PeopleSoft broadens app reach - PeopleSoft 6.0 enterprise application suite - Brief Article - Product Announcement

Software Magazine, Jan, 1997 by Susan Mael

With the latest release of its enterprise application suite, PeopleSoft Inc., Pleasanton, Calif., is taking a more global approach. PeopleSoft 6 includes 11 new applications spread across its financial, distribution, manufacturing and HR management products, as well as Internet/intranet capabilities, electronic commerce support and enhanced workflow tools for business process modeling and navigation.

Global applications for both the HR and financials products will allow organizations to deploy a single solution worldwide instead of being forced to use separate, localized products. Following a study of financial practices in various countries, PeopleSoft was able to identify common functionality to include in globalized products, says Folia Grace, manager of financials product strategy. To that end, the new release includes multicurrency and multilingual support, multibook and enhanced currency precision features, alternate account codes, value-added tax capabilities, expanded debit/credit balances and draft management.

Included in the general release of PeopleSoft 6 are two new financials applications, both still in beta. Treasury Management aids in-house banking for large organizations as well as foreign exchange and cash management. Employee Expense streamlines the expense report process by allowing employees to enter expenses remotely and upload them into the corporate application.

On the HR side, applications for the U.S., Canada, U.K., France and Germany have been combined, enabling companies to deploy a single product throughout their offices in those locales. New HR applications include Pension Administration and Time and Labor.

Perhaps of most interest in PeopleSoft 6 is the formal launch of PeopleSoft Manufacturing, which includes Bills and Routing, Production Management, Cost Management, Production Planning, and the beta version of PeopleSoft Engineering. The manufacturing product is based on a realtime planning and scheduling system and has embedded workflow. The Manufacturing and Distribution products include planning capabilities based on ResponseAgent technology from Red Pepper Software, which the firm acquired in September.

The company is now poised to target vertical lines of business, includ-ing health care, higher education and public sector organizations, according to a spokesperson. PeopleSoft Public Sector 6, scheduled for release in the first half of the year, will see upgrades to existing financial applications and the addition of Budgets and Inventory modules, as well as the introduction of public sector-specific HRMS, with seven applications for state and local government. New applications for HRMS for Federal Government will be available in the second half of the year.