PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Fluid UI: Tiles & Navigation Collections Explained

Master PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Fluid UI homepage tiles & navigation collections for improved user experience & efficient access.

The Fluid Revolution: Mastering Oracle PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Homepage Tiles and Navigation Collections

As a senior technology writer at TechNews Venture, I’ve witnessed countless transformations in enterprise software. Few have been as impactful and user-centric as Oracle's PeopleSoft Fluid User Interface (UI). With PeopleSoft HCM 9.2, Fluid UI didn't just introduce a cosmetic facelift; it fundamentally reimagined how users interact with the system, bringing a mobile-first, intuitive experience to the traditionally complex world of ERP. At the heart of this transformation lie two critical components: homepage tiles and navigation collections. These aren't just features; they are the architectural pillars enabling a streamlined, personalized, and highly efficient user journey.

Overview: Redefining User Interaction with Fluid UI

The journey from PeopleSoft's classic interface to Fluid UI marked a paradigm shift. Gone are the days of deep menu navigation and static, desktop-bound screens. Fluid UI delivers a responsive, adaptive interface that works seamlessly across desktops, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring a consistent experience regardless of the device. This responsiveness is crucial in today's mobile-driven workforce.

Homepage Tiles: Your Personalized Launchpad

Fluid homepage tiles are much more than just icons; they are dynamic, actionable entry points to specific PeopleSoft content. Think of them as customizable widgets on a smartphone screen. Each tile represents a direct link to a component, a page, a workcenter, or even a specific report. Their primary purpose is to provide users with immediate access to their most frequently used applications and to present actionable information at a glance.

Static Tiles: Simple links to PeopleSoft pages or external URLs. Ideal for stable, unchanging content like "My Paycheck" or "Company Directory."
Dynamic Tiles: These are the powerhouses. They display real-time, personalized information, often driven by queries or application classes. Examples include "Pending Approvals (3)" or "Unread Notifications (2)." They provide immediate context and prompt action, significantly reducing the need to drill into multiple screens.
Navigation Collection Tiles: A special type of tile that, when clicked, reveals a structured menu of related links. This is where navigation collections come into play.

Navigation Collections: Streamlining Complex Menus

Navigation collections are PeopleSoft's modern answer to the classic menu structure. Instead of lengthy, hierarchical menus that often require multiple clicks to reach a desired page, navigation collections group related content into logical, easily accessible clusters. They simplify navigation by presenting a curated set of links relevant to a specific role or task, reducing cognitive load and improving discoverability. For instance, an "Employee Self-Service" navigation collection might contain links to "View Paycheck," "Update Personal Information," "Benefits Enrollment," and "Time Off Request."

The beauty of navigation collections lies in their ability to be published as tiles on Fluid homepages. This creates a powerful combination: a single tile on a homepage can open up a comprehensive, organized menu of related functions, tailored precisely to the user's needs.

Benefits of the Fluid Approach

Enhanced User Experience: Intuitive, modern, and mobile-responsive design.
Increased Productivity: Quick access to critical information and frequently used tasks reduces navigation time.
Personalization: Users and administrators can tailor homepages to individual roles and preferences.
Reduced Training Costs: The simplified interface often requires less extensive user training.
Actionable Insights: Dynamic tiles provide real-time data, enabling quicker decision-making.

Prerequisites for Implementation

Before diving into the configuration of Fluid homepage tiles and navigation collections, ensure you meet the following prerequisites:

PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Environment: A fully installed and functional PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 application. While Fluid UI was introduced earlier, 9.2 provides the most mature and feature-rich experience.
PeopleTools Release 8.55 or Higher: Fluid UI capabilities are significantly enhanced with PeopleTools 8.55 and later. For the best experience and access to all features, PeopleTools 8.58 or 8.59 is recommended.
Understanding of PeopleSoft Application Designer: Familiarity with creating and modifying PeopleSoft objects (pages, components, records, CREFs) is beneficial, especially for advanced tile configurations or troubleshooting.
Knowledge of PeopleSoft Portal Registry: A basic understanding of how Content References (CREFs) are structured and secured within the Portal Registry is essential, as tiles and navigation collection links point to these CREFs.
Administrator Access: You will need security access to configure Fluid homepages, tiles, and navigation collections. This typically involves roles like PeopleSoft Administrator or Portal Administrator.
Basic PeopleSoft Security Knowledge: Understanding Permission Lists and Roles is critical for securing and assigning access to Fluid objects.
Browser Compatibility: Ensure you are using a modern web browser compatible with PeopleSoft Fluid UI (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari).

Step-by-Step Implementation

Let's walk through the process of creating and configuring Fluid homepage tiles and navigation collections.

