PeopleSoft Query Overview

PeopleSoft Query is an end user reporting tool. With PeopleSoft Query, you can extract the precise information that you are looking for by using visual representations of your PeopleSoft database, without writing SQL statements. The queries that you write can be as simple or as complex as necessary; they can be one-time queries or queries that you use repeatedly. This document explains the basic concepts of selecting data, designing simple and complex queries, and sending query results to other reporting tools.

To take full advantage of the information covered in this book, you should have a basic familiarity with relational database concepts and SQL. In addition, this book assumes that you have a basic understanding of how to use PeopleSoft applications and are familiar with PeopleTools.

You can use PeopleSoft Query in the following ways:

• To display data in a grid (on the Run page).

  You can preview queries within Query Manager, displaying the result set in a grid for review. This option is useful as you refine your queries.

• To run queries as a separate process.

  You can run queries as a separate process and have results sent to a separate browser window by clicking the HTML link from Query Manager or Query Viewer.

  Note: Query Viewer is a read-only version of Query Manager. See Using Query Viewer for additional details.

• To schedule a query.

  You can schedule queries to run at predefined times or on recurring schedules. The results of scheduled queries are routed to PeopleSoft Report Manager.

• To download query results to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and XML.

  You can have the data downloaded and formatted as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and XML. These options are available in your query search results, or after you run or schedule a query.

• To determine to whom to forward information.

  You can write queries that PeopleSoft Workflow uses to determine to whom to send emails, forms, or worklist entries. This type of query is called a role query.

• To create a data source for PeopleSoft nVision reports.

  PeopleSoft nVision reports can use queries as a data source.

• To serve as a data source for Pivot Grid models.

  Queries are a primary data source for PeopleSoft Pivot Grid, which you can use to build Pivot Grid models.

• To serve as a data source for defining online analytical processing (OLAP) Cube Builder dimensions and facts.

  Queries are a primary data source for PeopleSoft Cube Builder, which you can use to build OLAP cubes.

• To serve as a data source of the same name for Oracle BI Publisher (formally PeopleSoft XML Publisher).

  With BI Publisher, you can apply advanced formatting to the output of your queries and streamline report and form generation.

  Queries that are used as data sources for BI Publisher need to be run through Reporting Tools > BI Publisher to see BI Publisher-related formatting.