- The Pyramid Decision Intelligence Platform
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- Releases
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- Pyramid 2020.20
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- Release Notes
Pyramid 2020.20—Bringing Decision Intelligence Into Focus
Feature Listing & Notes
Pyramid 2020.20 is the latest release from Pyramid Analytics. With this release, we’re bringing Decision Intelligence into focus. With 100+ new customer-requested features, Pyramid 2020.20 is a huge step forward for organizations looking to make Decision Intelligence a core component of their enterprise data strategy. Read on to discover what’s included.
Analytics
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Conditional Formatting | All conditional formatting is unified in one place with new, menu-driven quick tools as well as a new advanced Conditional Formatting dialog editor. | Conditional Formatting is a smart technique for adding color-based highlighting to almost any visual. The new capabilities make it both easier and more sophisticated for users to access this functionality through both point-and-click options and more advanced dialog configurations. |
Explain | A new smart capability for end-users to automatically deconstruct data on an ad-hoc basis to easily discover root causes or key influencers on all SQL-based data sources. Using a decision tree segment analysis engine, it includes both a new eye-ball diagram visualization and a new decision trees diagram to show results. | This new feature allows users to dig deeper into their data with a single click, giving them faster insights into key drivers and influencers through automated analysis. Rather than manually drilling into the data, using intuition or educated guesses of what to explore, Explain automatically determines the elements that contribute the most to a data point's value using AI and machine learning. |
Parent-Child Hierarchy Support in Pyramid models and SAP HANA | New capabilities have been added to fully support Parent-Child hierarchies and associated functionality defined in Pyramid models (for any SQL database) or those defined into SAP HANA Calculated Views DIRECTLY on the data source. | Parent-Child Hierarchies are a critical component often needed in certain analytical models, where the underlying data source can only be properly exposed through iterative table structures. This includes most financial accounting scenarios, organizational analytics, and geographic analytics. |
Support for SAP BW and Microsoft OLAP Properties | A new option has been added to see and use hierarchy properties defined in Microsoft OLAP/Multidimensional cubes or SAP BW InfoCubes like normal attributes. | Hierarchy properties designed into either SAP BW or Microsoft OLAP cubes often provide critical pathways to further analysis. Without them, much of the cube's core functionality may be absent. The new option allows users to tap into the functionality and use them like normal attributes—unleashing and extending their analytical power. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Calendar and Tree Defaults</p> | New options have been added to define default values for the Calendar and Tree Slicers. | This feature provides functionality in line with other slicer types, letting users set the default slicer selections for calendar and tree Slicers. This enables designers to have better control over what end-users see and use when opening a report. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Chat Bot in Discover</p> | The Chat Bot tool in Present dashboards is now also available in Discover, extending the current Natural Language Querying capabilities. | The natural language Chat Bot tool is an innovative AI-based tool for building queries and interrogating data using plain English text. It makes access to advanced analytical operations easy and intuitive for non-technical users. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Custom Labels for Forecasts and Totals</p> | Increased configurability by allowing users to configure the labels for subtotals, totals, and the values generated from the Forecast function. | End users can now adjust the built-in naming around totals and forecasting to use terminology most accurate for them and makes the analysis easier to use and share. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Custom ordering of measures</p> | The menu-driven Custom Ordering capability has been extended to support measures and custom measures. | Custom Ordering tools make it easier for users to adjust the ordering of metrics in their visuals directly, quickly, and intuitively. |
Customizable Sub-Totals | Users can now select or deselect which attributes will be used in Sub-Totals. | The ability to hide and show specific Sub-Totals increases the usability of grids by removing unneeded graphical clutter. |
Hierarchy and Measure overlays per report | New options have been added to set and define hierarchy and measure overlays for specific reports. This means each report can have custom column captions and types and/or custom measure captions and formats. This is in addition to being able to set these for a user or per role globally. | There feature allows users to change the presentation of data on a report-by-report basis, ensuring that each report is customized to specific analytical needs. |