1. Creating a Custom Fluid Homepage

While PeopleSoft delivers several default homepages (e.g., Employee Self Service, Manager Self Service), you often need to create custom ones for specific user groups or organizational needs.

Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Structure and Content > Fluid Structure and Content > Fluid Homepages

Click on "Add Homepage".
Enter a unique Homepage Name (e.g., TS_TECHNEWS_HOMEPAGE).
Provide a descriptive Label (e.g., "TechNews Venture Employee Homepage").
Select a Homepage Type. For most custom homepages, "Standard" is appropriate.
Optionally, specify a Header Pagelet if you want a custom header for this homepage.
Save the homepage.

Once created, this homepage can be assigned to Permission Lists, making it accessible to specific users.

2. Creating a Fluid Tile

The Tile Wizard is your primary tool for creating tiles.

Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Tile Wizard

Step 1: Tile Properties
- Tile Name: A unique identifier (e.g., TS_MY_PAYCHECK_TILE).
- Tile Label: The text displayed on the tile (e.g., "My Paycheck").
- Tile Type:
  - Static: For simple links.
  - Dynamic: For tiles showing real-time data.
  - Navigation Collection: For tiles that open a menu.
  - Remote: For content from external systems.
  For our first example, let's create a Static tile for "My Paycheck."
- System Homepage: Leave blank for custom tiles.
- Click "Next."
Step 2: Tile Content
- Content Type:
  - PeopleSoft Component: Most common, links to a PeopleSoft page.
  - URL: For external websites.
  - External File: For documents.
  - Application Class: For highly customized logic (Dynamic tiles).
  - Query: For simple data display (Dynamic tiles).
  - Navigation Collection: (If Tile Type was Navigation Collection).
  Select "PeopleSoft Component."
- Menu Name, Component Name, Market, Page Name, Action: Specify the target component. For "My Paycheck," this typically involves:
```
Menu Name: HCD_EMPLOYEE_SELF_SERVICE
Component Name: HCD_SS_PAY_VIEW_GBL
Market: GBL
Page Name: HCD_SS_PAY_VIEW
Action: A
                
```
- Click "Next."
Step 3: Tile Layout
- Tile Class: Controls the visual appearance (e.g., `ps_tile_employee`, `ps_tile_manager`). Choose one that fits your branding.
- Tile Icon: Select an icon from the PeopleSoft icon library (e.g., `PSICON_PAYCHECK_W`).
- Tile Image: Optionally upload a custom image.
- Tile Size: Small, Medium, Large, or Wide.
- Badge Class: For Dynamic tiles, defines the style of the badge (e.g., `ps_tile_badge_green`).
- Click "Next."
Step 4: Tile Options & Security
- Tile Active: Check this to make the tile available.
- Personalize Allowed: Allows users to add/remove this tile from their homepages.
- Default Homepage: Optionally assign this tile to a specific homepage by default.
- Folder Name: The folder in Structure and Content where the tile's CREF will be created (e.g., `Fluid Pages`).
- Permission List: Crucial for security. Assign a permission list (e.g., HCDPALL or a custom one like TS_EMP_SELF_SERVICE) that grants access to this tile. The underlying component's security must also be granted to this permission list.
- Click "Finish."

The Tile Wizard automatically creates a Content Reference (CREF) for the tile under the specified folder in PeopleTools > Portal > Structure and Content.

3. Creating a Navigation Collection

Navigation Collections organize related links. Let's create one for "Employee Resources."

Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Navigation Collections > Manage Navigation Collections

Click "Add Navigation Collection."
Collection Name: A unique ID (e.g., TS_EMP_RESOURCES_NC).
Label: Display name (e.g., "Employee Resources").
Description: A brief explanation.
Owner ID: Typically `PTPT1000`.
Click "Add."
You are now in the "Edit Navigation Collection" page. This is where you add content.
Click "Add Link."
- Link Text: The text displayed for the link (e.g., "Company Directory").
- Content Reference: Browse and select the CREF for the "Company Directory" component (e.g., ROOT > PeopleTools > Portal > Fluid Pages > Company Directory or its classic equivalent).
- Click "OK."
Repeat "Add Link" for other relevant items like "Benefits Enrollment," "Training Catalog," etc.
You can also add "Folder" to group links within the collection (e.g., "HR Policies," "IT Support").
Once all links and folders are added, click "Save."

Securing the Navigation Collection: The Navigation Collection itself is a CREF. You need to secure it by assigning Permission Lists. Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Structure and Content > Fluid Structure and Content > Fluid Homepages > Navigation Collections (or the folder where your NC CREF was created). Locate your Navigation Collection CREF (e.g., TS_EMP_RESOURCES_NC), edit its properties, and assign appropriate Permission Lists on the "Security" tab. Remember that each link *within* the navigation collection also needs its own underlying CREF security.

