Version 7 Features

New Features

Portal, Studio, and Designer Look and Feel

The UI/UX has been updated to create a modern feel. 

Hosting Options

Two Installer Hosting Options are available in v7: Self-Hosting or IIS Hosting. The former interacts with the Database Backend via a Windows Service called Decisions Server, replacing Service Host Manager.  By contrast, IIS Hosting utilizes a Microsoft IIS Application Pool (with or without a virtual directory structure like "baseportal.com/decisions") to communicate with the Database Backend. 

Integration Enhancements

Decisions offers the powerful capability of calling Flows, Rules, and other Designer Elements as a service for data exchange, now with even more intuitively configurable type options for customized Method controls.  

Data Designer and Design Patterns

The new Data Designer in v7 allows users to create Design Patterns with customized data. This Design Pattern can then be used to automatically populate Designer Elements with input data based on the data in the Design Pattern. 

Simple Forms with Associated Controls

Simple Forms give a modern, user-friendly feel to Forms. This Form Behavior creates a quicker design time by allowing designers to drag and drop supported controls onto a Form. 

Active Form Flows

Active Form Flows allow more dynamic use of the previously used Data Flows, Visibility/Validation Rules, and Outcome Rules.

Global Debugger

This feature operates similarly to a Profiler that captures running Flows in the Decisions Studio. It then presents those results to the user in a new browser tab. 

Open Source and New Modules

In Version 7.2+, Open Source Modules will check the Decisions GitHub repository for updates. If found, the platform will notify users to update those Modules without running the platform Installer. 

Mobile App

Users can mark Workflow Catalog Items as Show On Mobile and Run Offline Mode. This allows the Mobile App to open and run these specific Items outside the typical browser-based client.

Help Center

The v7 Help Center (lower left-hand corner of the Studio) offers helpful info and links, including environment-wide exception and validation counts, online documentation, live Support Team chat, and Global Debugger/Profiler access.

DMN/BPMN Support

Creating DMN/BPMN diagrams can be done in v7 through Flow Behavior, including an added option to import a BPMN/DMN diagram in the Flow Designer.

Runtime Editable Charts

Reports have several enhanced capabilities for filtering data, both for customization at design time and on runtime execution.

Report Downloading In Local Built In Format

The v7 Report Designer has its default styling on Reports with Charts that may be downloaded or sent via email. It is important to note that utilizing these v7 chart capabilities will download in the built-in styling of Excel or PDF (see images below).

Rule Table

This feature operates similarly to a Truth Table in that it uses a column and row layout. With a Rule Table, each column is defined with a piece of Input Data, and each row is used to configure statement Rules for incoming data to be evaluated against. 

Browser Scrolling Options for Pages

Scrolling is now tied to the browser window for a more seamless User Experience.

Global Action Bar

The Global Action Bar has been updated and moved to the top third of the Studio for an easier, standardized modern browser experience; this bar can also be pinned to stick to the top of the browser while scrolling through Designer Projects.

Open API Integrations (Swagger API)

Decisions has an Open API Endpoint that can be utilized with to point a tool or other utility to generate a library call list.

Performance Upgrades

• Core Platform .NET Architecture Upgrades
  .NET Core 3.1 (Versions 7.0 - 7.1) or .NET 5 (Version 7.2+)

  • ALL custom libraries will need to be recompiled for .NET Core or .NET 5
  • Custom assemblies will need to be re-written
  • Modules were updated using .NET Core or .NET 5 and may require design refactoring
    
    To begin building steps in .NET Core 3 or .NET 5 for the Decisions tool, visit the SDK Overview.
    
    The new default location to add custom SDK steps:
    C:\Program Files\Decisions\Decisions Server\modules\Decisions.Local\CoreServicesDlls
• Property Grid: Revamp
• Folder Tree Refactor: Moved to React
• Clustering Updates
• Installer: Completely New Code
• Client-Side Rendering of Form Controls

Design Enhancements

• Overall Portal Design
• All Designers
• Data Audit Improvements
• Report Viewer
• New Filter Dialog
• Element Gallery
• Validation Enhancements
• Entity Details Panel (Side Panel)
• Run Flows with Forms in the Side Panel
• Favorites Management
• Debugger Overhaul
• Import/Export Wizard
• App Store and Modules Pages
• Element Registration Picker Editor [Big Button in the Property Grid]
• Create Element dialog with an option to create from Design Pattern
• Folder Create Dialog
• Create or Pick Element Dialog
• Flow Step Icons
• Form Controls Icons
• Page Control Icons
• View Integration Details
• Profiler Page
• Compare Flows Header
• Impersonation [In Portal Header]
• No save on debugging flow and rule