Enterprise Database Management and Administration

Oracle HRIS

Ting Yin

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Human resources informational systems (HRIS) manage a large or growing workforce

more cost effective or efficient by automating HR process and functions. The services HRIS

provides can be classified this type of software into the following type of information system: 1)

Transaction processing system (TPS); 2) Management information system (MIS); 3) Decision

support system (DSS); 4) Executive information system; 5) Online analytic processing; 6) Data

mining; 7) Business intelligence. The various sub-system and technological component of HRIS

work together as a cycle.

With the powerful features rich HR database with that captures all employee data,

workflow process and tools HRIS can offer effective solutions to help manage organizational

governance, risk and compliance. Once HRIS acquire the HR data, HRIS can use these data for

DSS, EIS, OLAP, data mining, and BI. The HR data collected by HRIS TPSs are stored in HRIS

databases. With the supports provided by DSS function included in HRIS, HR analysts can

translate the HR data into meaningful HR information for planning, controlling, and managing

organizational workforce.

The HR data stored in HRIS database should be shareable, transportable, secure,

accurate, timely, and relevant. More than one authorized persons can securely access HR data

stored in HRIS at a time. Organizational decision maker can securely view and manipulate HR

data and information in order to make better decision in making the workforce. The components

of HRIS organizational memory are people, text, multimedia, model, and HR knowledge. Each

employee has a professional position in the organizational network.

The HR raw data are stored in form of table in the database. HRIS can store, generate,

and provide reports, manuals, brochures, and templates of HR usage purpose. HRIS can also

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store image, graphics of HR data and related information on the documents. The parameter that

control HRIS come from the knowledge of expert advices and their advices are represented as a

set of rules, regulation, guidelines which form organizational memory. Based on the HR data,

HRIS can create mathematical models to describe HR related information. These HR models are

used to analyze existing HR related cases and forecast future HR needs.

A HR database schema is a collection of HR metadata that describes the relationship between

the HR data in a HR database. A HR schema can be simply described as the "layout" of a

database that describes how HR data is organized into tables. HR Schema objects (database

objects) that contain HR data or that control or perform HR operations on the data. The

following are commonly used schema objects in HR database:HR tables.

HR table is the basic units of HR data storage in an Oracle database. Here, data is stored in rows

and columns. Users define a table with a table name and a set of columns. HR tables indexed.

Indexing is performance-tuning methods for allowing faster retrieval of records. View is

representations of SQL statements that are stored in memory so that they can be reused for HR

database control purpose.

HR data can be stored and processed locally or remotely. Combination of these two

options provides four basic architectures: remote job entry, host/terminal, personal database, and

client/server. A LAN can connect individual computers and devices within limited geographic

area within the organization. HRIS also has server, a general –purpose computer, that controls

access to shareable resources such as application, files printer and communication lines, and

database.

Oracle HCM has consistently helped many organizations to reach the goals of financial

return on human capital investment and improve the value the workforce delivers to

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organizational performance through the use of Oracle HCM Peoplesoft and its workforce

analytics software. Oracle's PeopleSoft Human Capital Management (HCM) enables

organizations to develop a global architecture foundation for HR data, improved business

processes and improved financial return on human capital. PS HCM delivers a robust set of best-

in-class HR functionality that enables organization to increase workforce productivity, accelerate

business performance, and lower organizational unnecessary expenses.

Oracle Engineered System for PeopleSoft HCM is a complete set of integrated hardware

and software designed to help PS HCM to reach a higher level of capability, capacity, and scale.

ES helps to optimize pre-defined hardware and software enables. ES allow datacenter services to

be delivered more efficiently via modular, dedicated systems. This greatly simplifies the entire

process form.

