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Civis Platform Release Notes 2023

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Owen Harrington-Woodard
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Week Ending 12/16/2023

Updates

  • New Import from DonorDrive Query API has been release. Please reference Import from DonorDrive Query API for more information.
  • New Import from DonorDrive Public REST API. Please reference Import from DonorDrive Public REST API for more information.
  • A breakdown of historical compute usage by instance type can now be viewed from the Platform Usage Overview Monthly Compute Hours. This page can be found by navigating to Admin -> Platform Usage Overview -> Hours Used.
  • The description field on the Table Details page will now show the full Table description text by default.

Bug Fixes

  • In Project view, reports generated by a service now get the "report" icon instead of the "service" icon.

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Week Ending in 12/09/2023

Updates

  • Container scripts and services can now pull Docker images from ECR and GitHub, in addition to DockerHub.
  • Civis VPN users should use the new AWS VPN, released during the maintenance window on December 13th. For instructions on how to set up the new VPN, see the Help article, 'New Civis VPN (December 2023) Set-Up Instructions’. The existing VPN will be deprecated on December 13th.

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Week Ending in 11/18/2023

Updates

  • Added upsert functionality for BigQuery database syncs

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed downloads of files with special characters in file name from the Project detail page

Week Ending in 10/28/2023

Updates

  • Introduced a new threshold on Project size when enabling Auto-Share: Auto-Share may now only be enabled for Projects with 100 or fewer objects in them.

Week Ending in 10/21/2023

Updates

  • A new Export to S3 Template has been published. Exporting Civis Files, Platform tables, and  custom SQL are supported. Reference the Export to S3 documentation for more information.

Week Ending in 10/7/2023

Updates

  • A new Export to S3 Template has been published. Exporting Civis Files, Platform tables, and  custom SQL are supported. Reference the Export to S3 documentation for more information.

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Week Ending in 10/7/2023

Updates

  • The civis-jupyter-python3 docker image has a new release: <a href=”https://github.com/civisanalytics/civis-jupyter-python3/releases/tag/v3.0.0”>v3.0.0</a>. This image is based off of datascience-python v7.0 and runs Python 3.11.4. It will be used automatically by all new Platform Python Notebooks. Existing Python Notebooks will continue to use the image and Python version which they were created with.
    • If you wish to update an existing Python Notebook to use the new image, you can update its Tag to "3.0".

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Week Ending in 09/23/2023

Bug Fixes

  • Resolved a bug responsible for page crashes when users attempted to add a Workflow to projects using the 'Add to Project' button.

Week Ending in 09/16/2023

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug with MySQL to BigQuery syncs where timestamps ending in :00 would cause the sync to fail.
  • Increased the BigQuery maximum String size to the <a href=”https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/quotas#max_row_size”>maximum row size</a> of 100MB. This will allow BigQuery DB Syncs with large string columns to succeed.

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Week Ending in 09/09/2023

Updates

  • A new feedback form has been added to Platform and can be found via the feedback icon in the top navigation bar. Let us know how we are doing any time by filling out the short poll and/or providing any thoughts and ideas you have. Your feedback helps us to improve!

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug which prevented some users from viewing PUO when navigating directly from homepage.

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Week Ending in 09/02/2023

Updates

  • Services have a new feature: Public Link Generation. Public URLs can now be generated from the “Security and Access” settings area for running Services. These URLs will allow anyone to view your Service without logging into Platform.
    • Note: Please make sure that there is no sensitive data in your Service before creating a public link.

 

Week Ending in 08/26/2023

Updates

  • Improved the user experience for importing CSV files, now allowing users to easily delete and replace CSV files.

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Week Ending in 08/11/2023

Updates

  • The Import from URL template has three new optional parameters: database credential, distribution style, and primary keys.
  • Platform Usage Overview now allows you to view your organization’s historical compute usage for the last 12 months by clicking on “Hours Used” from the Compute landing page.

Bug Fixes

  • No updates

Week Ending in 08/05/2023

Updates

  • No updates

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed dbsync error when syncing Postgres tables with JSON columns to BigQuery.
  • Fixed a dbsync issue which prevented new tables with primary keys from being imported to BigQuery: A NOT ENFORCED clause will now be added to primary key columns when BigQuery tables are created by dbsync jobs. To learn more about the introduction of primary keys in BigQuery, please see <a href=”https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/data-analytics/join-optimizations-with-bigquery-primary-and-foreign-keys”>here</a>.
  • Fixed bug which prevented users from overriding their default notification settings in API POST calls.

