Facilitated application development with saving changes in branches in App Studio
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
For improved development of your application, you can now define branches in which you save changes that you make to your application in App Studio. Create features in branches so that you can review and merge them without affecting other features in the application. You can quickly identify and review any changes to rules because you know in which application layer they were saved.
For more information, see Setting branch preferences in Dev Studio, Setting branch preferences in App Studio.
Default filter settings for Pulse feed sources
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Set default filters for Pulse messages, so that users see only relevant posts. Users can temporarily change these settings at run time to view messages from different feed sources, and restore the default settings by refreshing the page.
For more information, see Adding a feed source for the activity feed.
Improved creation of When rules with the condition builder
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Define conditions for When rules by using the condition builder view. You can create new or select existing values, and then group conditions with ANDs, ORs, or advanced logic. The condition builder does not support functions; the method for defining the conditions to use functions is the same as in the previous versions of Pega Platform™.
For more information, see Defining conditions with a condition builder, Defining conditions for a When rule.
Support for controlling simulations in Integration Designer
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Integration Designer now supports toggling an existing simulation for a data source on and off, and supports creating a simulation when a data source does not have a simulation configured. By simulating a data source, you can continue developing an application when your integration is not available, and test an application independently from the integration.
For more information, see Managing data and integrations with the Integration Designer.
Automatically generate OpenAPI Specification documentation for application REST APIs
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
You can now access a clear, standard view of all the REST APIs in your application by using autogenerated OpenAPI Specification (OAS) documentation. In App Studio, you can view the OAS documentation generated for application-specific REST APIs by using the new Application tab in the API channel. Additionally, service package rules now include an OpenAPI tab where you can view the automatically generated OAS documentation for all the REST services included in the service package. With these enhancements, you can easily find, visualize, and test the REST APIs in your application.
For more information, see Generating OpenAPI Specification documentation for application-specific REST APIs.
Data migration enhancements
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Ensure a successful data migration by using a configuration template for setting up your environment before you migrate data into your application. From the new Migration settings landing page, configure dynamic system settings for migration and turn off database indexes and processes that might affect data migration performance. After you have finished migrating data, you can revert your system to its normal working state.
For more information, see Creating a migration configuration template.
Visual Data Model enhancements
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
View your application's full data model, see how its entities are related, edit and delete fields, and add fields to the model without exiting the Visual Data Model. In addition, you can now search the entire data model for fields and select a case or data type class to see its fields and relationships.
For more information, see Exploring the data model.
Use a JSON file to create a data type
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
You can now use a sample JSON response to create a data type in the Data Type wizard in Integration Designer. Using a sample JSON response reduces development time by providing the response schema when your REST endpoint is not available.
For more information, see Use a JSON file to create a data type.
Application settings categorization and reuse
Valid from Pega Version 8.3
Application settings are enhanced so that you can categorize and reuse application settings in all rules. You can reference an application setting in a rule and specify separate values for each production level. At run time, the setting holds the correct value for the application's current production level. This functionality helps you manage your application settings more effectively.
For more information, see Creating an application setting and Categorizing application settings.