Upgrades

Contents

General Information

Next Upgrade Date

The next upgrade is scheduled for July 20 2023.

Upgrade Schedule

Upgrade	Key Release Date	Global Release Date
November 2024	Thu, Nov 14 2024	Thu, Nov 28 2024
February 2025	Thu, Feb 13 2025	Thu, Feb 27 2025
June 2025	Thu, Jun 12 2025	Thu, Jun 26 2025
October 2025	Thu, Oct 9 2025	Thu, Oct 23 2025
February 2026	Thu, Feb 12 2026	Thu, Feb 26 2026
June 2026	Thu, Jun 11 2026	Thu, Jun 25 2026
October 2026	Thu, Oct 8 2026	Thu, Oct 22 2026

We regularly update the list of upgrade features and schedule for both the backup and production environments on this Wiki page.

This page will provide a general overview of each upgrade, with links to the Wiki articles describing the new or updated features and how to use them.

System Upgrade Process

The objective of the System Upgrade Process is to ensure that customers have a chance to review, without compromising the integrity of their production system, how their applications and information will work following the upgrade. In order to take advantage of this you will need to know how to access your backup instance of SmartSimple. If you need assistance with this either refer to the Backup Server and Testing Instances Wiki article, or contact the SmartSimple support desk.

For clients on a Private Cloud environment, please review the SmartSimple Upgrade Process – Dedicated Server page.

Upgrade Schedule Details

The following tables outline the detailed upgrade release cycle.

If you are part of our Key Release your SmartSimple Cloud system will be automatically upgraded according to the following schedule. Generally North American Clients are on the Key release.

Hosting	Environment	Date	Maintenance Window	Typical Downtime
Key Release	Production	Second Thursday of an upgrade month	22:00 - 23:59 EST	5 minutes
Key Release	Backup	Two weeks prior to the production upgrade	22:00 - 23:59 EST	5 minutes

If you are part of our Global Release your SmartSimple Cloud system will be automatically upgraded according to the following schedule. Generally clients in Europe, Middle East and Asia as well as Managed Dedicated clients are on the Global release.

Hosting	Environment	Date	Maintenance Window	Typical Downtime
Global Release	Production	Fourth Thursday of an upgrade month	22:00 - 23:59 local time	5 minutes
Global Release	Development/Test	Fourth Thursday of an upgrade month	22:00 - 23:59 local time	5 minutes
Global Release	Backup	Second Thursday of an upgrade month	22:00 - 23:59 local time	5 minutes

If you are on dedicated environment that is client-managed your SmartSimple Cloud system is only upgraded manually by your system administrator or by submitting a request to SmartSimple. The upgrade package is made available for you according to the following schedule.

Hosting	Environment	Date	Maintenance Window	Typical Downtime
Global Release	All	Fourth Thursday of an upgrade month	client-managed	5 minutes

Backup Environment Update

• Each backup environment will be updated to the "release candidate" prior to the upgrade date.
• This update will provide for instance specific testing of release candidate, as you can log into your respective backup environment and test the changes against your most current data and configuration.
• Internal staff will also be using these environments to perform instance specific testing.

Update Go/No-Go

• Subject to satisfactory testing on both the pre-production environments and the backup environments, the Go/No-Go decision will be made on the Wednesday prior to an upgrade release.

Upgrade Feedback and Questions

If you have questions or need assistance or want to share your thoughts on the upgrade contact our support team toll-free at 866.239.0991 or email support@smartsimple.com

Previous Upgrades

See the Previous Upgrades page for a list of previously-implemented upgrade features.

Current Upgrade Package

General Details

Upgrade Dates

Public Cloud Production release date: March 9 2023
Public Cloud Backup release date: February 23 2023

Private Cloud Production (Managed Upgrades) release date: March 23 2023
Private Cloud Backup (Managed Upgrades) release date: March 9 2023

Overview

Watch this video to get a general overview of the new features in this release.

To watch this video in full screen, please click on the full screen button on the bottom right.

Global System Upgrades

The new features listed below are enhancements to the SmartSimple system and will be immediately available to SmartSimple users upon the application of the upgrade to their server:

Major Updates

Multi-Factor Authentication Enabled by Default

Main Article: Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) using verification codes sent by email will be enabled for all systems to improve security. If you have already enabled MFA in your SmartSimple Cloud system and have assigned roles to a single-use verification code sent by email, this enhancement will NOT change your existing settings. You may change your MFA preferences after the upgrade but we recommend you adjust your settings prior to the upgrade. If you did not set up MFA prior to the upgrade, the 'Everyone' role will be added to the setting called Roles with Verification Code via SMS and Email.

