Re: How to start learning PeopleSoft?

In message <3d6f8191$0$29907$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au>, Nuno Souto <nsouto_at_optushome.com.au.nospam> writes
>In article <Zzyb9.37308$n73.1231129_at_news20.bellglobal.com>, you said (and
>I quote):
>
>> getting started from their web. So the people who have been in their
>> Peoplesoft careers already now, how did they start their first steps to this
>> field?
>

You don't define exactly what role it is you wish to fulfil? How much do you actually need to understand about the product and how much about its implementation, or supporting it from a DBA perspective?

>Like everyone else in this industry: they learned to spell the product
>and that immediately made them experts.
>:(
>

There is a degree of that with PS as with every major product.

>Seriously. I think you need to take courses from PS. To the best of my
>knowledge, there is no major literature available on their products.
>Other than their own. They radically change so much between releases it
>makes it hard as nuts to write a book say on their HR thing.

The big jump was from 'old Peoplesoft' to new all singing all dancing web enabled Peoplesoft.

>
>I know they have course materials at least for the Peopletools stuff and
>general concepts. Not free, but cheaper than a full course schedule.
>That may be a way to start?
>

I was involved with one of the early large site implementations of PS and it wasn't especially pretty - at the time it didn't scale too well and from what I can tell a number of product modifications from that site went into core PS.

If they are being brought into a site where you are a DBA then the basic courses from the vendor on the product from a sysadm perspective will be useful but in the same way mostly that an understanding of the functionality and the way people will actually use it will be useful. It will be even more relevant if you are to be a project DBA.

Don't tie yourself too close to a specific product. This month's hit is next year's has-been. I've looked after PS implementations, currently HRMS is in vogue as part of the 11i environment. I've worked with Oracle Applications too - currently in the UK agencies reckon there to be a significant premium on 11i experience but prior to 11i Oracle Apps rates were not great comparatively speaking. I've worked on a number of 'big' products but core skills are worth more over the long term.

If you have the opportunity focus on your core skills - Oracle/Unix/design/production/whatever. Pick up whatever product experience is useful or available to bolt onto that, but if you really understand architecture and infrastructure of big systems you can learn what you need of the product specifics surprisingly quickly in terms of managing them.

And big systems are fun :}

-- 

Karen                              Live Faust, die Jung.