Understanding Enterprise Service Automation Pagelets

This chapter provides an overview of Enterprise Service Automation pagelet types and discusses how to:

Administer system defaults for Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack Pagelets.
View Operational Threshold Alerts (OTAs).
View the Media Sources pagelet.
View Enterprise Service Automation Navigation Collection pagelets.

Understanding Enterprise Service Automation Pagelet Types

Enterprise Service Automation pagelets provide a variety of data derived from Enterprise Service Automation applications. Pagelets are grouped in functional classifications based on the type of information displayed, the purpose and use of the information, and how pagelet values are calculated.

This section lists common elements and discusses:

Operational summary pagelets
OTAs
Transactions in progress (TIP)

Common Elements Used in This Chapter

Calendar ID	Select a calendar identifier to indicate the types of periods to use for the analysis. For example, a pagelet may give a user the option to view data according to a quarterly calendar or monthly calendar.
My Projects	Select this option to view and analyze only projects listed on the Project Costing My Projects page for the user.
Number of Prior Periods	Enter the number of prior calendar periods over which an analysis occurs.
Restore Defaults	Click this button to reinstate the administrator default settings for a pagelet or OTA personalization page.
Show Only if Alert	Select this option to indicate that an OTA will appear only if the measurement reaches the threshold at which an alert is triggered.
Specify	Select this option to use a particular business unit, and enter the business unit in the provided field. This option is available if you do not want to use the default business unit value that is established as the user preference for your user ID.
Alert Threshold	Enter the tolerance value that triggers an alert, using the unit of measure that appears in parentheses. When a measurement reaches the alert threshold, a red visual indicators appears on the OTA pagelet for the OTA. Based on the OTA, the alert can indicate that the measurement is above or below the alert threshold.
User Preferences	When this option appears in the Business Unit group box, select it to indicate that the business unit will be based on the default business unit value that is established as the user preference for your user ID.
Visual Indicators	Green and red visual indicators provide status information for pagelet data. An indicator that is used for an OTA displays the status of the OTA in relation to the alert threshold defined on the OTA's personalization page. The system also uses green and red visual indicators to provide priority information:
	The green visual indicator appears when the measurement is within a favorable range when compared to the alert threshold defined on the OTA's personalization page. The system also uses this icon to indicate a low priority.
	The red visual indicator appears when the measurement is within an unfavorable range (alert status) when compared to the alert threshold defined on the OTA's personalization page. The system also uses this icon to indicate a high priority.

Operational Summary Pagelets

Operational summary pagelets provide users with an overview of summarized data for specific applications. Many of these analytics provide a detailed view of indicators that are specific to the application and its business processes.

The operational summary pagelets delivered in Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack are:

Most Recent Contracts (Contracts)
Top Five Contracts (Contracts)
Contract Milestone Metrics (Contracts)
Contract Product Grouping Metrics (Contracts)
Contract Status Metrics (Contracts)
Total Predicted Expenses (Expenses)
Top Projects (Project Costing)
Top 5 Issues (Program Management)
Top 5 Risks (Program Management)
Change Control Analysis (Program Management)
Forecast to Complete (Program Management)
Critical Issues by Project (Program Management)
My Program (Program Management)
Issues by Priority (Program Management)
Issues by Priority by Project (Program Management)
Proposal Operational Summary (Proposal Management)
Proposal Resource Demand (Proposal Management)
Proposal Revenue Pipeline (Proposal Management)
Resources Needing Assignments (Resource Management)

Operational Threshold Alerts

OTAs provide managers with real-time feedback and advance warning about processes that may not be generating expected results. OTAs identify information that is specific to an application and enable real-time monitoring according to tolerance levels that are defined by the user. Although OTAs are enabled by specific modules, the data they provide often span multiple Enterprise Service Automation applications. OTAs appear on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet, and some OTAs can also appear on the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.

The OTAs delivered in Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack are:

Contract Revenue Forecast (Contracts)
Contract Sales (Contracts)
Total Expense Costs (Expenses)
Budget to Forecast Time (Program Management)
Projects Predicted to be Late (Program Management)
Actual to Forecast Utilization (Program Management)
Forecast Utilization (Program Management)
Budget to Actual Cost (Project Costing)
Budget to Actual Time (Project Costing)
Gross Margin (Project Costing)
Projects Over Budget (Project Costing)

Transactions in Progress

TIP pagelets are tools to help managers easily identify work that is currently under way. By monitoring TIP pagelets, executives and managers can gain insight into potential problem areas and take the necessary actions to resolve any issues.

