Source and Target Databases

In various places within this PeopleBook, as well as any PeopleSoft documentation related to upgrades or database compares, the terms source and target are used. Knowing the meanings of these terms helps you to understand the context of a description or step.

During a PeopleSoft update or upgrade, in most cases, you copy application definitions (such as pages and records) from a source database to a target database. The definitions of these terms are:

Term

Definition

Source database

The source database is the database from which the new changes are coming.

Target database

The target database is the database to which you are moving the new changes.

Note: Depending on whether you are performing an upgrade or update, and the stage within the process you are, these terms are relative and can refer to different databases.

The database definition will include:

  • Database name

  • Database type

  • User Ids and passwords

  • SQL query executable

  • SQR Settings

  • Products

    Change Assistant will query the database for the products.

  • Languages

    Change Assistant will query the database for the languages.

  • Paths to the current home directories.

    • PS_HOME

    • PS_APP_HOME

    • PS_CUST_HOME

  • For upgrades, the database will also include paths to the new home directories.

Paths to Home Directories

The order by which the PeopleTools runtime will pick up objects from the file system is as follows:

  1. PS_CUST_HOME

  2. PS_APP_HOME

  3. PS_HOME

Change Assistant will loop through the paths in order of precedence until it finds the first instance of the file object at which time it will execute the step.

Databases Used for Each Action

Action

Databases and Paths Used

Apply Update

Target database with path for current environment.

Update Manager

Target database with path for current environment.

Source database (PeopleSoft Update Image ) with path for current environment.

Application Upgrade

PeopleSoft Update Image with path for current environment.

Certified Upgrade Source Image with path for current environment.

Copy of Production with path for current environment and new PS homes.

Production database with path for current environment and new PS homes.

Upgrade PeopleTools

Target database with path for current environment and a path for the new PeopleTools home.