Difference between revisions of "Upgrades"

From SmartWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
m
(2 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
==General Details==
+
=General Information=
===Upgrade Dates===
+
==Next Upgrade Date==
Public Cloud Production release date: '''March 11 2021'''<br />
+
The next upgrade is scheduled for '''{{CurrentUpgradeDate}}'''.
Public Cloud Backup release date: '''February 23 2021'''
 
  
Private Cloud Production (Managed Upgrades) release date: '''March 25 2021'''<br />
+
==Upgrade Schedule==
Private Cloud Backup (Managed Upgrades) release date: '''March 11 2021'''
+
{{Upgrade Schedule}}
  
==Overview==
+
We regularly update the list of upgrade features and schedule for both the backup and production environments on this Wiki page.
Watch this video to get a general overview of the new features in this release.
 
  
{{#ev:youtube|kkBhkJx3ZoU}}
+
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. <!--You can also [https://smart.smartsimple.com/s_signup.jsp?token=XVtQC1oGZ11ZQxRbXxdSQUlTZlN9 subscribe] to the [[:Category:Newsletter Archives|Technical Journal]] that is sent out prior to each upgrade on the [https://smart.smartsimple.com/s_signup.jsp?token=XVtQC1oGZ11ZQxRbXxdSQUlTZlN9 Newsletter Signup Page]. ([https://smart.smartsimple.com/s_signup.jsp?token=XVtQC1oGZ11ZQxRbXxdSQUlTZlJ0 Unsubscribe here]).-->
  
''To watch this video in full screen, please click on the '''full screen''' button on the bottom right.''
+
==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.
  
==Global System Upgrades==
+
For clients on a Private Cloud environment, please review the [[SmartSimple Upgrade Process – Dedicated Server]] page.
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===
+
===Upgrade Schedule Details===
====Removed Base API Key for Signority E-Signature Integration====
+
{{Upgrade Schedule Details}}
Deprecated the default system API key that is used for Signority e-signature integration services when no authentication credentials are configured. Going forward, in order to use the Signority e-signature integration, you will need to engage our partner vendor Signority in order to obtain a license and API key for use in your SmartSimple Platform3 instance. Clients currently leveraging our Signority integration would have already been contacted by a SmartSimple account manager to coordinate this transition, but if you currently have an integration with Signority enabled but have not transitioned to your own license key, please contact our support team for assistance with this. The Online Signature Provider setting can be found at '''Menu''' Icon > '''Global Settings''' > '''Integrations''' tab.
 
<!--107486 - Remove smartsimples Signority account credentials-->
 
  
====Deprecated Job Costing Application====
+
===Backup Environment Update===
Deprecated the legacy Job Costing application. In ages past, prior to the creation of the fully configurable Universal Tracking Application, several static Tracking Applications were created for out-of-the-box use. As these static Tracking Applications are now no longer in use, they are being removed from various configuration menus and settings pages. We do not anticipate any behaviour change to your system.
+
* Each [[Backup Server and Testing Instances|backup environment]] will be updated to the "release candidate" prior to the upgrade date.
<!--118184 - Can we remove Job Costing option from Menu-->
+
* This update will provide for instance specific testing of release candidate, as you can log into your respective [[Backup Server and Testing Instances|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.
  
====Deprecated Classic-style Calendar====
+
===Update Go/No-Go===
Deprecated of the Classic-style Calendar. Previously, we introduced an update to the Calendar interface to update it inline with the latest Arcadia styling and behaviour. We also introduced a setting within the '''Global Settings''' > '''Classic Options''' area to allow you to continue using the previous Classic-styled calendar. However, for maintenance reasons we'll be removing this Classic Calendar option and again update your system to use the latest Calendar interface. If the setting for Classic Calendar within the '''Global Settings''' > '''Classic Options''' area is not enabled in your instance, then this change will have no affect on your system.
+
* 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.
<!--120665 - Deprecate the classic calendar-->
 
  
====Deprecated IP Address and Workstation Based Login Restrictions====
+
==Upgrade Feedback and Questions==
Deprecated user login restrictions to restrict access based upon IP address, or local computer. These were two options found within the Roles and Access menu within each user account. They were older features that allowed you to restrict user access, one based upon the source IP address of a user's connection, and the other based upon a static cookie file stored on a user's local computer. These are now legacy features that no longer function with the highest security standards that the system can offer.
+
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
<!--121943 - Deprecate session options for IP restriction and workstation cookie-->
 
  
====Deprecated Personalized Alert Messages====
+
=Previous Upgrades=
Deprecated personalized alert messages. In an attempt to create more friendly, and personal system alerts and experience, we previously modified system alert messages for end users with an opening like "Hey John". Unfortunately, that wasn't quite well received by our entire audience, so we're removing that personal message from system alerts, and replacing it with simple symbols or generic "Alert" text where appropriate.
+
See the [[Previous Upgrades]] page for a list of previously-implemented upgrade features.
<!--120659 - Deprecate the Personalized Alert-->
 
  
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120659-1.png|thumb|none|800px|After the upgrade, alerts messages will be styled like the image on the right and will no longer say "Hey, first name".]]
+
=Current Upgrade Package=
 +
{{July2021Upgrade}}
  
====New Limitation to Max Number of Records Returned by SmartConnect API Call====
+
[[Category:Upgrades]]
New limit has been introduced to cap the number of records returned by a single SmartSimple API call to 10000 records. This limit has been introduced in order to improve the response speed of API calls. If the criteria of your API call matches more than 10000 records, you will need to leverage the pagination parameters in order to make multiple calls to page through the results and return the full data set.
 