The TIP pagelets delivered in Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack are:

Expenses Not Submitted (Expenses)
Expenses Recorded/Not Approved (Expenses)
Expenses Approved/Not Paid (Expenses)
Time Reports Not Submitted (Expenses)
Time Recorded/Not Approved (Expenses)
Unpriced in Progress (Project Costing)
Payables in Progress (Project Costing)
Expenses in Progress (Project Costing)
Inventory in Progress (Project Costing)
Purchasing in Progress (Project Costing)
Expenses Time in Progress (Project Costing)

Administering System Defaults for Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack Pagelets

You must define and filter the data that appears on a pagelet before you can use it. Most pagelets obtain their data from one or more Enterprise Service Automation applications, and there are system rules that you can establish to define how Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack pagelets display data by default to users. By defining default settings at the system level, you can ensure that relevant data appears on a pagelet when users select it for viewing. Each user can override the system settings and modify, or personalize, the filtering rules to control the data that appears on the pagelet.

This section discusses how to define default values for Enterprise Service Automation pagelets.

Note. Not all Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack pagelets use default values at the system level, and these pagelets do not appear on the Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration page. Pagelets that do not allow for an administrator to enter default filters can be set up and personalized by clicking the Customize icon in the top right corner of the pagelet.

Page Used to Administer System Defaults for Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack Pagelets

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration	PC_ESA_PPACK_ADMIN	Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Pagelets, Enterprise Service Automation, Portal Pack Defaults, ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration	Access pages where you define default personalization settings for Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack pagelets.

Defining Default Values for Enterprise Service Automation Pagelets

Access the ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration page.

This page is a starting point to define a set of filtering rules for each Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack pagelet. These rules apply to all pagelet users, regardless of their business units or roles.

Pagelets typically display up to five rows of data. Specific setup information for each pagelet is available in the chapter of this PeopleBook that discusses portal pagelets for each enabling application. For example, the enabling application for the Top Projects pagelet is Project Costing, so you can find the necessary setup information in the chapter titled "Using Pagelets Enabled by Project Costing."

On the ESA Portal Pack Default Administration page, pagelets are grouped by type: Operational Summary pagelets, Operational Threshold Alerts (OTAs), Transactions in Progress, and Additional Pages.

Operational Summary

Click a link in the Operational Summary group box to access a page where you define the default filtering rules for the data that appears on the corresponding pagelet.

Operational Threshold Alerts

Click a link in the Operational Threshold Alerts group box to access a page where you define each OTA's filtering rules. To display an OTA, each user must click the Customize Operational Threshold Alert icon on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet, and select the desired OTAs on the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page.

Note. When you set up filtering rules for an individual OTA, you are not personalizing the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet itself. You are only setting up data for one of the alerts that a user can choose to appear on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.

Transactions in Progress

Click a link in the Transactions in Progress group box to access a page where you define the default filtering rules for the data that appears on the corresponding pagelet.

Additional Pages

Click the Media Sources link to access the Personalize Media Sources page, where you can select up to five links to URLs that will be listed on the pagelet by default.

Click the Media Sources Setup link to access the Media Sources Setup page, where you can add links to new online publications or web addresses and modify or inactivate existing ones.

Viewing OTAs

OTAs display data that identifies and monitors real-time information based on tolerance levels that you define. Specific setup information for each OTA is available in the chapter of this PeopleBook that discusses portal pagelets for each enabling application. For example, the enabling application for the Contract Sales OTA is Contracts, so you can find the necessary setup information in the chapter titled "Using Pagelets Enabled by Contracts."

This section discusses how to:

Set up OTAs.
Use the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.
Use the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.
Personalize OTAs.

Pages Used to View OTAs

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Operational Threshold Alert pagelet	PC_PE_OTA_LIST	Click the Personalize Content link on the PeopleSoft homepage. Select Operational Threshold Alert on the Personalize Content page and return to the PeopleSoft homepage.	View up to five OTAs that display real-time monitoring data based on tolerance levels that you define.
Operational Threshold Chart pagelet	PC_PE_OTA_CHART	Click the Personalize Content link on the PeopleSoft homepage. Select Operational Threshold Chart on the Personalize Content page and return to the PeopleSoft homepage.	View an OTA in a chart format that monitors data based on tolerance levels that you define.
Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts	PC_PE_OTA_PRS	Click the Customize Operational Threshold Alert icon on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet. Click the Customize Operational Threshold Chart icon on the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.	Select the OTAs to appear on the Operational Threshold Alert or Operational Threshold Chart pagelets. Access the page to personalize individual OTA tolerance levels.

