Performance improvement to BLOB support in Postgres databases
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
New tables that contain BLOB columns now use external storage instead of expanded storage for Postgres databases. This improvement applies to tables that are created during installation, upgrade, or during DDL and schema generation. Using external storage improves database performance.
For more information, see BLOB storage in Postgres databases.
Automatically manage nodes in a System Management Application cluster
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Instead of manually adding and deleting nodes in a cluster by using the System Management Application (SMA), you can now automatically manage nodes. You can enable Auto Node Discovery and configure it to get information about all the nodes in a cluster, add new nodes, and update the node list.
For more information, see Managing nodes automatically in a System Management Application cluster.
Run advanced agents on only one node in a cluster
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
You can now configure an advanced agent to run on only one node in a cluster at a specified time. In addition, you can specify the time interval within which an advanced agent runs on only one node in the cluster, which avoids having two advanced agents starting to run on the same node at the same time.
For more information, see Improved control for running advanced agents and Agents rules – Completing the Schedule tab.
Ability to test SELECT statements
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
When developing and debugging applications, you can test SELECT statements from the Query Runner landing page. You can run queries against non-BLOB columns in your database and view the results on the landing page or export the results to an Excel spreadsheet or PDF file. This functionality is available for Pega Cloud customers who use a Postgres database or for customers using an Oracle database on-premises or on the cloud.
To use this landing page, you must have the PegaRULES:DatabaseAdministrator role or the pxDBSelectQuery privilege in Data- and Rule- in your access group. You access the landing page by clicking .
For more information, see Query Runner landing page for testing SELECT statements.
Elasticsearch 2.4.0 upgrade
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
The Pega 7 Platform has been updated to use Elasticsearch 2.4.0. You do not have to reindex immediately. You can reindex at your convenience by using the FullTextindexer utility, which provides a smoother transition to the next Elasticsearch library upgrade.
Rolling upgrades are not supported. Instead, after the upgrade has been completed, shut down all the nodes in the cluster, and then restart them beginning with the indexing nodes. For more information, see the Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide on the Deployment Guides landing page.
New hashing algorithm for Password property types
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
To provide extra protection against brute-force attacks, a new hashing algorithm has been added to the Pega 7 Platform. Bcrypt is used as a default hashing algorithm for Password property types. The bcrypt key setup algorithm takes a long time to process. This means that potential attackers would have to spend a substantial amount of time testing every possible key.
For more information, see Using the bcrypt hashing algorithm for Password property types.
Discovery features for access control policies
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Access control policies now support discovery features that allow end users to view limited, customizable information about class instances that fail Read policies but satisfy Discover policies. Two types of Discovery gadgets are provided, and when discovery features are enabled, a Discovery gadget is included in the Report Viewer and in search results. Developers can customize these gadgets and include them in other parts of an application user interface.
For more information, see Discovery features for access control policies.
Performance enhancements to StringBuilderFactory pooling
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
StringBuilderFactory has been enhanced to eliminate most scenarios where errors in calling application logic can accidentally cause StringBuilder data contamination within and across JVM thread boundaries. StringBuilderFactory pooling is now thread-specific, which prevents errors in one thread’s use of StringBuilder from contaminating StringBuilder objects in other threads. Debug messages were also added to help diagnose potential problems.
Roll back system changes by using restore points
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Restore points save the state of your system, including all rule and data instances. You can roll back to this restore point later if there is a problem. The Pega 7 Platform automatically creates restore points before any archive import. You can also use the prpcServiceUtils command-line tool to create and manage restore points and to roll back changes to your application. For more information, see Restore points.
Update and delete actions available in access control policies
Valid from Pega Version 7.2.2
Access control policies support update and delete actions on objects. These actions control which specific instances of a class can be created, updated, or deleted by an end user in a case.
For more information, see Creating an access control policy.