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Week Ending in 07/29/2023

Updates

  • Person Data Standardization Tool can now be created by going to Tools -> Enhancements -> Person Data Standardization in the top nav.
  • Improved the Script Parameters pane experience by moving the “Add” button below the new parameter form.
  • The datascience-python docker image has a new release: <a href=”https://github.com/civisanalytics/datascience-python/releases/tag/v7.0.0”>v7.0.0</a>. This image runs Python 3.11.4 and will be used automatically by all new Platform Python scripts going forward. Existing Python Scripts will continue to use the image and Python version which they were created with.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug which caused incorrect execution times in history pane of Workflows & Scripts.
  • Fixed issue in Workflows share pane which prevented distribution of email notifications.
  • Fixed a formatting issue with BigQuery Table Create Statements.

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Week Ending in 07/22/2023

Updates

  • No updates

Bug Fixes

  • No updates

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  • No updates

Week Ending in 07/15/2023

Updates

  • Enhanced data hygiene experience via UI improvements and expanded documentation for the Person Data Standardization tool.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a visibility issue in Query results which blocked the user from reading the last row of results.

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  • None

Week Ending in 07/08/2023

Updates

  • Platform Usage Overview now has a new Database tab that allows users to easily view accurate and actionable metrics on their database’s health. For more information see <a href=”https://civis.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/17484340645901-Database-Status-Overview”> Database Status Overview</a>.
  • Enhanced data hygiene experience via UI improvements and expanded documentation for the Person Data Standardization tool.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a visibility issue in Query results which blocked the user from reading the last row of results.

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  • None

Week Ending in 07/01/2023

Updates

  • None

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug which caused buttons to be obstructed when sharing reports with lots of users and groups.
  • Fixed browser tab title mismatch for Table Details page.

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Week Ending in 06/24/2023

Updates

  • Introducing Flexible Cloud Storage now with support for BigQuery. For more information click here and ask your Account Manager.
  • Added API endpoint descriptions to our API documentation for select endpoints.
  • Users can now set a credential as their default for a given remote host via the Credentials UI.

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 06/17/2023

Updates

  • Moved the Platform Usage Overview from “#/admin/usage” to “#/usage”. Existing bookmarks will be re-routed to the new url.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug which prevented sharing notifications from being sent for Scripts and Credentials. 

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Week Ending in 06/10/2023

Updates

  • The “Quick Start” Zendesk document has been updated to reflect recent changes to Platform.  For more information see Quick Start Guide
  • Platform now sends SMS 2FA codes for UK phone numbers via alphanumeric sender IDs, to comply with new UK regulations.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug with the “Verify Table Row Count” feature, which would sometimes cause DB sync jobs to fail.
  • Fixed issue which would hide results text in Query history pane if “0 Rows” are returned.

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Week Ending in 06/03/2023

Updates

  • Admins can now send a ‘Reset Password’ or ‘Welcome to Platform’ email to users by selecting the “Send Access Email” option via the User Management dropdown.
  • Report-only users from organizations with extra US Federal Government compliance features enabled will now be required to authorize via 2FA each time they log into Platform

Bug Fixes

  • No bug fixes

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Week Ending in 05/27/2023

Updates

  • No updates  

Bug Fixes

  • No bug fixes

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Week Ending in 05/20/2023

Updates

  • Your user ID number can now be accessed from the My Profile page.
  • Improved helper text language on Project share pane.
  • Removed ‘nominatim' provider support from the Geocode Addresses tool.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed the issue of missing data for the “page insights” table from the Facebook Page Insights Import template.
  • Fixed a bug in the Salesforce Export template, where it previously did not use the user-supplied database credential and now it does.
    • If a Salesforce Export job previously ran successfully but now starts to fail due to database credential errors, try supplying your default database credential to the script.
  • Fixed issue which caused Platform to crash if Announcements pane was opened from Workflows page.
  • Fixed issue where Query Results tables automatically replaced empty or ‘0’ value strings with "NULL".
  • Fixed stacking error banner issue when switching between Table Details pages.

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Week Ending in 05/13/2023

Updates

  • Report viewers and standard users can now favorite Reports by clicking the star icon on the Reports Detail page.
  • Added the ability to cancel a running query from the main query page.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug in Salesforce Imports where the import would sometimes use the user’s default database credential instead of the user-supplied database credential argument.
    • If you notice a Salesforce Import start failing with credential errors, try supplying your default database credential to the script.

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Week Ending in 05/06/2023

Updates

  • The Salesforce Import template now has additional parameters to configure the imported data: diststyle, distkey, sortkey1, and sortkey2.
  • 'View Details' link in Project pane now can be opened in a new tab when right-clicked.
  • Improved Services page UI to clearly denote buttons are unclickable for users with read-only access.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed “Last Seen At” column on User Index page to show correct user value.

