Support for calling a data transform from a case life cycle in App Studio and initializing data at case creation
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
You can now call a data transform from a case life cycle in a low-code way in App Studio. For example, when a customer wants to order the same product again, your application can reuse the shipping information from their previous order. Additionally, by configuring data initialization for a case type, you can prepopulate fields at case creation. For example, an application for a delivery service can apply the customer's preferred delivery options when a new case starts. These enhancements save time for developers because the system can initialize data and prepopulate fields in a case by reusing existing logic, and for customers, who do not need to manually enter their details every time.
For more information, see Calling a data transform from a case and Initializing data at case creation.
Data propagation for questionnaires in case types
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Pega Platform™ now provides a tool to prepopulate answers in a questionnaire that runs in a case by propagating data from a parent case. At run time, specified questions in a questionnaire that users complete as part of case processing, can display answers by using information that users already provided in the parent case. As a result, you speed up the development of your application and help users process cases and complete questionnaires faster.
For more information, see:
- Deliver user-friendly questionnaires by prepopulating answers (8.6)
- Running a questionnaire in a case
Deprecation of EAR deployments in Pega Platform 8.6
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Starting with Pega Platform 8.6, EAR deployments of Pega Platform are deprecated. In the upcoming 8.7 release, EAR deployments will not be supported. The following rules that require EAR deployments will also be deprecated and no longer supported in Pega Platform 8.7:
- Connect EJB
- Connect JCA
- JCA Resource Adapter
- JMS MDB Listener
- Service EJB
With this deprecation, you can use the latest tools and keep your application up to date.
Upgrade impact
In Pega Platform 8.6, you can still create rules that require EAR deployments and update existing rules. However, after an upgrade to Pega Platform 8.7, rules that require EAR deployments are no longer supported.
What steps are required to update an application to be compatible with this change?
To prepare your application for this change well in advance of the Pega Platform 8.7 release, see the following table for a list of alternative rules and for guidance on modernizing your application.
| Deprecated rule type | Alternative rule type | Recommended configuration |
| Connect EJB | Connect REST | Substitute legacy EJB resources with a REST API, and use REST connectors to interact with them. |
| Connect JCA | Connect REST | Substitute legacy JCA resources with a REST API, and use REST connectors to interact with them. |
| JCA Resource Adapter | JCA resource adapters are data records that are used within the scope of a Connect JCA rule. If you replaced Connect JCA rules in your application with Connect REST rules, JCA resource adapters are no longer relevant. | No further configuration is necessary. |
| JMS MDB Listener | JMS Listener | Replace JMS MDB Listener configurations with standard JMS Listener configurations. |
| Service EJB | Service REST | Redefine your EJB services as a set of RESTful service APIs, and invoke them over HTTP/HTTPS. |
For information on the supported platforms that are affected by this deprecation, see Pega Platform 8.6 Support Guide.
Case outcome predictions in case types
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Pega Platform™ introduces the use of machine learning and AI in Case Designer. You can now use predictions in case types, both in App Studio and Dev Studio. By using predictions, your application can predict various outcomes, such as the possibility of reaching a positive or negative case resolution, so that you can prioritize work, route cases according to risk, or optimize the case flow in other ways. You can use predictions when you create conditions in the condition builder, for example, when you define a business logic for routing assignments.
For more information, see:
- Prioritize and route case work by predicting case outcomes
- Predicting case outcome
- Creating predictions for case management
Virtual questions deprecated in 8.6
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Following the improvements in Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA), the creation of virtual questions is now deprecated and planned for removal. To avoid additional effort during updates to future releases, do not use deprecated features. For optimal application performance and efficient development of conversation processes, you now collect information from users by using the Ask a question smart shape.
For more information, see Adding a case type conversation process for a conversational channel and Asking a question in a case.
Legacy Parse XML rule configurations must be upgraded to edit them
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
If your application has Parse XML rules that use the legacy configuration from Pega Platform™ 5.x, you cannot edit these rules after you upgrade to Pega Platform 8.6 until after you upgrade them to use tree-based parse rule configuration.
You must upgrade a Parse XML rule that you want to edit if it shows the following warning when you open it in Dev Studio.
This type of Parse XML rule is deprecated. An upgrade should be performed.
An option to upgrade also displays below the message.
Upgrade impact
Parse XML rules with the legacy configuration do not map data to the clipboard, and the rule definition is empty. After you upgrade to Pega Platform 8.6, you cannot edit Parse XML rules that you created in Pega Platform 5.x or earlier until you upgrade them to use tree-based parse rule configuration.
What steps are required to update an application to be compatible with this change?
Update legacy Parse XML rules to use tree-based parse rule configuration before you edit them in Pega Platform 8.6. Using tree-based parse rules is considered a best practice.
- Open the legacy Parse XML rule.
- On the Mapping tab, click Upgrade.
Result: The Allow tree editing? check box is displayed and is automatically selected. You can add attributes and elements to the tree structure, or delete them. - Save the upgraded rule configuration.
For more information, see Parse XML rules.
Connect MQ rules configured with alias queue do not work after upgrade
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Connect MQ rules that you defined with an alias queue in earlier versions of Pega Platform do not work after an upgrade to Pega Platform 8.6.
Upgrade impact
If you defined an alias queue in Connect MQ rules, after an upgrade to Pega Platform 8.6, those Connect MQ rules do not work.
What steps are required to update an application to be compatible with this change?
In the Pega-IntegrationEngine ruleset, create the following dynamic system settings and their default values:
- "mq/pmo" = 0
- "mq/gmo" = 0
- "mq/oo_request" = 1040
- "mq/oo_response" = 16
For more information, see Creating a dynamic system setting.