The MFA setting above will be updated to "Everyone" if this Role setting is empty.

Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) settings will NOT be affected. In addition, the setting Enable Trusted Device will also be toggled on by default. This allows users to choose whether they want the system to remember their device the next time they log in. Remembered devices can also be set to expire after a specific number of days by using the Expire Devices After setting. Note: Backup environments will be allowed to send out MFA emails. If your backup environment is not sending out emails, check to see if you have set up a default email address. To do this, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Communications tab > Email Options and Security > Toggle on Enable Default From Address. In the From Address field, you would typically enter something like donotreply@smartsimplemailer.com. If this field is empty, as part of this upgrade, we will be populating it with the email address used for new users (located at Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security tab > Password and Activation Policies > Activation Emails tab > From Address).

If you are using an SMTP relay and/or have a dedicated instance, make sure you have set up a default email address that matches your domain. Additionally, if you are using the SMTP relay with an IP restriction for sending emails, ensure the IP of your environments is in your IP list (backup, testing, production). If you need to help with identifying the IPs of your environments or have questions, reach out to our support team.

If you are using Single Sign-On (SSO), you may opt to bypass MFA by going to Global Settings > Integrations tab > Single Sign-On > Edit a configuration > Under the "Authentication" section, toggle on Bypass Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) when logging in with Single Sign-On (SSO).

Minor Updates

Enhancements to System Security Summary

Added the ability to create notes on items flagged as potential problems in the System Security Summary. For example, a note can be added to explain why an item has been flagged and when or how it will be fixed in the future. Only the last note is displayed in the list, but you can see the full note history inside the notes modal window when you add a note. To see this feature, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > System tab > System Security Summary > Click the Add Notes icon button located to the right of each flagged item. In addition, another tab was added to the System Security Summary and the System Summary called Global Administrators which lists all the Global Administrators in the system. We highly recommend you review the list of Global Administrators that have user access in your system regularly and remove access as needed.

Add an explanatory note to items flagged in the System Summary.

Easily see who has Global Administrator access and regularly review this list to remove access as needed.

Added Reference Search to Reports

Added the ability to check to see if a report has been referenced via a URL or used in ReportProperty syntax. Specifically the following is checked: Custom Fields, Template/Role Formulas, Submit Buttons, SmartCheck validations, Workflows, Shortcuts, Portals. To see this feature, go to Menu Icon > Reports > Edit a report > Click the Search Reference icon button in the action bar.

Easily identify some areas where a report is in use.

Added Primary Contact to Group Emails

Added the ability to easily send a group email to the primary contact from a Level 1, 2, or 3 list view. The primary contact when selected from Level 2 or Level 3, refers to the primary contact associated with the L2 or L3's root L1 record Branch standard field.

Easily send a group email to the primary contact from a Level 1, 2, or 3 list view.

Added New Address Type Standard Field

Added ability to control the edit permission of the address type dropdown when using the multiple address feature through a new standard field. To use this feature, go to Global Settings > Users or Organizations tab > Address Types > Edit an address type > Click the Standard Field tab in the left navigation > Edit the Address Type standard field > Permissions & Availability tab. This controls which users or organizations can change the Address Type dropdown in the address book.

Updated Autoloader Send Email Notification Options

The email notification options within the Autoloader process have been updated. We also added the ability to send a notification email to the user who initiated the autoloader once the process is complete, regardless of success or failure. To see these revised settings, go to Menu Icon > Autoloaders > Edit an autoloader > Process tab > New settings are under the Send Email Notification section.

Note: The Email To field accepts a comma separated list of email addresses.

Updated email notification settings for the Autoloader.

Updated Inputs to be Search and Select

Converted several dropdowns within the autoloader and report configuration pages to be search and select type inputs. The search and select type inputs make it easier to find and select desired values. To see this feature, go to Menu Icon > Autoloaders > Edit an autoloader > File Layout tab. When a field dropdown is selected, there is now a search box to find the field you are looking for.

A search and select has been added to the dropdown within the autoloader and report configuration pages.

Added Check for Duplicate Invitations

Added additional check for invitations to warn users if they attempt to send out a duplicate invitation.