Oracle Enterprise Manager (EM) provides an integrated and cost-effective software

solution for complete physical and virtual server lifecycle management. EM delivers

comprehensive provisioning, patching, monitoring, administration, and configuration

management capabilities for Oracle VM via web-based user interface. EM uses Oracle Sun

hardware can get deep insight into PS HCM server, storage and network infrastructure layers and

manage thousands of systems in a scalable manner. EM accelerate the adoption of virtualization

and cloud computing to optimize IT resources, improve hardware utilization, streamline IT

processes, and reduce expenses,

Oracle Optimized Solution for PeopleSoftHCM has the following hardware and software

configuration. The server hardware configuration is consisted of SPARC SuperCluster . Its load

generator (hardware) is 4*86 client running Window Server 2003 SP2 (Service Pack). Peoplesoft

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Server Infrastructure is consistent of People Tools, PeopleSoft HRMS WebLogic, Tuxedo,

Oracle Solaris, Oracle Database.

Oracle HCM also includes Virtual Machine (VM) Server for SPARC. Its guest operating

system (OS) is 4*86 client running Window Server 2003 SP2. Organizations can pair Oracle

Solaris Zones and Oracle VM Server for SPARC with the breakthrough space and energy

savings functions afforded by SPARC servers to deliver a more agile, responsive, and low-cost

OS environment.

Oracle VM provides highly efficient, enterprise-class virtualization capabilities for

supported SPARC servers. Oracle VM Server leverages the built-in SPARC hypervisor to

subdivide and to contain CPUs (, memory, network, and storage, a supported platform’s

resources). Each partition, known as logical domain, can run an independent OS. Oracle VM

Server for SPARC provides the flexibility to deploy multiple Oracle Solaris OS simultaneously

on a single platform.

Oracle VM is a second -generation client/server machine. The second-generation (SG)

model includes a widely distributed, data-rich, and cooperative environment. The SG server is

dedicated to application, data, transaction management, system management, and other tasks. Its

DB side includes non-relational system, such as multidimensional DB, multimedia DB. The 3-

tier model consists of 3 types of systems: clients, application servers, and data servers.

Oracle SuperCluster is designed from the group up for high availability. Hardware

component in Oracle SuperCluster are configured with no single point of failure, hot-swappable

components increase reliability, and multiple input/output paths provide redundancy. Oracle

SuperCluster engineered systems are Oracle’s most powerful Oracle Database Machines and are

ideal for Oracle Database and database-as-a-service (DBaaS) implementations, consolidating

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databases and applications. They comprise an integrated server, storage, networking and

software system that provides maximum end-to-end database and application performance.

Oracle Exadata Database Machine X4-8 uses large-scale 8-socket symmetric multi-

processor (SMP) servers instead of the 2-socket servers in Oracle Exadata X4-8 has 120

processor cores and 2 to 6 terabytes of Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). Oracle

Exadata X4-8 is especially well suited for high-end Online transaction processing (OLTP)

workloads, in-memory or memory-intensive workloads, large-scale database consolidations,

including DBaaS, and multi-rack data warehouses.

A single-rack Oracle EXadata X4-8 has up to 12 TB of system memory 672 terabytes of

disk, 44 terabytes of high-performance PCI Flash, 240 database CPU (central processing unit)

cores, and 168 CPU (Central Process unit) cores in storage to accelerate data-intensive SQL.

Oracle Exadata X4-8 supports all Oracle Exadata software optimizations, including Smart Flash

cache, Smart Flash compression, hybride columnar compression, and hybrid columnar

compression, and InfiniBand messaging.

A non-uniform memory access (NUMA) machine connects symmetric multiple processor

(SMP) nodes into a single, distributed memory collection along with a single operating system

(OS). NUMA has the simplicity of operation of an SMP, and existing DBMSs and applications

can be used without modification. The downside is that the operating system must be designed

for NUMA hardware

The SPARC SuperCluster comprises of a complete stack of hardware and software stack

of hardware and software computing, storage, and network, all engineered to work optimally

together to provide a consolidated platform for running database, middleware, or third party

application for PS HCM. SPARC T5-8 servers are preconfigured with 2 Oracle Solaris 11

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domains each. The PeopleSoft application and web tiers, with their heavy OLTP workloads, are

deployed on the general-purpose domain; the database, with its batch-intensive workload, is

deployed on the separate database domain. Oracle Enterprise Manager Operating Center is

closely integrated with SPARC SuperCluster and provides hardware management, provisioning

and virtualization management. The results are quicker deployment, faster end-user response

times, better system availability, and accelerated HR processing-which translate to higher HR

productivity levels and lower TCO.

