Using Advanced PS/nVision Options

This chapter discusses how to:

• Enhance report layouts.

• Set PS/nVision options.

• Create virtual ledgers.

• Use PS/nVision-defined names.

• Format dates.

• Set trace files.

• Dismiss unattended dialogs.

Enhancing Report Layouts

You can use Microsoft Excel to personalize the display and printing of your layout, including the use of built-in graphics and charts. Any elements that you define in the layout carry into the reports that you run.

This is an example of a Microsoft Excel window:

When you have completed refinements to the layout, remember to select File, Save from Microsoft Excel.

Setting PS/nVision Options

Access the Options dialog box by opening an layout in PS/nVision and selecting nVision, Options from the toolbar.

This is an example of the PeopleSoft nVision Options dialog box:

Show Warning Messages	Select this option to display warning messages and dialog boxes when PS/nVision creates a new directory or overwrites a file. If you do not select this option, PS/nVision runs with as little prompting as possible. This option is ideal if you plan overnight or lunch-time report runs.
Show Report SQL	Select this option to display the SQL statements that retrieve the labels and amounts for your report. As PS/nVision prepares to execute each statement, a SQL reference dialog box appears. Click the OK button to continue or the Cancel button to stop the report at that point. You can copy the SQL statements to the Microsoft Windows Clipboard by pressing the TAB key until the text is selected, then pressing CTRL+INS or CTRL+C. Select this option only if you intend to step through the report run, as you must click the OK button after each statement.
Suppress Amount Retrieval	Select this option to have PS/nVision run the layout to make sure that all selection criteria are valid. PS/nVision does not retrieve amounts, so you can test the layout without waiting for data to be selected. This option is useful in combination with other options when you are debugging a report. If you also select the Show Report SQL option, you can determine whether the displayed SQL retrieves the data you want.
Show Row and Column Criteria	Select this option to display the contents of Row 1 and Column A, PS/nVision reserves for data selection criteria when you create a layout. Content cells typically contain codes that relate to the ledger, TimeSpan, field criteria, and query names.

Creating Virtual Ledgers

A virtual ledger is an alternate view of ledger data used only for PS/nVision reporting. For instance, you might want to join data from another table (such as a product category table) with ledger data at reporting time.

You can also use a virtual ledger to provide an alternate security view for different groups of users. For example, you might want to provide an alternate view of the LOCAL ledger for users who need data secured by PROJECT, while other ledger users have access secured by DEPTID. You can set up a virtual ledger called PROJLOCAL, which is a view of the LOCAL ledger secured by PROJECT.

To create a virtual ledger called PROJLOCAL:

1. Select Start, Programs, PeopleTools 8.x, Application Designer.

2. In Application Designer, create an authorization table (AUTH_PROJ_TBL) with OPRID and PROJECT columns.

3. Create a page to maintain the authorization table.

4. Open the LEDGER record and use Save As to create a new record.

5. Name this new record LED_PROJLOCAL_VW.

6. Delete any unnecessary columns and create any additional columns.

   In this example, we add the OPRID column because this view is used for security, and we delete PROCESS_INSTANCE and TIMESTAMPS columns because these columns are not used for reporting.

   The view text must contain the following features:

   • Since we are using this view for security, it must deliver the OPRID (or OPRCLASS or ROWSECCLASS) field.

     This is the first item in the SELECT list below.

   • To get security by Project, the view joins the project authorization table to the ledger, making only the rows with matching projects visible for each user.

   • The SELECT list must deliver the name of the virtual ledger to satisfy the PS/nVision "...LEDGER='PROJLOCAL'..." criteria, even though the rows retrieved are really ACTUALS.

     See the third item in the SELECT list of the sample view text that follows.

   • The Where clause must include "... AND LEDGER = 'LOCAL' ..." to select the desired rows from the real ledger .

     This is example of the view text:

     select b.oprid,
            a.business_unit,
            'PROJLOCAL',
            a.fiscal_year,
            a.accounting_period,
            a.account,
            a.deptid,
            a.product,
            a.project,
            a.affiliate,
            a.currency_cd,
            a.statistics_code,
            a.posted_total_amt
       from ps_ledger a,
            ps_auth_proj_tbl b
      where a.ledger='LOCAL'
        and a.project=b.project

7. Save the record definition and create the SQL view.

8. Create a ledger definition for PROJLOCAL, specifying LED_PROJLOCAL_VW as the reporting view record name.

   The other record and field names can be the same as for LOCAL.

9. Use the Ledgers for a Business Unit page to associate the new ledger with the business units that will be using it.

In PS/nVision layouts, use PROJLOCAL, rather than LOCAL, in the Ledger criteria for reports to be run by the project accounting users.

Using PS/nVision-Defined Names

This section describes the names that PS/nVision defines and looks up in layout and instance files. Many of these names are used for internal purposes, but several, such as NvsEndTime, are intended for users.

