Peoplesoft and SQR

By now, I’m back from vacation, but I didn’t write anything while I was gone.  I’ll have a new article next week.

I’ve been thinking about my blog.  While spending almost a year writing about SQR, I’ve collected a list of topics relating to SQL, Peopletools, and Peoplesoft HCM that I want to discuss.  I assume most of my readers work in those areas too.  I may begin a new blog on those subjects in the new year, and I hope you’ll join me.  I would update this blog occasionally, but I’ve already said most of what I want to say about SQR.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on an exciting Peopletools / Peoplecode project.  It’s hard to focus on SQR.  I’ve also been distracted by my upcoming vacation.  The result?  I haven’t had time to create a new SQR entry for this week.  I’ve got several essays in progress:

• a program to help choose run control records and pages for a new SQR program
• a comparison of SQR and Application Engine
• an business and technical history of the SQR product line

So, please reread my older entries while I’m away.  You haven’t memorized them yet, have you?

Even batch programs have user interfaces.  They start with actual or implied inputs (run control parameters in Peoplesoft).  They end with actual or implied outputs (reports, log files, Process Monitor messages).  We shouldn’t take these elements of program design for granted, even in the simplest programs.
Continue reading ‘Batch User Interfaces’ »

It seems appropriate to talk about masks with Halloween coming.  More powerful than trick-or-treat facewear, SQR masks can format numbers, analyze dates, and precisely extract characters from strings.  Boo!
Continue reading ‘SQR Masks’ »

Modern office processes are usually a combination of manual, semi-automated, and automated operations.  SQR programmers often contribute software to these processes, but our customers don’t always tell us enough about their processes for us to make the best possible contribution.  We can classify some of our work into a hierarchy of solutions.
Continue reading ‘A Hierarchy Of Data Processing Solutions’ »

The SQR language has several families of built-in functions. They range from minor conveniences to potential life savers. There are some surprising inclusions and surprising omissions. I discuss some of the functions I wish we had in An SQR Wish List.

Continue reading ‘SQR Functions’ »

Last week I paid tribute to Elements of Style. The lesson from that book that impressed me most was to simplify my prose; minimize adjectives and adverbs; replace clichéd phrases with single words; avoid passive voice and inverted sentences; be terse and direct. I recommend the same for programming.

Continue reading ‘Simplify’ »

Elements of Style is the famous book by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White.  First written in 1918, it is a guide to writing well in American English.  Anything good about the prose on this blog should be credited to Strunk & White.  The flaws must be ascribed to me.  This week’s blog entry is dedicated to that short book.
Continue reading ‘Elements of SQR Style’ »

I’ve written about variables several times (notably in Bottom #Ten Worst Variable Names and SQR Without Literals), but a recent entry on a new blog gave me a new way to think about them.
Continue reading ‘SQR Variable Roles’ »

Last week, we considered change reporting based on the effective dates and action dates of PS_JOB. Other Peoplesoft tables track history differently. We need other approaches to report those changes.
Continue reading ‘Reporting Changes In Peoplesoft With SQR, Part 2’ »