Question
How to find Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide? Actually, I found it; this is feedback on some pesky PDN behavior :-)
I just found the Pega 7.1.8 upgrade guide. Yay! And it answered my question succinctly. So far, so good; I'm waiting on a DBA to copy a DB schema.
However, I it was difficult to find the guide. While I wait on the DBA, I am writing this as feedback to help make the PDN better. Many people in the field (including Pega Professional Services staff) have told me that they [dislike] the [darn] PDN. I'm replacing some other verbs and modifiers there. The behavior I saw today is typical of people's complaints; when the search behavior of the PDN doesn't make any sense, we stop trying :-(
The step-by-step story below should illustrate the issue pretty well. Let me know if you need anything else. Sure, this is criticism, but the essential point is that I want to help.
Cheers, Elliott
1) I started here https://docs-previous.pega.com/migrating-case-data-earlier-prpc-versions-pega-platform
It says "Pegasystems recommends the out-of-place upgrade approach described in the Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide instead of selective application or case data migration."
2) following that advice, I searched for "Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide"
I just found the Pega 7.1.8 upgrade guide. Yay! And it answered my question succinctly. So far, so good; I'm waiting on a DBA to copy a DB schema.
However, I it was difficult to find the guide. While I wait on the DBA, I am writing this as feedback to help make the PDN better. Many people in the field (including Pega Professional Services staff) have told me that they [dislike] the [darn] PDN. I'm replacing some other verbs and modifiers there. The behavior I saw today is typical of people's complaints; when the search behavior of the PDN doesn't make any sense, we stop trying :-(
The step-by-step story below should illustrate the issue pretty well. Let me know if you need anything else. Sure, this is criticism, but the essential point is that I want to help.
Cheers, Elliott
1) I started here https://docs-previous.pega.com/migrating-case-data-earlier-prpc-versions-pega-platform
It says "Pegasystems recommends the out-of-place upgrade approach described in the Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide instead of selective application or case data migration."
2) following that advice, I searched for "Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide"
- The second result is https://docs-previous.pega.com/pega-719-platform-upgrade-guide
- No guide for 7.1.8 appears on the first page of results
- The second page includes hits for versions 7.1.2, 7.1.3 and 7.1.1, in that order
3) the closest match was the 7.1.9 guide, so I modified my search to follow the naming convention and searched for "Pega 7.1.8 Platform Upgrade Guide"
- No matches in the first three pages of results, though I do again see upgrade guides for 7.1.3, 7.1.2, 7.1.1 and 7.1.9, in that order
4) I noticed subtle changes in the naming convention
- Pega vs. PRPC
- the presence or absence of the term "Platform"
After trying several combinations, I found the magic formula: a search for "Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide" returned
- Getting 'Unable to find META-INF/map.ser' error message when importing 5.3 RAP into 7.1.8 when attempting to import a 5.3 RAP file into a new 7.1.8 instance
- Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide
- 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide for DB2-z/OS PDF File
So, the good news: I did find the guide The bad news: the exact match for the article title was not the first hit!
Accepted Solution
As someone who goes to the PDN all the time to look at the install and upgrade guides, let me point you to the quickest way to them:
Going to Support & Resources > Deployment Guides will bring you to a page where you can find all of Pega's install and upgrade guides.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Elliott,
Hopefully your unfortunate experience is more the result of being "a day early to the party". I know that as we speak the PDN team is putting the final touches on rolling out a significantly improved search.
Once it's available, I'd certainly recommend trying this again to see if you get better results. And if you don't, let us know. This is exactly the type of scenario we are working together as an organization to improve to provide you with a significantly better digital self-support experience.
Thanks.
B.
Crestone Technology
MX
Well, that's good news and sure, I'd be happy to take the new search for a spin. How will I know when the improvements are ready?
Accepted Solution
As someone who goes to the PDN all the time to look at the install and upgrade guides, let me point you to the quickest way to them:
Going to Support & Resources > Deployment Guides will bring you to a page where you can find all of Pega's install and upgrade guides.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Elliott,
Thank you for reporting the PDN navigation and search usability issues with your detailed scenario (very helpful).
On your behalf, I have submitted FDBK-13527. (Pega employees can follow this item.)