<!--122236 - SmartConnect API need to apply limit of 10000 records-->
 
 
 
====Updated Interface for Association of Records====
 
Updated the interface and behaviour when searching and adding record associations to other records. This applies to areas such as Contact and Company associations to records, as well as the Special - Linked Record List custom field. An example of the affected area is the multiple contact and multiple company standard field lists within a UTA Level 1 record. The behaviour of adding contact or company record associations has been altered to allow you to perform multiple searches, and review all your selected records in comparison with the current list of contacts and companies before you attach them. A simple search and add function for contacts and companies has been added inline at the top of the list view as well. These changes will now make it faster and more intuitive for users to attach contacts or companies to records.
 
<!--120443 - Improved Add Assign Users Construct-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120443-1.png|thumb|none|800px|This '''Association Entry View''' pre-upgrade required opening a modal window.]]
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120443-2.png|thumb|none|800px|This '''Association Entry View''' post-upgrade allows you to add one or more contacts in different roles without the need to open a modal window.]]
 
 
 
====Enhanced Settings Screens for User Menu Permissions====
 
Enhanced and consolidated the settings screens for configuration of permissions to menus and features. The configuration of access to menus and features can be a little daunting and confusing with settings pages split across multiple areas. We're addressing this by first migrating the settings for menus and features that were previously found under '''Roles and Security''' > '''User Roles''' > '''Menu''', and consolidating them into the '''Roles and Security''' > '''System Feature Permissions''' screen. Secondly, while the default behaviour lists each setting and all the user roles that you have configured for each, we'll be introducing a new role-based entry mode. This role-based entry mode will instead allow you to specify all the feature permissions that you'd like to set per role much more easily in one shot.
 
<!--113278 - user role menu page move settings and remove page-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-113278-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Menu permissions can now be found under <strong>System Feature Permissions</strong> and can be viewed in feature-based or role-based entry modes.]]
 
 
 
====Extended Group Email Functionality for Associated Companies of UTA Records====
 
Extended Group Email function to be available for contacts within associated companies of a UTA Level 1 record. Previously, the Group Email function could only target contacts directly associated with the Level 1. Now, instead of having to connect contacts directly to the Level 1, you can email various contacts of the companies associated to the Level 1. The setting for this is located in the desired UTA > '''Configuration Settings''' > '''Security''' > '''Feature and Function Permissions''' > Level 1 item > '''Enable Group Email'''.
 
<!--41820 - Group Email In Company Section of UTA-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-41820-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Group email contacts of associated organizations.]]
 
 
 
====Enhanced Interface of Geomapping List Views====
 
Enhanced the interface and behaviour of list views with geo mapping enabled. The map frame will now dynamically re-size accordingly as you adjust the search radius of the search filter. Improved interaction between the list records and the map icons, selecting either will highlight the corresponding list record or map icon to better connect the two.
 
<!--117888 - proximity list view phase 3 ( map ) geocoding-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-117888-1.png|thumb|none|800px|When you search a list view based on proximity, the map will now zoom in and out based on your settings and items in the list will highlight if you select them on the map.]]
 
 
 
====Updated Interface for Question Set Builder Custom Fields====
 
Updated interface when setting up questions for a Special - Question Set Builder custom field. Previously, every question row listed formatting options such as number type, number precision, and currency. As these formatting options aren't always applicable to every field type, we've changed the default behaviour to instead now have these columns hidden, but provide you the option of showing these columns if you wish, as well as limit the available format options within. You can find this setting to control the format columns within the custom field configuration of a Special - Question Set Builder field.
 
<!--117008 - Limit Question Set Builder Options-->
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-117008-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Updates to the Question Set Builder Custom Field allow for more dynamic control over available columns and the options within.]]
 
 
 
====Updated Interface Styles of Checkbox and Radio Inputs====
 
Updated interface styling for checkbox and radio input elements and increased their size as well as updated styling for their state. This makes it easier for users to select these elements and to determine their current state.
 
<!--115604 - improved checkbox ui-->
 
 
 
====Updated Visibility of Older Log Data====
 
Updated visiblity of older log data to allow you to view log entries older than 2 years ago. In the November 2020 upgrade, we began moving log data older than 2 years ago into a separate archive location in the database. We've now linked these archive locations into the regular system screens, e.g. viewing field change history, where you will once again see these older log data seamlessly once again.
 
<!--121313 - Create archived database for old log entries to allow interface access to these archived logs-->
 
 
 
====Updated Interface of UTA Record Copy Action====
 
Updated the Copy UTA Level 1 or Level 2 action for simplified and improved user experience. The interim screen when you copy a record has been updated to hide options that are not available for the user to select copy behaviour for. A confirmation has been added whether you wish to remain on the current record that you're copying from, or whether you wish to navigate to the newly created record. Lastly, we've updated the behaviour when copying both a UTA Level 1 and its Level 2s to only create the records at the very end, instead of the current behaviour of creating the new Level 1, and then Level 2 as you step through the option screens.
 
<!--120439 - Improved Copy of Level 1s/2s-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120439-1.png|thumb|none|800px|A new alert will display when you copy records giving you the option to navigate to the new record or stay where you are.]]
 
 
 
===Minor Updates===
 
====Updated Chart-type Portal Sections with Ability to Open Records====
 
Updated chart-type sections within a portal to allow you to drill down, and open up individual records. This will now function similar to the table-type sections allowing you to navigate to and open individual records for review.
 
