Application Designer Interview Questions -1

What is an Application Designer?

Application Designer is an integrated development and upgrade tool that contains collection of related object definitions, these objects are useful for specific purpose means using this objects we can develop projects according to the user requirements.

How many types of tables are there in database and what are their differences?

1. System Catalog Tables
2. People Tools Tables
3. Application Data Tables 

System Catalog Tables: System Catalog Tables stores physical attributes of the tables and views.

Naming convention for these tables is SYS.

PeopleTools Tables: The objects that we develop using the People Tool Objects are saved in PeopleTools Tables. Naming convention for these tables prefixed with PS_. Once a field is created it would be stored in psfield definition table, once a record is created it would be stored in psrecdef. (Only definition/structure is stored)

Application Data Tables: stores the data, which is entered by the user through PeopleSoft application windows and pages. Naming convention for these tables is PS_.

Application Data Tables are divided into 2 types:

1. Control Tables
2. Transaction Tables

Control Tables: Define the company structure and processing rules.

Transaction Tables: These are tables used to record our day-to-day transactions, such as personal data about employees.

What is a prompt table?

Prompt tables are the most common methods for validating data entry in peoplesoft applications.  This is like application data table the only difference is that it stores values that other tables can validate against. Prompt table is a control table. (Country table and Company table)

What is a Translate Table where are the Translate table values are stored?

It will store values for fields that don't require an individual prompt table, It is also known as xlat table. The data we store in the translate table does not change often. Each database contains one translate table. (blood types, days of the week)

How many table edits are there in Record field properties?

1. Prompt Table With Edit
2. Prompt Table No Edit
3. Translate Table
4. Yes/No Table Edit

Prompt Table No Edit:  Provides List of Suggested values, which users cannot edit.

Prompt Table With Edit: Users can edit the contents of the field against the values that are maintained in the specified prompt Table.

Translate Table Edit: Which is nothing but a translate table created by developer.

Yes/No Table:In some situations we want the user to enter only Boolean values like yes or no true or false in this situation we will use yes no table. The Translate Table for ex: PSYESNO. When you select the Yes/No Table Edit, the system automatically points to the PSYESNO field in the Translate Table

Difference between prompt table with edit and No Edit?

Prompt Table No Edit:  Provides List of Suggested values, which users cannot edit.

Prompt Table With Edit: Users can edit the contents of the field against the values that are maintained in the specified prompt Table.

What is effective date?

Date on which a table row becomes effective, the date that an action begins. For example, if you want to close out a ledger on June 30, the effective date for the ledger closing would be July 1. This date also determines when you can view and change the information. Pages or panels and batch processes that use the information use the current row. Effective date enables us to keep historical, current, and future information in tables. There are three types of effective dates: Current, History and Future.

What is effective status?

EFF_STATUS usually accompanies EFFDT. For example in Department table suppose we inactivated one dept from so and so future effdt, from that future date onwards this dept is going to be inactivated, after that whenever we click the link prompt button of dept id field we can see only active departments.

What is effective sequence?

Whenever we want to enter more than one transaction on the same day for an employee like promotion and salary hike we will use effective sequence. Effseq number starts with 0

How many Actions are there in the Component Properties dialog (Use Tab)?

Add: Used to add a new high-level key, such as a new employee ID or a new customer. Except in the

case of effective dating Add is used to insert new current row or update future rows. If we select only Add action then we can’t modify the existing rows. (Doesn’t have any effect with effdt)

Update/Display: Used to update existing rows only.

Update/Display All: Used to update current and future rows in an effective dated record. Only used with effective dated records.

Correction: Used to update any rows (history, current and future) in an effective dated record. Only used with effective dated records.

Data Entry: Not supported in PeopleSoft Internet Architecture

What is the difference between Key and Duplicate Key?

Whenever a field is a key field we cannot have duplicate values in that field. Key is used to identify the field as the search criterion that uniquely identifies each row.

Duplicate values are allowed, for example in composite keys like if we have 4 fields at least one field should be unique ex: in job table emplid, emplrcd, effdt and effseq

What is from search key and through search key in Record properties?

