Published Release Notes

Improved Back button support in custom mobile apps for Android

In a custom mobile app for Android, you can press the Back hardware button to go back, instead of exiting the app. Custom mobile apps now function in the same way as native Android apps. For example, you can close a dialog box, dismiss an overlay, or collapse an expanded section by pressing the Back hardware button. On the home screen, pressing the Back hardware button displays a confirmation message before you can exit the app.

New data tables are non-Pega formatted

All new data tables are created as non-Pega formatted tables, that is, they do not contain a BLOB column, a pzInsKey column, or a pxObjClass column. The table's primary key will be the key that you specify, not pzInsKey. Data table construction was changed to improve performance of the Obj-Save method during batch operations, such as data imports, to make it easier to replace the table with an external system of record and to make it easier to share data among applications.

View status of custom search indexes

Custom search indexes are special purpose indexes that are created and managed outside of Pega Platform™. You can view the status of custom search indexes on the Search landing page to see whether they are complete. This information is useful for troubleshooting and can help you determine whether to rebuild the index.

For more information, see Checking search index status.

Browser unresponsive when logging in to Designer Studio

The What's new in 7.4 widget on the Designer Studio home page uses WebGL to render its background animation. If your browser is running on a virtual machine without hardware acceleration, your browser might become unresponsive because of this widget. Click the Hide this until next release button to remove the widget. At your next login, the widget will not be displayed.

Job Scheduler and Queue Processor rules replace agents

The Job Scheduler rule and the Queue Processor rule replace agents and improve background processing. The Job Scheduler rule is used for recurring or scheduled tasks, such as sending summary emails on weekdays. This rule can be run on all nodes or on specific node types according to your customized pattern. The Queue Processor rule is used for tasks with no recurrence-based pattern. It provides scalability and capability for immediate or delayed message processing, such as submitting status changes to an external system. You can use a standard queue processor or a dedicated queue processor, depending on your processing needs.

Pega Platform™ provides a set of default queue processors and job schedulers. Corresponding agents are no longer available.

For more information about Job Scheduler and Queue Processor rules, see Job Scheduler, Replacing an agent with a Job Scheduler rule, Queue Processor, Replacing an agent with a Queue Processor rule.

Improve application test coverage by running multiple sessions

You can improve the test coverage of your application by using a new test coverage method - Application Coverage. Multiple users can perform coverage sessions which are aggregated into a single report. By using report metrics that show the number of rules that are covered and are not covered by tests, developers can identify which areas of the application need more test coverage.

For more information, see the Test Coverage landing page.

Security fields in JFrog Artifactory repository rule form removed

The fields in the Security section of the JFrog Artifactory repository rule form, including the Secure protocol field, the Truststore field, and the Keystore field, were not functional in Pega Platform™ 7.3, 7.3.1, and 7.4. This section has been removed from the JFrog Artifactory repository rule form in Pega Platform 8.1.

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.

Applications not working as expected when using fast processing for Connect REST and Service REST integration

In Pega^® Platform 7.3.1, the Use fast processing option on Connect REST and Service REST rule forms did not work. The functionality has been fixed for Pega 7.4; however, some data model guidelines must be followed. If you use this option in Pega 7.3.1, and you did not follow the guidelines, your application might not work as expected after upgrading. Use the following data model guidelines when using fast processing:

• The JSON property names and the clipboard property names must match.
• The JSON tree structure and the clipboard tree structure must be similar.
• The scalar arrays in JSON must be mapped to the clipboard as page lists.
• Multi-dimensional arrays must be mapped into page lists of page lists with the same embedded property names.

In addition, page groups, value groups, and Java objects are not supported by fast processing.