<!--50994 - portal section Chart improvements-->
 
 
 
====Updated Login Page to Include Language Selection When Not Explicitly Defined====
 
Updated the display of the login page to include a language selection when you have multiple login pages configured for multiple languages. While you may still navigate to the language specific login pages using the lang parameter in the URL, if the lang parameter is not specified, then a language selection will be presented to the end user on the login page. Upon logging in, the language selection from the login page will carry through the user's login session.
 
<!--114983 - Language preferences cleared with browser cache-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-114983-1.png|thumb|none|800px|The language dropdown on the login page when no default language is specified and when a language is specified. Note the parameter in the URL.]]
 
 
 
====Added Additional Aggregate Record Count to Activities within Contact and Company Profile====
 
Added the aggregate count of associated records within the left menu when viewing contact and company records. Some of the menu tabs representing activities, and UTA Level 2, and UTA Level 3 records associated to contact and company records did not have record counts displayed. These have been updated now to show you a count of these record types per contact or company.
 
<!--116930 - No count on profile for activities-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-116930-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Aggregate count for activities added in left navigation as seen on the user profile.]]
 
 
 
====Added Ability to Export Configuration Error Log====
 
Added support for export of Configuration Error Log results, as well as Autoloader Process logs. The output from these two areas may now be exported as a file and more easily reviewed by system administrators.
 
<!--115939 - Make Configuration Error Log Exportable-->
 
 
 
====Updated Search Reference Within Custom Field Configuration to Include Reports====
 
Updated the Search Reference function within a custom field to now also include reports where the custom field is included in. You can now determine if a field has been included within any reports.
 
<!--117253 - Search Reference for custom field - add Reports where field is used-->
 
 
 
====Added Ability to Disable List View Sticky Search Behaviour====
 
Added ability to disable the sticky search behaviour of list views. The default behaviour of list views to remember your last search, and display the results of your last search can now be disabled via your personal list view settings and disabling the "Remember Previous Search" option.
 
<!--117013 - Ability to prevent sticky search-->
 
 
 
==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===
 
====New Shopping Cart Feature====
 
New Shopping Cart feature allows for the tracking as well as processing of payments from users. When this feature is configured, it will allow users to process payments towards organizations, or UTA Level 1 records. This feature was designed with end user donation purposes in mind and will allow you to process payments directly via our integration with our partner Stripe, or through an integration with your own financial system by way of payroll deduction. Users may choose from one-time payments to multiple payment plans. For system administrators, this feature can be enabled in the Global Settings area through settings called Shopping Cart. You can define what system objects are available to for inclusion within an order, and multiple payment forms as well to specify different attributes for different methods of payment. For example, you can include a flat processing fee, and either choose to display or hide this from the user's order summary screen. For end users, when they navigate the records made available for payment towards, they will be presented an option to add to their shopping cart, from which they may check out when done.
 
<!--119405 - Shopping Cart - Payroll and Fees-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-119405-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Donating to an organization using the shopping cart.]]
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-119405-2.png|thumb|none|800px|Choosing payroll or credit card payment options on the shopping cart summary screen.]]
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-119405-3.png|thumb|none|800px|The confirmation screen for a recurring payroll donation in the shopping cart.]]
 
 
 
====Added Additional Themes and Templates Available to Portal Configuration====
 
Added additional themes and templates available for use in portal configurations. Three new themes are now available. Five new templates have been added for use within these new themes. These templates allow you to setup well-designed tailored portals in a snap for specific audiences and focus areas. 
 
<!--120769 - Portal Templates-->
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120769-1.png|thumb|none|800px|Three new themes (looks) were added for use in portals as well as a visual picker. Note that the "Default" theme has been renamed to "Traditional".]]
 
 
 
[[File:2021-03-ticket-120769-2.png|thumb|none|800px|Five new Templates (predefined layouts) were added for use in portals.]]
 
 
 
====New Integration with ORCID Research Database====
 
New integration with ORCID research and funding database. This allows you to integrate your SmartSimple platform with ORCID in order for users to pull down their ORCID profile into your SmartSimple platform, and also to push out funding data from the platform out to ORCID. Your organization will need to sign up for an API or integration key directly with ORCID, to be entered as an Integration Key in the platform. Additionally, individual users will need to each authenticate their user profile with ORCID and authorize the platform to access ORCID data in order to pull down or update their ORCID profile within the platform.
 
<!--114889 - Requirements for ORCID Certification-->
 
 
 
====New Ability to Generate Fillable PDF Forms for E-signature====
 
Added new ability to configure Web Page View custom fields with custom content that will include fillable forms on a system-generated PDF sent through an e-signature provider. Currently, this feature is only available for integrations with DocuSign.
 
<!--117380 - E-Signature Document With Fillable Form-->
 
 
 
====New Custom Field Type Special - Like Button Rating====
 
New custom field type called Special - Like Button Rating can be used to present a thumbs up and down rating. You can set the permissions and availability for this field just like any, and present your users with the ability to like or dislike a record.
 
<!--120767 - Enhancement - Like-->
 
 
 
====Updated Disbursement Creator Tool Now Available to Non-Admin Users====
 
Updated Disbursement Creator tool to be available for non-admin users. This feature may now be enabled for use by non-admin users via a role permission located in the allocation mapping settings. Enabling this for users will then display the Disbursement option within the Tools menu within a UTA Level 1 record.
 
<!--117490 - Role Permissions for Disbursements Creator Tool-->
 
 
 
====New Ability to Restrict Available Consumer Records for Provider Connection Based on Consumer Type and Status====
 
New ability to restrict the type and status of Consumer records that you can choose from the Provider UTA. Within the configuration of Consumer connection within the Provider UTA connectivity settings, you can now more granularly control the availability of which Provider records can be linked with which Consumer records by type and status combinations of both Provider and Consumer.
 
