Interview Questions

 Application Engine 

1) There are different types of variables in the Application Engine people code?
Local variable – these are available for the duration of the program in which they are declared.
Global / Component – These variables are available while the Application Engine program is running. They are saved at commits and checkpoints,
So they can be used for restarts. Component variables are same as Global incase of the AE.

2) What are the Different ways pass data between the steps?
1) State records – One row can be passed and can have many state records.
2) Component/Global People code variables
3) Temporary records – Multiple rows of data can be passed.

3) What is Prerequisite for the State record?
1) Should be either Derived work record Or SQL Table.
2) Name of the record must end in AET; this is how the system identifies the record as a state record.
3) PROCESS_INSTANCE must be a key.
4) Any data types except character or numeric must not be required fields.
Note: - No People code fires on an Application Engine state record.
No Validation of translate values or Prompt tables are done.

4) How to read the runctrl parameters in AE
1) SQL: - %Select (EMPLID) Select EMPLID from PS_AERUNCONTROL where PROCESS_INSTANCE = %PROCESS_INSTANCE and ORPID = %oprid
2) People code: - &SQL = “Select EMPLID from PS_AERUNCONTROL Where PROCESS_INSTACNE =” PS_TEST_AET.PROCESS_INSTANCE “and OPRID =” %oprid.
%PROCESS_INSTANCE or %Bind (PROCESS_INSTANCE) can be used.
%PROCESS_INSTANCE is more efficient and faster.

5) How do you execute Application Engine through Push Button?
1) CreateProcessRequest () , Schedule ()
2) CallAppEngine.
6) What is the syntax for CallAppEngine?
CallAppEngine (applid [, state record]);

7) What are the 3 trace parameters you can pass to your psae.exe?
- TRACE
- TOOLSTRACESQL
- TOOLSTRACEPC
8) Which Trace option is the best place to start for general performance information?
- TRACE 384 – mostly used trace value.

9) What is the difference between a Trace value and Trace parameters?
A Trace parameter determines which type of trace is turned on.
A Trace parameter determines what type of data is recorded in your trace files (s).

10) What are the 3 common ways to pass a trace parameter and value to your program psae.exe?
Configuration manager, Process Definition, Command prompt.

11) What are the Different types of Application Engine?
Standard: Standard entry-point program.
Upgrade Only: Used by PeopleSoft Upgrade utilities only.
Import Only: Used by PeopleSoft Import utilities only
Daemon Only: Use for daemon type programs.
Transform Only: Support for XSLT Transform programs.

12) How do you program AE program for the restarts?
Program Level State Record
One of the state record needs to SQL Table, Since All Derived work record will be re-initializing on commit.
Program Properties
On the Advanced tab in the program properties dialog box, make sure that disable restart is not checked.
Configuration manager
In the configuration manager, sure that Disable restart is not selected on the process scheduler tab.
Section Level
Section type
The option for section type are prepare only and critical updates
If the section is preparing data i,e select data, Populating temporary tables, or updating temporary tables then the section should be prepare only.
If the section is updating the permanent application tables in the database, you should select critical update.
Step Level
Add an order by clause
%Select Field Select Field1 from PS_SOME_RECORD Where FIELD1 > %Bind (FIELD1) Order by FIELD1.

Add a switch to the selected table
Delete processed rows.

The only restriction for batch runs occurs when you have restart enabled, and you are inside a Do Select that is of the Select/Fetch type (instead of "Re-select" or "Restartable"). with select/Fetch, all commits inside the loop are ignored, including the commit frequency if it's set.

13) What is Set Processing?
Set Processing uses SQL to process groups, or sets, of rows at one time rather than processing each row individually. With row by row processing you following a repetitive loop that selects a row, determines if it meets a given criteria, if so, apply rule x to row Update row, commit. With set processing, you only select those rows that meet the filtering criteria and then run the rule once again all the affected rows.

14) Advantages of Set Processing?
Improved Performance: - Our internal testing has revealed that, in an overwhelming majority of cases, set processing performs significantly better than it is -by-row counterpart for “reasonable” batch processing volumes.

Minimized SQL Overhead: - It tends to use fewer Application Engine SQL statements that each processed more data than the statements executed in row-by-row processing.
Easy Maintenance: - if need to make a fix or add an enhancement to SQL, it’s just a matter of modifying the SQL or inserting the new “Chunk”.
Leveraging the RDBMS: - With Set – based processing, you take advantage of the SQL processing engine on the database rather than placing the processing burden and overhead on the application executable.