Setting Up OTAs

The overall tasks to set up OTAs are:

Define default filter values at the system level for each OTA by accessing the OTA's personalization page from the ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration page.
Select Operational Threshold Alert on the Personalize Content page and return to the PeopleSoft homepage.
Click the Customize Operational Threshold Alert icon on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet to access the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page and select up to five OTAs that you want to appear on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.

You can also select one OTA to appear on the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.

Using the Operational Threshold Alert Pagelet

Access the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.

View a list of up to five OTAs that are selected on the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page. The data that appears is based on the tolerance level parameters that you set up on each OTA's personalization page.

Threshold Alert	Displays the title of the OTA that you selected on the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page. If the title appears as a link, click the link to access a page in the enabling application that contains further details.
Target	The target threshold alert value, expressed as a percentage or as an amount, that is specified in each OTA's personalization settings. When a measurement goes beyond the alert threshold, a red alert visual indicator appears on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet, which indicates that the measurement is not within an acceptable range. When a measurement has not reached, or is equal to, the alert threshold, a green visual indicator appears on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet, which indicates that the measurement is within an acceptable range.
Actual	Displays a calculated value for the OTA based on the OTA's personalization settings.
Curr (currency)	Displays the currency code of the actual amount.
% Variance or Variance Percentage	Displays a calculated value based on the formula ((Target - Actual) ÷ Target) × 100.
Visual Indicators	Displays a red Alert Status icon or green Within Range icon based on the OTA's variance percentage.
As of Date	Displays the date that data was last summarized. The date appears for OTAs that are calculated based on summary data from a batch process.
	Click the Customize Operational Threshold Alert icon to access the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page to select up to five OTAs to appear on the pagelet.

If an administrator or user do not specify personalization options for an OTA, a message appears on the pagelet for the corresponding OTA. Users can specify that only selected OTAs that are in an alert status appear on the pagelet. If you specify that only OTAs in an alert status appear on the pagelet, and none of the selected OTAs are in an alert status, a message appears indicating that all of the selected OTAs are within acceptable tolerances.

Using the Operational Threshold Chart Pagelet

You can view a bar chart for an OTA that you select on the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page. The data appears in the chart results from the tolerance level parameters that you set up on the individual OTA's personalization page. Only one OTA can appear on the chart pagelet at a time.

If an administrator or user do not specify personalization options for the OTA, a message appears on the chart pagelet.

Click the Customize Operational Threshold Chart icon to access the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page to select an OTA to appear on the chart pagelet.

Personalizing OTAs

Access the Personalize Operational Threshold Alerts page.

Select

Select up to five OTAs that you want to appear on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.

Chart

Select one OTA to appear on the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.

Click the Personalize icon to access the corresponding OTA's personalization page, where you can specify the tolerance level parameters for the OTA.

Viewing the Media Sources Pagelet

The Media Sources pagelet can display not only data from PeopleSoft applications, but also links to any content that is accessible to users by using a URL. You must create and maintain the links in PeopleTools to make them available to appear on the Media Sources pagelet.

This section discusses how to:

Set up media sources.
Personalize media sources.
View the Media Sources pagelet.

Pages Used to View the Media Sources Pagelet

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Media Sources Setup	GM_PE_3RD_ADMIN	Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Pagelets, Enterprise Service Automation, Portal Pack Defaults, ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration Click the Media Sources Setup link on the ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration page.	Set up a content link so that it can be available to appear on the Media Sources pagelet.
Personalize Media Sources	GM_PE_3RD_MEDIAPRS	Click the Media Sources link on the ESA Portal Pack Pagelet Default Administration page to access this page as an administrator. Click the Customize Media Sources icon on the Media Sources pagelet to access this page as a user.	Select up to five online publications to appear by default on the Media Sources pagelet.
Media Sources	GM_PE_3RD_MEDIA	Click the Personalize Content link on the PeopleSoft homepage. Select Media Sources on the Personalize Content page and return to the PeopleSoft homepage.	View the Media Sources pagelet that contains up to five links to publications or other content.