Improved support for SAP/BW parameters | A new and improved interface for SAP BW or HANA parameters has been added. This includes new options to show a calendar picker for date-time variables and the resolution of the default parameter values in BW. | Accessing the calendar picker tool for SAP BW date-time parameters makes it easier to pick relevant dates for end-users. The default values capability significantly increases the ability of users to set parameter options correctly. In some situations, it is a prerequisite to gaining proper access to the BW cube in the first place. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Microsoft Tabular "Show Details" Action</p> | Added support for the "Show Details" Action defined in Microsoft Tabular models. | Adding support for "Show Details" allows users to access this (new) key capability in Microsoft Tabular, expanding its utility. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">New PQL functions</p> | New PQL functions have been added that include HasChildren, HasDataPOint, and DefaultMember. | New PQL functions will allow users to solve more analytical problems in their formulas and list logic. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Non-Empty handling in Slicers</p> | A new option in slicer settings has been added to hide empty member elements without needing to build a custom List. | Compared to the more sophisticated exercise of building non-empty lists to drive slicer logic, the new non-empty option makes the process of eliminating irrelevant member elements from Slicers much simpler and quicker for end-users. |
Quick KPI Wizard | New Quick KPI Wizard that heuristically adds all the steps needed to build out full KPIs via menu or a simple dialog. | The new wizard makes the creation of powerful KPI logic quicker and easier through an AI-heuristic-driven engine that can implement the advanced logic for users with a single click, rather than using the more advanced KPI designer tools. |
Multi-Cross Highlighting | A new option has been added to allow multiple, cumulative selections when cross-highlighting in a Present dashboard. | Cross-highlighting provides an intuitive technique for "brushing" in dashboards, allowing users to highlight one item in one visual and see its related impact across other visuals. The new multi-cross capability provides users the option to make multiple brush selections to see the cumulative effect across the dashboard at the same time, providing a new avenue to insights and analysis. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Added data source connections for Neo4J, Databricks, and Apache Spark</p> | New functionality has been added for out-of-the-box support for Databricks- and Spark-based data sets as well as connectors for Neo4J Graph databases, using both the "BI connector or Cipher queries. | With the increased popularity of Neo4J graph databases, and the increase in the use of Databricks (and Spark) data lakes, Pyramid now offers native connectors for these data sources. These connectors ensure connectivity is fast, easy, and performant. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Added Matrix Factorization Script</p> | A new Python-based "Matrix Factorization" script has been added to the Marketplace to allow users to add Netflix-style recommendations to their data sets. | By including a script for matrix-factorization, Pyramid makes access to the same recommendation engines used by Netflix and Amazon fast and easy, greatly accelerating the process of designing a solution for this use case. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Blank member names</p> | A new option has been added to specify the "Blank" member name or caption for a unknown member elements in Data Models. | This feature offers a great mechanism to handle the real-world imperfections in data by allowing model builders to easily handle and name unknown, unmatched, or blank member elements in a hierarchy—ultimately making data more presentable. |
Cumulative Aggregations | A new data model aggregation type has been added that automatically performs a cumulative aggregation calculation across date-time hierarchies in queries. | The new aggregation type is pivotal in certain types of analytic applications where values need to cumulatively aggregate across date-time hierarchies. For example, in financial accounting applications, this function is needed to drive balance sheet values for both calendar and fiscal periods. |
Data-driven Units and Currency formatting | A new capability has been added to drive dynamic formatting of data using column-based formatting values. | This new capability makes the deployment of multi-currency-based data simpler and functional for many financial analytic applications. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Descriptions for steps in Data Flow and Data Modeling</p> | Improved options to add descriptions to hierarchies and measures during the data modeling process to better facilitate the data cataloging process. | This improvement makes the exercise of attaching metadata to Data Flows and semantic models easier and more complete, delivering a better, more comprehensive data catalog for end-users. |
