PeopleSoft, a leading provider of enterprise application software, today announced that its next major release, PeopleSoft 7, will be generally available in September 1997.
PeopleSoft 7 dramatically increases the performance and flexibility of PeopleSoft`s enterprise application offering through major technology innovations, including a new Web Client, a high-performance three-tier processing option, and on-line analytical processing (OLAP) integration.
In addition, PeopleSoft 7 marks the general availability of the company`s Universal Applications for self-service transactions on the World Wide Web; a new integrated development tool, Application Designer; and two new applications for distribution and manufacturing, Product Configurator and Engineering.
"Our worldwide user community asked for the powerful technology and other features in PeopleSoft 7, and we have delivered them," said Dave Duffield, president and chief executive officer at PeopleSoft. "PeopleSoft 7 will enable our customers to enjoy all the benefits of universal access to PeopleSoft applications, greater scalability and performance, enhanced reporting and analysis, and awesome new capabilities in our PeopleTools development environment. This is a huge release, but we have engineered it as an easy upgrade. That`s great news for our customers."
Initial benchmark tests have shown that PeopleSoft 7 performs at significantly higher levels than PeopleSoft 6 for on-line transaction processing over a wide area network (WAN). As a result of these performance gains, as well as the product`s other new features, numerous existing PeopleSoft customers, including DHL Airways, Mobil Oil, the National Basketball Association, and Independence Blue Cross have already committed to upgrading to PeopleSoft 7.
"PeopleSoft understands the customers` business needs and keeps us ahead with innovative technology, application functionality, and excellent customer service," said Errol van der Merwe, country manager for PeopleSoft South Africa. "PeopleSoft 7 gives customers a major boost in capabilities."
"PeopleSoft 7 is a significant release that should provide immediate benefits to PeopleSoft customers," said Henry Morris, director of data warehousing and applications for International Data Corporation. "The move to a 3-tier architecture makes possible more flexible deployment and extends application access to a broader set of users via the Java-based Web Client. Perhaps most innovative is the integrated OLAP support, enabling users to specify dimensions based on business rules and meta-data specific to PeopleSoft`s application."
PeopleSoft Delivers Web Client and Universal Applications With PeopleSoft 7, PeopleSoft has delivered a Web Client that runs in Microsoft`s Internet Explorer and Netscape`s Navigator web browsers. The Web Client offers users full access to PeopleSoft panels and queries, as well as to worklists from PeopleSoft`s embedded workflow.
The Web Client is a Java applet that uses the BEA Jolt middleware product from BEA Systems, Incorporated, for connectivity to the PeopleSoft application server. Designed for seamless integration into existing corporate intranets, the Web Client also runs the company`s Universal Applications, providing self-service functionality for occasional users.
The PeopleTools 7 application development environment allows developers to create a single application definition, then deploy that application on either a Web or a Windows client - with no extra development required for either option. Since the business logic is specified only once, the Web and Windows clients will remain in sync with one another automatically, regardless of future customisation or upgrades. This flexibility represents tremendous savings for organisations over time.
PeopleSoft`s Universal Applications provide intuitive self-service functionality across the Internet and intranets for tasks associated with human resources, payroll, benefits, accounting, and distribution functions. These self-service applications are designed for specific roles and requirements within the organisation, enabling occasional users such as employees, vendors, and customers to perform administrative tasks easily through a browser.
Benchmarks Show Three-Tier Architecture Boosts Performance
PeopleSoft`s new three-tier processing option vastly improves performance by minimising network traffic over both Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs). Initial benchmark test results comparing the performance of PeopleSoft 6 and PeopleSoft 7 in a three-tier WAN configuration using a Pentium 90 MHz client, a four-way Pentium Pro 200 MHz application server running NT, and a separate four-way Pentium Pro 666 MHz database server running Oracle NT, show significant gains, as reflected in several different metrics:
? -Average response times decreased by 50 - 65% ? -Network traffic decreased by 50 - 70% ? -Number of messages decreased by 60 - 80% ? -Number of concurrent functional users per Windows NT application server:
-HRMS Online - 1,600
-Financials Online - 1,000
PeopleSoft`s three-tier architecture provides an efficient split between the application server and the client, thereby increasing the speed, performance, and security of each transaction. By using the BEA TUXEDO middleware on the PeopleSoft 7 application server, users will be able to accommodate very large volumes of concurrent users with robust load-balancing and fail-over recovery capabilities, providing for continuous operations.
PeopleSoft 7`s application server is optimised to run on Microsoft`s Windows NT and select Unix platforms. PeopleSoft has leveraged industry support for its three-tier architecture, with dedicated resources from the following major hardware providers on the Unix platform: Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM, and Sun Microsystems.
OLAP Integration and Open APIs for Enhanced Reporting and Analysis PeopleSoft 7 marks the introduction of Cube Manager, a powerful data integration tool which allows users to define their own OLAP dimensions and analysis models. Because the OLAP cubes are built using PeopleSoft meta-data, changes to the business application are automatically passed to the OLAP tool.
In addition to providing robust integration with PeopleSoft applications, the cubes defined by Cube Manager are OLAP tool independent. A single cube definition can be used to integrate PeopleSoft transactional data with different best-of-breed OLAP solutions from the desktop to the data mart. This gives PeopleSoft customers the most flexibility possible when deciding how to deploy their OLAP solutions.
With PeopleSoft 7, the company will offer integration to Cognos` PowerPlay OLAP tool. PeopleSoft will bundle a PowerPlay starter set with each PeopleSoft application and resell additional user licenses on request.
To support multidimensional analysis at the data mart level, PeopleSoft 7 will provide integration with Arbor Essbase OLAP Server, allowing PeopleSoft customers across the enterprise to map PeopleSoft data and meta-data into Arbor Essbase.
As part of PeopleSoft`s effort to make its applications as open as possible, PeopleSoft 7 will include an Open Query Application Programming Interface (API). Open Query will enable third-parties to provide their reporting tools the same high level of PeopleSoft meta-data integration as Crystal Reports Pro, PeopleSoft Query, and OLAP tools from Cognos and Arbor. The Open Query API is based on the ODBC API, which has become a standard for data access. PeopleSoft 7 will deliver the Open Query API in the form of an ODBC driver which is registered to any Microsoft Windows application that supports ODBC.
Application Designer - New Development Environment PeopleSoft 7 marks the introduction of Application Designer, a single new development tool with full drag-and-drop support that combines PeopleTools such as Data Designer, Panel Designer, Menu Designer, Business Process Designer, and Upgrade Manager. Application Designer presents a project-oriented view of a user`s development activities and provides a comprehensive inventory of the components that make up an application, for example, records, panels, menus, and PeopleCode. With Application Designer, users can create and edit these objects, with full locking capabilities, using the same tool, in a single, powerful, integrated development environment.
New Applications Shipping with PeopleSoft 7 In 1996, PeopleSoft successfully launched its Manufacturing application suite. With PeopleSoft 7, the company enhances its manufacturing and distribution offering with two new applications, PeopleSoft Engineering and PeopleSoft Product Configurator.
Availability PeopleSoft 7, including PeopleSoft Financials, Manufacturing, Distribution, HRMS, and Red Pepper supply chain planning products, as well as PeopleSoft`s self-service Universal Applications, will be generally available in September 1997. Industry- and geography-specific versions will follow on a schedule to be announced later this year.
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