Understanding Session Class

PeopleTools provides a family of APIs for external access into the PeopleSoft system. The Session class is the root of the APIs. It controls access to the PeopleSoft system, controls the environment, and enables you to do error handling for all APIs from a central location.

The PeopleSoft APIs are intended to be used, and are supported, in the following environments.

  • PeopleSoft Windows client with either an existing two-tier connection or an existing connection to an application server.

  • Application Engine batch program.

  • Non-PeopleSoft program connecting to an application server.

The PeopleSoft APIs are exposed to the following language environments:

  • PeopleCode

  • OLE/COM

  • C/C++

  • Java

The APIs that are accessible using a session object are:

  • Component Interface Classes

  • PortalRegistry Classes

  • Query Classes

  • Search Class

  • Tree Classes

Note: Tree Classes are accessible only through PeopleCode.

A session object controls the following:

  • Security and access to the PeopleSoft system.

  • Errors and error handling .

  • Regional settings (that is, internationalization) for language, dates, times, and numbers.

  • Tracing.