Parent-Child Hierarchy Builder | A new function has been added to define and create Parent-Child hierarchies in Pyramid Data Models. This includes customizable options for sorting and aggregation operations. | Parent-Child Hierarchies (PCH) are often a critical component needed in certain analytical models, like financial accounting scenarios, organizational analytics, and geographic analytics. This new option allows native Pyramid semantic models to include PCH designs, operating directly on the data source. |
| <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px;">Upgraded WEKA Library</p> | Upgraded the WEKA ML library for all ML-based operations in Model and throughout the app. | The WEKA Data Science and Machine Learning library is used extensively to drive both AI capabilities in Pyramid as well as customer designed machine learning operations in the Modeling component. This major upgrade extends all the logic with improvements in both functionality and performance. |
Usability and Efficiency
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Formatting Tools Redesign | This major upgrade allows users to format all visualizations (and other components) through a new formatting panel, rather than dialog boxes. It also includes the new "Format Cursor" tool to drive point-and-click formatting. | This significant user interface upgrade makes it far easier, quicker, and more intuitive to format visualizations in the platform. By presenting a better way to find and adjust format options, users can build better looking content that can be consumed and used more effectively. |
Copy styles between Discover reports | A new capability has been added to allow users to copy styles and formatting between existing Discover reports. | This nifty capability allows users to easily copy any format customization made in one visualization or report to another with a single click, dramatically reducing the time needed to replicate settings and designs. |
Export to JSON and XML from Drill-through | A new option has been added to export Drill-through results from Microsoft Cube Actions to JSON and XML file formats, in addition to the current Excel option. | The new export document formats make it far easier for users to consume the results in other downstream applications. |
Grids with wrapping content | Word wrap has been added as a formatting option for all parts of the grid visualization. | This option allows users to include long text items in grid visualizations, extending the core use case for grids from purely analytical capabilities to listings and table-style reporting. |
Member Color Locking | A new capability has been added to allow report designers to capture and lock all the data-driven color allocations for member elements with a single click. | This feature ensures that a common set of color selections for the same members is used on all reports in a dashboard or publication. This makes the resulting experience simpler for end-users by increasing readability and ease of analysis across different visuals. |
Upgraded Total Dialogs | The dialogs that provide access to advanced settings for Totals have been upgraded and streamlined. | The dialogs for setting and adjusting totals for grids have been upgraded to simplify and streamline the way they operate and look. |
Parameter Builder Redesign | The new parameter builder unifies the creation of both global and model parameters. | Parameters are advanced elements in the platform for delivering clever widgets to ends-users so they can easily adjust and modify analytics using point-and-click interfaces. The newly upgraded parameter builder greatly streamlines and simplifies the creation of parameters— making it easier to bring this functionality to users. |
Improved Access to Analyze Further | The Analyze Further tool in running dashboards is now accessible to users even if queries are blank (i.e., produce no results). | By enabling access to the Analyze Further tool even if queries are blank or fail allows end-users to interrogate those conditions and discover insights, even if there is no data result. |
Interaction Tool in Present | The Interaction tool is a new mechanism for adding and reviewing interactions between content elements when designing a Present dashboard. | This feature provides a new and intuitive way to add and edit interactions between content items in a Present dashboard. The new tool also simplifies interaction management by providing a streamlined technique for limiting interaction arrows to those that are relevant for a given visual. |
Slicer "Detachment" Tool | A new option has been added to detach the chosen slice (remove interactions) from all other content in a Present dashboard with a single click. | This capability acts as an accelerator to quickly and easily performing the tedious task of detaching Slicers from content on dashboard slides where it’s not relevant, using a single menu function. |
Slicer Settings | Upgraded experience for changing a slicer's settings and options. | This feature makes it easier and more intuitive to set and change a slicer's settings. |
