Tools

This page is a collection of different tools that I use to make a PS Admin’s job easier. Some of these are freeware or open source while others are worth paying for.

Security

  • Password Safe – Free Password Safe offers excellent security for all the passwords you manage. You could memorize your passwords (ugly), keep them on a spreadsheet (bad), or use Password Safe to keep all your passwords safely encrypted. The only password you need to remember is the safe’s master password. Once you open the safe, just double-click on the password you want to use and paste password. You don’t even need to know the underlying passwords! Password Safe also has a good password generator feature. You can set up the password rules and let it generate them for you.
  • Keystore Explorer – Free Keystore Explorer is a great tool for working with java keystore files, like pskey. The pskeymanager wrapper only offers a subset of functions for the Java keytool program. Keystore Explorer offers the same features as keytool but has a nice GUI to work with.

Server Administration

  • RDC Manager – Free If you are in a Windows-heavy environment, this tools is a great way to manage all of your servers and remote connections. RDC Manager easily organizes all of your servers into groups, lets you connect to multiple RDC sessions, and saves your login credentials.

  • mRemoteNG – Free remote desktop tool that supports both RDP and PuTTy SSH connections.

  • Beyond Compare = $30 or $50 for Pro Beyond Compare is the best file and directory compare utility. It is incredibly fast for comparing two folder together, changing what differences you see, easily compares complex files and can synchronize folders. Beyond Compare is also scriptable, so you can take advantage of it’s features on the command line.

Development

  • SublimeText – Free to Try, $70 SublimeText is my favorite text editor. There are many editors to choose from, and I’ve tried lots, but I keep coming back to SublimeText. SublimeText has lots of plug-ins for editing and syntax highlighting, and is very responsive with large files. Package Control is a plug-in manager for SublimeText that makes it easy to install new plug-ins. Install Package Control when you open Sublime Text for the first time.

  • Programmer’s File Editor – Free PFE has almost no modern features, but it does one thing well: it opens very large text files without any issues. Do you have 1GB trace file that needs to be searched? Use PFE.

  • SQR Express – $149 SQR Express is a great editor for SQR programs. The ability to run the program within the editor is wonderful and it has useful tools for writing SQR programs.

  • TraceMagic – Free TraceMagic simplifies much of the information in .tracesql files. TraceMagic will group SQL statements, show you all the tables in the FROM clause, tables that are being Updated or Inserted. It is much easier to find the errors using TraceMagic. You will need an Oracle Support account to download; search for Doc ID 1470578.1.

  • SQL Developer – Free SQL Developer has really improved in the latest versions and I enjoy using it more than Toad. It’s a great SQL tool when working on Oracle databases. Not much else to say, it’s a solid tool.

  • PSChrome Extension – Free For Chrome only, but this extension has features to make working in PeopleSoft easier. I really like the Auto-Refresh on the Process Scheduler page and the Field Information mode. The Auto-Refresh will select the Refresh button on the Process Scheduler page at an interval you want. It’s a simple way to watch what is happening on the scheduler. The Field Information mode will let you click on any text box, button, or label on a page and it gives you the record and field name. That saves a trip to App Designer.

  • DataDumper Application Class – Free The DataDumper application class let’s you dump the structure and content of a PeopleCode object to file. You can even email the output so you don’t have find it on the server. Import the CHG_DataDumper class and away you go. There is even a great overview video on how to use the application class.

Documentation

  • Instiki – Free I have found that wiki is the best way to keep documentation as a PS Admin. Instiki is a very simple wiki that makes it easy to create pages, link topics, and reduces the amount of work to keep documentation up-to-date. It is a light-weight wiki based on Ruby on Rails which makes it easy to run on any server.

  • Slack – Free for small teams

    Slack is essentially IRC, but web-based and app-based with better features. I love using it with remote teams because it replaces the hallway discussions and creates better communication within teams.

16 thoughts on “Tools”

  1. search:
    windows: Everything Search indexes all windows files in seconds and let’s you search for file names as you type.
    windows: Agent Ransack – search the contents of files
    linux: locate – nightly index all filenames on all of your linux mounts so that you can find filenames in seconds vs find on linux.

    windows: ditto – clipboard manager for copying and pasting the last n number of items in your clipboard history.

    windows: roboform for filling in passwords.

    windows: evernote for notes. Online notes are parsed for words in pictures and a synonym list is built for each note, so it’s easier to find that note.

    windows: filebox extender for folder/file favorites on steroids

    1. Thanks Alexei – Someone showed me Agent Ransack a few months ago and it’s great for searching.

    1. I think BeyondCompare is substantially better. It does much more than file compares, like comparing inside a .zip file, PDF compares, .csv table compares and more.

  2. Hello Dan,

    I just joined your site. I am working on PeopleSoft REST web services.

    Error: Unable to find a Routing corresponding to the incoming request message when Testing WADL URL in web-browser.

    We are currently on PeopleTools 8.52, and PeopleSoft FSCM 9.1

    Created Request and Response document templates.
    Created Messages, Service, Service Operation
    Generated ANY to Local routing.
    My GET_WADL node and service operations are active.
    On the Generated ANY to Local Routing –in parameters tabb—External alias name is same on Inbound Request and Outbound Response.
    Provided security to service operations.
    Default UID is same on Local node and Anonymous node and is active.

    But I am still getting the error.

    Can you guys please help me.

    Thank you.

  3. Hi,
    Any recommendations for Change Management/Source Control/Version Control software? What are people using out there?

    Thanks,
    Roberto.

    1. Hi Roberto

      Most organizations that want version/source control with PeopleSoft are using Phire or Quest Stat. I prefer Phire (it’s a native PeopleTools app and has lots of great features), but some organizations that invest in Stat also like it.

  4. I have successfully deployed DPKs for HCM9.2/PT8.56 Update Image 23 on my Windows box. However, how does the install change if I want to install all on the Windows box, EXCEPT create the DEMO database on my Linux box.

  5. I don’t see any mention of Visual Studio Code. With syntax-highlighting and Intellisense extensions for SQR, PeopleCode, CSS, and SQL this is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Look for the extensions called “PeopleSoft Tools”, “SQR”, “Bracket Pair Colorizer”, and “Guides”.

    1. Yes, VSCode is great! We’ve been using it for a quite a while but haven’t added it yet to this page, so thanks for mentioning it and those extensions.

  6. Hi,

    1) Could anyone please highlight the differences in PeopleTools Upgrade old way (pre PUM period) and latest one (post PUM ) strategy.

    2) Is it possible to deploy complete FSCM in AKS stack
    2 – Weblogic container, 2 App Server container, 2 Process Scheduler Container, 1 Oracle DB with ELB, Autoscaling

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