Added Notification for Account Email Address Changes

Added a new notification sent to users when they change their email in the system for security purposes.

On-Demand System Upgrades

The following features are available immediately with the application of the upgrade, but must first be enabled or configured by a Global Administrator:

Major Updates

Updated File Uploader Interface

Introducing a new file uploader (Beta). Enable the new file uploader and let us know your thoughts. To enable this setting, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Branding tab > Toggle on Enable New File Uploader (Beta).

The new interface of the file uploader will show the upload progress of selected files.

Minor Updates

Added Ability to Batch Update User Roles and Organization Categories

Added ability to batch add roles to multiple users and add categories to multiple organizations. To see this feature, go to Menu Icon > People or Organizations > Select the desired users/organizations > Click the Batch Update button > Select the Roles or Categories option from the left-hand menu > Select the desired roles/categories you want to add.

Easily add a Role/Category to multiple users/organizations using batch update.

Note: You can only add roles and categories and not remove roles and categories. You will also not be able to add roles flagged as internal to external users and vice versa.

Updated Hashtag Library Availability

Added role-based permission to allow users to access the hashtag library from the menu. To give role access to the hashtag library, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security tab > System Feature Summary > Menu tab > Add desired roles to Hashtag Library – Menu Access. Roles added to this setting will see a link to the hashtag library under the Tools section of the main menu and have access to the library.

New role-based access to the Hashtag Library. Users with permission may access the Hashtag Library using a link under the menu icon.

Notes for Admins

Added Support for AI Integration

Added ability for users to add their own API Integration key for a third-party AI integration. There is a cost associated with this feature and we will be sharing more information in the near future. To prepare for future enhancements regarding this feature, a Help section has been added to the Variable Syntax Checker found under Tools > Configuration Mode.

Added SmartField Configurations to System Performance Summary

Added additional checks to the System Performance Summary to flag SmartFields that have been configured to reference fields that have SmartFields syntax within a list syntax.

Updated Logos on External Pages

Updated the size of logos in the headers of external pages to have a maximum height of 56px.

Updated API Page Response Codes

An HTTP 429 response code will be shown when the API call limit is reached.

Updated SmartCheck Validation

Updated the error dialog in Smartcheck Validation under the source tab to improve error messaging. Read our SmartCheck Validation examples section for some sample validation statements.

Deprecated Setting for Menu Icon Header Font

Deprecated the Menu Icon Header Font setting which was never supported in the current header.

Password Reset Emails on Non-Production Environments

In addition to MFA emails being sent from non-production environments, password reset emails will also be sent from non-production environments. If you wish to add role restrictions for access to your backup environment, the setting is located at Menu icon > Global Settings > Security tab > System Feature Permissions > Feature tab > Restrict Login to Backup Environment to these Roles. When testing MFA and password reset emails on non-production environments, always use a test user and test email.

Service Packs

June 8th 2023 (202306.01)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the Special - MSWord Merge custom field where some data was not displaying properly if exported from a list view.

• Fixed an issue with the List View – Mixed Record Type portal section where sorting by the Type column was ordering the rows by the type name rather than the caption.

• Fixed an issue with the list view search where the results were not returning exact matches if predefined options were used.

• Fixed an issue where new workflow tasks could not be added if the From Address contained many SSlogic conditions.

• Fixed an issue where the language switcher did not appear on the upper right-hand corner for signup pages using a verification service.

Other Changes

• Updated the Gort Automation process. In the case of a process error, the process lock will be automatically removed to allow the process to run again without the need for manual intervention. Also, a new maximum limit of 2 hours has been set for the runtime length of any single Gort process to improve the recovery time from processes that did not terminate correctly. This limit does not apply to the autoloader.
  Note: The maximum limit can be adjusted for clients subscribed to the Private Cloud offering by submitting a request to our Support team.

• Updated the rich text editor.

• Updated various areas of the system for improved security.

May 18th 2023 (202305.02)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the copy feature not working correctly after T2P under specific conditions.

• Fixed an issue with list view export where negative numbers were being converted to text fields rather than number fields in Excel.

Other Changes

• Updated the request timeout limit from 30 seconds to 90 seconds for sending SOAP request to external APIs.

• Updated translations for English (UK) and Spanish.

May 11th 2023 (202305.01)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue affecting clients using T2P that caused scheduled reports to run outside of schedule.

