Issue #60 – 30th October 2013
News and Latest Developments
New Update Manager Images released
Oracle has released some updated PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) images. These are for HCM (9.2.003), Financials (also 9.2.003) and ELM (9.2.002), (Support Login Required). The first CRM image is due in early November.
Functional
Upgrading to 9.2 – Info You Can Use (part 1) 
John Webb and Rebekah Jackson have an entry on the PeopleSoft Apps Strategy blog on the various tools and resources you can use to plan your upgrade to PeopleSoft 9.2.
PeopleSoft Services Procurement, part of the PeopleSoft Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) 9.2 suite of applications, was the subject of a positive article written by Jason Busch of the leading industry analyst firm Spend Matters.
Technical
PeopleSoft UX Guidelines
Oracle have published a website with some design principles for the PeopleSoft UI. Much of it is aimed at homepages, dashboards and work centers rather than page design, but it’s still a useful resource on how your pagelets should look. There’s introductions to it by John Webb here and Matthew Haavisto here.
The Max Concurrent Process Definition Property
Chris Malek from the Cedar Hills Group looks at the Maximum Concurrent Processes property and shows how it can be used effectively.
Reading
Is there an Enterprise Architect Paradox?
Adrian Grigoriu (who is, coincidentally an EA at OFCOM) writes on the IT Toolbox blog on the difficulty of being an Enterprise Architect. “Technology genius meets business strategist meets accomplished manager meets expert communicator… is a tall order“.
The Modular Smart-Phone is coming
The Modular Smart-Phone is coming 
If you can ignore the expletive in the headline, this article discusses Google subsidiary Motorola’s Project Ara, which is taking the PhoneBlox concept (highlighted in a previous newsletter) and bringing it closer to reality. “It almost goes without saying, but if Motorola (with Google’s backing) can make this work, it’s going to be an honest-to-goodness revolution in the smartphone industry.”
Talking Tech
For a long while now, a criticism levelled at some techies as that they can only communicate in ‘tech jargon’ and that they need to learn to speak the language of everyday business-people. Is the tide turning however, and are business-people having to learn to talk-tech?
Training
Oracle has released some new videos of PeopleSoft Financials WorkCenters, and a homepage on My Oracle Support to allow easy access to them (Support Login Required).
Watching
Some of the Customers who’ve already upgraded to PeopleSoft 9.2 (across all product pillars) reveal the big plus points of upgrading to 9.2. It’s bizarre that they’ve all been recorded in front of a badly creased off-white sheet, but don’t let that detract from the positive messages that they give.
Yes, it’s a stunt to promote the upcoming remake of the movie Carrie, but it’s very well done. Better than the tricks are the facial expressions of the customers as they struggle to grasp what they’ve just seen.
And Finally…
For a couple of days last week a thick, choking smog enveloped cities in northeast China, closing schools and airports, snarling traffic and reducing visibility to a few yards. The government has ordered factory shutdowns and limits on car use, but will it be enough?
The PeopleSoft Weekly newsletter 