The SPARC T5-8 server nodes communicate with Oracle Exadata Storage Servers and

Oracle’s Sun ZFS T5-8 server nodes communicate with Oracle Exadata Storage Servers and

Oracle’s Sun ZFS Storage Appliance over a high-performance. InfiniBand network, and they are

connected via 10 GbE to the data center network. Resources are split between the general-

purpose and database domain and can be adapted to specific custorm configuration requirement.

This is another LAN approach to client/server architecture operates a DBMS on the

server. It can run on the server. The DBMS does most of the DBMS processing. Only necessary

records are transferred across the network. It does reduce network traffic significantly. There are

two separate programs: the DBMS server, and the user part (resides on the user’s personal

computer). The HR administrator can enters a query at their company computer, and it is

processed by HCM application program. HCM application will do local processing such as query

validation. The application program then transfer an SQL query to the client Domain Controller

manager for transmission to the server.

At the backend, the server DC manager receives the query and transfers it to the DBMS.

The DBMS is then executes the query. The end product of the query is transferred to the server’s

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DC manager for transmission to the client’s DC manager. The client’s DC manager then passes

the query result to the client application program for processing. At the end, the result of the

query appears on the user’s personal computer. Servers hold and deliver data to analysts. The

selection of the type of server is determined by an organization’s need for scalability, availability

of servers, and ease of management of the system. Data compression is a method for encoding

digital data. The result requires less storage space and less bandwidth.

HRMSi allows HR administrators to report on their organizational HRMS data using a

data warehouse component. The data warehouse component of HRMSi offers the authorized

users a number of workbooks based on data warehouse facts and dimensions. This module

collects HR data into a number of facts and dimensions (data warehouse structures). The facts

are the actual data that the HR administrator is interested in, such as employee performance

rating; the dimensions divide the facts into areas of interest, for example the employee

performance ranking for that organization. The data in the facts and dimensions is structured to

more closely match reporting requirements. The data used here is not real-time, but only current

for the last collection date. HR administrators collect the data into the facts and dimensions using

load and collection programs. The administrator will determine how often the data needs to be

collected.

Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence

Oracle Daily Business Intelligence (BI) for HR is pre-built decision support system for

Oracle HRMS that helps HR administrator to analyze and manage all HR processes. It provides

access to accurate, timely, comprehensive data from HRMS applications and provides the tools

to make better, more strategic HR related decisions.

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The data warehouse (DW) is a relational database (RDB) that is designed for query and

analysis rather than for transaction processing. It usually contains historical HR data derived

from transaction data, but it can include data from other sources. It separates analysis workload

from transaction workload and enables an organization to consolidate data from HRIS.

In addition to a RDB, a DW environment includes an extraction, transportation, transformation,

and loading (ETL) solution, an online analytical processing (OLAP) engine, Oracle Warehouse

Builder, client analysis tools, and other applications that manage the process of gathering data

and delivering it to business users.

Overview of Extraction, Transformation, and Loading (ETL)

HR DBA must load the organizational data warehouse periodically. The HR dataware

house can serve its purpose of facilitating business analysis. To perform this operation, data from

one or more HR operational systems must be extracted and copied into the HR warehouse. The

process of extracting data from HR source systems and bringing it into the HR data warehouse is

commonly called ETL(stands for extraction, transformation, and loading.)

During HR extraction, the desired HR data is identified and extracted from HRIS internal

and external sources, including HR DB systems and HR applications. The size of the extracted

data varies from hundreds of kilobytes up to gigabytes. After extracting data, it has to be

physically transported to the target system or an intermediate system for further processing.

