Trace AE and COBOL processes

Question:

How to trace AE and COBOL processes using the Process Definitions instead of setting on Process Scheduler / App Server Config files.

ANSWER:

For AE, Open the Process Definition under PeopleTools, Process Scheduler. Go to the override tab, and on the Parameter list line select Append from the dropdown, and in the edit box next to it, you can use the desried combination of traces, they all are;

Parameter List Append -TRACE 7 -TOOLSTRACEPC 3596 -TOOLSTRACESQL 31

Save the Definition and hence forth this program will be traced each time it is run, until this is removed. Using Both the -TOOLSTRACEPC and -TOOLSTRACESQL together should only be done when required, as the output from both go into the same file, making it very large and difficult to read. For normal program tracing using just the;

-TRACE 7 -TOOLSTRACEPC 3596

Give the Application Engine Trace, which traces the SQL in an AE program, and the PeopleSoft Trace, which is the pcode trace.

The above settings have equivelent settings in psprcs.cfg, they are;

TraceAE= -TRACE output goes into Application Engine Trace (.AET) TracePC= -TOOLSTRACEPC output goes into the PeopleTools trace file (.trc) TraceSQL= -TOOLSTRACESQL output ALSO goes into the PeopleTools trace file (.trc)

Again, depending on what the program is doing, most commnoly we'd use the -TRACE and -TOOLSTRACEPC together.

The only time I use the -TOOLSTRACESQL is when we're looking for a problem with the psae program itself.

For COBOL the idea is similar, we won't be appending to the parameter list instead we'll be overriding it. So first step is to open the appropriate Process Type Definition, example;

Process Type defn COBOL NT/Win2000 ORACLE

Copy the whole parameter list line into you mouse clipboard;

%%PRCSNAME%%%%DBTYPE%%/%%DBNAME%%/%%OPRID%%/%%OPRPSWD%%/%%RUNCNTLID%%/%%INSTANCE%%//%%DBFLAG%%

Then open the Process Definition for the particular COBOL Process, go to the Override Tab, and on the Parameter list line, select Override from the drop down. Then in the Parameter Edit box, paste the whole parameter list from the Process Defn we just got;

%%PRCSNAME%% %%DBTYPE%%/%%DBNAME%%/%%OPRID%%/%%OPRPSWD%%/%%RUNCNTLID%%/%%INSTANCE%%//%%DBFLAG%%

Notice at the end of the line after the %%INSTANCE%% and before the %%DBFLAGS%% there are 2 // We need to insert the desired bit map number inbetween the slashes.

Choose the bitmap number you want to use for the trace, and put it between the slashes like so;

%%DBTYPE%%/%%DBNAME%%/%%OPRID%%/%%OPRPSWD%%/%%RUNCNTLID%%/%%INSTANCE%%/255/%%DBFLAG%%

Save the Process Definition and once you launch the COBOL or AE program you can go to the Process Monitor, Details, Parameter List, and see the expanded command line and you'll see your trace value inserted;

Command Line: PSRUN PTPDBTST ORACLE/E840D20P/VP1/%OPRPSWD%/1/475/255/%DBFLAG%

With both the AE and Cobol traces done like this once this is done, everytime the program runs it will be traced. Need to undo all of this setting the override back to None in both Definitions will turn it off.