Slicer Styles and Formatting | Two new slicer styles have been introduced and added to the original "Classic" look: "Modern" and "Clean". The options change the visual style of the Slicers beyond formatting of fonts, colors, and outlines. (These are available in Discover, too). Slicer formatting is also now driven through the new formatting panel interface. | This feature provides new graphic interfaces for slicer, allowing users to adjust them to match themes and other styling cues in reports and dashboards. This new formatting experience makes it easier to adjust the look and feel of the slicer to match the themes of the report or dashboard. |
Slicer Actions | New Slicer Actions have been added to allow dashboard designers to trigger runtime Actions based on the Slicer selections made by an end-user. When combined with Mini-Tabs, these Actions also deliver "conditional display" functionality. | New PQL functions will allow users to solve more analytical problems in their formulas and list logic. |
Paste in Position | A new function has been added so users can paste content items in the same graphical position as the original item, on the different slides or pages. | This feature preserves the alignment of content items when copying, cutting, and pasting them, making it easier to keep designs consistent. |
Excel Export Improvements | Numerous improvements in visualization exports to Excel have been added, including improved formatting, layout, and color matching. This also extends to hierarchical data elements. | The ability to export report data to Excel has been improved to support selected theme background colors, font colors, hierarchical representations, element grouping, and total formatting in addition to the existing numeric data formatting. |
Scheduler date and time interface upgrade | The user interface for date and time elements in the scheduler tools has been upgraded. | The upgraded interface makes it easier and more intuitive to set dates and times for schedules. |
Support for SAP BW in schedules | New support for SAP BW data sources has been added for all scheduled activities (publications, subscriptions, data alerts), where "Logon Ticket" authentication has been employed. | The new capability unlocks access to SAP BW data sources in all task-related functions (like subscriptions and publications) when authentication is driven through SAP's Logon Tickets SSO framework. |
Data Flow column mapping wizard | A new capability has been added to add, edit, and delete mapped column flows between different nodes in a Data Flow. | This feature provides a better way to manage Data Flow node changes and will save users a significant amount of time when they need to adjust existing Data Flows. |
Data catalog get-and-set tool | A new accelerator tool has been added to download or upload the entire meta structure data catalog for a data model using JSON documents. | The data cataloging function is critical to sharing metadata on data with end-users. The new feature makes the tedious process of managing and editing the catalogs in Pyramid easier and quicker. |
Data Model-to-Database Checker | A new data model aggregation type has been added that automatically performs a cumulative aggregation calculation across date-time hierarchies in queries. | The new aggregation type is pivotal in certain types of analytic applications where values need to cumulatively aggregate across date-time hierarchies. For example, in financial accounting applications, this function is needed to drive balance sheet values for both calendar and fiscal periods. |
Source menu split | The data sources menu in Data Flow is now broken out into categories. | This feature enhances usability by making it easier to locate the required data sources. |
Validate joins checker | A new tool has been added to check and view all table joins and relationships in the semantic model with a single click. | The ability to get a check on the entire structure of the semantic model designed by Pyramid with a single uncomplicated click, will greatly contribute to better, more stable queries in all downstream reports, dashboards, and publications, eliminating mistakes and oversights. |
Add/edit/remove users in existing conversations | A new option has been added to add or remove users to existing conversations and workflows. | This feature makes the process of managing participants in conversations or custom workflows easier, so the right people are involved in the right operations at the right juncture. |
Print and subscription dialog redesign | A new design has been added for all print and subscription dialogs throughout the app to keep them more consistent and easier to use. | This upgrade provides a more consistent and streamlined UI to make it easier for users to access the various printing and subscription mechanics within the product. |
Upgraded "App Tab" interface and tools | Upgraded functionality for the Pro-client App Tab interface, including the home button, app-tab search, and quick open. | A significant upgrade to the "App Tab" interface in the full client to significantly streamline and enhance the main interface for using Pyramid as a Pro user. It refines existing features as well as new capabilities like changing tab positions. |
Upgraded content search | The UI for the search functions in the content manager has been updated, improving access to existing functions, adding new search options, and improving search speed. | The upgraded content manager search is more performant, streamlined, and intuitive in design, making it easier for users to find the content they want. |