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Week Ending in 04/29/2023

Updates

  • Improved clarity of top navigation menu:
    • Clarified Query page navigation button by including text next to the database icon.
    • Add a red dot badge to the notification icon (in top right corner) to highlight when you have an unseen announcement.
    • Object index page links have been moved from headers to dedicated “View All” links in the top navigation menu.
  • New features for the Google Analytics 4 import template. For both features highlighted below, the details are in the migration documentation.
    • To facilitate the migration of existing GA import custom scripts from UA to GA4, we have developed a tool that translates the script parameters “dimensions”, “metrics”, and “sort” from the UA-specific dimensions/metrics to their GA4 equivalent.
      • Please refer to the section “Automatically Converting Parameter Values from UA to GA4” in the migration documentation.
    • The Google Analytics 4 import template now supports more complex filtering logic (e.g., “city is any of {London, Paris} AND dayOfWeek is 5 or 6 AND month is not 12”).
    • We highly recommend you clone your existing custom script jobs to test the GA4 property to prevent issues when making changes to your production code.
  • The Favorites widget now displays the user’s current count of favorites for easier tracking and management. 

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed ability to view active users after deselecting the "show deactivated" box on the Table Privileges tab.

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Week Ending in 04/22/2023

Updates

  •  
    • We highly recommend you clone your existing custom script jobs to test the GA4 property to prevent issues when making changes to your production code. 

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed custom script links in navigation bar search.

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Week Ending in 04/15/2023

Updates

  • The new Dashboard is live:
    •  
      • Activity Metrics, for a better overview of current Platform activity
      • Favorites, which now includes the ability to favorite Scripts, Workflows, Imports, and Exports in addition to Projects
      • Organization Details, to give a better understanding of your org structure and support options
      • Quick Links, to provide easier access to important locations across Platform
      • Feedback is welcome!

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that was causing Platform pages to error out arbitrarily. 

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Week Ending in 04/08/2023

Updates

  • To maintain the relevance of favorites, when a Project is archived it will automatically be unfavorited.

Bug Fixes

  • No Updates

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Week Ending in 04/01/2023

Updates

  •  
    • The new Activity View is live as we set the stage for a more productive homepage.
      • The upgraded Activity View loads faster so you can get results sooner
      • Filter options have been clarified so that you can narrow down results efficiently
      • The Author filter has been changed to Owner for more relevant results

Bug Fixes

  • A fix has been made to correct some workflow page crashes that occurred when an incorrect job number was used. 

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Week Ending in 03/25/2023

Updates

  • None

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 03/18/2023

Updates

  • The following updates have been made to the Salesforce integration:
    • For incremental sync on import, we fixed a bug that prevented the import job from importing newly created data on the same day as the import job runs.
    • When importing, the created Civis Platform table now has diststyle set to “key” and distkey set to “id”.
    • When a custom SQL query is provided to export data to Salesforce, the required “id” column can now be specified more flexibly as “SELECT foo.id, …” or “SELECT foo AS id, …“, in addition to “SELECT id, …“.
  • The Database Privileges tab on the Table Details page has been updated:
    • Users can now view members of Database groups for a clearer understanding of how user access is granted via the Privilege Source column.
    • Filtering by user account status is now supported for auditing and security purposes.

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 03/11/2023

Updates

  • The Project creation process has been improved. A new “Create Project” template encourages unique Project Names and provides the opportunity to set Description, Notes, and Auto-Share before creation. A cancel button enables you to stop the creation process at any point.

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 03/04/2023

Updates

  • Org Admins will now receive a security notification email if a user with access to one or more non-Civis managed databases is deactivated. The email will list databases which the user may retain access to, and provide instructions on how to expire or drop their database user account, if desired.

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 02/25/2023

Updates

  • Workflows used as tasks within another workflow are now viewable using the ‘eye’ icon on the Info tab

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 02/18/2023

Updates

  • The “Resume Workflows” functionality has been restored to the UI in the new Workflows page.  Paused workflows will automatically display the Resume Workflows button in place of the Retry Failed Tasks button. 
  • Reminder: A reminder that as per Civis' Password Expiration Policy implemented in 2022, Civis requires Platform passwords to be changed once a year. Users will receive notification emails everyday for 10 days prior to their Platform password expiring. For more information, please see documentation: https://civis.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059204612-Reset-Password

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 02/11/2023

Updates

  • No Updates
  • Reminder: A reminder that as per Civis' Password Expiration Policy implemented in 2022, Civis requires Platform passwords to be changed once a year. Users will receive notification emails everyday for 10 days prior to their Platform password expiring. For more information, please see documentation: https://civis.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059204612-Reset-Password

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 02/04/2023

Updates

  • A user's Civis-managed database password will be automatically expired when a user’s Platform account is deactivated. Reactivating the Platform user's account will un-expire the associated database account. For more information see User Deactivation Document.
  • Various small fixes have been made to the new Workflows page based on user feedback.

Bug Fixes

  • None

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Week Ending in 01/28/2023

Updates

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug which caused an error when attempting to preview query results older than 30 days in the Query pane.

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Week ending in 01/21/2023

Updates

  • Partial Workflow functionality has been added to the Workflows Beta. 

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Week ending in 01/14/2023

Updates

  • None

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Week ending in 01/07/2023

Updates

  • None

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