PeopleSoft Version 9 Upgrade - August 2008

Why did Stanford upgrade its PeopleSoft system?

Product support from Oracle Corp. for PeopleSoft 8 (Stanford's current version) ends in August 2008. This means that Oracle no longer provides regulatory, legislative, and tax updates for PeopleSoft 8.x implementations. To align Stanford's PeopleSoft system with the current release and ensure ongoing vendor support, Stanford upgraded to PeopleSoft 9 on August 11, 2008.

The University's Administrative Systems group is led the project in collaboration with the central business offices that own the data and processes supported by PeopleSoft.

When did the upgrade happen?

PeopleSoft version 9 went live at Stanford on August 11, 2008. This date was selected by the PeopleSoft Steering Committee after careful consideration of the University's academic and business calendars. An early/mid-August Go-Live was deemed the least disruptive option.

What is different as a result of the upgrade?

Different categories of users see different changes in PeopleSoft/Axess.

University employees who use only the "self-service" functions available via Axess (i.e., viewing paycheck advices, registering for training classes via STARS, accessing the Kronos application) should see very little change, with one exception: Pay advices will now be available in .pdf format.

Staff who perform Student Services and HR functions within PeopleSoft will experience a bit more change. PeopleSoft version 9 has a different "look and feel", and navigating within the application is somewhat different for some functions. However, most individual processes and tasks within the system remain largely the same. One useful new function for Student Services staff with Records access is the new Student Services Center interface.

Staff who perform Learning Administrator and Enrollment Administrator tasks in STARS (Stanford Training and Registration System) will experience no change as a result of this upgrade. STARS was upgraded to PeopleSoft version 9 ahead of the other PeopleSoft modules in December 2007.

Students will see significant changes in Axess as Stanford adopts PeopleSoft's standard Student Center interface. Most functions remain basically the same, but navigating to them is somewhat different.

Faculty will still see a familiar Axess interface, but some of the pages where they actually access rosters, enter grades, etc., look a bit different. The Axess for Faculty user's guide on the Registrar's Office website will be updated to reflect the changes.

What remains the same?

All users continue to access PeopleSoft features and functions via the Axess website. No changes to desktop software are required. Reports against PeopleSoft data continue to be run via ReportMart1. And users of the Graduate Financial Support system will see very little (if any) change.

Browser Requirements

The following browsers are certified to work with PeopleSoft 9:

Operating System Certified Browsers
Windows XP Firefox 3.0; Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8
Windows Vista Internet Explorer 7
Mac OS X Firefox 3.0; Safari 3.0.4

Users are strongly encouraged to use these recommended browsers, as other browsers may not be fully compatible with Axess/PeopleSoft.

In order for Axess/PeopleSoft to work properly:

  • Pop-up Blockers must be turned off
  • Cookies must be enabled
  • Javascript must be enabled

 

How are users being helped with the changes?

Information about the upgrade has been shared in presentations to user groups and forums across campus (e.g., Registrar's Monthly Meetings, HR Users Group, TIPS, etc.) and in campus publications (Speaking of Computers, Stanford Report, etc.).

Open Demo Sessions:
Staff who currently use PeopleSoft to perform Student Administration or HR Administration tasks are invited to attend any of the following open demo sessions to see what’s changing in the system.

No registration is required. All demos will be held in Turing Auditorium (111 Polya Hall)

PeopleSoft Version 9 "Delta" Demos for Student Administration Users
Date Time
Wednesday, July 23 10:00 - 11:30am
Tuesday, July 29 1:00 - 2:30pm
Thursday, August 7 10:00 - 11:30am
Wednesday, August 13 10:00 - 11:30am
Thursday, September 4 1:00 - 2:30pm
PeopleSoft Version 9 "Delta" Demos for HRMS Users
Date Time
Friday, July 25 10:00 - Noon
Thursday, July 31 1:30 - 3:30pm
Wednesday, August 6 10:00 - Noon
Thursday, August 14 1:30 - 3:30pm

Drop-in practice labs are available every Friday (except holidays) from 9:00 am until Noon in the IT Services Arguello Labs at 427 Arguello Way. No registration is required. Just show up any time Friday morning with your regular work and your questions.

The PeopleSoft Learning Center has been updated and a new online learning tool is available that actively demonstrates how to execute standard processes in PeopleSoft 9.

Users are encouraged to subscribe to the psoftusers@lists email list to receive email updates regarding the system and the upgrade.

Who's Involved?
The central offices that support PeopleSoft business functions are directly involved in the effort to prepare users for the PeopleSoft upgrade. Each office has designated a Campus Readiness Liaison responsible for communicating with and preparing constituent user populations:

Business Area/ System Campus Readiness Liaison
Registrar's Office/Student Services Jackie Charonis (Lead)
Registrar's Office/Graduate Admissions Judith Haccou
Human Resources Al Roa, Vicky Tran
Student Financial Services TJ Janeway (Lead)
Graduate Financial System (GFS) Nancy Aguilar
Payroll Kelly Wright
Admissions David Leung
Financial Aid Douglas Valencia
Faculty Affairs Lynn Dixon
Administrative Systems Tricia Richter (Coordinator)

The Campus Readiness Liaisons are working directly with the upgrade project team to identify specific changes that impact users and ensure that the changes are documented and communicated.

General Information about PeopleSoft at Stanford

Originally implemented in phases in 2000 and 2001 and upgraded to version 8.0 in 2004, PeopleSoft is the system used to complete business transactions for employees, retirees, and students at Stanford. The applications that run within the PeopleSoft system at Stanford include:

  • Human Resources Management System
  • Student Administration
    • Admissions
    • Graduate Financial Support (GFS)
    • Student Financials
    • Student Records
    • Financial Aid
  • STARS (Stanford Training and Registration System)

Administrative users, students, faculty, and academic advisors connect to the system via the Axess portal website.

Business Owners

The business offices that oversee the use of the PeopleSoft system at Stanford are:

Last modified: Friday, 24-Jul-2009 16:40:58 PDT