Active memory statistics in admin dashboard | The Admin Summary dashboard has been upgraded to show the current memory consumption of each service. | Admins can use these new statistics to better monitor and control the environment hosting the Pyramid platform, ultimately leading to a more stable and performant solution. |
Terms of use link | A new link in licensing has been added to provide admins access to the current EULA. | This feature allows all admins to easily find the latest EULA governing their use of the platform. |
Upgraded Data model Manager interface | The Data Model Manager user interface has been upgraded for both the admin and the content manager for end-users. | This upgraded interface makes it easier to find and control Data Model settings and functions including data catalog operations, processing, custom workflow assignments, and audit log tracking. |
Viewer control of filtering and sorts | Viewers now have the ability to remove any filter or sort functions added to Discover reports. | This functional extension gives more querying control to non-technical viewers without injecting overly complicated options. |
Favorites in mobile app | A new function has been built to add or remove any Discover report or Present dashboard as a favorite within the mobile app. | This option will make it easier for users to find and mark their favorite and most used content from phones and tablets. |
New application languages | The Pyramid application has added two more localizations for Simplified Chinese and Turkish. | Offering the platform in two of the world's most common languages extends its accessibility to more users and more deployment scenarios. |
Updated Ribbons | All ribbons in the main client have been upgraded with new icons. | All the main ribbon menus throughout the full Pro client have been upgraded and streamlined with new icons and adjustments to better expose functionality to users. |
In-app tutorials and guides | All tutorials and guides in the Tutorial Center inside the application have been updated and point to newer content. | Improved tutorials and guides embedded into the application make it easier for new and existing users to tap into learning resources and understand how to use more of Pyramid's vast functionality. This results in faster and better reporting and analyses. |
Online help upgrade | Significant upgrades have been added to online help including new overview videos for all the main apps and new SDK documentation for all new APIs. | Major improvements to online help and the inclusion of numerous new help videos ensures all users have direct access to a comprehensive guidance on how to use the product and its many features and functions. |
Add Folders to Favorites | Users can now mark favorite folders like all other content items. | Being able to flag favorite folders makes it quicker and easier for users to jump to their favorite folder in the content manager. |
Visualizations
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Hide/Show Panelettes Option | A new switch has been added to allow report builders to hide or show the small info panels ("panelettes") that describe any sorting, filtering, or N-of-N logic applied in Discover reports. | This option offers report designers a mechanism for hiding some of the extra information panels attached to reports based on query settings. In some situations, this makes the reports less cluttered with details and simplifies the experience for end-users. |
Formatting settings for visualizations | A variety of new properties and settings that can be changed in the formatting of visualizations, including axis label alignment; trellis axis formatting; line styles; gauge label settings; plot area colors; and data label positions. | There are numerous new items that can be set when formatting visualizations allowing users to better and more accurately customize the look and presentation of data to their exacting needs. |
Range Slider | A new Range Slider tool has been added to allow users to zoom in (or out) on densely populated charts. | The Range Slider increases the readability and usability of dense data sets in Cartesian charts (column, line, area, bar, etc.) to better see values and labels—ultimately improving the quality of the visualization. |
Upgraded Total Formatting | New quick option for formatting totals has been added. | The new quick options make it easier and faster for users to set new ways of formatting grid totals without needing to manually adjust each of the total rows or columns. |
Value Drop Zone "trellis" capability | A new "trellis" option has been added in the Values Drop Zone allowing users to display each trellised chart as a different chart type. | This new option further broadens the flexibility in the visualization of multiple subsets of data in the same report by allowing users to plot data in a multi-chart trellis using different chart types. This convenience makes analyses quicker and easier. |
