Published Release Notes

Data flow runs retry connections that fail

Real-time and batch data flow runs now retry dataset connections that fail when the related service is temporarily unavailable, for example, when a connection to a Cassandra database times out. With the automatic retries, you no longer need to run data-heavy and CPU-intensive jobs multiple times and the maintenance of data flow runs diminishes significantly.

For more information about accessing event details, see Creating a real-time run for data flows and Creating a batch run for data flows.

Failed Robotic Assignments work queue type changed to Standard

The default Failed Robotic Assignments work queue type is now Standard. In previous releases, the default type was Robotic. For usage information, see Configuring a work queue for robotic automation.

Upgrade impact

After upgrading to Pega Platform 8.5 and later, you cannot save case types in which you configure the Queue for robot smart shape to route new assignments to the Failed Robotic Assignments work queue. Existing assignments that you routed to the Failed Robotic Assignments work queue are not affected.

How do I update my application to be compatible with this change?

As a best practice, do not use the Failed Robotic Assignments work queue in your custom implementations. Instead, configure the Queue for robot smart shape to route new assignments to a Robotic work queue. When possible, update existing case types to use the robotic work queues that you created in your application.

Support for the WebChat conversational user channel

You can now embed standard chat capability on any website by creating the WebChat channel interface as the Pega^® Intelligent Virtual Assistant. Users can communicate with a Pega Platform application, for example, to open a case to report a problem or to display a menu of commands to ask for assistance. The WebChat channel does not require any additional accounts or third-party installations, and you have full control over the end-to-end communication.

For more information, see Configuring the WebChat channel.

Label changes for text analytic models

The classification analysis label has changed to topic detection and the entity extraction label has changed to text extraction. Also, the sentiment analysis, topic detection, and intent detection labels are now located under Text Categorization in the Analytics Center. These name changes reflect industry standards and provide a clearer distinction between different types of text analytics models in Pega^® Platform.

For more information, see Text analytics models.

CRM core data types included in Pega Platform

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) core data types are now included with Pega^® Platform, making it easier to bring your data into your Pega application. You can either import your data into the data tables for the CRM data types or use integration to communicate with your own system of record. The database tables for these data types are non-Pega formatted, which gives you better performance and more control over your data.

For information about the database tables, see CRM data types in Pega Platform.

More display options for charts

Display properties have been expanded for charts that you add to a report harness or section. In addition to setting general display properties, you can set visibility and color options, control hover highlight behavior for data points and legends, and define more presentation options for grids and tooltips. The additional presentation options enhance your chart design and provide a way for you to effectively highlight important data.

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

Savable data pages support loading pages individually from a page list

You can now load individual pages in a page list from single object data pages to your case and data types. This functionality allows you to save autopopulated properties with the Load each page individually option using a flow action, save data page smart shape, or the activity method.

For more information, see Saving data in a data page as part of a flow.

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.

Improved experience when building an IVA and Email Bot in App Studio

Build your Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant™ (IVA) and Pega Email Bot™ while working only in App Studio. This approach makes the design process easier and more intuitive, and saves you time. You can now modify the advanced text analyzer configuration while working in App Studio. In addition, if you have access to Dev Studio, you can edit the text analyzer rule from App Studio for your chatbot or email bot by clicking a link to open the settings in Dev Studio.

For more information, see Adding a text analyzer for an email bot and Adding a text analyzer for an IVA.

Pega Mobile Preview app

You can now use Pega Mobile Preview to access multiple mobile channels and preview your Pega Platform™ application, for example, to verify that it is displayed correctly and operates as intended. Pega Mobile Preview is a native application that runs on Android and iOS devices. Compared with Pega Mobile Express, it enables switching between mobile channels and supports enhanced layout configuration options.

You can download Pega Mobile Preview from the Apple App Store or from Google Play.

For more information, see Pega Mobile Express and Pega Mobile Preview.