• Fixed an issue where scheduled reports were not being displayed under the Scheduled Exports tab if the report was using the classic scheduler.

• Fixed an issue where the Global Administrators tab was not displaying on the System Security Summary page under certain conditions.

Other Changes

• Added the ability to generate user tokens to be used for bearer authentication in SmartConnect API authorization. To view this feature, go to Global Settings > Integrations tab > SmartConnect API > API Users tab > Edit a user account.

• Added a limit to the image dimensions when rendering PDFs. If an image in a PDF exceeds approximately 50 megapixels (which is over twice the resolution of 4K Ultra HD), it will not be rendered and a message will be displayed in the PDF. Uploading images scanned at 150 or 300 DPI is recommended.

• Added the ability to instantly push and unpack records using the new Data Exchange (DEX3).

• Updated the cookies policy translations for Spanish, Portuguese, French (Canada), Danish, Gaelic, Catalan, and Japanese.

• Deprecated the Janus Machine Learning feature.

April 20th 2023 (202304.02)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with HTML tags displaying in custom field captions.

• Fixed an issue with email broadcast previews not rendering as expected. For security reasons, the email broadcast preview screen will now contain a link to open emails containing HTML in a new window.

• Fixed an issue where the workflow initiator was receiving emails under specific conditions.

• Fixed an issue with user accounts not having access to the Organization Hierarchy page. This issue occurred when the user’s organization was flagged as container.

Other Changes

• Updated the default From Address behavior. If the default From Address is empty or cleared, the system will compile the From Address from the instance email domain settings if SMTP relay is configured. Otherwise, the system will set the default from address to donotreply@smartsimplemailer.com. The default from address can be found by going to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Communications > Email Options and Security > Toggle on Enable Default From Address.

April 13th 2023 (202304.01)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where opening an Level 2 event on a calendar would return a permission error under specific conditions.

• Fixed an issue where annotations were locked if a status had a status trigger attached to it.

• Fixed an issue with the autoloader throwing a file extension error for decrypted files.

• Fixed an issue where users were temporarily unable to download files from SmartFolders or access email broadcasts after a password reset.

Other

• Added variable syntax support for @state.name@ and @province.name@ which will return the full name of the state/province instead of the abbreviation. Also added support for the @rolecaption@ variable within invitation templates which will return the role caption instead of the role name.

• Added ability to edit the sender email address used to send mail on behalf of the default From Address. To see this feature, go to Global Settings > Communications tab > Email Options and Security > Toggle on Enable Send Email On Behalf Of > Edit the address in the On Behalf Of Email field.

• Updated Message Queue to include emails sent containing autoloader logs.

• Updated charts so that the average value displayed is rounded to two decimal places for improved readability.

• Updated the word counts on text fields to exclude guillemets ( « » ). These double chevrons are used as quotation marks in a number of languages and are therefore no longer counted as words.

• Updated Spanish translations.

• Updated various system areas for improved security.

March 30th 2023 (202303.05)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the open button on Level 2 contact association list views.

• Fixed an issue with API queries for validation on a set criteria.

March 23rd 2023 (202303.04)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with portal report charts not displaying if they had a negative value.

• Fixed an issue with invitations to improve performance when there are many invitation records.

Other

• Updated the word parsing feature found on the Upload - Single File Storage and Upload – Multiple File Storage fields to be able to parse an entire text document and store it in a single field. To use this feature, go to the configuration settings for the desired field and toggle on Enable Word Parsing. Inside the Field Mappings input, enter [fieldname]=documnettext; where fieldname is the name of the field where you want to store the text to. Additionally, if you only wish to parse the document body text without any header or footer information, enter [fieldname]=documentbody; instead.

• Updated the permissions for the sub-company tab in the left navigation of the organization record so that the tab will only appear to users if the company contains sub-companies and if the user has at least a view permission for the sub-companies.

March 16th 2023 (202303.03)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the Pronouns standard field was not displaying on user signup pages.

• Fixed an issue with the button that opens the record in a modal window on Level 2 Provider list view on the Level 1 record.

Other

• Updated behavior of the variable processor when processing custom fields to optimize efficiency.

• Updated workflow emails to allow support for activation link syntax.

• Updated API for conditional versioning support on Universal Tracking Applications.

• Updated translations for French (Canada), Spanish, and Catalan.

March 10th 2023 (202303.02)

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with emails not being sent from the record.