Understanding PeopleSoft Search Framework in PeopleSoft Expenses

PeopleSoft Expenses allows keyword search capabilities when viewing expense reports.

This section provides specific information related to PeopleSoft Expenses for:

  • Components.

  • Search definitions, search categories, and search keys.

  • Faceted fields.

  • Related actions.

  • Queries.

For PeopleSoft Expenses, the PeopleSoft Search Framework can be used in the Expense Reports, View (TE_EXP_SHEET_INQ) component. The navigation is: Travel and Expenses > Travel and Expenses Center > Expense Reports > View. For more details about the Expense Report - Keyword Search page, see Viewing Search Framework Search Results for Expense Reports.

Search Definitions, Search Categories, and Search Keys are all part of the PeopleSoft Search Framework.

Search Definitions

Search definitions define the main structure of a search index. A search definition contains everything needed to create a search index, which includes facets, security, attachments, pre- and post-processing, and component mapping.

PeopleSoft Expenses has one search definition: EP_EX_REPORT – Expense Report Search.

Search Categories

Search categories contain one or more search definitions. Search categories are secured by role within PeopleTools security and reduce the number of indexes searched, which can improve search performance.

PeopleTools uses Permission List Security when performing component searches, which is based on the search definition for the component. If you don’t have access (through your permission list) to that component, then the system doesn’t display results when searching against the indexes built for the search definition.

PeopleSoft Expenses has one search category: EP_EX_REPORT – Expense Report.

Search Keys

Search keys are used to identify specific records in the table that is identified in the primary search query.

The primary search query for Expenses is the EX_SRCH_BASE query, which joins the expense report header and line tables.

Note: The basic search that is delivered with PeopleSoft Expenses is based on SHEET_ID as the key. When using keyword search with Search Framework, the combination of SHEET_ID and LINE_NBR are used as the key. Therefore, the results of the delivered search in Expenses and a Search Framework are different.

These search keys affect the number of search results that appear when performing a traditional PeopleTools (real-time) search versus performing search. However, regardless of the number of results that appear for each type of search, when selecting a link in the Search Results section, the system takes you to the same page.

When performing a traditional (real-time) search, the system displays the search results by expense report. When you click the expense report link, the system takes you to that report.

When performing a search, the system displays the search results by line number. This means that if an expense report has three lines, then the system could display up to three lines in the search results section. When you click the expense line number link, the system takes you to the expense report of that line, not the specific line number. In other words, if an expense report has three lines and you see all three in the search results, then clicking any of the three lines will take you to the same expense report.

A facet is a field that is relevant to the search and that allows you to browse or refine search results.

These fields are predefined as faceted fields for Expenses:

  • Business Unit

  • Creation Date

  • Name (employee name)

  • Report Status

  • Expense Business Purpose

  • Expense Type

  • Expense Location

  • Approver Name

For additional information about faceted fields, see Search Result Facets in Viewing PeopleSoft Search Results.

Approver Name

PeopleSoft Expenses identifies the “next approver” when the current approver completes the approval. For example, if an expense report needs approval from three people—A, B, and C— but only A is initially identified; when A approves the expense report, then B will be identified as the next approver.

With a view that indicates that the next approver should have access to the expense report using a Search Framework search engine, the approver view has been added to the logic that determines which users have access to the expense report Search Framework search engine data.

Therefore, you may find that approvals by A, B, and C may have been completed before an incremental index build has captured the next approver details. Based on the frequency of the incremental builds and the timing in which approvals take place, B and C may not see some expense reports listed from an Search Framework search engine.

For more information about building search indexes for PeopleSoft Expenses, see the documentation that discusses Setting Up and Building Search Indexes.

When selecting a record from an Search Framework search engine, these primary related actions are available for use with expense reports:

  • Approve transactions

  • Review Expense History

  • Review Payments

  • Print Bar Code Receipt Form

  • Print Expense Report

  • View Travel Authorization

  • View Cash Advance

This table lists the related actions available in PeopleSoft Expenses:

Term

Definition

Approve Transactions

Only an approver of the expense report can see the related actions.

Only expense reports with these statuses appear to an Approver: Hold, On Hold with Approver, Submitted For Approval, Approvals In Process, and Approved.

Review Expense History

The From and To date range is for a six-month time frame. For example, the From = current date – 6 months. To = Current Date.

Review Payments

If the expense report has only one payment, the system displays the payment record.

If the expense report has more than one payment, the system sends you to the same component. However, because all key values are not provided, the PeopleTools Search Dialog page appears.

The system displays only expense reports with these statuses:

  • Closed

  • Paid

  • Staged

Print Bar Code Receipt Form

The system displays only expense reports with these statuses:

  • Closed

  • Paid

  • Staged

View Travel Authorization

The system displays only expense reports with these statuses:

  • Approved for Payment

  • Approved For Zero Payment

  • Approval in Process

  • Paid

  • Pending

  • In Process

  • Approved

  • Open

  • Submission in Process

  • Staged

  • Submitted for Approval

  • Submitted,

  • Pending Validation

View Cash Advance

The system displays only expense reports with these statuses:

  • Approved for Payment

  • Approved For Zero Payment

  • Approval in Process

  • Paid

  • Pending

  • In Process

  • Approved

  • Open

  • Submission in Process

  • Staged

  • Submitted for Approval

  • Submitted

  • Pending Validation

For additional information about related actions, see the Related Actions section in Search Result List Format.

Queries are used with the Search Framework to extract data from the database for component and global searches. Queries must be assigned to an access group and a related security tree.

This section describes the Expenses record in the associated query structure, which can be viewed using the Query Access Manager page (Reporting Tools, Query, Query Manager).

Query Tree Definition

The security information for the Expenses tree definition is:

Query Tree Name

Access Group

Permission List

SEARCH_TREE_EX

EX_ACCESS_GROUP

EPEX9500

Types of Queries

PeopleSoft Expenses uses these types of queries for the PeopleSoft Search Framework:

  • Primary Query

  • Connected Query

  • Related Query

  • Delete Query

  • Document level Security Query

For additional information about queries as they relate to the PeopleSoft Search Framework, see PeopleTools: PeopleSoft Search Technology.

The predefined queries for PeopleSoft Expense are:

Query Name

Description

Additional Information

EX_SRCH_BASE

Top level Search Framework Query for Expense Reports.

This is a primary query and uses SEARCH_TREE_EX as its security tree.

EX_SRCH_DIST

Expense Report distribution lines.

This is a related query.

EX_SRCH_HDR_ATTRIB

Expense Report Risk Level.

This is a related query.

EX_SRCH_SECURITY_SES_REPORT

Document security for Expense Reports. Displays all operator IDs that have access to the Expense Report.

This is a related query.

EX_SRCH_APPROVER

Expense Report Approver.

This is a related query.

EX_SRCH_LINE_DELETE

Expense Search Framework Line Delete.

This is a delete query.

EX_SRCH_HDR_LINE_CQ

Expense Component Search.

This is a connected query, and its parent query name is EX_SRCH_HDR_LINE.

EX_SRCH_SECURITY_SES_REPORT

Expense Report SHEET_ID Security.

This is a document-level security query.