<!--117053 - Restrict Consumer Types-->
 
 
 
====New Import Templates Now Available to Non-Admin Users====
 
New Import Templates to allow you to configure import wizards for use by non-admin users. This functionality is available for use with UTA Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 type records. The configuration setting for this can be found within the UTA settings page -> respective level tab -> Import Templates. These templates allow you to create an import profile restricted to specific record types, statuses, and also the fields to import into. You may then permission the templates for use by user role. We've also extended the import wizard functionality to be available now for UTA Level 2, and Level 3 records as well. The interface and behaviour of the import wizard will now allow you to directly copy and paste content for upload in addition to file upload, as well as allow you to specify more options for column delimiter where only comma delimiters were accepted previously. The error detection and data validation has also been improved and will now alert you on any issues encountered at the end of the import. Lastly, you will be able to save your column mapping selection and reload these the next time you use the Import Template for a quicker import experience.
 
<!--120445 - Improved Importing level 1s-->
 
 
 
===Minor Updates===
 
====Extended Bulk File Download Function for use With Consumer Provider List Views====
 
Extended bulk file download functionality to be available for Consumer Provider list views. You may now configure Consumer Provider list views with the ability to download file uploads from the records returned in the list.
 
<!--116650 - Download files functionality not available on consumer/provider list views-->
 
 
 
====Added Options for Invitation-type Workflow Task to Create or Send Invitations====
 
Added two new options for the Invitation-type Workflow Task to allow you create or send Draft Invitations. You can now trigger the creation and sending of contact invitations via Workflow Task, and additionally if the Workflow is triggered on a UTA Level 2 record, you will also have the ability to trigger a Level 2 activity Workflow Task that will create or send invitations off the parent Level 1 record.
 
<!--121190 - Invitation Updates/Improvements-->
 
 
 
====Enhanced Hashtag-enabled Text-type Fields with Additional Options====
 
Enhanced the Hashtag option for text-type custom fields with some additional options for improved usability. Introduced an option to restrict the ability to create new hashtag values to certain user roles. Introduced an option to categorize multiple fields into similar categories, such that end users entering in any of these fields will be able to search from the collective hashtags across all fields within the same category. Also introduced a new admin page, Hashtag Library, found in the Global Settings that will show you the list of available hashtags, and that also allows you to change the hashtag value and category.
 
<!--120766 - Enhancement - Hashtags Part2-->
 
 
 
====Added Support for JSON Format for Report Exports====
 
Added support for exporting report resultsin JSON format through the File Export feature of reports. Within the File Export configuration menu of a report, you can now specify an export format of JSON.
 
<!--121612 - add JSON format to Scheduled Report Export-->
 
 
 
==Beta Previews==
 
No features are available for beta preview this upgrade.
 
 
 
==Notes for Admins==
 
====Added New Parameters to SmartConnect API for Pagination of Records====
 
Added additional parameters to the SmartConnect API to allow for pagination of record sets. For List action API calls, new parameters recordcount, recordstart, and recordend will now be returned to you. New parameters recordsperpage, recordstart, and pageofrecord will be available for you to pass to the calls to page through the result set. You may pass just the recordstart to indicate which record to start from, for example, given a recordsperpage 100, you could pass recordstart 1, 101, and 201 in order to obtain records 1-100, 101-200, 201-300 respectively. Another example, given a recordsperpage 100, you could pass recordstart 1, 1, and 1, in combination with pageofrecord 1, 2, and 3 in order to obtain the same record sets 1-100, 101-200, 201-300 respectively.
 
<!--120958 - Enhance SmartConnect API to allow pagination of records-->
 
 
 
====Added New Criteria Operators to SmartConnect API for Searching of Empty or Non-empty Values====
 
Added additional operator available to the SmartConnect API for use within criteria to search for records where a field is empty or not. You may now include an operator of isempty, with a corresponding value of either true or false, within a criteria in order to search for records based on either empty or non-empty value.
 
<!--117307 - SmartConnect API - add a new criteria to search for field that is blank or NULL-->
 
 
 
====Added New Attributes to SmartConnect API to Describe Sub-type of Custom Field Metadata====
 
Added additional attribute fieldsubtypeid to the SmartConnect API function for Get Meta. This will allow you to retrieve the subcategory of a custom field. Where you were able to previously retrieve the field type, e.g. Text Box - Single Line, you can now retrieve the subcategory, e.g. Text Box - Date, or Text Box - Number for more granularity. You will be able to retrieve both the type name as well as internal type ID assigned to these types and subtypes.
 
<!--110981 - Enhance API 'Get Meta' function to more precisely indicate type-->
 
 
 
====Updated Default Settings for New Instances====
 
Updated the default settings for any newly created instance to enforce stronger and recommended settings. Some of these default settings involve security settings, such as deprecation of plain text passwords in email reset template, and enforcement of SmartCheck server-side validation, Organization and User Security matrix, CAPTCHA validation, and cookie usage acceptance message. Some of these default settings involve interface settings, such as disabling of Classic-type interface options, enabling of compact header, and title bar navigation pane. Some of these default settings involve enforcement of configuration standards such as restriction of special characters and spaces in field names, and deprecated support for some variable syntax including reportproperty variable syntax in custom field options, as well as list variable syntax within group functions in template formulas.
 