OLAP Technology in the Oracle Database

Oracle HR DB offers the industry's first and only embedded OLAP server. When

analyzing HR data across multiple dimensions Oracle OLAP provides native multidimensional

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(MD) storage and speedy response times. The DB provides rich support for analytics such as

time series calculations, forecasting, and more advanced estimation, calculation, mathematical

modeling. These capabilities make the Oracle DB a complete analytical platform, capable of

supporting the entire spectrum of business intelligence (BI) and advanced analytical applications.

Full Integration of Multidimensional Technology

Oracle integrates multidimensional objects and analytics into the database. It provides the

power of multidimensional analysis along with the reliability, availability, security, and

scalability of the Oracle database. PeopleSoft Cube Manager is a set of PeopleTools pages and

processes that HR administrators use to create and maintain analytic HR data stores. The cube

can be known as Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cubes. PS Cube Manager enables HR to

build Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) databases, or cubes, which are specifically designed

for data analysis. OLAP cubes are collections of related HR data—like a database with multiple

dimensions. These dimensions, like database fields, are criteria that let HR to identify HR data.

Oracle OLAP is fully integrated into Oracle Database.:

1. Cubes and other dimensional objects are first class data objects represented in the Oracle data

dictionary.

2. Cubes and other dimensional objects are supported by standard SQL syntax in the CREATE,

ALTER, DROP, and SELECT statements.

3. The OLAP engine runs within the kernel of Oracle Database.

4. Dimensional objects are stored in Oracle Database in their native multidimensional format.

5. Data security is administered in the standard way, by granting and revoking privileges for

Oracle Database users and roles.

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Relational OLAP (ROLAP) is a format that stores the analytical data in relational tables.

ROLAP format can store vast amounts of data. ROLAP data storage is not as efficient in

accessing aggregate information at higher levels of the hierarchy. The structures of the data

schema can be one of two types. Star schemas encourage duplicate data. PeopleSoft Cube

Manager supports only the star schema. Each dimension of a star schema is represented in a

single table. The fact data, data that is to be analyzed, are separated or stored in a separate table.

The fact table contains one column to represent each of the dimensions from which the data was

created.

The benefits to HR are significant. Oracle OLAP offers the power of simplicity: One

database, standard administration and security, standard interfaces and development tools.

Operational HR OLTP databases are essential to HR, running HR transactions, and capturing HR

transactional data that occurs every day. With time, the data in the HR OLTP contains a wealth

of valuable HR data that could be used to identify trends, issues, and opportunities related to HR.

only the most current data is kept accessible in the OLTP.

The HR DSS (Decision Support System) is developed to collect this historic data from

HR OLTP systems and store them into a single vast repository called a HR data warehouse. The

discipline of Business Intelligence (BI) includes the interpretation of these HR data stores into

information that can be used to help in strategic decision-making. HR DSS data is updated in

batch from HRIS OLTP system via ETL application. The HR data is multidimensional,

analyzing them as cubes of aggregated interrelated data items.

Along the dimension of the cube, the HR data inside of the cube is related to the data

type. OLAP was introduced to offer a way to analyze this MD view of the data. MDDB can store

and represent HR data up to 10 dimensions. This high dimension representation allows superior

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HR analysis and relationship discovery. ROLAP ( relational OLAP) is a logical MDDB where it

is used to impose a multidimensional model on the relational database. While the ROLAP is

logical, physical MDDBs that model multidimensional data natively give superior performance.

This is one is called hypercube.

HR DSS represent operation data as it is occurring with detailed record of each HR

transaction. DSS data is historical and it offers a summary. DSS data is integration, aggregation

of summary of HR sources. HR DSS need support activities like evaluating employee

performance and sales comparison. DSS queries view data. But DSS does not update it. DSS is

used to understand HR business. The HR transaction in DSS are relative few but the are

relatively more complicated and DSS data are more likely to be multidimensional DSS is a

summary of all the details.

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