Understanding Program Run Options

You run Application Engine programs in one of the following modes: batch using PeopleSoft Process Scheduler, online using a PeopleCode function, or manually using the command line. The following table lists some differences between online and batch programs:

Online Execution	Batch Execution
Started by the CallAppEngine function from PeopleCode.	Started through PeopleSoft Process Scheduler.
Program runs quickly, synchronously, and at random times.	Programs run for longer amounts of time, asynchronously, and at scheduled times.
Potential for simultaneous runs.	Can be designed for parallel runs for performance.
Uses the online temporary table pool.	Uses the batch/dedicated temporary table pool.

Batch Programs Using PeopleSoft Process Scheduler

The most typical run mode is batch. You invoke programs that run in this mode using PeopleSoft Process Scheduler or the Application Engine Process Request page. Batch mode is also referred to as an asynchronous run, meaning that it runs independently in the background. Application Engine runs on any operating system that Oracle supports as an application server. If your site uses an operating system that is not supported for Application Engine, you must run Application Engine programs on the application server.

To run Application Engine programs on the batch server, you must install Oracle Tuxedo. This condition applies to both UNIX and Microsoft Windows batch servers. If you run your batch server on the same server machine as your application server, then the application server and the batch server can share one Oracle Tuxedo installation. If your batch server is separate from your application server, then you must install Oracle Tuxedo on your batch server.

The TOOLBINSRV parameter in the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler configuration file determines where PeopleSoft Process Scheduler invokes an Application Engine program. For high-volume batch environments, specify the PS_HOME\bin\server\winx86 directory that exists on the same machine where the Application Engine program runs.

Online Programs Using PeopleCode

Application Engine programs that run online are typically run from a page with the CallAppEngine PeopleCode function. Such online processes are synchronous, meaning that subsequent processes wait for the results. For instance, a page may be frozen until the online process returns the necessary results. With the CallAppEngine function, no Commit statements are issued. However, if you use the asynchronous online PeopleCode option, ProcessRequest, Commit statements are allowed.

Manual Programs Using the Command Line

Usually, you use this mode only during testing or if you need to restart a program manually.