4. Publishing a Navigation Collection as a Tile

Now, let's make our "Employee Resources" navigation collection accessible from a homepage.

Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Tile Wizard

Step 1: Tile Properties
- Tile Name: TS_EMP_RESOURCES_TILE
- Tile Label: "Employee Resources"
- Tile Type: Select "Navigation Collection."
- Click "Next."
Step 2: Tile Content
- Navigation Collection: Browse and select your newly created navigation collection (e.g., TS_EMP_RESOURCES_NC).
- Click "Next."
Step 3: Tile Layout
- Choose appropriate Tile Class, Tile Icon, and Tile Size.
- Click "Next."
Step 4: Tile Options & Security
- Ensure Tile Active is checked.
- Assign a Permission List (e.g., TS_EMP_SELF_SERVICE).
- Click "Finish."

This creates a tile that, when clicked, will open the "Employee Resources" navigation collection.

5. Assigning Tiles and Homepages to Users via Permission Lists and Roles

This is how you control who sees what.

Assigning a Homepage to a Permission List:

Navigation: PeopleTools > Security > Permissions & Roles > Permission Lists

Open the relevant Permission List (e.g., TS_EMP_SELF_SERVICE).
Go to the "Fluid Homepages" tab.
Click "Add Homepage."
Select your custom homepage (e.g., TS_TECHNEWS_HOMEPAGE) and define if it's a "Default Homepage" or "Available for Personalization."
Save the Permission List.

Assigning Tiles to a Homepage (Administrator-Controlled):

Navigation: PeopleTools > Portal > Structure and Content > Fluid Structure and Content > Fluid Homepages

Select your target homepage (e.g., TS_TECHNEWS_HOMEPAGE).
Go to the "Homepage Content" tab.
Click "Add Tile."
Search for your newly created tiles (e.g., TS_MY_PAYCHECK_TILE, TS_EMP_RESOURCES_TILE).
Add them to the homepage. You can also specify the order.
Save.

Users assigned roles that include the TS_EMP_SELF_SERVICE Permission List will now see the TS_TECHNEWS_HOMEPAGE as an option (or as their default) and will have the assigned tiles visible on it.

Example SQL for auditing Homepage content (for a specific homepage):


SELECT
    A.PORTAL_NAME,
    A.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_ID,
    A.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_LABEL,
    B.PORTAL_TILE_NAME,
    C.PORTAL_TILE_LABEL
FROM
    PSPT_HPG_TBL A
JOIN
    PSPT_HPG_TILE_TBL B ON A.PORTAL_NAME = B.PORTAL_NAME
                        AND A.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_ID = B.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_ID
JOIN
    PSPT_TILE_TBL C ON B.PORTAL_TILE_NAME = C.PORTAL_TILE_NAME
WHERE
    A.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_ID = 'TS_TECHNEWS_HOMEPAGE'
ORDER BY
    A.PORTAL_HOMEPAGE_ID, B.PORTAL_TILE_SEQ_NUM;

Security Considerations

Security is paramount in PeopleSoft. A poorly secured Fluid UI can expose sensitive data or functionality. Always adhere to the principle of least privilege.

Content Reference (CREF) Security: Every link, whether it's a tile's target or an item within a navigation collection, points to a CREF. The CREF itself must have appropriate Permission Lists assigned to its "Security" tab. If a user doesn't have access to the underlying CREF, the tile or link will either not appear or will result in an authorization error.
Tile Security:
- When creating a tile via the Tile Wizard, you assign a Permission List. This controls who can *see* the tile.
- For dynamic tiles, ensure the underlying query or application class is also secured and only accesses data the user is authorized to see.
Navigation Collection Security:
- The Navigation Collection CREF itself must be secured via Permission Lists.
- Critically, each individual link *within* the navigation collection also relies on the security of its respective CREF. If a user has access to the navigation collection but not to a specific link inside it, that link will not be displayed to them.
Homepage Security: Homepages are secured by assigning them to Permission Lists. Users must have a Permission List that grants access to a specific homepage to be able to view or set it as their default.
Role-Based Access: Best practice dictates assigning Permission Lists to Roles, and then assigning Roles to users. This simplifies administration and ensures consistency.
Auditing: Regularly audit user access to homepages, tiles, and navigation collections to ensure compliance and identify any potential security gaps.

"In the Fluid world, security isn't just about preventing access; it's about intelligently tailoring the user experience to show only what's relevant and authorized. A well-secured Fluid UI is inherently more usable because it eliminates visual clutter of unauthorized options."

