When Peoplebooks Is Not Enough
The only aspect of an SQR program that must be unique is its file name. The file name may also indicate something about the program within. There are restrictions on SQR program file names in the Peoplesoft environment, but there’s more flexibility than meets the eye. Continue reading ‘SQR Program File Names’ »
It is refreshing to have a new copy of the production database instance in the development database instance. It is also a bit frightening. Was anything important lost in the overwrite? Continue reading ‘Never Fear A Database Refresh Again’ »
Last week we looked at various techniques for combining tables. As an example, we took an assignment “to gather the hours reported on timecards for each employee over a two week pay period.” We saw five ways to combine the Peoplesoft HCM tables PS_EMPLOYEES and PS_TL_RPTD_TIME.
By the end, I realized that there was no actual business problem that could be solved correctly and efficiently with this approach. Continue reading ‘Bad SQL Redesigned’ »
Here are some interesting variations of SQL syntax. The simple example I chose is probably ill suited for any actual program, but that makes it more interesting. Continue reading ‘6 Lessons Learned From Bad SQL’ »
We built and enhanced a real-time dashboard that alerted us to problems with Peoplesoft process instances. The next challenge is to investigate processes that fail, or processes that succeeded yet dissatisfied our co-workers (the output was not as expected). Let’s build an SQR toolkit to help us do that. Continue reading ‘Analyze Peoplesoft Process Instances With SQR’ »
Last week we wrote a real-time application in SQR. Yes, in SQR, the batch programming language. That should have been more thrilling than it turned out to be. Let’s try to make it more interesting, accessible, and informative. Continue reading ‘Real-Time SQR Process Monitor Dashboard 2’ »
SQR is a language primarily for batch processing, but it does have limited support for real time, interactive applications. Let’s build a process monitor that is better than (or at least different from) Peoplesoft’s version. Continue reading ‘Real-Time SQR Process Monitor Dashboard 1’ »
Most programs are sprinkled with literal values; 11, ‘USA’, ‘01-JUL-2007′, etc. Sometimes we can guess their meanings from context. Continue reading ‘SQR Without Literals’ »
As much as I like SQR, I am reluctantly willing to admit that it is not perfect. Ray Ontko, one of the pioneers of SQR, listed his ideas for improvements on his company’s website. Here’s my wish list. Given the maturity of SQR, I don’t expect any of the changes to occur, but I’ve had many happy daydreams about using these features. Continue reading ‘An SQR Wish List’ »
What do compilers expect of the programs we create? Our programs should follow the syntax of the language and observe the practical limits of the compiler.
What do our customers and managers expect of the programs we create? Our programs should be created and available in a reasonable amount of time. Our programs should perform the operations described in the functional specification completely, accurately, and within a reasonable time. They should not have any undesirable side effects (e.g. don’t drop the database table while printing a report). They should be reliable (e.g. bugs should be rare). Continue reading ‘SQR Programming Standards’ »