<!--54549 - default settings for new instance-->
 
 
 
==Service Packs==
 
 
 
===Service Pack 4===
 
Release Date: March 8 2021
 
 
 
====Bug Fixes====
 
* Fixed an issue with the validation engine that would intermittently begin failing, and blocking the submission of records. The issue was apparent when users would encounter a validation error blocking them from submitting records, or sign up pages. Messages such as "There are some issues with the form validation. Please contact your system administrator." would have been encountered.
 
<!--123921 - Validation error-->
 
* Fixed an issue with the permission validation for ability to create a UTA level 3 record. The system would incorrectly block the creation of a level 3 activity when the user did not have view access to the level 1, where it should instead check for access to the level 2.
 
<!--123800 - Error Message on Apply-->
 
* Fixed an issue where a field configured with both a number formatting of "Percent", and a precision, would round numbers incorrectly in view mode.
 
<!--123302 - Percentage Number field rounding incorrectly-->
 
* Fixed an issue where currency values were not storing correctly within an advanced data table for certain number formats. The number value was being incorrectly formatted for users with a locale that specified number formats without a comma symbol as the thousands separator, and a period symbol as the decimal separator. For example, a Spanish speaker entering a Euro currency formatted number as "1.234,56" would encounter an issue where the system did not correctly transform the number to the expected North American raw number format during calculation.
 
<!--123771 - XML calculations not working-->
 
* Fixed an issue where organization signup pages configured with verification services for National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) were unable to select an organization, and copy the organization details to the signup form.
 
<!--123430 - NCES Integration not working on Sign up page-->
 
* Fixed an issue where the sort order setting of an Upload - Multiple Files Storage field would be reset when navigating to another tab and re-saving within the custom field settings page.
 
<!--123915 - Multi-File field; Sort order being reset-->
 
* Fixed an issue where clicking on the new activity button on the activity list view incorrectly opens the page in the background screen when working from a modal window.
 
<!--123261 - New activity shows in background when L1 is opened in modal window-->
 
* Fixed an issue where selecting a user or contact association through the lookup modal window would not automatically close the window when the record was selected.
 
<!--123769 - No submit button in contact association modal window-->
 
* Fixed an issue where the language setting of an advanced data table section may be cleared during configuration of the sections, when built in a certain sequence.
 
<!--123954 - BUG: XML Section overwriting settings-->
 
 
 
====Other Changes====
 
* Updated list view and report display to now render line breaks from the stored values onto the web browser.
 
<!--121411 - Line breaks are not preserved in list view columns-->
 
* Updated the default message shown for linked record list field type when creating a new record from "Click Save before using linked record list" to "Click Save before using FIELD_CAPTION".
 
<!--122306 - Update linked record list message on new record-->
 
* Updated the invitation import feature to support the use of role caption. Previously it only supported role name.
 
<!--121333 - invitation Import requires role name instead of role caption.-->
 
* Updated the configuration of advanced data table sections to no longer accept commas within a node name.
 
<!--123899 - Saving button on ADT is clearing the form instead of saving it-->
 
* Updated the PDF generator engine to cache and load images from temporary files instead of fully within system memory while compiling the PDF file. This is intended to reduce memory usage from the PDF generation process and improve overall system performance.
 
<!--123638 - CA & Com server PDF Generation-->
 

Revision as of 17:20, 23 June 2021

Contents

General Information

Next Upgrade Date

The next upgrade is scheduled for July 20 2023.

Upgrade Schedule

Upgrade Key Release Date Global Release Date
March 2024 Thu, March 14 2024 Thu, March 28 2024
July 2024 Thu, July 18 2024 Thu, July 25 2024
November 2024 Thu, November 14 2024 Thu, November 28 2024
March 2025 Thu, Mar 13 2025 Thu, Mar 27 2025
July 2025 Thu, July 17 2025 Thu, July 24 2025
November 2025 Thu, November 13 2025 Thu, November 27 2025

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: July 8 2021
Public Cloud Backup release date: June 22 2021

Private Cloud Production (Managed Upgrades) release date: July 22 2021
Private Cloud Backup (Managed Upgrades) release date: July 8 2021

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

Updated the Address Field to Use Google Location API for Auto-Population of Standard Fields

Typing into the address standard field will now provide the user with a list of verified address options. Upon selecting a verified address option, the other address standard fields (like country) will be auto-populated, saving the user time and helping to ensure addresses entered are accurate. This functionality will now appear on signup pages as well as user and organization profiles.

Address standard fields will use the new Google Location API. Pictured above is an example of how address fields will populate on signup pages.

New Setting to Control the Display of Portal Pages as Links in the Header

Added the ability to suppress portal pages from appearing in the top header bar. If your system was configured using the Deny permissions on Portal Pages (formerly called “Main Menu” items) and your intent was to hide items from the main menu bar but link to those pages via a shortcut, you will need to remove the deny permission on those pages and then turn off the new setting called Display As Header Link. This must be done before the next November 2021 upgrade. To hide a portal page from the header, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users tab > Portals > Edit the desired portal > Edit the desired Portal Page and toggle off Display As Header Link located under the Name.

Note: After the November 2021 upgrade, the deny permission will be more restrictive and the only way to display or hide items from the header will be to use the new Display As Header Link toggle.

New setting allows you hide links from appearing in the header bar but you can still navigate to those links via a shortcut.

Updated Interface for Note Entry Mode

Improved the look of the Note Entry Mode on records, in a list view, and on exports. To configure, navigate to a Text Box – Text Multiple Lines custom field and toggle ON Enable Note Entry Mode. When users enter text into the input and save, the text will be time stamped and display below the field.

The Text Box – Text Multiple Lines custom field set to Note Entry Mode as seen on a record.