15) Testing and debugging application engine?
Application Engine Trace file-You can track the step execution of your application execution.
Application Engine Interactive Debugger – First click on the trace tab and turn off the statement timings. Select Profile -> Edit Profile-> Process Scheduler Tab -> Application section Select Debug check box.

(You can dynamically modify the state record run application engine step by step
People Code Debugger for the Application Engine.)
AE Trace files: - AE__.AET
Without the process instance: - AE__.AET
16) Order and flow of action types
1) Do When
2) Do While
3) Do Select
4) Peoplecode
5) SQL
6) Call Section
7) Message Log
8) XSLT
9) Do until

17) What is Prerequisite for the Temporary record?
1) Should have process Instance as key
2) Name should end with _TAO

18) Different types of Temporary tables
- Dedicated
- Un Dedicated (Shared)

19) Why Parallel Processing required?
Potential performance improvements by splitting the data to be processed into groups and simultaneously running multiple instance of your program to deal with different groups of data.
If you have a one program that uses a temporary table and is invoked multiple times, that single temporary table could be used concurrently in multiple executions of the code. This could create unpredictable results since the different instances of the code would be issuing delete, Inserts and/or updates unsynchronized with each other.
You could solve the problem by creating multiple temporary tables as a pool of tables. Each invocation of your program would have to allocate an unused temporary table,
mark it as ‘in use’ , use it and release it back to the pool when you through with it (for each Application Engine program you write).

20) How running AE program as Batch differs from running it online?
Application Engine programs are designed for two types of execution and each has its own pool of Temporary Tables
Online:
Invoked by CallAppEngine from People code
Run quickly, synchronously, and at random times.
Potential for simultaneous executions
Uses the online Temporary Table pool.
Not restart able.
Psae.exe randomly assigns an instance number from the number range on your online temp tables.
If the instance number is in use psae.exe puts the program in Queue until the assigned instance becomes free.
Unlock on completion, on Crash free from Manage Abends.
Batch:
Invoked through the Process Scheduler.
Run for longer amounts of time, asynchronously, and at scheduled times.
Can be designed for parallel execution for performance.
Uses the Batch/Dedicated Temporary table.
Restart able.
It allocates instance number based on the availability on a record by record basis and psae.exe begins with the lowest instance numbers.If the properties are set continue - Base table is used with Process instance as key.
If Re-starable – Locked across Restarts until completes successfully.
If not Re-startable on Program completion.

21) What are the important steps for implementing the parallel processing?
Define you Temporary Tables.
Set the Temporary Tables Online pool.
Assign Temporary Tables to your Application Engine program in it program.
Set Temporary Table Batch Pool – Instance count in the AE.
Build / Rebuild your Temporary Table record.
Code %Table Meta – SQL as reference to Temporary Tables in your Application Engine program, so that Application Engine can table references to the assigned Temporary Table instance dynamically at runtime.

22) What happens when all the instance of the temporary table are in use?
It behavior can control by AE developer. If the runtime options are set to continue “People Tools will insert rows into the base table using the PROCESS_INSTANCE as a key”. If temp table doesn’t contain PROCESS_INSTANCE as a key field in a Temporary table, you should change the Temp table runtime options to “Abort” in the appropriate Application Engine programs.

23) How can you divide the data to be processed by different instance of the program to perform parallel program?
Run control parameters passed to each instance of the AE program enable it to identify which input rows “belong” to it, and each program instance inserts the rows from the source table into its assigned temporary table instance using %Table.

24) What are the 3 common ways to pass a trace parameter and value to your program psae.exe?
Configuration manager, Process Definition, Command prompt.

25) What is the main purpose of the Access property in the Section?
Basically they have two option, public and private if section declared as public then it be access from other program.Private we cannot call from other program.

26) Which actions are mutually exclusive and why they are mutually exclusive?
Sql and callsection.

