The Scratch Pad tool is no longer available
Valid from Pega Version 7.3.1
The Scratch Pad tool is no longer available. To add properties to a report from an end user portal, use the Data Explorer. The Data Explorer provides an efficient way to find a property or calculation to include as a column in a report.
For more information, see Data Explorer.
Custom scaling on x-axis for bubble charts
Valid from Pega Version 7.3.1
Bubble charts now support custom scaling for the x-axis as well as the y-axis. For example, you can now configure a fixed range for the x-axis.
For information about including a chart in a report, see Adding or editing charts from the Report Definition rule form.
Enable users to save charts as .png files
Valid from Pega Version 7.3.1
You can now enable users to save a report chart as a .png file. On the Chart tab of the Report Definition rule form, click General settings and select the Export chart to image check box. When you select this option, users are provided with the Save as image option, which they can use to save an image of the chart to include in a Word document or email.
For information about including a chart in a report, see Adding or editing charts from the Report Definition rule form.
Enhancements to exporting reports to Excel
Valid from Pega Version 7.3.1
When you export report results to Microsoft Excel, the process now creates a Data sheet and an Info sheet in the Excel file. By default, the Info sheet contains the report title, filters used to generate the report, the date when the report was generated, and the number of results returned.
If you want the report title and filters to display in the first sheet instead of the Info sheet, you can disable the default functionality. For more information, see Disabling the creation of an Info sheet in Excel output.
Behavior changes when reporting on descendant classes
Valid from Pega Version 7.3.1
Report Definitions that use the Report on descendant class instances option with the Include all descendant classes option apply only to the Applies to Class. Join classes are not included as they were in previous Pega® Platform versions. The following example shows what happens for each possible scenario for Report on descendant class instances when the report is defined on ClassA with a class join with Work-.
- If Report on descendant class instances is disabled, the report runs against ClassA and the join happens with Work-. The behavior is the same in Pega 7.3.1 as it is in previous Pega Platform versions.
- If Report on descendant class instances is enabled, and Include single implementation class is selected, the report runs against ClassA and the join happens with the MySampleClass implementation class. The behavior is the same in Pega 7.3.1 as it is in previous Pega Platform versions.
- If Report on descendant class instances is enabled, and Include all descendant classes is selected, the report runs against ClassA and its descendants and the join happens with Work-. In previous Pega Platform versions, the join happened with the MySampleClass implementation class.
Upgraded selected third-party JAR files to support Pega Platform functionalities
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Pega Platform™ 8.6 now provides upgraded versions of the JAR files that support various functionalities within the Platform, such as generating documents or PPTX files.
Upgrade impact
If you have custom implementations and use any classes from the upgraded JAR files directly in your code or through JAR APIs, after your upgrade to Pega Platform 8.6, your application might experience unexpected run-time behavior if the upgraded JAR version lacks any elements from the previous version. For example, custom implementations can typically include activities, functions, or non-autogenerated sections. Unexpected run-time behavior might also occur when you use a third-party library that has dependencies on the upgraded JAR files. If you use only default Pega Platform functionalities without any customizations, the JAR files continue to work correctly without any additional actions.
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
If you have any JAR customizations, ensure that you test the upgraded JAR files for compatibility and upgrade impact. The following table lists the upgraded JAR files that might impact your application:
| JAR file name | Upgraded version |
|---|---|
| apache-mime4j-core | 0.8.3 |
| apache-mime4j-dom | 0.8.3 |
| commons-codec | 1.15 |
| commons-collectionons4 | 4.4 |
| commons:commons-math3 | 3.6.1 |
| commons-compress | 1.20 |
| commons-lang3 | 3.9 |
| fontbox | 2.0.19 |
| httpclient | 4.5.12 |
| httpcore | 4.4.13 |
| httpmime | 4.5.12 |
| istack-commons-runtime | 3.0.8 |
| jackson-annotations | 2.10.3 |
| jackson-core | 2.10.3 |
| jackson-databind | 2.10.3 |
| jaxb-runtime | 2.3.2 |
| java-libpst | 0.9.3 |
| jcommaner | 1.78 |
| junrar | 4.0.0 |
| metadata-extractor | 2.13 |
| openjson | 1.0.11 |
| parso | 2.0.11 |
| pdfbox | 2.0.19 |
| poi | 4.1.2 |
| poi-ooxml | 4.1.2 |
| poi-ooxml-schemas | 4.1.2 |
| poi-scratchpad | 4.1.2 |
| slf4j-api | 1.7.28 |
| xmlbeans | 3.1.0 |
| xmpcore | 6.1.10 |
For more information, refer to the documentation of your JAR provider.
Tracer file size limit to prevent disk usage issues
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
The maximum size of files with event details that Tracer generates is now 10 GB to avoid excessive disk usage and performance issues. Tracer applies the size limit at the node-level, so every node that runs in your system can use up to 10 GB of disk space to create an output file with event details. As a result, you can monitor the health of your system and deliver issue-free applications without experiencing disk space problems.
For more information, see:
- Avoid performance issues when monitoring applications with size limit for Tracer files (8.6)
- Tracer disk usage FAQ
Enhanced Pulse gadget for Cosmos React
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Together with the DX API, the Cosmos React component now provides an overlay in which users can quickly view and select the feed sources from which to view Pulse messages. Users can also add attachments to their messages, and remove the messages that they post. These enhancements improve collaboration and speed up case resolution. For example, a case worker can view only posts from particular cases, to quickly find a request for additional information about a case, and then provide necessary details by attaching a relevant document.
For more information, see Configuring Pulse feed sources for Cosmos React and Posting a message in Pulse.
Insights from 8.5 require additional configuration after upgrade
Valid from Pega Version 8.6
Upgrade impact
After you upgrade Pega Platform™ version 8.5 to 8.6, the Explore Data landing page might not include insights that come from the earlier version of the product.
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
Run the pxUpgrade85Insights activity to make all insights from version 8.5 accessible for you in 8.6. By running this activity, you upgrade insights with new metadata that is required in version 8.6. For example, the pxUpgrade85Insights activity provides you with the option to set the visibility of insights to private, public or shared.
For more information about insights, see Visualizing data with insights.