Navigating the PeopleSoft Online Help

The PeopleSoft Online Help website provides several different types of pages and universal navigation features to help you quickly find the information that you need.

Using the Universal Navigation Links and Breadcrumbs

Click a link in the universal navigation header to access the search page, help, and accessibility information for the PeopleSoft Online Help.

Use the breadcrumb links, which appear below the universal navigation header, to know your location in the help system and to navigate up through the navigation pages.

Image: Universal Navigation Header and Breadcrumbs

This example illustrates the universal navigation header and breadcrumbs that are described in this section.

Using Portlets

Use the portlets on the left side of every page in the help system to perform common tasks related to the help. You can access the following portlets on all pages, except as noted:

Search for text within all of the files in the product line. Click the Advanced Search link to access additional search options, which vary depending on how your help administrator has configured the system.

Display Options

Select or deselect the check box to expand or collapse all sections within the tree structure on a navigation page to make the page easier to navigate. This portlet appears only on navigation pages.

Navigate to related help pages or external websites, such as My Oracle Support.

Email Oracle’s PeopleSoft Information Development team to provide feedback on the PeopleSoft Online Help.

Image: Portlets

This example illustrates the available portlets that are described in this section.

Using the Home Page

Use the home page to begin navigating to any other page in the help system. Select one of the following tabs:

Welcome

View information about accessing, using, and configuring the online help.

Product Lines

Access the online help for all of the product lines that you currently have installed.

Note: This help system provides documentation for PeopleSoft 9.2 and PeopleTools 8.53 and higher. Previous releases use a different help system website (called the PeopleBook Library) and are not listed on the Product Lines tab. Your help administrator can configure this website to include a link to the help systems for older PeopleSoft releases.

Using Product Line Navigation Pages

Use the product line navigation pages to navigate to or search for business process maps (BPMs) and help pages for a specific product line, such as PeopleSoft Human Capital Management. Select one of the following tabs:

BPMs

Access all of the BPMs for the product line. The BPMs are organized in an expandable and collapsible tree view. The first level of tree nodes represents high-level business process areas, such as Recruiting, Development, and Deployment. Each of these nodes contains a second level of nodes with links to the BPM diagram pages. From the BPM diagrams, you can switch to the text-only versions of the BPMs for accessibility. See Understanding PeopleSoft Online Help Accessibility for more information.

Note: This tab is not available for all product lines.

Products

Browse the help pages for all products and subjects within the product line. The products and subjects are organized into an expandable and collapsible tree view. The first level of tree nodes represents categories based on the type of information, such as core functionality, compensation management, or global payroll. Each category node contains a second level of nodes with links to the subject navigation pages for each product or subject.

To expand all tree nodes on either tab, select the Expand all sections check box in the Display Options portlet. Deselect the check box to collapse all tree nodes. You can also manually expand or collapse tree nodes by clicking the node title. For information about navigating through the tree view using the keyboard, see Understanding PeopleSoft Online Help Accessibility.

Image: Product Line Navigation Page - BPMs Tab

This example illustrates the tree view on the BPMs tab of a product line navigation page, which contains multiple first-level nodes, including one titled “Sales.” That node contains multiple second-level nodes, including one titled “Propose Solution.”

Image: Product Line Navigation Page - Products Tab

This example illustrates the tree view on the Products tab of a product line navigation page, which contains multiple first-level nodes, including one titled “Marketing.” That node contains multiple second-level nodes, including one titled “PeopleSoft Marketing.”

Using Subject Navigation Pages

Use the subject navigation pages to access the help for a specific product or subject. Product help covers one specific product. Online help for subjects includes information that applies to the product line as a whole, such as application fundamentals help, or to a set of multiple, related products within the product line, such as call center applications.

Each navigation page includes an expandable and collapsible tree view displaying a table of contents listing all of the help pages for that product or subject. The first level in the tree is the product or subject node. That node contains a second level of nodes that group related help pages. Each group node contains a third level of nodes with links to the detailed help pages.

