Published Release Notes

Support for conversational user channels

You can now communicate with users and customers of a Pega^® Platform application by using Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant acting as a conversational user channel. You can now use Facebook Messenger, Alexa voice commands, standard email, or mobile texting (SMS) to interact with Pega Platform, for example, to open a case or display a menu of available options. In addition, in the Facebook channel configuration, you define text analyzer rules for advanced text analysis, based on artificial intelligence, so that the system provides the best response to users.

For more information, see Intelligent Virtual Assistant.

Capture real-time feedback with Agile Workbench

Project stakeholders can use the new Agile Workbench tool to capture real-time feedback directly in an application, which can increase the efficiency of application development. You capture feedback by creating a user story, bug, or feedback item, and these work items can include video recordings of screens, annotated screen captures, file attachments, or URLs. In Designer Studio, you can configure Agile Workbench to integrate with Pega^® Agile Studio so that bugs and user stories are synchronized between the two systems.

For more information, see:

• Pega Express 7.3 – Agile Workbench
• Pega Platform 7.3 – Agile Workbench

Adding a conversation to a case type

You can add a conversation that uses a messaging or voice application (for example, Facebook Messenger) as a channel for adding information to a case. You configure the messaging workflow as part of the case life cycle. At run time, a user working in the selected application sees (or hears) a series of questions that ask the user to enter information.

For more information about adding a conversation in Designer Studio, see Adding a conversation to a case type.

For more information about adding a conversation in Pega^® Express, see Adding a conversation to a case type.

Email instantiation added to case types

You can now configure a case type to support email instantiation. By associating your case type with an email account, you can provide a way for users to create cases without logging in to your application. In addition, stakeholders can track updates to a case in one place, because the email and related discussion thread are stored in Pulse.

For more information about email instantiation, see Configuring the Email channel.

Improved interactions for email and Pulse

You can now continue a discussion that was initiated by email when you post a message to Pulse or reply to an email message. By providing a consistent thread of discussion in a case, you can keep stakeholders informed while allowing them to use the communication channel of their preference.

For more information about the communication interchange that occurs when you initiate a discussion, see:

• Pega Express 7.3 - Email instantiation
• Pega Platform 7.3 - Email instantiation

Add new commands in the Facebook channel preview console

Now you can not only edit existing commands in the preview console for a Facebook channel but also add new command responses and associate them with intents. For example, you can add a new response command in the preview console in a case in which you entered a command and no response was found for the generated intent. This functionality gives you more control over the Facebook channel configuration and makes the preview console easier to use.

For more information, see Simulating a chatbot conversation.

Enhancements to PegaUnit test cases and test suites

Several enhancements have been made to PegaUnit test cases and test suites.

• You can now use advanced filters on the Automated Testing landing page and when you add test cases to a test suite to search for information.
• After you run a test case on the Edit Test Case form or a test suite on the Edit Test Suite form, the header now displays the expected and actual run-time values.
• You must now specify at least one assertion before you can save a test case.
• You can now compare a property to multiple values so that the assertion passes if any property meets the defined criteria.
• You can now use the is greater than and is less than comparators for date and date-time properties.

For more information about PegaUnit testing, see PegaUnit testing.

Execute Tests service now supports application name as a parameter

You can now use the application name and version as a parameter when running the Execute Tests service (REST API). When you build an application on Pega® Platform in a continuous delivery pipeline, you can use the Execute Tests service to validate the quality of the build by running PegaUnit test cases that are configured for the application.

For more information about the service, see Running PegaUnit test cases and test suites with the Execute Tests service in Pega 7.3.1.

Monitor application health on the Application Quality landing page

On the Application Quality landing page, you can view various quality-related data in one place so that you can monitor the quality of your application and correct any issues. The Application Quality landing page contains a summary of guardrails compliance, PegaUnit test coverage, and results of PegaUnit tests.

For more information, see Application Quality landing page.

View PegaUnit test reports

The Reports tab on the Automated Testing landing page contains tables and charts that display the percentage of rules on which PegaUnit test cases are configured, and the results of PegaUnit test execution. By looking at the data on this tab, you can see which tests failed and investigate them.

For more information, see Viewing PegaUnit reports.