Piper (source control system)

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Piper is a centralized version control system used by Google for its internal software development. Originally designed for Linux, it has supported Microsoft Windows and macOS since October 2012.

Piper (source control system) is covered here in 2 connected parts: Piper (source control system), Human resource management system.

Piper (source control system)

Piper is a centralized version control system used by Google for its internal software development. Originally designed for Linux, it has supported Microsoft Windows and macOS since October 2012.[1]

Scale

Since its founding years Google has used a central codebase. For over 10 years, Google relied on a single Perforce instance, using proprietary caching for scalability. The need for further scaling led to the development of Piper.[1]

Architecture

Piper uses regular Google Cloud storage solutions, originally Bigtable and later Spanner, distributed across 10 data centers worldwide and replicated through the Paxos protocol.[1]

Use

When using Piper, developers apply changes to a local copy of files, similar to a working copy in Subversion, local clone in Git, or a client in Perforce. Updates made by other developers can be pulled from the central repository and merged into the local code. Commits are only allowed after a code review via the Critique tool.[1]

Security

Most of the codebase is visible to all developers, sensitive individual files (less than 1% as of 2016) are access-controlled. All operations with Piper are logged; accidentally committed files can be purged.[1]

Related: Human resource management system

External references: [1]

Human resource management system

A human resources management system (HRMS), also human resources information system (HRIS) or human capital management (HCM) system, is a form of human resources (HR) software that combines a number of systems and processes to ensure the easy management of human resources, business processes and data. Human resources software is used by businesses to combine a number of necessary HR functions, such as storing employee data, managing payroll, recruitment, benefits administration (total rewards), time and attendance, employee performance management, and tracking competency and training records. A human resources management system (HRMS) streamlines and centralizes daily HR processes, making them more efficient and accessible.[2]

History

The use of information systems in human resources began with payroll automation in the late 1950s and expanded through the 1960s, when employee data was first processed by computer.[2]

Functions

The function of human resources departments is administrative and common to all organizations. Organizations may have formalized selection, evaluation, and payroll processes. Management of "human capital" has progressed to an imperative and complex process.[2]

Employee self-service

Employee self-service (ESS) provides employees access to their personal records and details. ESS features include allowing employees to change their contact details, banking information, and benefits. ESS also allows for administrative tasks such as applying for leave, seeing absence history, reviewing timesheets and tasks, inquiring about available loan programs, requesting overtime payment, viewing compensation history, and submitting reimbursement slips.[2]

Related: Piper (source control system)

External references: [2][3][4]

References

Source mixWeb page · 6Encyclopedia · 2
  1. ↑ a b c d e f “Piper (source control system)”. Wikipedia. Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewrite it in your own words where you can. Encyclopedia Retrieved 2026-10-31
  2. ↑ a b c d e “Human resource management system”. Wikipedia. Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewrite it in your own words where you can. Encyclopedia Retrieved 2026-10-31
  3. ↑ ^ “www.osc.state.ny.us / reports/payroll/elecpaystubs021709.pdf”. osc.state.ny.us. Link found on the Wikipedia page. Open it, check it and fix this title before relying on it. Web page Retrieved 2026-10-31
  4. ↑ ^ “venturebeat.com / 2018/10/22/oracle-debuts-subscription-management-and-cx-unity-updates-to-hcm-cloud-and-oracle-data-cloud”. venturebeat.com. Link found on the Wikipedia page. Open it, check it and fix this title before relying on it. Web page Retrieved 2026-10-31

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