27) Error handling or Exception handling in Application Engine ?
Step properties:-
On Error:-
Abort – Write message to message log and terminate.
Ignore - Write message to message log and continue.
uppress – No message will be written, but program will continue.
People code Action: - On return options can used to handle run time errors.
Abort: - Exits immediately – Not recommended.
Break:- Exits the current step and section and control returns to the calling step.
Skip Step:- The program exits the current step, and continues processing at the next step in the section. If this is the last step in the section, the calling step resumes control of the processing.
SQL Action properties:-
No Rows:- When the Sql doesn’t return any rows, you can tell what application engine program should do.
Abort: - Program terminates
Section Break: - Application Engine exits the current section immediately, and control returns to the calling step.
Continue: - The program continues processing
Skip Step: - Application Engine exits the current step immediately and moves on to the next step. When using skip step keep the following in mind:
1) Application Engine ignores the commit for the current step at runtime
2) If the current step contains only one Action, only use skip step at by-pass the commit.
28) What are different types Do Select?
1) Select/Fetch
2) Reselect
3) Restart able

Select/Fetch: -
Opens the cursor only at the first time and retrieve rows one at loop.
Commits inside the step (commits in the Called Section) are ignored if AE is Restart enabled.
Reselect: -
It opens the cursor and closes the cursor on each iteration of the loop.
It will reselect the same row of data.
Logic in Actions of the step should be such that it will be changing the status of the rows in the table the do select is selecting.
Commits are not ignored and will be committed in a reselect loop when the restart is enabled.
Restart able: - similar to select/Fetch but it WILL COMMIT inside the loop thus allowing the checkpoint to the PS_AERUNCONTROL table.

29)What is the maximum limitation on temporary tabel instances in AE.
99

30) what is the difference between the %SELECT and %SELECTINIT meta sql functions.
Ans %select : if any values have not selected then previous value will be there
%selectinit : if any values have not selected then previous value will reinitilate to null

31) what is the difference between exit(0),exit(1) when we are using this functions in AE
Exit (1) causes immediate termination of a PeopleCode program. Use this parameter to rollback database changes.
Exit (0) caused immediate termination of a Peoplecode Program but don’t make rollback in the database.
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SQR

1. What are the sections and paragraphs available?
There are five sections and three paragraphs available in SQR programming. The sections include
a. Begin-setup End-setup.
b. Begin-program End-program.
c. Begin-procedure End-procedure.
d. Begin-heading End-heading.
e. Begin-footing End-footing
And the paragraphs include
Begin-select paragraph.
Begin-SQL paragraph.
Begin-document paragraph

2. Is it possible to increase the array size once defined?
No, it is not possible to increase the Array size once defined

3. What is Load-lookup? Give the Syntax for Load-Lookup?
The LOAD-LOOKUP command defines an array containing a set of keys and values and loads it into memory. With LOAD-LOOKUP, you can reduce the number of tables that are joined in one SELECT. Use this command in conjunction with one or more LOOKUP commands.
Syntax: begin-setup
load-lookup
name=prods
table=products
key=product_code
return_value=description
end-setup

4. Can you Call a SQR from another SQR? How?
We can call one SQR program from another SQR program using Call.callsystem. But this is possible only in UNIX Operating system.

5. Briefly explain Most commonly used SQC’s in SQR programs?
: Some of the most commonly used SQC’s are
1.STDAPI.sqc : This Is Process Scheduler Interface which is used to initiate and terminate some field values such as Process_instance & Run_cntl_id
2.SETENV.sqc : This is used to set the Default Environment based on the Database such Printer Type, Paper Size,Date formats Etc….
3.NUMBER.sqc : This file contains generalized routines to format numbers.
4.DATETIME.sqc : This file contains generalized routines to format dates and times.
6.RESET.sqc : This is an important Footing SQc.

6. What are the commands used in filehandling of sqr?
Using File Handling we can Import. Steps are
1. Opening a File Using ‘OPEN FOR-READING’ command.
1. Reading Data From File Using ‘READ’ command.
Writing Data into Table Using ‘BEGIN-SQL’ paragraph & ‘INSERT’ command

7. What are On-break parameters?
ON-BREAK causes the specified action to perform in a tabular report when the value of a field changes. The default action prints the field only when its value changes (PRINT=CHANGE).Mainly used for Redundancy of Printing on a page.

8. How can you Debug SQR programs?
We can Debug SQR using Debugging Commands such as
2. #IF DEBUGxxx
#END-IF
2. DISPLAY and
3. SHOW

9. What is the difference between sqr and sqc?
SQR SQC
1.This is nothing but the Actual 1.This is like a function in SQR.
Source program.
2.This consists of Program Section. 2.This does not consists of program Section.
3.This can be Compiled & Executed. 3.This cannot be Compiled and Executed.
4.We cannot call one SQR from 4.We can call one SQC from another SQC or another SQR
or SQC. SQR program.

