Outline
- There’s a Wesleyan Function for that…
- How do you go about presenting this information in your query?
- What does the term “Function” Mean?
- What is a “Wesleyan Function”?
- Examples
- Access a list of Wes Functions in two ways
There’s a [Wesleyan] Function for that…
-
-
- You’re working with PeopleSoft Query and would like to display the Wesleyan Class Year for each student without having to add in another table.
- Or the Query that you’re updating displays the student name as Last Name, First Name. You would like to show it as First Name then Last Name.
- Or you need to show students’ country of citizenship, spelled out, in your Query output.
- You’re working with PeopleSoft Query and would like to display the Wesleyan Class Year for each student without having to add in another table.
-
How do you go about presenting this information in your query?
There is a tool available for use with SFIS that can provide help with these examples and many others on the Edit Expression Properties page (found under the Expressions Tab) – and that is the Wesleyan Function. It is a specialized Function that goes beyond the purposes of other Functions used in an Expression.
What does the term “Function” mean?
- Functions are unique types of command words (in the SQL command set), usually one-word commands, which manipulate data items and return a single value which can be determined by various input parameters.
- These functions can often be utilized in Query Expressions created on the Edit Expression Properties page.
- Examples include TO_CHAR, CASE, and SUBSTR.
What is a “Wesleyan Function“?
- A Wesleyan Function is a user-defined function, i.e. it is pre-written text created specifically for inclusion in Query Expressions for Wesleyan PeopleSoft users.
- These functions are in addition to the numerous standard SQL functions that can be applied to Query Expressions. They have been developed by ITS programmers to enable the PeopleSoft user to exploit the benefit that Expressions can lend to a query.
- As you may have noticed, the term “function” as used with PeoplesSoft Query can have a number of definitions. So to differentiate this specialized, Wesleyan use of the term, we refer to a function created by ITS as a Wesleyan (or Wes) Function.
- Examples include WES_GET_NAME, WES_GET_CLASS_YEAR, and WES_GET_MAJORS
- As with most Functions used in an Expression, the Wesleyan Function is usually related to a field in the SFIS Database.
- The most commonly associated field is EMPL_ID.
- The most basic format is similar to that shown below in the example: WES_GET_CLASS_YEAR(A.EMPLID)
Examples:
- Click here to see a demonstration of building an Expression with the Wes Function WES_GET_CLASS_YEAR.
- PeopleSoft Query Instructions:
- Expressions, Functions and Wesleyan Functions are introduced in PS Query Instructions, Lesson 8 Part II – Query Manager.
- There is a review of Wes Functions in the PS Query Instructions Part III – Advanced Concepts, Lesson 14; and In Lesson 15, there are some examples of Expressions utilizing Wesleyan Functions .
- The article SQL EXAMPLE with FUNCTION and Formatting of Date which displays various date formats that you may want to use in an Expression, also demonstrates the use of a Wes Function which can parse out Name Parts in various ways.
- wes_get_name_parts(emplid, ‘PRI’,sysdate,’F’)
- Displayed are the output and the associated SQL.
Access a list of Wes Functions in two ways:
- PDF Functions List – Click here to see a PDF File of the WES (SFIS Functions) in a chart format
- This list contains the description, sample output, text, source fields, field type, length and notes for each function.
- Menu Within PeopleSoft – With PeopleSoft Campus Solutions Version 9.0, you can search a list of all functions that contain the word “GET” from within PeopleSoft.
- Navigate to Main Menu > Wesleyan menu > Campus Community > Database Function List.
- This is a searchable list that is sorted alphabetically and contains a brief description of each from a technical viewpoint.
- If this item does not appear on your PS menu, please send an email to cpike01@wesleyan.edu requesting access.