Setting Up Media Sources

Access the Media Sources Setup page.

Use this page to update or add links that provide access to various information sources that are either internal or external to your organization.

Publication Title	Enter the title to appear as a link on the Media Sources pagelet.
URL Identifier	Select a URL for this media source from the available URLs that are created by using the PeopleTools URL Maintenance page. Note. You must create a link by using the URL Maintenance page before you can select it in the URL Identifier field. To access the URL Maintenance page, go to PeopleTools, Utilities, Administration, URLs.
Active	Select this option if you want this media source to be available for users to select on the Personalize Media Sources page. Clear this option to inactivate this media source, in which case it does not appear for selection on the Personalize Media Sources page.
Long Description	Enter text to describe the media source content. This text appears on the Personalize Media Sources page to help users determine if the media source is of interest.

Note. You cannot delete a media source, but you can replace it by modifying the Publication Title and URL Identifier field values, or by inactivating the media source.

Personalizing Media Sources

Access the Personalize Media Sources page.

An administrator uses this page to select up to five default media sources to appear on the Media Sources pagelet. The selections that an administrator makes on this page appear when the pagelet first appears on a user's homepage. Users can retain the system default publication links that the administrator specifies on this personalization page, or modify the list by clicking the Customize Media Sources icon on the Media Sources pagelet.

You can add or remove available selections on this page by using the Media Sources Setup page.

Viewing the Media Sources Pagelet

Access the Media Sources pagelet.

This pagelet displays up to five links from which you can access online media. Click the Customize Media Sources icon to access the Personalize Media Sources page, where you can modify the list of links that appear on the pagelet.

Viewing Enterprise Service Automation Navigation Collection Pagelets

This section provides an overview of Navigation Collection pagelets and discusses how to set up navigation collections.

Understanding Navigation Collection Pagelets

Navigation collections are sets of links into Financials database that support the users' ability to perform key business processes in a services organization. Enterprise Service Automation Portal Pack delivers Navigation Collection pagelets to facilitate the performance of key business processes. The primary users of Navigation Collection pagelets are directors, resource supervisors, project and program managers, resources, and contract and billing administrators. System administrators can modify a Navigation Collection pagelet to include links to any component or page in the Financials database.

Navigation Collection pagelets support these business processes:

Managing proposals.
Managing contracts.
Managing departments.
Managing a practice.
Managing project accounting.
Managing programs and projects.
Resource self-service.

Pages Used to View Enterprise Service Automation Navigation Collection Pagelets

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Navigation Collections - Find an Existing Collection	PTPP_SCSRCH	PeopleTools, Portal, Portal Utilities, Navigation Collections	Search for an existing Navigation Collection that you want to edit or delete. Access pages that you can use to create a new Navigation Collection.
Maintain Collection	PTPP_SCMAINTCOLL	Click the Edit link for an existing Navigation Collection on the Navigation Collections - Find an Existing Collection page.	Maintain Navigation Collection pagelets.

Viewing Navigation Collections

Enterprise Service Automation navigation collections are public navigation collections that users can select to appear on their homepage.

To view a Navigation Collection pagelet:

Click the Personalize Content link on the PeopleSoft homepage to access the Personalize Content page.
Select one or more of the Navigation Collection pagelets in the Cross-Financials group box.

In PeopleTools Security, permission lists are associated with user roles in the Financials database, which determines the pages to which users have access. If a user does not have access to a component or page that appears on the Navigation Collection pagelet, the link to the component or page does not appear in the pagelet.

Maintaining Navigation Collections

Administrators can modify Navigation Collection pagelets as follows:

Access the Find an Existing Collection page at PeopleTools, Portal, Portal Utilities, Navigation Collections.
Search for the navigation collection that identifies the business process that you want to modify.
Click the Edit link corresponding to the Navigation Collection.
Add or edit links or folders on the Maintain Collection page.

See PeopleSoft Enterprise Components for PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management Solutions, Enterprise Service Automation, Asset Lifecycle Management, and Supply Chain Management 8.9 PeopleBook, "Portal Utilities," Using Navigation Collections.

Select	Select up to five OTAs that you want to appear on the Operational Threshold Alert pagelet.
Chart	Select one OTA to appear on the Operational Threshold Chart pagelet.
	Click the Personalize icon to access the corresponding OTA's personalization page, where you can specify the tolerance level parameters for the OTA.