Published Release Notes

Decision Management

This release contains a number of fixes that improve the configuration and execution of Batch decisions – specifically, a number of usability improvements and addresses some issues when creating strategies on IE8.  

• Batch Decision functionality has been enhanced in the NBAM environment.
• In NBAM, users can run the strategy execution batch based on the Seed list class instead of the customer class. 
• Interaction data will now work even if Action or Organization  dimensions do not have values set.
• Running a strategy which includes a Data Import of a structured page reference will work in batch mode.
• Security was enhanced on the VBD Planner.
• The Access of Role to Object rules have been enhanced to allow users to create new Dimension Operator records.
• The NBAM Segment On Canvas will now fetch the SegMap data, even when the generated extended segment class has not been added to the Pages and Classes of the strategy.  The SegMap property will (if it exists) be added to a list of properties to fetch, even if the strategy indicates that it is not used.
• When a strategy is defined on a customer class, users may now specify the list of required properties to fetch for the input definition.
• When creating a new strategy, there is now a section to add a Strategy Results class like Business Issue or Group.

Reporting & Data

This release fixed many existing unlocalizable elements in 7.1 reporting interfaces (The Report Viewer, Report Editor, Chart Editor, and the Report Browser) and now they are fully localizable. Changes were made to make Listview, summaryview,  and report viewer display possible WCAG 2.0 level A and AA support.

• Parameters may now be used in a sub-report join condition.
• Report Definition localization has been enhanced.
• Standalone ListViews with embedded SmartInfo have been improved to resize appropriately when the SmartInfo section is expanded.
• The data section of a report will now display in all of the available space when a fixed header option is selected.
• When localizing a listview with filters, tool tips are translated.

Deploy revisions directly in target environments

As a revision manager, you can now directly deploy or migrate completed revisions to multiple Pega 7 Platform environments that were configured as targets by the system architect. The revision management process is faster because you do not need to package a revision as a JAR file, and then manually import that file to the Pega 7 Platform. Additionally, this solution gives business users more control over application rulesets and enables them to act more independently.

For more information, see Direct deployment of revisions.

Chart drilldown capabilities extended to dashboard widgets

When the chart for a report is displayed in a dashboard widget, you now can click any part of the chart to drill down and view the subset of data for that part. This enhancement provides you with an accurate view of the data that determines the report results. Previously, this capability was provided only in the Report Viewer.

Enhancements to exporting report results to Excel

When you export report results to Excel, the .xlsx file that the export process generates is smaller, opens faster, and no longer displays a security warning when you open it. Excel handles more of the formatting, and DateTime, Date, TimeOfDay, and Numeric properties are exported in a format that Excel recognizes. In addition, columns have sorting and filtering enabled by default.

These enhancements are enabled by default and provide improvements to performance and memory usage, especially with large data sets. You can disable this new default behavior by modifying the pyEnableExportToAdvancedExcelFormat when rule. For more information, see Disabling the default functionality for exporting reports to Excel.

Delegation experience in revision management

Revision managers can now control rule authoring by assigning a delegation experience to any rule that is part of a revision management change request. Delegation experience types offer different rule authoring capabilities, so the revision manager can select the appropriate delegation experience for the task and the strategy designer’s experience.

File data set

You can now create a File data set that reads data from a file that is in CSV or JSON format. You can use this type of data set to test data flows and strategies.

For more information, see Creating a File data set record.

Improved data security for BIX extracts for Pega Cloud customers

Data security is improved for BIX extracts in the Pega Cloud. BIX extracts are now processed through the use of a HIPAA-compliant system. As a result of this improvement, the method for obtaining BIX extracts has changed. For more information, see Process for obtaining BIX extracts has changed for Pega Cloud customers.

New process for Pega Cloud customers to obtain BIX extract files

The process for obtaining Business Intelligence Exchange (BIX) extract and manifest files for Pega^® Cloud customers has changed as a result of data security enhancements for HIPAA compliance. By default, after upgrading to Pega 7.3, you must obtain the BIX extract and manifest files from the Pega SFTP server. From within Designer Studio, you can configure the BIX extract and manifest files to be sent to a remote SFTP server by a file listener. For Pega Cloud customers who have purchased a Pega Cloud SFTP Server subscription, you can configure BIX to send the BIX extract and manifest files to the SFTP server's folders for remote SFTP client download.

For more information about obtaining files from the Pega SFTP server, see Obtaining BIX extract files from the Pega SFTP server.

For more information about having files sent to your SFTP server, see Defining SFTP-related data instances.

Analyze intentions in text analytics

You can now analyze text content to determine whether it contains any underlying intention. Through intent analysis, you can determine whether your customers are likely to continue subscribing to your services, want to know more about your products, or whether you are facing customer churn. Based on the detected intentions, you can take appropriate actions to ensure the growth of your business and minimize customer churn. Intent analysis is supported only for the English language.

For more information, see Intent analysis and filtering.