10. What are different types of variables in sqr?
Types of variables in SQR are
1. Column Variables.
2. List Variables.
3. System Variables.
4. Document Variables.
5. Substitution Variables.
User Defined Variables

11. Is there any read-only variable in sqr?
Column Variables & System Variables are Read-Only Variables.

12. How to pass Inputs for sqr program while running from windows?
Using ASK & INPUT Commands.

13. How to pass Inputs to the SQR while running through the Process Scheduler?
Using Procedures & SQC’s to access data on Run Control Page (Run Control Fields).

14. What is the purpose of Stdapi.sqc
This is a Process Scheduler Interface sqc which is used to initiate and terminate some field
values such as Process_instance & Run_cntl_id

15. What is the SQT file? What are the advantages of SQT files?
SQT’ file is nothing but resultant file after the compilation (i.e.) Runtime File. By using this SQT file for Execution we can increase the Performance of the program by reduciong the Compilation Time.

16. What is the SQC used to read data from translate table?
‘READXLAT.sqc’ is the SQC used to read data from Translate Table.

17. Which section is mandatory in an SQR program?
‘BEGIN-PROGRAM’ Section is Mandatory for an SQR program.

18. How will you display an image in SQR?
Using ‘DECLARE-IMAGE , END-DECLARE’ command.

19. What is use of SETENV.SQC?
This is used to set the Default Environment based on the Database such Printer Type, Paper Size, Date formats Etc….

20. How will you perform ERROR handling in SQR?
We can do Error handling in SQR using some command line flags such as –O, -L,-ZMF,-XMB and using Error handling commands such as
ON-ERROR = Skip/Warn/Stop (for Compile time errors)
ON-ERROR = Procedure Name (for execution stage errors).

21. How many ways of performance tuning are there in SQR?
1. Using LOADF-LOOKUP & LOOKUP.
2. Using ARRAYS.
3. Using MULTIPE REPORTS.
4. Using SQT Files.
5. Using –Bnn Command line Flag.
6. Running on BATCH SERVER.
7. Using Proper Programming Logic in SQR such as Using BREAK statement in EVALUATE Command.
8. Proper SQL tuning such as using Sub queries instead of Joins.

22. Can you call procedure in oracle from Sqr? How?
To call a database procedure using Begin-select paragraph, the syntax is as follows:
Begin-select
[(report arguments)]
from Dual
End-select
To call from Begin-sql, the syntax will be
Begin-SQL
;;
End-SQL

23. Can you connect more than one database using one Sqr? How?
Yes.

24. What are the differences between Load lookup and Array
ARRAYS LOAD-LOOKUP
1. Arrays can be declared in any section. 1. Load-Lookup is declared in only in
SETUP section only.
2. Number of rows are not automatically 2. Numbers of rows are automatically added. gives a error if the number of added.
Exceeds the specified number.
3. We should insert data in to Array by 3. Rows are automatically inserted in to
programming. Load-Lookup.
4.We can retrive any number of fields. 4.We can retrive only Two fields from
from a table. a table.
5.We have Length & Data type. 5.We don’t have Length & Data type.
6.We cannot directly print from Array. 6.We can directly print from
Load-Lookup.

25. What are the steps required to run the SQR from peoplesoft environment?
Three steps we have to fallow to run the SQR program from the peoplesoft environment (Process Scheduler). These steps include
a. Making the SQR program API aware by calling two procedures (stdapi-init, stdapi-term) from the Begin-program section and including the Stdapi.sqc in the bottom of the program.
b. Create new run control table or using existing run control table and creating run control page, component and register the component. Creating new run control SQC if we create a new run control table.
c. Giving the permission to the user by giving process groups.

26. How to pass command line flags to a sqr report running through process scheduler?
Using override options in the process definition in the Process Scheduler in the People Tools.

27. What are On-break parameters?
ON-BREAK causes the specified action to perform in a tabular report when the value of a field changes . The default action prints the field only when its value changes (PRINT=CHANGE).Mainly used for Redundancy of Printing on a page.

28 .How does peoplesoft Process monitor knows that the process (Say sqr report) is at what stage such as initiated, in process, completed etc
From the Field Value of ‘RUNSTATUSDESCR’field from ‘PS_PMN_PRCSLIST’ table.

29. How can u Debugging SQR programs?
We can Debug SQR using Debugging Commands such as
3. #IF DEBUGxxx
#END-IF
2. DISPLAY and
3. SHOW

30. How to refer a global variable in local procedure?
After special character (ex.#,&) we use underscore(_) after that variable name.

31. What is -Bnn flag?
This is used to specify the number of rows that are to be taken from Dbase to the Buffer because default the system takes 10 rows at a time.