— Someshwar Thakur, Senior Technology Writer, TechNews Venture

Best Practices

To maximize the benefits of Fluid UI and ensure a smooth user experience, consider these best practices:

Design First, Implement Second: Before creating any tiles or collections, map out your user roles, their key tasks, and what information they need quick access to. Design your homepages and navigation paths on paper or a whiteboard first.
User-Centric Design: Always think from the end-user's perspective. What makes their job easier? What information is most critical? Avoid replicating classic menu structures directly into Fluid navigation collections; instead, rethink the navigation flow.
Consistency in Branding: Use consistent tile classes, icons, and naming conventions across your Fluid UI. This creates a cohesive and professional look and feel. Leverage your organization's branding guidelines.
Minimize Clutter: Don't overload homepages with too many tiles. Aim for a clean, focused experience. Use navigation collections to group secondary links rather than having dozens of individual tiles.
Meaningful Labels and Icons: Ensure tile labels are clear, concise, and easily understood. Select intuitive icons that visually represent the tile's function.
Leverage Dynamic Tiles Judiciously: Dynamic tiles are powerful but can impact performance if poorly designed. Optimize underlying queries and application classes. Use them for truly actionable insights, not just static counts.
Test Thoroughly: Test your Fluid configurations across different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) and browsers to ensure responsiveness and functionality. Test with various user roles to validate security and content visibility.
Performance Monitoring: Keep an eye on the performance of your Fluid pages, especially those with many dynamic tiles or complex navigation collections. Utilize PeopleSoft's performance monitoring tools.
Documentation: Maintain comprehensive documentation of all custom homepages, tiles, and navigation collections, including their purpose, security settings, and underlying components.
Governance Strategy: Establish clear guidelines for who can create/modify Fluid objects and a process for requesting new tiles or navigation collections. This prevents "tile sprawl" and ensures a consistent user experience.

FAQ

Q1: How can I ensure a specific tile appears only for users in a certain department or with a particular job role?

A: This is primarily achieved through PeopleSoft security. When you create a tile using the Tile Wizard, you assign a Permission List to it. Ensure this Permission List is granted to the Roles that are assigned to users in that specific department or job role. Additionally, the underlying Content Reference (CREF) that the tile points to must also be secured with the same or a compatible Permission List. If you're using a custom homepage, ensure that homepage is also assigned to the relevant Permission Lists. The system will only display the tile if the user has access to both the tile's CREF and the underlying target CREF.

Q2: Can I customize the look and feel of Fluid tiles beyond the standard Tile Classes provided by PeopleSoft?

A: Yes, you can. PeopleSoft Fluid UI uses CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for its styling. While the Tile Wizard offers a selection of predefined "Tile Classes" (e.g., ps_tile_employee, ps_tile_manager) which apply a set of styles, you can create your own custom Tile Classes. This involves creating new CSS definitions within PeopleSoft's branding framework (e.g., using Theme Builder or custom style sheets) and then referencing your custom class name in the Tile Wizard. This allows for extensive branding and visual customization to align with your organization's specific design guidelines.

Q3: What's the fundamental difference between a Fluid Homepage and a WorkCenter?

A: While both aim to improve user experience, their primary purposes differ. A Fluid Homepage serves as a personalized launchpad, providing quick access to various applications and information via tiles. It's designed for broad navigation and quick glances at key metrics. A WorkCenter, on the other hand, is a more focused, task-oriented environment. It's designed to bring together all the information, links, and transactions related to a specific business process or job function into a single, comprehensive page. WorkCenters often feature a left-hand navigation pane with links, a central content area for transactions or reports, and often related links/queries. For example, a "Manager Self Service" homepage might have a tile for "Approve Time," but a "Time Management WorkCenter" would offer a detailed view of all time-related tasks, pending approvals, time reports, and specific links for managing employee time, all within one consolidated interface.

Conclusion

Oracle PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Fluid UI, with its intelligent application of homepage tiles and navigation collections, represents a significant leap forward in enterprise application usability. These features are not merely aesthetic enhancements; they are powerful tools that empower organizations to deliver a highly personalized, efficient, and mobile-responsive experience to their workforce. By moving beyond traditional menu structures and embracing actionable, context-driven content delivery, PeopleSoft has successfully modernized the way users interact with complex HR functionalities.

Mastering the configuration and strategic deployment of Fluid tiles and navigation collections is crucial for any organization looking to maximize its PeopleSoft investment. It translates directly into increased user adoption, reduced training overhead, and ultimately, a more productive and engaged workforce. As technology continues to evolve, the principles embodied by Fluid UI – simplicity, relevance, and accessibility – will remain at the forefront of user experience design, ensuring PeopleSoft continues to deliver value in the ever-changing digital landscape.

PeopleSoft HCM 9.2 Fluid UI: Tiles & Navigation Collections Explained