Published Release Notes

Support for OAuth 2.0 authorization code grant type

Pega Platform™ now supports the OAuth 2.0 authorization code grant type, which allows Pega Platform to act as an OAuth 2.0 access token provider for native applications on mobile and other devices. By using the authorization code grant type for mobile clients, you no longer need to implement a variety of standards for various authentication providers. The authorization code grant type also supports the Proof Key for Code Exchange standard (PKCE) for securing public clients.

For more information, see Creating and configuring an OAuth 2.0 client registration.

Use client-based access control to support EU GDPR requirements

You can use client-based access control (CBAC) to satisfy the data privacy requirements of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar regulations. By using client-based access control, you can identify the personal data of clients and automatically process requests to view, update, or remove the data in a secure manner. You can also enforce restrictions on the use of this data in application functions.

For more information, see Client-based access control.

Support for the JSON Web Token Bearer grant type for accessing external APIs

You can now access external APIs by using the new OAuth 2.0 JSON Web Token (JWT) Bearer grant type, in an OAuth 2.0 authentication profile. To use the JWT Bearer grant type as a client assertion, source the JWT from an active SSO session, a token profile, or a property reference. You can use JWTs that you obtain during an OpenID Connect SSO in connectors, to achieve user impersonation flows, such as the On-Behalf-Of (OBO) flow. The OAuth 2.0 type authentication profile now also supports authentication of client applications by using Private Key JWTs.

Instances of the OAuth 2.0 provider are now deprecated. As a best practice, use the new, unified authentication profile configuration instead.

For more information, see Configuring an OAuth 2.0 authentication profile.

Upgrade impact

After an upgrade to Pega Platform 8.4 and later, Authentication Profiles can take advantage of the new JWT based OAuth 2.0 grant type and client authentication features. To take advantage of this and other new security features, you must update any existing Authentication Profiles formats must to use those in Pega Platform 8.4 and later.

What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?

Since these features are available only for profiles created in Pega Platform 8.4 and later, clients must open and then save existing 'Authentication Profile' instances to ensure that the configuration is compatible with the latest authentication formats.

Connect to Amazon SageMaker models in Prediction Studio

Make the most of your custom Amazon SageMaker models in Pega Platform™ by connecting to the models in Prediction Studio. You can then run the Amazon SageMaker models as part of your decision strategies.

For more information, see Enrich your decisioning strategies with H2O and Amazon SageMaker predictive models (8.4).

Import H2O models to Prediction Studio

Make the most of your custom H2O models in Pega Platform™ by importing them to Prediction Studio. You can then include the H2O models in your decision strategies.

For more information, see Enrich your decision strategies with H2O and Amazon SageMaker predictive models (8.4).

Support for auditing adaptive model decisions

Pega Platform™ now stores all adaptive model scoring data so that you can identify the source of each decision, such as the exact model version that was used for scoring. With this feature, you can ensure that your application is auditable, transparent, and in compliance with regulatory requirements related to using adaptive models.

For more information, see Configuring the Adaptive Decision Manager service.

Create predictions in Prediction Studio

Predict customer behavior and business events by creating predictions. To create a prediction, you answer a series of questions about what you want to predict. For example, you can create a prediction to determine the likelihood of customer churn.

For more information, see Create predictions in just a few clicks (8.4).

Sign and encrypt signatures and content with additional algorithms

You can now authenticate using JSON Web Token (JWT) token profiles to symmetrically and asymmetrically encrypt both signatures and content. All algorithms in the Nimbus JWT library are supported, including nested tokens. Custom key identifier headers (kid) are also supported. Use token profiles to securely propagate identities and transfer data between systems.

For more information, see Creating a processing JSON Web token profile.

For more information, see Creating a generation JSON Web token profile.

Use repositories as sources for File data sets

You can configure remote repositories, such as Amazon S3 or JFrog Artifactory, or a local repository, as data sources for File data sets. By referencing an external repository from a File data set, you enable a parallel load from multiple CSV or JSON files, which removes the need for a relational database for transferring data to Pega Platform™ in the cloud.

For more information, see Creating a File data set record for files on repositories and Configuring a remote repository as a source for a File data set.

Define a taxonomy by using the Prediction Studio interface

Create a topic hierarchy and define keywords for each topic in Prediction Studio faster and more intuitively than by editing a CSV file. If you have already defined a taxonomy in a CSV file, you can import that file and modify existing topics and keywords by using the Prediction Studio interface.

For more information, see Creating-keyword-based topics for discovering keywords and Tutorial: Configuring a topic detection model for discovering keywords.