PSF Integration – Application Tests

Before attempting to test any of the PSF Integration elements from within PSP, please review the following definitions:

PSP – Financial Application

Ensure that the “Financial Application” parameter located on the “General” TAB of the System Definitions folder on the Housekeeping menu of the Systems Setup module is set as  PSF

Although PSF is the most common Financial Application used in conjunction with PSP, it is not the only one PSP can integrate with.

PSF Integration Options

Payroll Module / Definitions / Module Setup / PSF Integration Options.

The purpose of these options is to allow each client to disable/enable the automated alignment of the Locations, Activity Categories, Payment/Deduction Categories and Cost Centres, between PSF and PSP.

It is anticipated that the Locations, Activity Categories and Payment/Deduction Categories will always be automatically aligned to the PSF definitions, however, this may not always be the case.

The alignment of the Cost Centres will be the nature of a consultation with each client and this parameter:

Align PSF Cost Centres

will be resolved at a later date in the implementation process. For the time being however, we can set this option as No, but still test that the Cost Centres are visible from within PSP, should they be required.

The following facilities should be available in the PSF database:

PSP_GetLocations which will return a list of all valid location codes along with the title of each location.

select * from [dbo].[PSP_GetLocations] (‘ALL’) order by LocationCode

PSP_AccountFromLocation will retrun a list of Cost Centres for a selected Location (LOC).

select * from [dbo].[PSP_AccountFromLocation] (‘LOC’) ORDER BY Account

PSP_GetType will return a list of Pay Element Categories along with their associate descriptions.

select PayType as CODE_ID, PayTypeTitle as DESCRIPTION from [dbo].[PSP_GetType](‘ALL’) order by PayType

PSP_GetActivity will return a list of Activity  Categories along with their associate descriptions.

select ActivityCode as CODE_ID, ActivityTitle as DESCRIPTION from [dbo].[PSP_GetActivity](‘ALL’) order by ActivityCode”

PSP_StringValidation will verify or reject a 4 level analysis code, based on the individual elements provided by the options described above.

select * from [dbo].[PSP_StringValidation] (‘ANALYSIS-CODE’)

for example

select * from [dbo].[PSP_StringValidation] (‘LOC-TEACH-SAL-COSTCENTRE’)

All of these PSF database function can be tested via SQL Server Management Studio, directly onto the PSF database, but they can also be tested from within the PSP Applications

System Administration Utilities

This facility can be accessed by either pressing Ctrl-F8 whilst on the main PSP Windows Desktop App, or via the function, also available from the PSP Windows Desktop App, as per the following image:

Your will be required to enter a suitable password to enable access to this controlled function.

The testing items available will be presented in the options panel on the left hand side of the screen:

PSF Locations will invoke PSP_GetLocations

PSF Activities will invoke PSP_GetActivity

PSF Pay Types will invoke PSP_GetType

PSF Cost Centres will invoke PSP_AccountFromLocation but you will be required to first provide a sample Location (as returned by PSP_GetLocations) in the input box, at the tope of the second column of options.

PSF GEN Code Validation will invoke PSP_StringValidation but you will be required to first provide a sample Analysis Code in the input box, at the top of the second column of options. For example: ‘LOC-TEACH-SAL-COSTCENTRE’

Each of the above options will present the results in the data panel at the bottom of the second column of options.

If the above facilities present the anticipated results, you can also see them elsewhere within the PSP Windows Desktop App, as described on the following page: Integration Troubleshooting Guide.

PSF SQL Execution

This is an additional database SQL execution facility for the PSF database but this can also be achieved using SQL Management Studio. You can execute any of the above pre-defined scripts as well as any other SQL command.

Data Transformation Tool (DTT)

The above facilities are available to enable PSP to review definitions already prepared in PSF however the journal created at the end of the payroll process is actually “posted” into PSF by the DTT.

PSP contains a templated DTT command call as described in the following file:

C:\Program Files (x86)\PS Financials\PS People\System\Resources\ExternalURLs.xml

This should be opened with Notepad. This file also contains some default options for the location of the DTT software, should they not be described on the PSP Connection Manager. The key command is contained within the PSJOURNALURL tags, for example:

<DTTCALL> <ARGUMENTS> /quiet /config “<DTTPATH>\PSP Journal\DTT\PSP Journal.dtt” /server “<PSFSQLSERVER>” /database “<PSFDATABASE>” /company “<COMPANY_ID>” /logfile “<DTTPATH>\PSP Journal\Log\Output.log” /logitems /param “VariationID” “<VARIATION_ID>” /param “BATCH_ID” “<BATCH_ID>” /username “<DTTUSER>” /password “<DTTPASSWD>”

When the time comes to execute this command, the <ARGUMENTS> element will be removed and the remaining TAGS, such as <DTTCALL>, <DTTPATH>, <PSFSQLSERVER> etc, will be replaced with the appropriate elements established elsewhere in PSP at the time of the journal being posted.

Performing a Test PSF Journal

The following steps enable you to test that the DTT is present and functioning and enabling access to the required Network drives. It effectively posts a 2 sided journal of a penny into and then back out of the PSF Bank Account, i.e. the net effect is zero. Should this journal be visible in PSF it will at least confirm that the technicalities have been proven for when a “real” journal is required at a later date of the implementation process.

Financial Control Accounts (Bank Account)

Payroll / Definitions / Module Setup / Financial Control Accounts

Select Display.

A list of default codes should be provided. If not, this test only requires that the first account is present:

Net Pay : ???-BSHEET-NET

The ??? should be replaced by  a valid Location code, preferably the central Trust account, such as XYZ. Upon leaving this data item an associated description should be displayed from PSF (using the PSP_StringValidation function described above) in the box adjacent to the code.

Select Save.

You are now prepared to request a test PSF journal:

Payroll Module / Enquiries / Financial Analysis

Providing that the Financial Application parameter is set as PSF, as described at the top of this page, this enquiry screen will now present a Test option. Upon pressing this button, and confirming the following question, a journal call will be made to the DTT. This may not necessarily provided an immediate response to confirm  or otherwise that the journal has actually been performed. However, you should be able to interrogate the LOGs sub folder of the client specific DTT folder location, to review any messages instigated by the DTT software, in response to the journal request. The folders should be described in the PSP Connection Manager as described on the following page:  PSF Integration Tests

You can also review the following notes to assist in locating the journal from within the PSF application: Reviewing PSP Journals in PSP