From search key: Gives the values from the specified value to the max values For ex:  if we have to search values after emplid of 100 to the max then we should enter 100 in the from search key. (total values to be displayed are 300 values)

Through search key: gives values from the given value – 300 values.

What is the difference between key and search key and also alternate search key?

Keys determine the structure that makes a row of data unique.  A key may also be a search key, which makes the field appear on search pages to help users locate rows of data.  Alternate key are only used for search pages and have nothing to do with the table structure. Alternate search key provides an alternate path into the table data. It will appear to the user whenever he clicks advanced search option.

How many types of tables are there? Define them?

SQL Table: A physical SQL Table present in the database, this is the default.

SQL View:  Not a physical SQL Table but corresponds to a view written in SQL referring one or more fields from different tables. This gives a filtered view of information stored in tables. Stored in the database as a view. (Query view is system generated and SQL views are created by developer) whenever you modify a record you need to take care: check if any views are dependent on this record. 

Dynamic view: A record definition that can be used like a view in pages and People Code but is not stored as a SQL view in the database. Dynamic views provide superior performance. 

Derived/Work: We can use it to calculations. It is not an object, and also we can use it as a funclib. A temporary workspace to use during online page processing. A derived or work record is not stored in the database, so no need to build it.

Sub Record: Group of fields used in multiple records like companies having address data of employees. If you have to use the same fields in different record definitions, then we will store all those fields in a subrecord and add this subrecord as a field to the record definitions. Stored in the database.

Query View: using the PeopleSoft Query we don’t need to write a query it will automatically generate by dragging and dropping. This is a two tier tool and runs through application designer and produces SQL dependent upon the host RDBMS.

Temporary Table: we will do all the manipulations on the data present in the temporary table. Increases the performance, as it is not stored in the database. Used mainly for the AE batch processes.

What is a dynamic view? Where we can use dynamic View?

It can be used like a view in pages and people code but not stored in database as a sql view, instead the system uses the view text as a base for the sql select that is performed at runtime. These views shows superior performance in some situations such as search records and people code selects.

Advantages of Using Search Views instead of Search Table

As the search view is created with selected fields there will not be much stress on app server and there by improves the performance.  Search View also gives additional search criteria.

What is the difference between record properties and record field properties?

Record properties apply to the entire record definition. Record field properties are not shared among records, they are specific to a single record definition and are stored with the record. Each record stores a unique set of record field properties while the primary field definition remains the same.

What is Component Buffer?

Area in memory, which stores data for the currently active component. Whenever you open a component the entire data for that component is retrieved upfront and stored in the application server. Component buffer is a temporary buffer allocation.

What is component processor?

It is a peopletool runtime engine that controls the processing of the application.

 

What is a data buffer?

Data buffer contains multiple components of data.

What is the difference between component buffer and data buffer?

Component buffer contains active component data i.e. level 0 data. Data buffer contains multiple components of data.

What data comes into Component Buffer?

Primary record data, related display fields, translate values and derived work records. If you keep key and alternate search key on 0 level then only 2 values will appear in Component Buffer the other field values will not available. In Component Buffer if you want to see the other field values then place a non-key field on 0 level and make it invisible. Every level will have its own primary record. A level 0 primary record and a search record can be different but the key field values should match.

How many levels can we have on a page?

Page allows Nested levels up to 3 levels.          

What are Level Based Controls and their Difference?

Level Based controls are Scroll Area, Grid and Scroll Bar.

Scroll areas have their page fields arranged by the developer. Page fields in a gird always appear in a single row. In grid we can view no of rows by giving occurrences. Scroll areas provide a row separator when you select multiple occurrences of data. We can view multiple rows in a grid while in a scroll area you can retrieve only one row at a time. One can have nested scroll areas but not grids. You can insert grid in a scroll area but not scroll in a grid.

What is the difference between scroll area and Grid?

Scroll areas single row of data will be displayed whereas in grid multiple rows of data will be available.