BI Publisher, Communication Generation, and Population Selection work with Query and other methods to categorize the data to be used in the final output.
BI Publisher (formerly called XML Publisher or XMLP)
Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher or BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher or XMLP)is a template-based reporting tool that you can use with PeopleSoft to directly take information from the database (generally through PS Query) to author, manage and deliver reports and forms more easily and faster than traditional reporting tools.
A primary feature of Oracle’s BI Publisher product is the separation of the data extraction process from the report layout. BI Publisher enables you to design and create report layout templates with the more common desktop applications of Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, and renders XML data based on those templates.
BI Publisher is a key element in the Communication Generation process.
Communications Generation (Comm Gen)
The Communication Generation process is a procedure that enables you to select specific fields from which to extract critical data for a letter code assigned to the individual (or organization) IDs for whom you want to generate the communication. BI Publisher is a PeopleTools feature that enables you to manage and merge communication templates and data source files for the Communication Generation process to use to generate letters and emails. The process also enables you to generate corresponding envelopes and labels for a letter communication. To use the Communication Generation process, you must first assign a communication record for the desired letter code to the intended recipients. You can assign communications to individuals or organizations manually, or you can use the 3C engine to assign them using the Population Selection process.
Population Selection (and Mass Assign) (Pop Select)
Population Selection is a framework that feeds Populations to a client process. It can include any number of fields the process needs. It enables loose integration to Selection Tools (PS Query, external files, Equation Engine). It is highly configurable and extensible.
More information – from outside sources – can be found on this page: PROCEDURES – OVERALL [External References]
There also is a page of outside references about PeopleSoft Query.
