PeopleSoft for the Oracle DBA - A PeopleSoft Survival Guide for Oracle DBAs!

NEWS: (28.7.2009) I am delighted to see that there is going to be a new PeopleSoft book on the market, but this time for developers. Since it is being written by Jim Marion, I expect that PeopleSoft PeopleTools Tips & Techniques will be very interesting and very thorough.

(24.11.2009) I gave a new presentation at the UKOUG PeopleSoft Tech SIG. This and other presentations can be downloaded by UKOUG members from the UKOUG website

Managing Cost-Based Optimiser Statistics in PeopleSoft

(28.7.2009) The PeopleSoft DBA blog (blog.psftdba.com) continues to grow. I am using it for material that would otherwise appear as addenda to the book. Recent work on PeopleTools 8.48 and 8.49 continues to produce new items and addenda.

Recent blog posts:

Hinting Dynamic Generated SQL in Application Engine (4.3.2010)

Performance Metrics and XML Reporting in PeopleSoft (20.1.2010)

Automatically Identifying Stored Statements & Using DBMS_STATS in PeopleSoft Cobol(10.1.2010)

Hinting Sub-Queries on Oracle (17.12.2009)

Controlling How PeopleSoft Cobol Collects Statistics (25.11.2009)

Database Links and PeopleSoft (28.10.2009)

Partition Maintenance with Globally Partitioned Indexes (21.10.2009)

(6.1.2009) Recent addenda:

Chapter 6: Enhancements to wrapper.sql script (4.4.2009 & 25.6.2009)

Chapter 3: Delivered PSADMIN role with IMP_FULL_DATABASE could permit user to gain SYSDBA access (6.1.2009)

(1.7.2008) I have had a number of approaches to run seminars in various locations. If you are interested please let me know.

Read 'an unqualified positive review'!

PeopleSoft for the Oracle DBA was published by Apress in November 2004 and is available as a part of their Oak Table press series.

This book is a survival guide for the Oracle DBA, or any other technician, who is charged with responsibility for the configuration, administration and performance of a PeopleSoft ERP system. The database is at core of any ERP system, but a DBA must also understand how the PeopleSoft application is using the database, and how our parts of the PeopleSoft architecture interact with the database. The book:

Demonstrates how to effectively implement common Oracle database administration techniques and strategies (indexing, DDL, managing tablespaces and so on) specifically for a PeopleSoft system, and using the PeopleSoft toolset
Shows how to analyze application activity, and obtain the critical data that will allow you to track down the causes of poor performance.
Provides essential details on the configuration and tuning of the Tuxedo application server that works with the database

This book is a reflection of what I've been doing most days for many years: helping PeopleSoft customers get sufficient performance out of their systems to support their businesses. It provides the answers to the questions that I am still repeatedly asked by DBAs, Developers and end-users about what is going on inside their PeopleSoft system, such as:

How do I measure what part of the application response time is spent in which tier of the system, and thus determine whether the database or another tier is the most significant performance issue?
Who is running this piece of SQL, where does it come from, and what can I do about it?
What changes can I safely make to the system, via the PeopleSoft development tools and without creating an administrative nightmare?

Ultimately, it’s about how an Oracle DBA should work with PeopleSoft instead of continually fighting against it.