To expand all tree nodes in the table of contents, select the Expand all sections check box in the Display Options portlet. Deselect the check box to collapse all nodes in the table of contents. You can also manually expand or collapse tree nodes in the table of contents by clicking the node title.

Image: Subject Navigation Page

This example illustrates the tree view on a subject navigation page. The first-level node is “PeopleSoft Applications User’s Guide.” That node contains second-level nodes, including the one titled “Working With PeopleSoft Applications.” That node contains a group of third-level node, including one titled “Understanding PeopleSoft Browser-Based Applications.”

Using BPM Diagram Pages

Use the BPM diagram pages to view graphical representations of the BPMs. Each BPM contains links to other BPMs and to the help for application pages or components that you use to complete the business process. All links are underlined for easy identification. In addition, each diagram includes a link at the top of the page that enables you to switch to the text-only version of the BPM for accessibility. See Using Text-Only BPM Pages for more information.

Note: BPM pages are not available for all product lines.

You can access three levels of BPMs from the product line navigation page:

Business process area

Select the first “Overview” BPM within a category on the BPMs tab on the product line navigation page to view a simple, high-level summary of one end-to-end process. It is a conceptual model depicting a collection of all business processes within a business process area. It contains no implementation details.

Example: Recruiting category - Overview page

Business process

Select any BPM after the “Overview” BPM within a category on the BPMs tab on the product line navigation page to view an overview of that business process. It is a conceptual model depicting the activities within the business process. It contains no implementation details but may include conceptual, analytic, and implementation requirements.

Example: Plan Recruiting page - Overview tab

Activity

On any BPM page, click any tab after the “Overview” tab to view the detailed tasks within an activity. An activity is a breakdown of one activity from the business process depicting a group of related tasks that are required to complete the activity. An activity has a specific objective and contains application-specific task flows. It can include detailed analytics and integration points. Tasks typically contain links to the help pages for the application pages or components that you use to complete the tasks.

Example: Plan Recruiting page - Define Recruiting Goals and Measurements tab

Image: BPM Diagram Page

This example illustrates a BPM diagram page for an activity. The tabs above the diagram enable you to navigate to other activities within the overall business process. The “Create sales opportunities” task box contains a link to the help page for the “Add Opportunity” application page or component.

Using Text-Only BPM Pages

Use the text-only BPMs instead of the BPM diagrams if you use assistive technology or other accessibility features that prevent you from using the BPM diagrams. To access the text-only BPMs, click the Switch to Text-Only BPMs link on the BPMs tab on the product line navigation page or on any BPM diagram page.

The text-only BPMs contain the same information as the diagrams, but in text-only format. Click a link in the list at the beginning of the page to select the activity that you want to review within the BPM. The tasks are organized into tables, which are organized into headings by role. Some roles may be listed more than once if their tasks are performed at different points in the process. Follow the task numbers in order, unless the Task Description column provides instructions to go to a different task number. Click links in the Task Description column to view detailed diagrams for those tasks or to go to the online help for those pages.

Image: Text-Only BPM Page

This example illustrates a text-only BPM page for an activity. The tabs above the text enable you to navigate to other activities within the overall business process. The “Create sales opportunities” task row in the table contains a link to the help page for the “Add Opportunity” application page or component.

Using Help Pages

Use the help pages to read detailed descriptions of concepts, tasks, and reference materials that related to the products. Help pages may contain links to other help pages, as well as to external websites (such as oracle.com). You may also see media links pointing to video or audio recordings on YouTube or other websites.

You can access related links in two locations:

Related Pages portlet

This portlet appears on the left side of every page. It displays links to all of the other help pages within the same table of contents group on the subject navigation page, so you don’t have to return to the subject navigation page to access a related page. The current page appears in black and is not linked, so that you can see where you are within a group of related pages.