Warning! The values of these names, except for rare exceptions, are managed by PS/nVision and are not intended to be changed by customers. It's much safer to think of them as read-only. The names whose values you may change are indicated in italics in the following table. Never change the value of the names not highlighted in italics.

Note. Some names are used only in matrix or tabular layouts, but many apply to both as listed in the Sheet Type column. The Level column indicates whether the name is defined at the file (workbook) level or at the sheet level. Some strings begin with V to avoid problems if the string was null. Names of this type show V at the beginning of the Values column.

Formatting Dates

PS/nVision can deliver dates in two different formats, which can be applied to matrix layouts (for variables such as %ASD%), tabular layouts, and the Excel template QUERY.XLT. (This is used in QueryLink when PeopleSoft Query delivers a query answer to Excel). These two formats are:

• Excel format, in which a date is represented by a number (12/31/99 is represented as 36525).

  Excel formatting can be used to display the date in a variety of formats.

• String format ('1999-12-31').

  You define the name NvsDateToNumber in your layout or QUERY.XLT to indicate the format you want to use. Y in NvsDateToNumber means to force dates to Excel numeric format, while N indicates to use the string format. The default for NvsDateToNumber is N for backward compatibility.

  This is an example of the definition (accessed through the Excel menus: Insert, Name, Define):

Unlike NvsInstanceHook, NvsDateToNumber is defined at the workbook level—you do not qualify the name using the sheet name.

Setting Trace Files

Trace files are useful for generating troubleshooting and debugging information. You can configure trace files to be generated for PS/nVision processes: each nVision process generates its own trace file with time stamped entries, making troubleshooting easier. You can set the trace level to specify how much detail the trace files will show.

Enabling Trace Files

By default, PS/nVision does not generate trace files because extensive tracing can affect system performance. You can enable tracing and determine the tracing level when you need debugging.

Tracing for PS/nVision on Windows

You configure tracing in PS/nVision on Windows using the Trace_Level setting in PeopleSoft Configuration Manager. The default value is 0.

See Using PeopleSoft Configuration Manager.

Tracing for PS/nVision on the Web

You configure PS/nVision tracing on the web using the Trace Level setting in the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler configuration file's nVision section. The default value is 0.

See Using the PSADMIN Utility.

Tracing Levels

PS/nVision supports five tracing levels: 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The following table shows the level of tracing for each value:

Viewing Trace Files

The trace file's output filename has the format psnvs_[process ID of psnvs.exe].nvt. For example: psnvs_123.nvt. You can view the trace file from both Windows-based and web-based PS/nVision.

Note. Beginning with PeopleTools 8.51, the server module PSNVSOXML generates an .nxt trace file in the same location as the .nvt file. The .nxt trace file contains log information from the server module PSNVSOXML. The trace settings of PS/nVision are applicable to both .nvt and .nxt trace files. Naming convention of the .nxt file is psnvsoxml_[process ID of psnvs.exe].nxt; for example, psnvsoxml_123.nxt.

Viewing the Trace Files for PS/nVision on Windows

In Microsoft Windows PS/nVision, the trace file is generated in your system temporary directory; for example c:\temp\psnvs_123.nvt.

Note. PS/nVision does not delete files generated in tracing for Microsoft Windows PS/nVision. You can delete the trace files from the temporary directory to save disk space.

Viewing the Trace Files on the Web

On the web, because PeopleSoft Process Scheduler initiates all PS/nVision processes, it is also responsible for displaying PS/nVision trace information in the Process Monitor after PS/nVision reports are run to completion. The PS/nVision trace files are independent of the Process Scheduler's status of the report running, and are always posted regardless of your output types or formats. Trace files are secured by the same user list as the report, so only the same set of users can view them.

PS/nVision trace files are automatically purged when the reports are purged in the time frame that you have set from the Process Scheduler System Purge Option. You can view trace files from the View Trace/Log page in Process Monitor for your completed process instance.

To view a trace file:

1. Select PeopleTools, Process Scheduler, Process Monitor.

2. Find the process instance that runs your nVision report, and then click the Details link to access the Process Details page.

3. Click the View/Trace Log link to access the Message Log page.

4. Click the nVision Trace link to view the trace file.

   If Process Scheduler has restarted your nVision report running process, this procedure generates multiple nVision trace files (one for each retry).

See Also

Defining System Settings

Dismissing Unattended Dialogs

PS/nVision can detect and close unattended dialog boxes on the batch server. To use this feature, you must enable the EnablePollDialogs and set the PollDialogSeconds parameters in the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler.

The EnablePollDialogs parameter is disabled (with setting equal to 0) by default, but if you have problems with unattended dialogs generated from PS/nVision in batch mode, you should change the setting to Enabled for debugging purposes. You can do this using the Process Scheduler's PSADMIN utility. Use the PollDialogSeconds parameter to specify how often to cycle polling for unattended dialogs. When EnablePollDialogs is enabled, you must set the PollDialogSeconds parameter to a value greater than 0.

Note. PS/ nVision will close only the dialogs originating from PS/nVision and Microsoft Excel.

See Using the PSADMIN Utility.