Scrollable Panel Layout | A new scrollable panel layout container for dashboards has been added, allowing designers to build content that scrolls off the screen, side by side with fixed position content. | The new layout option expands the ways content can be laid out and displayed to end-users. It allows designers to make better use of slide real estate by allowing content to scroll off-screen while still allowing other elements to remain statically positioned on screen. |
Mini Tab Layout and Conditional Display | A new Mini-Tab layout container for dashboards and publications has been added, allowing designers to add tabbed panels of different content within the same screen or page real estate. | This new layout option expands the ways content can be laid out and displayed to end-users. With the inclusion of switching conditions, mini-tabs can also be used to automatically switch the displayed content based on user actions (also known as "conditional display"). |
Matrix Table Layout | A new Matrix Table Layout container for dashboards and publications has been added that will allow designers to arrange multiple visualizations and illustrations using a tabular structure with rows, columns, and associated formatting. | This new layout option expands the ways content can be laid out and displayed to end-users. It allows designers to build a tabular layout of different content elements, which are often used when building KPI scorecards. |
Quick Options for Panels | New presets for panel designs in dashboards and publications have been added to adjust their look and feel. | This feature provides greater flexibility in designing the look and feel of panels. |
Upgraded Theme packages with new options for setting slicer styles and multiple color bands | Upgraded experience for changing a slicer's settings and options. | Designers can now add styling and formatting instructions in each theme style pack so that Slicers are formatted alongside visualizations. |
Automation & Customization
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Custom Visuals Upgrade and Drop Zone Ordering | Custom Visualization tools have been upgraded and include a new API (2.0) to build custom data visualization graphics. Drop Zone Ordering has also been added to further customize the user experience when a Custom Visual is deployed. | The new API 2.0 makes it easier and quicker for visualization developers to build and deploy their own Custom Visualizations in Pyramid using D3 or any other JavaScript-based graphics library. The drop zone ordering option also allows developers to present a more intuitive interface to end-users when they use the Custom Visuals. |
New Custom Visuals in the Marketplace | Four new Custom Visualizations have been added to the marketplace: 3D scatter plot; Data Cards; 2D Density Plots; and Custom Tabular Grid. | The four new marketplace Custom Visualizations offer both access to new, unusual chart types as well as access to coding examples of how to build and deliver non-standard visualizations. Using the Plotly JavaScript library, some of the new visuals also demonstrate how to use the full power of JavaScript to deliver analytics that are both customized and fully integrated into Pyramid. |
Target interactions to slice | A new option to allow external values, driven through Present dashboard targets, to be used to interact and affect Slicers. | This new capability allows designers to change slicer values dynamically and programmatically via a URL or embed-based API logic in a hosting application. This extensibility opens new avenues to customizing and personalizing content when it is launched for each user, making it more focused, relevant, and ultimately more useful. |
Custom data source connector tools | A new framework for customers has been added to add their own JDBC data source drivers to the application through a point-and-click interface. | This feature allows customers to add their own data connectors to the platform without needing it to be built-in by Pyramid. This will greatly expand the number of data sets users can connect to and significantly reduce the time to delivery of such access. |
Hidden panels in embed | New functionality has been added in embedded content to support the standard hidden panel in Present dashboards. | The use of the hidden panel in standard dashboards is extended to the embedded version, allowing designers to use a single design technique for both deployments, making it simpler and quicker. |
Microsoft Cube Actions in embed | Microsoft cube-defined actions in all embedded content is now supported. | The functional extensibility often programmed into Microsoft OLAP cube Actions can now be accessed in embedded content, effectively increasing the analytical value and function of such content to users. |
Print from Embed | New options have been added to "print" or export content directly from embedded content to PDF, Excel, CSV, or PNG using simplified menu and default options. | The Snippet generator makes the process of building the core code elements for embedding Pyramid both fast and easy, accelerating any embedded analytics project. |
Custom Workflow API | A new framework and API has been added to build custom workflows using the existing conversations/annotations infrastructure. | This new feature opens numerous opportunities to add and integrate custom applications into Pyramid that are heavily related to data selections made by users in the analytics process. This includes task managers, extended documentation tools, tracking/bug frameworks, and more. The full API framework, coupled with the ability to dictate the UI and its design, means customers can now design their own "actionable analytics" capability into the platform. |