32. What is -Tnn flag?
This is mainly used for testing purpose. We can restrict the system to generate only a specific number of pages instead of generating all pages for testing. This is used in Windows Environment.

33. What is -RS & -RT Flags?
RS is used to generate SPF file ie; stopping the program after the comilation. _RT is used to run the SPF file .This is also one kind of Performance increasing technique by saving the compilation time.
34. What are the sections in Sqr? Which one is necessary?
Setup, Heading, Footing, Program & Procedure Sections. Program section is the Mandatory section.

35. What is -debug command line flag?
This is used for Debugging in SQR.
36. How to place an corporate logo in sqr?
Using “Declare Image” command
37. what are the debugging commands in sqr?
Show & Display are debugging commands
38. what is the difference between them?
Show is used to display more than one variable at a time.
Display is used to display only one variable at a time.
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Component Interface Builder

1) What are the main elements in the component Interface ?
Main elements of component Interface
• Component interface name
• Keys
• Properties and collections
• Methods

2) Difference between Get keys, find keys and Create Keys ?
Get keys: - These are mapped to the fields marked as scrh in the component’s search record. Automatically “Search key” fields in search record become Get keys.
We cannot change it.

Find keys: - These are mapped to fields marked as Alt or Srch in the component search record. You may remove Find keys that you do not wish to make available for searching.
Create Keys: - It is generated from the key fields for the search record. If Add search record is present then its key fields are taken. We cannot change it.

3) How do you provide security for the component interface?
• Open the Permission list
• On the Component Interface tab
• Add row and select the newly created Component Interface
• Edit the permissions to give permission for the standard methods
• Get, Create, Save, cancel, find.

4) What the steps that you need to do in people code to invoke Component Interface?
• Establish a user section
• Get the component interface definition
• Populate the create keys
• Create an instance of the component interface
• Populate the required fields
• Save the component Interface.

&Session = GetSession();
&CI = &Session.GetcompIntfc(CompIntfc.INTERFACE_NAME)
&CI.KEY_FILED_NAME = ‘NEW’
If not &CI.Create () Then

Else
Populate other fields
End-if;

Populate the other fields

If not &CI.Save () Then
Else
End-if;

5) How do you test Component Interface?
• Using the Component Interface tester
• Give values in the tester for options
• Get Existing, Create new, Find and perform the operation from the CI Tester

6) Catching error message in the component Interface? Or
Use of PSMessages in the CI ?

This function needs to be called when ever methods like Find, Save, Create methods return false.
Error text and Error type can be printed in the log message for any other action in to the log messge.

Function CheckErrorCodes()

&PSMessages = &Session.PSMessages;
&ErrorCount = &PSMessages.Count;
For &i = 1 To &ErrorCount
&ErrorText = &PSMessages.Item(&i).Text;
&ErrorType = &PSMessages.Item(&i).Type;
End-For;

End-Function;

7) What is method? What are the different types of method?
Methods:
- A method is an object that performs a very specific function on a component interface at run-time.
Standard methods and user-defined methods.
Standard methods: - Automatically generated upon the creation of a new component Interface in Application.
Apart from the Standard methods there are Standard methods available for the use with any collection.
User-Defined methods: - User-defined methods are those that you can create to meet the requirements of an individual component interface.

8) What are properties?
The Fields in the level 0 in the component are the properties of the component.

Standard properties User-Defined properties
Createkeyinfocollection Developer can further control the exposed Getkeyinfocollection field properties.
Findkeyinfocollection
Property Info collection
GetHistoryItems (Update/Display mode or Correction mode)
EditHistory Items
InteractiveMode.

9) Traversing the Collections in the Component Interface?
COLL_JOB – Collection
Coll_JOBItm – Row in the collection.
&COLL_JOBCol = &CI_JOB_DATA.COLL_JOB;
For &i = 1 to &COLL_JOBCol.Count
&COLL_JOBItm = &COLL_JOBCol.Item (&i);
&COLL_JOB_JRCol = &COLL_JOBItm.COLL_JOB_JR;
For &J = 1 to &COLL_JOB_JRCol.Count
&COLL_JOB_JRItm = &COLL_JOB_JRCol.Item (&j);
&COLL_JOB_JRItm.KEYPROP_EFFDT =;

10) How do you login in correction mode in the Component Interface?
Get History Items and Edit History items property to should be set to true.
Get History Items alone: - Update display all - modes will be used.