Enhanced List View Searching with New Search Options

Advanced Search for list views have been updated with multiple search options for single conditions as well support for phonetic searches. You can now use Advanced Search in list views and search for multiple exact value matches in a single condition. For example, you could search for multiple contacts by email address. To do that, go to Menu Icon > People > Advanced Search > Select Email for the standard field > Select the Multiple option and enter email addresses delimited by a semi colon ( ; ). Additionally, you can also make phonetic searches using Soundex in the Advanced Search. Soundex helps English language speakers find records that have a minor difference in spelling. For example, if the user searches the keyword "strokes" it will return records with values equal to "stroke", "strokes", "stroka", "stroko", etc. but it will NOT return values that contain these words as part of a bigger string (e.g. "strokes test"). To use this new feature, navigate to a list view, click into the Advanced Search, select a text-based field and select the new option Soundex from the operator dropdown.

Note: When using the Multiple search option, it is an OR search between values and the values must be an exact match. This functionality is available for fields like Application Name but not available for fields with pre-defined options like a select one or date fields. For phonetic searches, numeric and date fields are not supported and neither are fields with predefined options. For more information on Soundex, view the documentation guide.

Added Confirmation Dialog for List View Exports that Trigger Status Changes or Workflows

Added a confirmation dialog when users export a list view that is configured to run workflows after export. This is for list views utilizing the settings to Update Status After Export or Trigger Workflow After Export found under the Export tab of the list view builder.

Added an E-signature Queue

Added an E-signature Queue where you can see and remove pending e-signature requests from the queue. To see the new queue, navigate to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Integrations tab.

Minor Updates

Added Role Sharing Permissions for SmartCards

Added the ability to control which user roles have permission to share SmartCards by role. The new settings are located under Menu Icon > System tab > SmartCard > Sharing Permission tab.

Updated Registration Forms to Pre-Populate with Invitation Data

When a new user registers after accepting an invitation, the information in the invitation will now auto populate the signup page to save the user time. Specifically, the standard fields for Prefix, First Name, Last Name, and Email. The invitations feature can be configured by going to the desired UTA > Configuration Settings > Level 1 > Invitations Template.

Added Custom Field Permission Data to System Design Summary Reports

Added additional information to system design summary reports when custom fields are included. Specifically Custom Field Role Permissions, Status and Type Permissions have been added to the report. Navigate to Global Settings > System Design Summary and toggle ON the option to include Custom Fields for the desired UTA and click Generate Summary.

Added Additional Fields to Third-Party IRS Verification

Added additional fields for IRS third party verification mapping. New fields include: Tax Period, Revenue Amount (Form 990), Asset Amount and Income Amount. You can see the new field mapping options by going to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Transactions > Types > Edit a type set to Company with Use third party verification service toggled ON > Third Party Verification Mapping.

Improved Searchability of System Email Templates

To make it easier to find workflow emails in the System Email Templates, additional information was added to the Name column. You can now search workflow emails on Task ID, Workflow ID, Task Number, and Task Description. Go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Communications tab > System Email Templates.

Added User Group Option to Linked Record List

If you are using the Linked Record List custom field to associate contacts inline on a record, you now have the option to associate user groups. This makes it easier to associate a predefined group of users to a record such as "Sales Group". To configure User Groups, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users tab > User Groups.

The User Group Option as seen on a Linked Record List custom field.

Added a List View Selector to Contact and Organization Lookups

Added the list view selector to the single contact lookup button when you are associating contacts or organizations to a Level 1 record such as a grant. This gives your users more flexibility and choice over what data they want to see when they lookup users and organizations. For example, if you are associating reviewers through the lookup, you might want to see different information than if you are associating a co-applicant. You can see the list view picker if you navigate to a Level 1 record and go to a Linked Record List, Contacts tab, or Organization tab and click on the Lookup button.

Lookup as seen when associating contacts.
Lookup window showing the list view selector.

Added Transaction Counts to Level 1, Level 2, User, and Organization Records

Added a transaction count on Level 1, Level 2, User, and Organization records.

Note: The count shows the number of transaction records from the type tabs that are visible to the user.

Enhanced Accessibility Styling for Keyboard Focus

Enhanced the styling of buttons for improved accessibility. This can be seen by using the tab key to focus on a button. For example, dark colored buttons will have a light-colored outline and vice versa. For an optimal accessibility experience go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Branding tab > Toggle ON Enable Accessibility Mode.

Before and after styling of buttons when focused via keyboard tab key.

Added Options to Portal Preview Configuration Mode

Added two new buttons to Configuration Mode of portal previews to make portals easier to configure. An Edit button enables top level editing of the portal and a New button that makes it easier to create new user menu links and new portal pages from within configuration mode. To see these new buttons, navigate to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users tab > Portals > Edit the desired portal > Preview > Configuration Mode (gear icon button).

New buttons options as seen in the Configuration Mode of portal previews.

Enhanced Advanced Data Table Headings

Modified the section title inputs on the Advanced Data Table custom field to render as headers for improved experience for users with assistive technology.

Added Metadata to Email Templates

Added Created By, Created Date, Last Updated By and Last Updated Date to email templates and surfaced in the email templates list view. To see the new fields, navigate to Menu Icon > Email > Templates.

Note: Some data may not be available for older records but new records will show the added fields going forward.

Enhanced Autoloader List View

Enhanced the autoloader list view to include Schedule, Workflows, Reports, and Sequential Loader to make it easier to see what has been configured without going into each record. To see the new columns, navigate to Menu Icon > Autoloaders.