Custom Visual API 2.0 | A new version of the Custom Visualization API has been added for creating and programming Custom Visualizations within the Pyramid platform. | This feature provides an easier and structurally smarter experience for developers when creating Custom Visualizations, resulting in a quicker development process. |
Jump to Slide via URL | A new option has been added to load a Present dashboard on a specific slide. | This feature makes it easier for users to point other users directly to specific content in dashboards that may be quite large. |
New APIs for handling Data Flows | New REST APIs have been added to support the handling of Data Flows and changing their data sources and targets. | The new APIs enable the process of automating the rollout of Model content (ETL, semantic models, etc.) which can significantly improve deployments where the same model needs to be deployed multiple times and then adjusted per instance. |
Integration
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
New APIs for SAML and OpenID | Custom Visualization tools have been upgraded and include a new API (2.0) to build custom data visualization graphics. Drop Zone Ordering has also been added to further customize the user experience when a Custom Visual is deployed. | Pyramid becomes more extensible for developers in embedded scenarios by extending the API framework to programmatically handle single-sign-on capabilities with authentication protocols like SAML and OpenID. |
AWS and OKTA SAML Integration | New integrations with AWS and OKTA SAML authentication engines have been added. | These added options for integration with new authentication providers make it easier for customers to deliver single-sign-on capabilities with their preferred identity management solution. |
Integration options with new learning hub | New integration has been added with Pyramid's new Learning Management System (LMS)—Learning Hub—in both the Pro and Viewer clients. | Learning Hub is Pyramid's new LMS system, providing a single platform for users to take courses on Pyramid and it's features, and offering complete certification. The integration with the application makes the sign-in and use of the Learning Hub easier by offering a SSO entry into the platform. |
Manageability
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Admin menu redesign | A redesign of Admin Menu to group common functions and settings together. | This upgrade makes it easier and more intuitive for admins to find and adjust settings on the platform. |
System info dump | A new option has been added to download the "system info" for a service or the entire cluster to better diagnose issues. | This new capability will allow administrators to capture the service state of the platform helping Pyramid support and engineering to diagnose deployment problems more easily. |
Transaction log redesign | A major redesign of the Transaction and Benchmark logs has been completed, effectively combining the two in a more efficient and effective manner. | This feature enhances and streamlines the tracking of queries and query performance. |
Performance
| Feature | Technical Details | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
Report-specific Row Limit | New options have been added to allow users to limit the number of rows a query returns in a given Discover report. | This feature allows users to calibrate the amount of data queried in a report, preventing run away queries and improving performance and stability. |
Improved Dashboard loading speed | A new option has been added to download the "system info" for a service or the entire cluster to better diagnose issues. | Loading analytic dashboards and reports noticeably faster improves the user's experience and consumption of content. |
PYRANA query optimizations | Significant improvements have been added to the way queries are dispatched from the PYRANA query engine for SQL data sources. In some scenarios, this can produce a 2x improvement in performance and 50% reduction in database workload. | A key upgrade to the PYRANA query engine with a new approach to the query sharding and stitching framework for more efficient performance on various database technologies and engines. With more complex queries, the improvements can yield up to twice the performance or up to a 50% reduction in query times, producing faster results for all reports and analyses. |
Improved load-up speed of client | Improved performance has been added allowing the full client to load considerably faster than previous versions. | Improving the load-up speed for the client improves the user experience and makes it more responsive for end-users. |
In-memory upgrade | The in-memory engine has been upgraded to fix several bugs and improve performance. | Improvements in the in-memory engine make it more reliable and performant, delivering a better framework for faster and more reliable analytics when based in the in-memory engine. |
