Published Release Notes

Report Viewer provides simplified user experience

In the Report Viewer, improvements simplify the user experience when working with reports. Column headers display initial sort order and type, and you can hover over a column header to display and use its context menu, which includes options for ad-hoc sorting and filtering. Developers can specify various pagination modes and set an option to keep the header in view while users scroll through the report.

For more information, see Report Viewer.

Enhanced BIX file naming

To help clarify file names, BIX extract output files and manifest files can now contain parameters. Parameters can include the rule name, the extract's run time and date, and a unique run sequence number. Special characters such as spaces, hyphens, or number signs (#) in the output or manifest file name are converted to underscores. In addition, the pxExtractIdentifier and pxExtractDateTime columns have been added to the .csv output file.

For more information, see Extracting data with BIX and Extract rules - completing the File Specification tab.

List view and summary view reports might not display in HTML5-compliant browsers

List view and summary view reports use framesets to provide a view of drill-down reports. HTML5 does not support framesets, so these reports might not display well, or at all, in versions of browsers that are compliant with HTML5.

To prevent display issues, re-create the custom list view and summary view reports that you need as report definition reports. Standard management reports are already available as report definition reports.

As of Pega 7.2, list view and summary view rules are deprecated. For more information, see Discontinued support for list view and summary view rules.

Enhanced chart control improves displaying data as a chart

The renewed chart control has an improved properties panel and provides HTML5-compliant pie, column, bar, area, line, and gauge charts. The chart source can be a report definition, a clipboard page, or a data page. You can customize basic and threshold colors, borders, line widths, labels, and other chart elements. A preview on the property panel instantly displays the effects on the chart of property changes you make.

For more information, see Harness and section forms - Adding a chart.

HTML5-compliant chart types

Ability to include all properties in search results

You can now include all properties in a class in search results so that they can be used in report filtering. When the Enable search results for all properties option is selected on the Custom Search Properties rule form, all top level and embedded page scalar properties for the class are indexed and returned in search results, and all embedded page list, page group, value list, and value group properties for the class are indexed but not returned in search results. Selecting this option might affect performance.

In addition, by default, properties defined in the Data-Tag-RelevantRecord instance for a class are indexed and returned in search results and do not need to be explicitly configured.

You must reindex search after selecting or clearing Enable search results for all properties and after changing the properties that are defined in the Data-Tag-RelevantRecord instance.

For more information, see Specifying custom search properties.

Compact style sheet for creating PDF files

You can now use a compact style sheet when you create PDF files by using the Create PDF smart shape in a case type or when you use the HTMLtoPDF activity. This style sheet overrides the style sheet that is used by the harness skin and correctly renders certain elements such as headings and inline grid tables. It also renders PDF files more quickly.

For more information, see Creating PDF files by using a compact style sheet and PDF file rendering scenarios.

Consistent search experience in App Studio

Pega Platform™ now supports a unified search mechanism in App Studio. Instead of manually locating a single item, such as a case type, a channel, or a data object, you can simply use the Search option in the navigation pane. You can also use Search in case types and personas landing pages, to conveniently access the information that you need, for example channels and case types associated with a persona.  

For more information, see Plan your Microjourneys more conveniently in an improved Case Designer (8.5), Creating a Microjourney for customer success.

Automated project estimation in App Studio

App Studio now supports estimating projects in an intuitive and automated way, so that you can plan your work with greater efficiency and accuracy. Estimations include the number of hours that you will need to deliver an application, based on multiple factors such as the delivery methodology, the number and complexity of features to implement, and the number of teams involved. After you provide the required data, the project estimator calculates the expected duration of application development. To share your project estimates outside Pega Platform™, for example with your stakeholders, you can also export estimates to an .xlsx file.

For more information, see Estimate projects automatically in App Studio (8.5), Estimating application development.

Enhanced application inventory to support features

Now the application inventory in App Studio also includes features that represent elements of your application to implement, such as language packs, along with personas and data objects. The inventory provides the option to add new features or reuse existing features from built-on applications. With the enhanced inventory, application development planning and tracking is faster and more intuitive because you can now easily check the features that your development team needs to implement. For greater clarity, the inventory supports different methods of grouping features, for example, by release or complexity.     

For more information, see Managing application inventory.

Enhanced Case Designer in App Studio

For greater clarity when visualizing your business processes, App Studio now has an improved Case Designer. In Pega Platform™ 8.5, every persona displays a list of associated channels, and every data object lists associated systems, instead of showing multiple entities for different channels or systems. Additionally, for better distinction every channel and system displays a unique icon. To fully convey your business process using just one screen, Case Designer now also supports visualizing attachments required for your microjourney, as well as creating draft associations between personas and channels.

For more information, see Plan your Microjourneys more conveniently in an improved Case Designer (8.5), Creating a Microjourney for customer success.