Rules can no longer access Pega internal Java packages
Valid from Pega Version 8.4
You can no longer create rules that access Java packages that reference internal APIs (syntax com.pega.platform.*.internal*). This change does not affect rules that access Pega public API packages.
If you encounter issues when running existing rules that reference internal Pega APIs, contact Pega Support.
Upgrade impact
After an upgrade to 8.4 and later, clients can no longer save new or modified rules that access Pega internal APIs; existing rules that reference internal APIs can still be run but cannot be modified.
What steps are required to update the application to be compatible with this change?
Following a software upgrade to 8.4 or later, clients can refactor existing rules into guardrail compliant rules. To find rules to refactor, run the validation tool from designer studio (Application > Tools > Validation) to identify what rules fail validation; failed rules that include the message "Test compilation failed : Illegal internal class reference : com.pega.internal.XYZ" can updated to reference appropriate APIs.
Custom database (DB) triggers are dropped during upgrade
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.8
The latest version of Pega 7 improves performance by no longer using database triggers to assist with System Pulse and Data-Rule-Summary processing, which is now done within the Pega 7 engine. As a result, DB triggers are no longer installed on either the pr_sys_updatescache or pr4_rule_vw tables.
When upgrading to the latest version of Pega 7, if you had previously implemented a custom database (DB) trigger on these tables, or a custom DB trigger that refers to these tables, it is removed during the upgrade process. No custom triggers are removed unless they reference these tables.
If you have custom DB triggers that reference the pr_sys_updatescache or pr4_rule_vw tables and perform other processing, those triggers must be reimplemented. When doing so, you must be careful to not modify the pr_sys_updatescache or pr4_rule_vw tables.
For more information, see Startup check removes custom DB triggers.
End of support for Netscape Plugin API in Google Chrome 45
Valid from Pega Version 7.1.8
Beginning with Chrome 45, which is expected to be available in September 2015, Google is ending support for browser plug-ins that rely on the Netscape Plugin API (NPAPI) architecture. These plug-ins include Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, and Java.
The Pega 7 Platform includes several optional features that use these plug-ins. For a detailed overview of these features, see Client-side technologies.