Added Level 1 fields to Level 3 List Views

Added the ability to surface Level 1 fields such as the status or the amount requested of the grant on a Level 3 sub activity list view. You can add Level 1 fields to a Level 3 list view by going to the desired Level 3 list view, navigating to the Columns tab in the list view builder and selecting desired level in the field entity dropdown.

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

Enhanced Shopping Cart Feature for Matching Gift programs

The Shopping Cart feature has been enhanced to support matching gift programs. For example, users can now easily utilize the shopping cart to donate to a charity and earn a matching gift based on your specified criteria and logic. The new matching gift feature can be configured by navigating to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Shopping Cart Item Types > Edit a type > Toggle ON Donation Management Feature Set > Toggle ON Enable Matching Gifts Feature Set.

New Ability to Import Custom Lookup Tables

Main Article: Custom Lookup Options

Added ability to easily import large data sets for use as options within a select-type custom field. This can be used to provide large selection sets for your users, such as item inventory codes, code dictionaries, or geographic lookups. You can also easily setup dynamic sub-filtering conditions across multiple fields. For example, you could set up parent and child fields for selecting the country, university, faculty, and courses where the available options for each subsequent field is dependent upon the value of a previous field. This new functionality is advantageous since you don't need any of the data to exist as records in your system (as with the current Enable Dynamic Content option within a custom field) and it will be easier to update the options by importing them rather than editing large amounts of text in the custom field Edit screen. To import a dataset, go to Global Settings > Custom Lookup Options. To configure, go to any custom field of the type Select One – Dropdown, Select One - Radio button, or Lookup - Autocomplete Options and toggle on Enable Dynamic Content. This will reveal a secondary toggle called Use Custom Lookup Options.

Minor Updates

Added Option to Hold Workflow Emails

Added ability to put workflow emails on hold if an excessive number of emails is being generated per workflow within a 5-minute span. This setting acts as a fail-safe mechanism enforcing a manual review and release process when a workflow generates emails that exceed the threshold you specify. To configure, navigate to Global Settings > Communications > Workflow Email Hold Limit to specify the maximum number of emails allowed to be generated by a single workflow in a single cycle before all the generated emails from that workflow are put on hold. You can choose to notify all system administrators or pick specific users to be notified when workflow emails have been put on hold and require releasing.

Added Option to Auto-Open Records in Annotation Mode

Added option to open records of a particular status in Annotation Mode by default. If you have a status such as "Revisions Requested” where you have to send the record back to the user for annotations or to respond to annotations, you can now force the record into annotation mode and save the user a click. To configure this, go to the desired UTA > Configuration Settings > Pick the desired level (1, 2 or 3) > Statuses > Edit the desired status > Permissions & Availability tab > Open Record in Annotation Mode.

Added Interface Options for List Views and Portals

New settings have been added to list views and portals to give you more control over how list views render. For example, you can now choose to hide the type/status icon on list views. In portal list view sections, you can choose to display just a few records with an option to view more. These new options will be of particular interest to people using narrow or short portal sections. To constrain the number of records displayed in a list view in a portal section, navigate to that section under the portal settings and enter a number into the new Record Limit field.

The Type/Status button can be hidden at the list view level.
The new record limit option as seen in a portal section.

Enhancement to Special Chart Custom Field to support Line Charts

Added a Line chart option to the Special - Chart custom field that is available to charts with the Data Type of Records related to an object.

Note: there is no drill down functionality for this specific chart type.

Extended Custom Batch Update Buttons on Level 2 to allow modification of Provider roles

Added option to the Custom Batch Update Buttons on a Level 2 list view so you can now Add or Remove UTA provider roles in batch to save time. To see this option, the UTA needs to be configured as a Consumer for Level 2 providers and the Level 2 standard field UTA Providers must be enabled. Navigate to the desired UTA > Edit the Level 2 list view > Batch Update Buttons tab > Edit the desired batch update button > Select UTA Provider in the Option dropdown.

Enhanced Templates for Countdown Timer Custom Field

Added template and color options to the custom field Display - Countdown Timer. This field is typically used to highlight approaching deadlines and these enhancements give you the option of making this deadline messaging more noticeable and visually appealing.

Select from four Countdown Timer templates and adjust the colors if desired.

Added Option to Include Audit Report for Adobe Sign

Added an option to include the audit report for Adobe Sign integration when the document is returned to SmartSimple from Adobe. If enabled, the audit report will be auto generated by Adobe and appended to the document. To enable this setting, navigate to Global Settings > Integrations tab > Integration Key Management > Edit the key with the type Adobe Sign to see the new toggle Include Audit Report. Learn more about adobe audit reports at Adobe's help website.

The audit report generated by Adobe Sign.

Added Ability to Optionally Display a Different Logo for Each Language

Added ability to display a different logo based on the language of the user. Go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Global Translation Settings button.

Added Security Option to Disable Auto-Opening Files in Browser

Added a new option to disable file serving for any uploaded files throughout the system including SmartFolders. There are situations in which you may wish to serve the uploaded file contents in the browser, such as for custom CSS stylesheets included in document templates or for instruction manuals you want the user to read onscreen. However, for clients with strict IT security requirements, you now have the ability to disable the browser from serving the file and it will instead download it directly. To enable this setting, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security tab > Toggle on Disable Option to Serve Uploaded Files.

