Generating Flat File Formats for Purging Routines

For each purging routine that you schedule, you have the option of writing the data to a flat file, deleting data from the database, or both. The data selected for purging is based on the parameters that you enter and the internal system edits. The internal system edits ensure that referential integrity is maintained, protecting the data integrity of system tables.

Use the flat-file option to confirm which data records are to be purged before running the process in purge mode. In purge mode, you can also write the purged data to a comma-separated flat file. Use this option if you need to retain purged data for a specified period of years for audit purposes. Before running purge routines, use the PeopleSoft Application Designer to verify that the file layout conforms to any ChartField configuration completed in PeopleSoft.

Note: You must use a third-party tool to analyze and maintain data written to a flat file. PeopleSoft does not provide a flat-file editor. Also, PeopleSoft offers no mechanism for restoring purged data to the system tables from a flat file.

To generate the flat-file formats for the purging routines, print the record definitions for the tables updated by each routine by using PeopleSoft Application Designer.

Note: The flat files generated by the purging routines match the record definitions of the updated tables as the tables are shipped. Save a copy of the original record definitions to use as the flat-file definitions before making modifications to the records. If changes have been made to the original tables, be sure that the delivered file layout object for the table has been properly updated.

See the product documentation for PeopleTools: Application Designer Developer's Guide