Automated Unit Testing is unavailable
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Automated Unit Testing (AUT) is unavailable in 7.1.1 - 7.1.5.
Starting in 7.1.6, users can access AUT features from supported browser versions of IE.
Privilege required for Recent Explorer
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Users with custom roles defined must add the pxUpdateRecents privilege to see work in the Recent Items Explorer.
Use standard Developer portal
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Customized versions of the Developer portal rely on legacy components and are not supported.
To avoid backwards compatibility issues, update your access group to point to the standard Developer portal prior to upgrade.
Top-level (named) pages may no longer be classless
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Newly created top-level (named) pages may no longer be classless or have a blank pxObjClass property. This change can affect applications upgrading from versions prior to Pega 7 to the latest version, especially when:
- Application logic relies on a blank value in the pxObjClass property.
- An activity assumes a new top-level page is classless and explicitly sets pxObjClass in a Property-Set step.
- A data transform assumes a new top-level page is classless and explicitly sets pxObjClass using a Set action.
To avoid application failures, remove or update any logic that expects a blank pxObjClass. Where possible, use the new engine API that finds a page by both name and class:
findPageWithException(PageName, ClassName);
Activities and data transforms continue to create a top-level page when one does not exist. The class name is now derived from the Pages and Classes tab.
IE8 limits expansion features
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) does not support CSS media queries, which are used by re-expansion features in the Designer Studio. IE8 users with low screen resolution (800 x 600) and a small window size may find that the explorer area in the Designer Studio collapses but cannot re-expand.
As a work around, access the Designer Studio from another supported browser version and use the recommended, minimum screen resolution width of 1280 pixels.
All tabs are accessible on delegated rule forms
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.1
Delegates can now access all tabs in a delegated rule form.
You can continue to customize the development experience for delegated users, such as line managers, who may not require the full set of rule form options. For example, you can prevent users from adding new nodes on the Decision Tree form or using the expression builder on the Map Value form. All users, including delegated users, can remove these restrictions if they hold a rule-editing privilege.
For more details on this process and a list of commonly delegated rules, see How to delegate a rule.
Customized application overview documents in App Studio
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Keep stakeholders notified of the status of an application by customizing and generating an application overview document in App Studio. The overview may include information such as case types, roles, features in your application, and more. Select the chapters that you want to include in the overview, and then highlight the most relevant information by ordering the chapters. In addition to the application overview document, you can generate a detailed data model, either in Microsoft Word or Excel format.
For more information, see Creating project documents for stakeholders in App Studio, Exporting a data model into a document.
New send email automations and enhancements
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
You can now configure cases, flows, and activities to compose and send guardrail-compliant emails that conform to the MIME standard by using email automations. Use the new Call-Automation method to call an automation from an activity without writing Java.
You can also now categorize error messages in automations to quickly understand the type of error that occurred. In addition, page list data types are now supported for inputs and outputs in automations.
For more information, see Calling an automation from an activity and Viewing automations.
Simple associations for quickly joining classes
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Associations now have a simple mode. Use a simple association to quickly and easily join a class to another class. The simple association defines a left join, using a foreign key in the source class and the class key in the target class. Use an advanced association for all other conditions. In addition, simple associations are drawn in the Visual data model reporting mode to visualize the relationships that are available for reporting.
Upgrade impact
The new simple mode draws a map of where all the classes defined in the application rule are drawn as nodes. Relationships between the nodes that are defined by relevant properties are drawn as lines linking the two classes. This feature only includes Case and Data classes that are defined on the Application rule form's Cases and Data tab. It also only includes relevant fields for those classes in order to define the relationships from one class to another.
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
After a successful upgrade, add the data and case type classes to the application rule in Dev Studio to have the selected classes appear as a node. In addition, if you want a relationship to display as relevant, set the properties (of the class that defines that relationship) as relevant.
For more information, see Exploring the data model.
Association changes after upgrade
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Associations now have a simple mode. Simple associations are those that join to only one class, use a left join, and have one filter condition to a class key in the target class. Existing associations that define a simple foreign key relationship are upgraded to simple associations when opened; all others are treated as advanced associations. All associations continue to work in reporting.
Making an association simple changes only one piece of metadata; all other data on the association rule is not affected.
Upgrade impact
The new simple mode draws a map of where all the classes defined in the application rule are drawn as nodes. Relationships between the nodes that are defined by relevant properties are drawn as lines linking the two classes. This feature only includes Case and Data classes that are defined on the Application rule form's Cases and Data tab. It also only includes relevant fields for those classes in order to define the relationships from one class to another.
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
After a successful upgrade, add the data and case type classes to the application rule in Dev Studio to have the selected classes appear as a node. In addition, if you want a relationship to display as relevant, set the properties (of the class that defines that relationship) as relevant.
For more information, see Associations.