Updated Default Autoloader Behavior to Import Pound Symbols ( # ) for CSV Upload

The default behavior of the autoloader has been updated for CSV and TXT file types to import lines containing pound symbol ( # ). Previously, a pound symbol at the start of a line would have been ignored as a comment line and not imported. Depending on the format of you imported file, multi-line data containing pound symbol within values, such as an address field, may have also caused issues and been ignored by the autoloader. To force the autoloader to treat values beginning with pound symbol as comments, you will have to turn on a new toggle called Ignore comment lines denoted by pound symbol ( # ). When this setting is toggled ON, rows starting with a pound symbol ( # ) will be treated as comments and skipped during processing. You can still process data with pound symbols with this setting ON if you wrap the entry with the pound symbol in quotes (Example: John, Smith,"#123 Peter Street"). If the new setting is OFF, you can now have a pound symbol in your data (Example: John, Smith,#123 Peter Street) and it will still be processed as data. To see the new setting, navigate to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Autoloaders > Edit the desired autoloader > File Layout tab.

Note: Import wizards do not have this toggle and therefore all pound symbols will be treated as data.

Added Support for Data Policies to Invitations

Added the ability to set data policies for invitations. For example, you could setup a Data Retention policy to delete the values of users who were sent an invitation but either did not respond or declined the invitation. To see the new option, go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security tab > Data Policies > Edit a policy of the type called Retention and under the Entity dropdown select Invitations. The Date Field to Compare dropdown will contain the following options specific to invitations: Last Updated, Invite Time, and Response Time.

Beta Previews

(Beta) New Grants.Gov Integration

New beta feature that integrates with Grants.gov for State agencies. A state agency can now search the list of opportunities found on Grants.gov from within a UTA. You can view the details of an opportunity and import the opportunity as a Level 1. Once an opportunity has been imported, you can track and manage your internal application process around the opportunity as well as track funds and report results. To configure this beta feature, go to the desired UTA > Configuration Settings > Connectivity tab > Grants.Gov Integration.

Optional tab for importing grants.gov applications into a UTA.

Notes for Admins

Added New Variable for Status Group Name

Added the ability to call the status group name value on all UTA levels using two new variables. This will make it easier to display the status group name to internal users who would not have otherwise seen this value. The new variables can be referenced by @statusgroupname@ (which will display the status group name) and @statusgroupname_lang@ (which will display the translation of the status group name). If no translation is configured, the English caption will be displayed.

Extended 'Save As' Option to Save & Submit Buttons

The Save As button is now available in the Save & Submit Button settings. Save time by using Save As to create a copy of the existing Submit button to make minor changes instead of creating buttons from scratch.

Added Option to Use Configuration Folders for Portal Logos

Within the portal builder we have added support for selecting and display logos from Configuration Folders. To see this setting go to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users tab > Portals > Edit a portal.

Added Task Types to Company and User Workflows

Added Company Association task type on user workflows as well as the People Association task type on company workflows to make it easier to add, update and remove associations. For example, you could use these new workflow options to synchronize organization associations based on an external source.

Service Packs

July 29th 2021 (202107.04)

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where user roles added to the data policy were able to download files from a list view. User roles who are now included in the data policy will still see a button to download attached files in the list view but will not be able to download the files.
  • Fixed an issue with the advanced data table where the currency would be unformatted when first opened.
  • Fixed an issue with the organization duplicate check where the Keep option was not visible under certain conditions.

Other Changes

  • Added an alert to date and time pickers on XML tables if the input format is invalid.
  • Updated behavior of upload fields associated with a data policy so that once the attached data is expired, the original file will be deleted and replaced with a dummy text file and renamed to [original file name]_expired.txt.
  • Updated the error messaging on linked record lists to display in the linked record list.
  • Updated the way the media library encodes videos for improved quality. Videos uploaded after July 29, 2021 will receive the optimized encoding.
  • The Edit Roles and Access button has been updated to be visible to the following users:
  1. People who have view and edit permission on the user profile
  2. People who are either Global Administrators OR have a role that can set the role of the user profile OR have roles that can activate the role of the user profile OR have roles that can send passwords for the role of the user profile OR have roles that can set the password for the role of the user profile
  3. People who are looking at the user profile with the same privilege levels (example: a regular user cannot edit the roles of a Global Administrator)

July 22nd 2021 (202107.03)

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with the fuction to add business days (addbusdays) in sscalculation which was returning a weekend date for any computation that should have returned a Friday date (example: Tuesday + 3 business days, Wednesday + 2 business days, etc).
  • Fixed an issue with CRA and IRS transactions in which the organization names that contained ampersands ( & ) were rendered in CDATA format.
  • Fixed an issue where some inputs did not read out as editable with the JAWS screen reader if dynamic control fields were used.
  • Fixed an issue with the duplicate check where users configured to only see the Duplicate Check button under the Tools menu could not trigger the duplicate check page as well as an issue where the system navigated back to the user's own profile when attempting to create a new duplicate user if row clickable was enabled.
  • Fixed an issue where the button to add contacts for the contact list view of internal organizations (located under Organization > Contacts tab in the left navigation) created an external user instead of internal user even though the organization was internal.
  • Fixed the budget logic of Level 3 records in Consumer-Provider UTAs to only count unique Level 3 records instead of counting records twice.


July 15th 2021 (202107.02)

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where Level 1 custom fields were being moved to the Level 2 custom fields when Global Administrators used the pagination to edit fields of a different entity and/or item ID.
  • Fixed issue with calendar permissions where only users with both Read Access Role and Write Access Role permissions were able to view the calendar. Users with just Read Access Role permissions will now be able to view the calendar.
  • Fixed issue with the type filter setting and button visibility for the linked record list where users without permission to create Level 3s were seeing the button to create Level 3s on a linked record list.

Other Changes

  • Added option to enable quicker initial list view load time by displaying an unsorted number of records without a total record count. To configure, navigate to list view settings and toggle on Enable Quick Load under the Feature Options title bar.