PeopleSoft Search – The Backbone of Kibana Analytics

Quest Customer Learning Team

2 years ago

Before we get into the high value and low cost of running Kibana analytics, the power of the PeopleSoft search framework deserves to be addressed and acknowledged. This framework is driving many features and functionality. The PeopleSoft Search Framework includes:

Global Search – Search across all indexes or a specific group
Keyword Search – Deeper, free-form search of application data
Data Visualizations – Visualize indexed data as analytics
AI/ML Pipeline – Enable intelligent integrations using Oracle Data Science
External Data Integration – Integrate external data using Logstash

The search framework has received updates to header layout for global search and component search UI. As a result, there has been an added value via:

Search-centric navigation experience with suggestions
Consistent and unified component search experience
Granular control of PII and sensitive data in search and analytics
RTI improvements

To view the rich history of PeopleSoft search, take a look at the graphic below:

PeopleSoft Search provides the backbone for your Kibana analytics.

There are two components of PeopleSoft Search: PeopleSoft and Elasticsearch.

You’ll need to access your PeopleSoft data to search through, so you must deploy it on Elasticsearch as a Search Index.

Deploying means taking the data elements in PeopleSoft and creating the necessary metadata in Elasticsearch search indexes.

Building pushes the data into Elasticsearch. This action indexes the information, creating JSON documents. Once your data is in Elasticsearch, you can search on it. You’ll want to incrementally index to make sure your changing PeopleSearch data is updated in Elasticsearch. Realtime indexing is now available, as well.

Kibana relies on Elasticsearch index information as it is a visualization platform from Elastic.

Once your data is in Elasticsearch, you can create visualizations using Kibana. Kibana visualizations include multiple mechanisms to filter the data—such as geography or time series—on a flexible and intuitive interface. There is a large variety of visualizations to choose from so that you can view your data in the most strategic and actionable ways.

So how does Kibana work in PeopleSoft?

You can access Kibana analytics from within the PeopleSoft application. Kibana uses preexisting application search indexes. Security is based on search authorization and there is no load on the transactional database. The graphic below shows how Kibana works with Elasticsearch and PeopleSoft.

There are no licensing costs with Kibana. It is open-source and will be packaged into PeopleTools in the future. Installation fees apply because you must use the PeopleSoft delivered version of ELK. Installation scripts are part of PeopleTools (ELK, DPK).

To use Kibana, you will deploy the application delivered Kibana analytics. Once the groundwork has been established, then you can use the PeopleSoft delivered analytics. The natural progression for most users is to extend the application further in the future. The search framework allows customers to extend and/or build their own.

Installation

PeopleTools delivered ELK DPK to install Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana.
1. Run the script interactively or run it in silent mode with prepared config file
2. Install Elasticsearch and Kibana together or separately
3. Install Kibana on same server where Elasticsearch is installed or install it on a separate server
Connect Kibana to Elasticsearch
Start the Kibana service

These are all of the moving parts:

When you’re deploying, you don’t have to worry about these things. PS Queries, Search definitions, Kibana visualizations, etc. are all delivered in PUM images. Just deploy them into Elasticsearch.

Deployment

When you’re ready to deploy your delivered Kibana analytics, follow these steps online:

peoplesoftinfo.com > Products > Kibana Analytics > Kibana analytics delivered with PeopleSoft applications > Human Capital Management

On this page, you’ll find Tile Names, Dashboard Names, and Search Definitions they rely on. For example, If you want to implement the Application Details Dashboard, then you’ll need to have the HC_HRS_APP_INDEX search definition deployed. This webpage also mentions default roles that PeopleSoft provides for the dashboards.

Additionally, if you click on the Application Details Dashboard link, then you can see what the dashboard does and how you can use it functionally. There is a good amount of content available for you.

To view a demo of deploying the Applications Details Dashboard, watch this video from 19:40 to 27:50.

Regarding the dashboards, there is much value in having this type of overview of your data when you’re interacting with it on an operational level. Would you rather have visualizations like this or a blank search page filled with data while you try to find a transaction?

Kibana is embedded for specific operational or user experience angles. It can’t be compared to business intelligence products such as Oracle Analytics Cloud. Kibana is different in that you’re interacting with the data, getting actionable insights. If there is an issue with the data, you can drill into those issues.

Don’t miss the value of Kibana by comparing it to business intelligence tools. Instead, consider it a modern application tool for an apples-to-apples comparison. With Kibana, you can slice and dice information, and drill down. That’s the power of Kibana.

Now that you know how to deploy Kibana analytics, you can move on to building your own analytics.

Build Your Own

For a demo of building your own analytics, watch this video from 32:36 to 59:32