In FDBK-13527, I point to this community post, summarize the problem, and suggest a couple of solutions:
"Finding the correct Deployment Guide is difficult after reading PDN Articles pertaining to deployment issues, for example, https://docs-previous.pega.com/migrating-case-data-earlier-prpc-versions-pega-platform. (NODE ID https://collaborate.pega.com/question/issue-changing-fixed-composite-portals-upgrade)
Summary
Elliott,
Thank you for reporting the PDN navigation and search usability issues with your detailed scenario (very helpful).
On your behalf, I have submitted FDBK-13527. (Pega employees can follow this item.)
In FDBK-13527, I point to this community post, summarize the problem, and suggest a couple of solutions:
"Finding the correct Deployment Guide is difficult after reading PDN Articles pertaining to deployment issues, for example, https://docs-previous.pega.com/migrating-case-data-earlier-prpc-versions-pega-platform. (NODE ID https://collaborate.pega.com/question/issue-changing-fixed-composite-portals-upgrade)
Summary
Pega 7.1.x PDN Article, https://collaborate.pega.com/question/issue-changing-fixed-composite-portals-upgrade, has a Note that refers to the Pega 7 Platform Upgrade Guide.
The customer had difficulty finding the Upgrade Guide that he needed because of generally known PDN Search usability issues and the following changes:
- The core product naming convention change from PRPC (for 6x releases and earlier) to Pega
- The introduction of the term Platform for all general references to the Pega 7 core product formerly known as PRPC
- The introduction of minor releases to replace Maintenance Levels
Suggested Solutions
The following changes might improve PDN content navigation and PDN search results for all customers, internal and external.
The PDN product page for Pega 7, https://collaborate.pega.com/discussion/achieving-continuous-project-delivery-using-pega-platform, might include information, or link to a topic, about the following terminology changes:
- Beginning with the first release of the Pega 7 Platform, the PegaRULES Process Commander (PRPC) designation is no longer be used.
- All Pega 7 releases (major and minor) refer to the core product generally as the Pega 7 Platform. References to specific releases do not use the term Platform.
- References to minor releases use the convention Pega 7.n.n, for example, Pega 7.1.9. The term Maintenance Level is no longer used.
- Deployment Guide titles from Pega 7.1.9 onward use the term Platform in their titles. Earlier deployment guide titles do not include the term Platform.
PDN Articles that pertain to deployment issues and refer to deployment guides might include Related Content with a few links to illustrate deployment guide choices as examples of the application server and database application sets that are supported. Alternatively, the Related Content section might simply link to the Deployment Guides landing page.
For example, the PDN Article, https://collaborate.pega.com/question/issue-changing-fixed-composite-portals-upgrade, might include a Related Content section with the following references:
https://collaborate.pega.com/discussion/prpc-5x-6x-platform-support-guide-easy-find
https://pdn.pega.com/support-resources/deployment-upgrades/deployment-guides"
-Mary
Crestone Technology
MX
Mary Carbonara, I think this suggestion is spot-on
"For example, the PDN Article, https://collaborate.pega.com/question/issue-changing-fixed-composite-portals-upgrade, might include a Related Content section with the following references:
https://collaborate.pega.com/discussion/prpc-5x-6x-platform-support-guide-easy-find
https://pdn.pega.com/support-resources/deployment-upgrades/deployment-guides"
The trouble I had arose from two aspects
- the article I started from referenced the Upgrade Guide with static text, rather than a link. A link would have saved me the trouble of searching and avoided the issue of naming convention changes.
- the title for the upgrade guide looks like an attempt to bridge the evolving naming conventions, but it ended up matching none of them. Oops. On the other hand, linking to the directory of guides (leaving out any specific version reference) would keep the link accurate and useful despite future changes.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Thanks, Elliott!
Your confirmation of my example is important, and you are correct in highlighting why we cannot link to all (or just one) of the deployment guides (installation, upgrade, or update):
"On the other hand, linking to the directory of guides (leaving out any specific version reference) would keep the link accurate and useful despite future changes."
As Nicholas Loving pointed out, cruising around the PDN landscape -- particularly the Deployment & Upgrades section -- is a good approach for learning what content is available and where it is located (until re-landscaping occurs).
