Manually applying Global Payroll Rules Packages downloaded from an Update Image

Last week we've faced an issue while applying a Tax Update in one of our PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 customers. The Tax Update was delivered as a PeopleSoft Release Patchset, that needs to be first applied to the Update Image before creating the Change Package using PeopleSoft Update Manager.

Unfortunately, during the process, one rules package delivered in the Tax Update was not included within the Change Assistant steps, and therefore it was missed. Some days after, we reported the error to Oracle and they pointed out to the original zip file containing the PeopleSoft Release Patchset, which indeed contained the missing package.

We did not want to repeat the entire Change Package definition steps, as it would have required to restore a couple of backups. Instead, we decided to manually apply the rules package.

Not so fast...

Unfortunately, within Update Manager the Rules Packages are not delivered in the usual format used to import, compare and copy them. Instead, specific steps are followed when Update Manager is used.

In the end, we managed to find a way to manually import the package, which is documented below.

Importing the Rules Package

The rules packages in Update Manager are delivered using the Data Migration Workbench. The process to import them starts by defining the directories from which the Data Migration projects should be picked:

PeopleTools > Lifecycle Tools > Migrate Data > Manage File Locations

The path should point to the PTADSAEPRCS directory within the patch (whose zip file needs to be extracted before). Once the path is defined, the Data Migration project can be copied using the Data Migration Workbench:

PeopleTools > Lifecycle Tools > Migrate Data > Data Migration Workbench

The project should now be uploaded using the Load Project From File link. A list of the projects found the previously defined path will be shown:

Once the project is selected and the Load button pressed, the Project Definition page within the Workbench will be shown:

Applying the Data Migration project is quite simple. In first place, the project needs to be compared using the Compare button and once the comparison has finished, the project has to be submitted for copy (using the Submit for Copy button). 

Note: Data Migration project submissions may need approval. In such case, make sure the request is approved, so the project is actually copied.

The best way to validate whether the project has been correctly copied or not is to check the contents of the PS_GP_PKG_ADS_DFN table, which should now contain the imported rules package.

Rules Package Merge

Once the rules package has been imported, it needs to be merged. The merge process actually takes all the imported rules package and builds a single rule package to simplify its application. Unfortunately, the process is not available from the user interface, but it can still be run using the command line:

<PS_HOME>\psae.exe -CT <database type> -CD <database name> -CO <PeopleSoft user> -CP <PS user password> -R ESP -AI GP_PKG_ADSMR -I 0 -OT 2 -OF 13 -OP <output directory> -CI <connect id> -CW <connect password>

Once the rules package is merged, an usual Rules Package will be accessible within the Global Payroll Packages functionality. From there on, the package can be applied using the steps we were used to.