How to Change the SYSADM Password in PeopleSoft: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

What Is the SYSADM Account?

SYSADM is the Oracle database schema owner for PeopleSoft. It is the database-level user that owns all PeopleSoft tables, indexes, views, and sequences. When the Application Server, Process Scheduler, and Data Mover connect to the database to read or write PeopleSoft data, they ultimately connect as SYSADM (or through an Access ID that maps to SYSADM).

This is different from PeopleSoft user accounts (like PS, VP1, or any named user) which are stored in PSOPRDEFN. SYSADM is an Oracle database account, not a PeopleSoft operator.

How PeopleSoft Stores & Uses the SYSADM Password

Understanding this mechanism is what separates an admin who does this safely from one who locks everyone out. PeopleSoft’s access model works through three linked layers:

Every PeopleSoft operator (user) is assigned a Symbolic ID (e.g., SYSADM1). That Symbolic ID maps to an Access ID and Access Password stored encrypted in PSACCESSPRFL (or PSACCESSPROFILE for PT 8.55+). When someone logs in, PeopleSoft decrypts the Access Password and uses it to connect to Oracle as SYSADM.

The encryption of the Access Password uses SYSADM’s database password as part of the key. This is why both the Oracle password and the PSACCESSPRFL record must be changed together — if they diverge, the decrypted password won’t match Oracle’s password and every login will fail with an ORA-01017: invalid username/password error.

Prerequisites & Pre-Change Checklist

Step-by-Step: Change SYSADM Password (Oracle Database)

Follow these steps exactly and in order. Do not skip or reorder them.

# Stop Application Server domain
psadmin -c stop -d APPDOM

# Stop Process Scheduler domain
psadmin -p stop -d PRCSDOM

# Stop Web Server (PIA)
psadmin -w stop -d peoplesoft

-- Connect as SYS
sqlplus sys/<sys_password>@<TNS_ALIAS> as sysdba

-- Check PSACCESSPRFL (pre-PT 8.55)
SELECT SYMBOLICID, ACCESSID, ENCRYPTED FROM SYSADM.PSACCESSPRFL;

-- For PT 8.55+, also check PSACCESSPROFILE
SELECT SYMBOLICID, STM_ACCESS_ID, ENCRYPTED FROM SYSADM.PSACCESSPROFILE;

-- Change Oracle DB password for SYSADM user
ALTER USER SYSADM IDENTIFIED BY <new_password>;

-- Confirm the change
-- (optional: try connecting as SYSADM with new password)
CONNECT SYSADM/<new_password>@<TNS_ALIAS>

SET LOG C:\temp\change_sysadm_pwd.log;

-- Replace SYSADM1 with your actual Symbolic ID from Step 2
-- Replace new_password with your actual new password
CHANGE_ACCESS_PASSWORD SYSADM1 new_password;

ENCRYPT_PASSWORD *;

CHANGE_ACCESS_PASSWORD SYSADM1 new_password;
Successful.

ENCRYPT_PASSWORD *;
1 rows updated for operator VP1.
1 rows updated for operator PS.
... (one line per operator)
Successful.

Step-by-Step: Change SA Password (SQL Server)

For Microsoft SQL Server environments, the schema owner account is SA (or a custom account if your installation used one). The process is identical in concept but uses MSSQL syntax:

-- In SQL Server Management Studio or T-SQL:
ALTER LOGIN SA WITH PASSWORD = 'new_password';

-- Or via SSMS: Security → Logins → SA → Properties → Change Password

SET LOG C:\temp\change_sa_pwd.log;

-- For MSSQL the Symbolic ID is typically SYSADM1 or check PSACCESSPRFL
CHANGE_ACCESS_PASSWORD SYSADM1 new_password;

ENCRYPT_PASSWORD *;

PeopleTools 8.55+ Changes (PSACCESSPROFILE Table)

Starting with PeopleTools 8.55, Oracle introduced a new table called PSACCESSPROFILE to store Access ID information, replacing the older PSACCESSPRFL. If you run CHANGE_ACCESS_PASSWORD through Data Mover, it handles both tables automatically — no manual SQL needed.

However, if you ever need to reset the Access ID manually via SQL (for example, if Data Mover won’t start because passwords are already corrupted), use this approach for PT 8.55+:

-- Reset PSACCESSPROFILE to known state (PT 8.55+)
-- Run as SYS or SYSADM in SQL*Plus BEFORE running ENCRYPT_PASSWORD in Data Mover

UPDATE SYSADM.PSACCESSPROFILE
SET STM_ACCESS_ID   = 'SYSADM',
    SYMBOLICID      = 'SYSADM1',
    STM_ACCESS_PSWD = 'new_password',  -- plain text — will be encrypted by ENCRYPT_PASSWORD
    VERSION         = 1,
    ENCRYPTED       = 0
WHERE SYMBOLICID = 'SYSADM1';

COMMIT;

-- Also reset the older table for compatibility
UPDATE SYSADM.PSACCESSPRFL
SET ACCESSID   = 'SYSADM',
    SYMBOLICID = 'SYSADM1',
    ACCESSPSWD = 'new_password',       -- plain text — will be encrypted
    VERSION    = 0,
    ENCRYPTED  = 0
WHERE SYMBOLICID = 'SYSADM1';

COMMIT;

What to Update After Changing the Password

The Data Mover step updates the database record. But several other configuration files still store the old password in encrypted form. You must update all of them before restarting your domains.

psadmin -c configure -d APPDOM
# At "AccessPswd:" prompt, enter the new SYSADM password
# PSADMIN will encrypt and store it in psappsrv.cfg

psadmin -p configure -d PRCSDOM
# At "AccessPswd:" prompt, enter the new SYSADM password

Complete Update Checklist

Verifying the Change Was Successful

After completing all steps and updating all config files, restart your domains and verify:

1. Start Application Server — psadmin -c start -d APPDOM — check logs for “Connected to database” message, no ORA-01017 errors
2. Start Process Scheduler — psadmin -p start -d PRCSDOM — verify PSPRCSRV connects successfully
3. Start Web Server — psadmin -w start -d peoplesoft
4. Log into PIA — Navigate to your PeopleSoft URL and log in as a regular user (e.g., PS or VP1). A successful login confirms the encryption is correct.
5. Run a test process — Submit a simple Application Engine or SQR process through Process Monitor and confirm it runs to Success.
6. Verify in SQL*Plus — Connect as SYSADM with the new password from SQL*Plus to confirm the database-level change is correct:
   sqlplus SYSADM/new_password@TNS_ALIAS

Troubleshooting — When Things Go Wrong

-- Run as SYS in SQL*Plus
UPDATE SYSADM.PSACCESSPRFL
SET ACCESSID='SYSADM', ACCESSPSWD='new_password', VERSION=0, ENCRYPTED=0
WHERE SYMBOLICID='SYSADM1';
COMMIT;

-- For PT 8.55+
UPDATE SYSADM.PSACCESSPROFILE
SET STM_ACCESS_ID='SYSADM', STM_ACCESS_PSWD='new_password', VERSION=1, ENCRYPTED=0
WHERE SYMBOLICID='SYSADM1';
COMMIT;

-- Then immediately open Data Mover Bootstrap mode and run:
-- ENCRYPT_PASSWORD *;

Frequently Asked Questions