Published Release Notes

New location for case-type settings

The configuration options for case-type settings have been moved from the property panel to the Settings tab in Case Designer. This change separates behavioral settings from life-cycle settings so that you can stay focused as you design your case types.

For more information, see Configuring case-type behavior.

Create SAP integration of IDoc type

You can now create data sources in your application based on IDoc XSD documents by using the New SAP Integration wizard. The system generates data and integration layer records that are required to use the data sources.

For more information, see SAP integration by using IDoc XSD documents.

Current parameter page can now be passed into activities, collections, and data transforms

In collection rules, you can now pass the current parameter page into an activity, data transform, or another collection when you call the activity, data transform, or collection from either a primary or a response action instead of setting up parameters before you call one of these types of rules. The Pass current parameter page check box is now supported on the Collection rule form.

For more information, see Rules and methods supported by a collection.

Mobile user interface updates

Several improvements have been made to the mobile-related user interface of the Pega 7 Platform. The content of the Mobile tab on the Application rule form has been redesigned. The Offline Configuration and Mobile Certificates landing pages are now available. The Signature Capture control has improved. Post-processing can now occur after the signature has been captured. You can auto-submit with the form submit. You can apply the signature to a page instead of applying it as an attachment to the case. The clear action completely removes the signature from the work object, keeping only the latest iteration of the signature. Touch interactions have been significantly improved. Response time is faster and there is better feedback on the touch action.

Free Text Model rule form enhancements

Enhancements to the Free Text Model rule in DSM expand the text analysis functionality. On the Select Analysis tab, you can include text analysis models in the sentiment or classification analysis. This option enables the combination of rule-based and machine-based learning approaches in text analysis and provides more accurate and reliable results. On the new Advanced tab, you can configure language detection settings, enable spell checking, set the score range for the neutral sentiment, and control the text categorization settings based on various criteria.

For more information, see Text analytics enhancements.

Stage-based revision and change request management enhancements

The revision and change request processes are based on the case management capabilities provided by the Pega 7 Platform. The customizable flows that controlled the behavior of the revision and change request management (pyManageRevision, pyManageChangeSet, pyApproveChangeSet, and pyDirectDeployment) are now part of the Revision and Change Request case types that govern the behavior of revision management. The change from flow-based to stage-based revision management makes the process more transparent and easier to modify.

For more information, see Stage-based revision and change request management.

New dynamic setting to manage validation of hidden fields

Pega Platform™ version 8.6.4 introduces a new DSS setting for Theme Cosmos and other section-based applications. The validateHiddenField setting controls whether the application validates fields that you hide through visibility rules. By default, validateHiddenField is set to true, which means that the application fields are validated for completeness even if they are not displayed in the form. You can also switch off this functionality by changing the setting value to false. 

For more information, see Managing field validation in hidden sections.

Database

Improvements to data handling were made for search indexing, agent processing, and filtering.  Scripts were provided for proper population of the database tables.

• Importing data from shared obj-external tables is now supported.
• A validation warning will now display when an unexposed property is used in filter or join conditions.
• A Global Search index may now be created across two databases.
• Agent processing on multiple nodes has been improved.
• Improvements were made to controls in Report Definition pages which are used in a dynamic grid.
• Filtering functionality involving special characters has been enhanced.
• Scripts have been provided to populate the RuleSetVersion Major, Minor, and Patch columns.

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.

Responsive layout groups and grids

The Responsive UI was introduced in Version 7.1, and has now been enhanced in two areas, to create an entirely responsive UI.

PRPC 7.1.4 introduces the Layout Group control, which can render its contents as “tabs,” “accordions,” or as a “menu.”  The rendering choice is driven through the presentation layout (the skin), which presents the information responsively:  a “tab” at a certain breakpoint can turn into an “accordion” or a dropdown-style menu, depending upon what format would be most appropriate for the device/screen size being used.

The grid functionality has also been enhanced, so that grids may be displayed on a tablet or a phone without the need for horizontal scrolling, offering the optimum experience on a mobile device.  A PRPC Grid Layout now supports responsive breakpoints in the skin definition in which columns can drop off or be consolidated according to screen size.

Designers will be able to mark columns in the grid by importance, and at the first breakpoint, the columns marked as “less important” will be dropped off first.  At the second breakpoint, the grid turns into a “fat list,” with the most important column displaying as a heading for each item in the “fat list.”  Styling options can be associated with these breakpoints.