Published Release Notes

New rule type: External Data Flow

You can now create External Data Flow rules on the Pega 7 Platform. By using this rule type, you run predictive models outside of the Pega 7 Platform and directly in the external Hadoop data set infrastructure. Processing large amounts of data on an external infrastructure improves overall performance on the Pega 7 Platform by reducing data transfer between the Hadoop cluster and the platform.

For more information, see Big Data enhancements in decision management.

REST APIs for cache management and requestor pools management

You can manage various caches in Pega^® Platform, for example, the clean cache or the repopulate cache, or you can get cache statistics for the authenticated user by using the new Caches REST APIs. You can manage requestor pools, for example, clear a requestor pool, by using the new Pools REST APIs. These APIs allow external systems to consume and manage Pega resources.

The new REST APIs are for Conclusions Cache, Declarative Page Cache, Declarative Rules Cache, Rule Cache, Application-Based Assembly (ABA) Cache, and Requestor Pool Management.

For more information, see Pega API for Pega Platform 7.4 and Pega API.

REST APIs for VTable cache management and quiesce operations

You can access, control, and manage in-memory VTable in cache for a specific rule class and instance name by using new Nodes REST APIs. You can reassemble and reload rules across the cluster and obtain cache entries for a specific node in the cluster. You can also start and cancel the quiesce process on any node in the cluster by using either immediate drain or slow drain.

For more information, see Pega API for Pega Platform 7.4 and Pega API.

Support for hotfix file verification

Pega Platform hotfix files are now digitally signed so that they can be verified and authenticated. If your Pega Platform™ instance allows outbound URL connections, hotfix files are verified automatically during installation. If your Pega Platform instance does not allow outbound URL connections, you can verify the files manually by using third-party tools. Alternatively, if your Pega Platform instance does not allow outbound URL connections and you do not use third-party tools to verify hotfix files, you can import a certificate revocation list (CRL) for Pega Platform to use when checking the files to see if they have been revoked. 

For more information, see Verifying the authenticity of hotfix files. 

Changes in JSON results when checking the health of your system

Beginning with Pega Platform™ 8.2, the JSON results that are returned when you ping a Pega Platform instance have changed. JSON results now include node type and health information, including test name, status, state, and node ID. The following samples show JSON results from versions before 8.2 and as of 8.2.

JSON results for pre-Pega Platform 8.2:

{ "duration":"3954.448601", "count":"0" }

JSON results for Pega Platform 8.2 and later:

{"node_type":["WebUser"],"health":[{"last_reported_time":"2019-02-14T16:10:49.589Z","test_name":"Sample-Stream-Check","status":"success"}],"state":"healthy","node_id":"10.10.10_samplenode"}.

No support for Android versions earlier than 4.4 on mobile devices

Pega^® Platform dynamic layouts by default now use Flexbox-based rendering. As a result, mobile devices running on Android versions earlier than 4.4 are not supported in Pega Platform. Such devices cannot render correctly with Flexbox because the Pega Mobile Client includes the default stock browser on the Android operating system.

Debugging data synchronization issues with offline-enabled applications

If an offline-enabled mobile application that originates from the Pega 7 Platform fails to synchronize data after reconnecting to the server, the Pega 7 Platform generates a PEGA0066 alert. The alert includes detailed information about the failure, such as the activity that preceded the event, entries collected from the native application, and entries from the JavaScript part of the Pega 7 Platform application. The administrator can use the alert and device logs to facilitate error analysis and debugging without having to access the failing device.

For more information, see Understanding the PEGA0066 alert - Mobile App Data-Sync Failure.

REST API now fetches the latest version of Application Quality metrics

When you request Application Quality metrics by using the REST service, the service requests a refresh of the metrics. This means that you always get the latest version of the metrics and can decide whether your application is ready for deployment based on that information.

For more information, see Pega API.

DocuSign integration

You can now integrate DocuSign with your Pega 7 Platform application to collect digital signatures during case processing. You can make a signature request to DocuSign by adding the Send via DocuSign smart shape to your flow. You can customize your request by overriding the data transforms that are used to make a successful signature request to DocuSign.

For more information, see Integrating DocuSign with the Pega Platform.

Support for the Unified Messaging channel

You can now create a Unified Messaging channel so that users can interact with a Pega Platform™ application by chatting in Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant™ (IVA), for example, through Apple Business Chat, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, or a web chat window. The Unified Messaging channel is quick to develop and uses an integrated customer service platform to provide a completely new user experience. You can optionally also integrate a Unified Messaging channel with the Pega Unified Messaging Desktop™ customer service agent solution.

For more information, see Develop an IVA channel to chat across multiple social messaging platforms, Unified Messaging channel overview, and Creating a Unified Messaging channel.