Printing engine upgrade | Upgrades have been added to support the handling of large styling themes in Printing. | The handling of themes with large master page images has been adjusted to improve the speed, performance, and stability of the printing engine when it uses these theme elements. |
Theme engine upgrade | Upgrades have been added to support the handling of theme definitions in the client, which will improve performance of the client. This is most noticeable with numerous or large theme definitions. | The handling of themes with large master page images has been adjusted to improve the speed and performance of the client application, improving the user's experience with a faster toolset. |
Upgrade to Java 15 | Pyramid 2020.20 has been upgraded from Java 11 to Java 15. | The upgrade to Java 15 provides better memory efficiency and performance within the Pyramid platform. |
Upgraded web scaling options for Kubernetes | New options have been added to scale out the web services in a Kubernetes deployment for the Pyramid application. | New and improved options for scaling out the "web" tier service in the application will make it easier for an entire Pyramid deployment to elastically shrink and grow its footprint based on resource demand in a Kubernetes deployment. |
Schedule & Task Management
| Technical Details | What It Means For You | |
|---|---|---|
Subscribe to Publications | All users (both Pro and Viewer) can now subscribe to a Publication template, choosing their preferred schedule, document format, and data slice that should drive the subscription. | This feature provides greater accessibility to publications for viewers. Viewers no longer need to rely on Pro users to set up subscriptions or schedules for them. |
Schedule Manager | A new schedule manager interface for all end-users has been added to manage all their schedules. For Pro users: modeling, publications, subscriptions, and data alerts. For Viewers: subscriptions and data alerts. | This tool extends self-service management of all scheduled events and subscriptions to all users so they can better manage these items and configure analytical tasks to suit their own needs and timelines. |
Summary task panel upgrade | Upgrades to the Task Panel on the summaries page with new functional buttons to pause all tasks and filter the summaries panel. | The upgraded summary panel gives admins a better view of system-wide task processing to better manage loads and processing. |
Task and schedule all on/off switching | A new option has been added to pause all currently running tasks as well as stop (or start) all active schedules on the system. | These new switches (in the Task Manager and Schedule Managers) make the process of starting or stopping all asynchronous jobs on the platform a simple single click process. |
Task Manager | A new Task Manager interface and tool has been added to provide a holistic picture of tasks that have run, are running, and will run. | This new Task Manager tool will make it significantly easier for admins to get a complete view of all asynchronous events in the Pyramid cluster. This will then allow them to better resolve scheduling clashes, resource allocation issues, and determine the progress of all jobs on the system for launched jobs, jobs in progress, and those jobs that are pending execution. |
Security
| Technical Details | What It Means For You | |
|---|---|---|
SnapShot control option | A new option to disable snapshots for the content manager has been added. | This feature allows snapshots, used to build content thumbnails, as an option. |
Login as User | A new feature has been added so that admins can now easily impersonate end-users to check their settings, experience, and functional access. | This feature allows admins to test and experience exactly what a user is seeing from a content, folder, or performance perspective without the need for the user to be present. This can greatly accelerate user setup, configuration, and issue debugging. |
Member security caching | A new option to allow external values, driven through Present dashboard targets, to be used to interact and affect Slicers. | This feature gives admins more granular control over security settings. |
Multi-factor authentication | A new out-of-the-box option has been integrated to add multi-factor authentication to Pyramid using "Time-Based One-Time Passwords". | The inclusion of multi-factor authentication (MFA) tools allows admins to easily add the latest approach to securing platform access if their own single-sign-on solution does not supply it. |
OpenID | A new option has been added to use OpenID-based authentication providers in the application. | The use of the hidden panel in standard dashboards is extended to the embedded version, allowing designers to use a single design technique for both deployments, making it simpler and quicker. |
Password reset and strength options | Microsoft cube-defined actions in all embedded content is now supported. | These options give admins an opportunity to enhance security protocols and management of passwords when using the internal (database) authentication mechanism. |
Upgraded entry log | New fields have been added to the entry log to better help monitor logins. This includes details of the "CustomData" property for embed-based logins. | These new fields deliver advanced telemetry on who is using the product and extra control over security. |