating Ledger-Based Matrix Layouts.
Define report scopes (optional).	See Defining Report Scopes. See Creating Scope Definitions.
Define Drilldown layouts (optional).	See Using DrillDown. See Using the PS/nVision DrillDown on the Web.
Define nPlosion criteria, defaults, and style sheets (optional).	See Using nPlosion.
Define report distributions based on tree nodes and other scope variables (optional).	See Distributing Reports in PS/nVision. See Configuring the Report Node.
Set up PS/nVision security.	See Setting Up PS/nVision Security.

Advanced PS/nVision Setup

The following table lists advanced setup tasks you can perform to configure PS/nVision to meet your needs:

Task	Reference
Set up advanced PS/nVision options (optional). This task includes selecting whether to display warning messages and dialog boxes when PS/nVision runs reports, creating virtual ledgers, and enabling trace files.	See Using Advanced PS/nVision Options.
Personalize PS/nVision (optional).	See Personalizing PS/nVision. See Configuring PS/nVision on the Web.
Develop Visual Basic applications that call PS/nVision features (optional).	See Using the PS/nVision Visual Basic Interface.
Tune PS/nVision performance (optional).	See Tuning PS/nVision Performance.

Other Sources of Information

In the implementation planning phase, take advantage of all PeopleSoft sources of information, including the installation and upgrade guides, release notes, red papers, updates and fixes posted to My Oracle Support, PeopleSoft curriculum guides, and other PeopleBooks.