Defining Templates

Mass change templates take the SQL definition one step further. Templates enable you to control which fields will be available for the user to specify when defining a Mass Change definition, and whether those fields will be used as selection criteria or defaults. Criteria fields are used in the WHERE clause for the statement. Default fields are used in SELECT clauses in INSERT statements and in SET clauses in UPDATE statements.

You define Mass Change templates using the Mass Change Template Component.

Note: To create a new Mass Change template, you must create one from scratch. Because there is no File, Save As menu option, you cannot clone an existing template.

To define a Mass Change template:

  1. Open or add a template.

    To open an existing template, select Mass Change, Use, Mass Change Template you’ll be prompted for a Mass Change Template ID. Enter one and click OK. The Description page appears.

    The Description page in the Mass Change Template Component is where you assign a Mass Change type and an owner to the template.

  2. Select a Mass Change Type ID, and a PS Owner. Enter a Description.

    The Mass Change Type ID specifies the type on which the template will be based. This sets up the default record and field selections in the next page. The PS Owner field identifies the PeopleSoft system from which the template originates. Each template must have an owner.

    The Description should explain how and why you would use a particular template.

  3. Navigate to the Criteria and Fields page.

    You use the Criteria and Fields page to specify which fields will be used as selection criteria, and which will be used as defaults.

  4. Enter your Criteria Fields and Default Fields information.

    Criteria Fields are those fields that the end user will use to retrieve rows from the Select-, Update-, and Delete-action records identified in the associated Mass Change type. In other words, these are the fields to be used in the WHERE clause of the generated SQL statement.

    Default Fields are those to which an end user can assign a default value.

    Use the scroll arrows to view each SQL Statement. For each statement, select the Record and the Field Name for the criteria and default fields for which the end user will enter values.

    The Mass Change type associated with a template limits which Record and Field Name can be selected for each SQL Statement. Prompting on Record brings up a list of valid records for each statement. When a Record is selected, prompting on Field Name shows the valid fields. For each field selected, enter a descriptive Field Label or use the default.

    The Field Label text will appear as a display-only label above the corresponding field entry box in the Mass Change Definition pages—to guide the end-user.

    To add another field, click the add new row button.

  5. Click the Save button to save your work.

  6. Grant yourself access to the new template.

    Before you can use the template to build a definition, you must update your Mass Change Operator Security profile to include access to the template.