New formats for styling report data grids
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
When you view a report, the data grid that is displayed is now styled by using either the List report format or the Summarized report format, depending on the report type. With this enhancement, you can display report data differently, and perhaps more effectively, than other grids in your portal. In the skin of your application, these new formats will be added and upgraded automatically by copying the Default format for the Trees & grids layout type, which was previously used to style reports.
For more information, see Modifying data grid formats for reports.
BIX -I command-line option fails for unexposed properties
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Business Intelligence Exchange (BIX) command-line extractions fail when the extract has a filter that uses unexposed property references that are passed in by the input file that you specified in the -I command-line option. Previously, the BIX extraction ignored the filter and the extraction did not fail.
BIX filtering now works like report filtering
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Filtering for Business Intelligence Exchange (BIX) extracts has been enhanced to work like report filtering, making it easier to use. Existing filters that use the Contains/DoesNotContain filter operation will be converted to use the Equals/NotEquals filter operation.
New PEGA0084 alert - Search node count
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
The PEGA0084 alert is generated when the number of available index host nodes does not meet the quorum ((replicas/2) + 1) required for index writes to succeed. This alert can occur when some of the index nodes go down, causing the number of available index host nodes to be less than the quorum. For more information, see PEGA0084 - Search node count.
Style charts in the application skin
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
You can now style charts in your application skin by selecting Charts in the Controls section and setting a theme. When you style charts by using a theme, charts that are generated for report definition reports and the autogenerated chart control are styled consistently, and you do not need to style charts individually. In addition, you can preview chart themes in the Skin form to see how different charts look without launching an application.
For more information, see Styling charts in the application skin.
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.
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.