-Mary
Crestone Technology
MX
Thanks, Rett. My initial impression is that the new menu organization is a helpful change. Thank, and nice work.
Minor point: is it possible to get to my support portal with one click? Right now, it looks like the new way is to get there with two clicks, via this page, https://pdn.pega.com/about-customer-support, which has the effect of reminding me to try the Mesh support community.
That's probably a good thing. Anyway, I'm just checking to make sure I'm not missing something :-)
including Mary Carbonara
Pegasystems Inc.
US
I also tried your search scenario and the string "Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide" results in pulling up the Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide as the first hit
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Thanks for the feedback. I know it's a bit of a tease, but this week's PDN updates are a step toward providing you with a more cohesive digital experience, which, of course, includes self-support. Stay tuned
Thanks.
B.
Crestone Technology
MX
Nice. I get the same result with that string, "Pega 7.1.8 Upgrade Guide"
Of course, searching is easy when you know the right answer before you start ;-)
So I retried the same search progression I tried at the start of this thread. I saw better results with that, too. Excellent.
If you follow the numbering from my original steps:
2) got same result
3) here's the improvement:
"...I modified my search to follow the naming convention and searched for "Pega 7.1.8 Platform Upgrade Guide"
This gives me the 7.1.8 upgrade guide as the third hit. Two steps to get where I need isn't bad at all. If I had those results from the start, I probably wouldn't have felt any need to open this discussion. Of course, then I would have missed out on some insights, especially the direct link to all the upgrade guides, so I'm glad I started the thread.
Mary Carbonara's idea to replace the static text title with a link is still relevant and even better, but it's clear that you guys worked some behind-the-scenes wizardry to improve the search logic. Nice.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
That appears to be a bug. You can also get there from the "Get Support" link on the home page of the PDN. Unfortunately, it seems to be hanging up on permissions right now.
Crestone Technology
MX
Fixed! In the post above from Rett Hean Dec 2, 2015 9:08 AM, note that the screenshot has 11 options in the support dropdown.
As of today, a screenshot of the same menu shows 12 options.
- Added: My Support Portal
- Removed: File Transfer Applicance
- Added: Support Articles
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Nice! Real-time user feedback in action! You know? Maybe there's something to all this...
I really applaud my fellow co-workers on the PDN team for all of their (still ongoing) great work and responsiveness with this week's PDN update.
Thanks.
B.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
Elliott,
RE: Getting to My Support Portal with one click
Confirming Dani Nordin's reply to you, I agree that the best way is to click the giant Get Support icon on the PDN home page. And, as Dani mentioned, the performance on verifying account creds is very slow, a long busy indicator spins interminably. Perhaps a coincidence, but I found that refreshing the page during the busy-spin displayed the My Support Portal page.
I also observed that one-click access to My Support Portal is available by hovering on the Support header to display the menu. Clicking My Support Portal on the Support menu is a one-click gesture.
Thanks for helping us all get acquainted with the new [fab!] PDN.
-Mary
Pegasystems Inc.
US
FDBK-13527 has spun off BUG-229036, with resolution by the product documentation team targeted for Pega 7.2.
Pegasystems Inc.
US
BUG-229036 has been Resolved-NoAction with this reason: <Good news!>
"This bug will be addressed as part of a larger reorganization of the PDN to replace PDF content with something more up dated."
Crestone Technology
MX
Thanks for the news, Mary. Big thumbs up from me for replacing the PDF content. Don't get me wrong - the PDF guides have been valuable over the years and there is value in having a doc with a deliberate beginning, middle and end. However, I assume the new approach will be more linkable/searchable, and that would be a valuable improvement.
Capgemini
DE
Dear all,
please excuse me adding something here even though the discussion seems to have come to a close. But, I would want to share an info that might come in handy for Elliott and other Mesh members as well.
From my experience, Pega Mesh search more often yields useful results than PDN. More so, searches in Mesh also cover PDN! This way a search in Mesh using Pega 7.1.8 Platform Upgrade Guide yields this discussion first (congrats ). Second is the document that Elliott actually searched for!
Hope this helps!
Wojtek