Release Date: 2022/11/02 

End of Life (EOL) Features — New Section in Admin Details Page

The Organization Admin Details page now includes the new section, EOL Features, that lists which features will be discontinued. EOL features can be enabled or disabled as needed.  ​

End of Life for Trace Matrix Feature

As announced in the Jama Connect 8.76 Cloud release notes, the Trace Matrix will no longer be supported within the next year. This decision was guided by the superior capabilities and the significantly higher usage (over 20x) of Trace View, as well as the objective to simplify the available options for traceability analysis in Jama Connect.  

With this release, an organization admin now controls the visibility of the Trace Matrix feature in Jama Connect -- it is disabled by default (Off). This configuration is available only until the Fall 2023 self-hosted release, when the Trace Matrix feature will EOL. Trace View and Coverage Explorer will not be impacted by this change.  

 Test Management Updates

• Deleted test runs are now logged in the project activity stream.
• Make Test Runs Current is now called Sync Test Runs to Test Cases for improved clarity.
• When you select Sync Test Runs to Test Cases — previously called Make Test Runs Current — the test run is now versioned instead of replaced.
  • Synced test runs are versioned and updated to reflect the changes from the test case.
  • Any previous progress, results, or statuses are saved in the test run version history.
  • To restore previous results, select Make current in the test run version history widget. 
• While you edit the contents of a test cycle, selecting the same test groups no longer deletes and replaces the test runs that haven't run.
• When you edit the contents of a test cycle, and the selected groups or statuses alter the contents of the cycle, you can now preview changes before committing them.

New Dashboard Widget: Complex Chart

This release introduces the Complex Chart Widget, which is a reusable, configurable dashboard widget. It displays a granular snapshot of data based on filter, field, and series selections. 

The first enabled chart type is the Stacked Bar Chart. The Stacked Bar Chart has a wide range of filters, fields, and series selections that display data in a user-friendly format.

Introducing Lookup Matrix Calculated Field Type

Lookup matrices serve as a source for logic-based calculations in lookup matrix type calculated fields and provide logic-based calculations (for example, 3 * 5 = High).

They also can return results with color formatting, which visually helps users interpret the calculation results.

Admin Changes 

Pick lists now have a type:

• Standard: Default single-select field
• Lookup Matrix: Appropriate when planning to use a pick list in a logic-based calculation (powered by lookup matrices)

New Admin Tab — Lookup Matrix

You can now configure lookup matrices as the calculation source for Lookup matrix type calculated fields.

New Calculated Field Type — Lookup Matrix

When configuring a calculated field, you can now select the Lookup matrix type (along with the existing options for Sum, Multiply, and Weighted Shortest Job First). 

REST API Updates

• POST /picklist endpoint now includes the option for STANDARD and LOOKUP_MATRIX type pick lists
• GET /pick list endpoint now returns STANDARD and LOOKUP_MATRIX type pick lists

Categories Enhancements 

Advanced Filters Now Include Categories

When you create a filter, you can now select Categories and choose is equal to or not when you add a rule. 

Categories Now Include Project Activity Messages

When you apply or unapply categories to items:

• A project activity stream message now appears
• A Single Item View activity message now appears

Version History Now Available for Item Categorization

In Single Item View and in Reading View, the Categories table now includes the Applied column. View this column to see which version the item was at when a category was applied. 

Ability to Enable Category Management for Locked Items

Organization admins now have the option to allow users to manage categories on system-locked and on user-locked items. 

• This option is disabled by default. 
• When enabled, users with read/write access can manage categories on locked items.
• When enabled or disabled, a message appears in the Admin Activity stream. 

Categories Feature Now Available in Baselines

When enabled by an organization admin, historical versions of categories are now visible in the baseline.   

List View

Reading View

Ability to Manually Update Applied Categories

Organization admins now have the ability to perform a manual update to applied categories with current and historical items. To perform this action, select Admin > Organization > Categories, then click Clean up categories. 

New Categories Labs API Endpoints

Organization admins can now create categories from the Labs API:

View Previous Versions of an Item

In Single Item View, you can now use a new Version drop-down menu to view the differences between items that have more than one version. View the history of an item to quickly identify changes and track progress. 

When you view an older version of an item: 

• The in-app tab appears in blue.
• The Relationship widget displays all relationships up to the version that is being viewed.
• The Categories table displays a new Unapplied column; the table represents when a category was applied or unapplied.

When previewing an item in a baseline, you can navigate to the most current or baselined version.

Improvements from Community User Feedback

You can now quickly scan and identify the relationship status for Live Traceability coverage in your list of requirement items.

• Individual icons will become highlighted in their coordinating color when the item violates the relationship rule applied to the project. Hovering your cursor over the icon will display the specific relationship status name in a tooltip:
  • Suspect Item is indicated by an orange exclamation point icon in the first column.
  • Causing Suspect is indicated by a yellow question mark icon in the second column.
  • Orphan Item is indicated by a teal up arrow in the third column.
  • Missing Downstream is indicated by a teal down arrow in the fourth column.
    
    

• In List View and in Trace View, unique icons for the Relationship Status Indicator now display the "Relationship Status" show/hide fields column configuration.
• When you hover the arrow icon, informative tool tips now appear. 
• Relationship status icons now appear in separate columns. 

Note: In Jama Connect 8.77, new icons will appear in the Dashboard filter widget.

Do you have feedback on the Relationship Status feature improvements? Join our Community where you can comment on this Idea card.

Ability to Expand Row Height in Baseline List View

• In List View for baselines, you can now manually expand the row height and toggle between Condensed, Medium, and Extended row heights. 

Do you have feedback on the "Adjustable Row Height" feature for baselines? Join our Community where you can comment on this Idea card.

Improved Activity Stream Audit Messaging for Clearing Suspect Links

• Simplified messaging describes which item relationship was modified by clearing the Suspect Link.
• Clearing the Suspect Link in one item produces a second audit activity for the coordinating related item.

Do you have any feedback on the ability to clear all Suspect Links on an item? Join our Community where you can comment on this Idea card. 

Usability Updates 

• The Find items secondary panel tree, results, and selected items UI has been updated to provide consistency and align with Jama Software design standards.

 

• The Find items search capabilities now allow you to search by item ID, tags, name, and description. 

• The Find items and Filter items by windows now include condensed headers, borders, and backgrounds. Updates were also made to their search box, tab index orders, accessibility, and more for improved consistency with Jama Software design standards. 

• Now, when you add source content with '<pre>' HTML tag (pre-formatted text), the text is wrapped so you can compare the types of items more easily. 

Categories

• HTML title tags now appear in the Admin Category tree. When hovering over an icon, admins now see these category types:
  • Global category
  • Project category 
  • Unassigned category

• The header in Category List View now contains active links.

License Administration

• The language for the Downgrade and Denial statistics has been changed from Number of users - to Number of login attempts - to more accurately describe the captured data. 
• The percentage of licenses used on a daily bases was updated. Now, when you view all license types, the statistic represents the overall percentage instead of a sum of each license's percentage. 

Baselines

When you select an item with previous versions in the baseline, the historical view of that item opens in Single Item View. Selecting an item's link from a baseline will route you to the baselined version — historical or current. You can hover over a link to see the available versions of an item. 

 
Version History

When you click Make current from an item's version history widget, you now see a confirmation message. Improvements were also made to the system comments and activity logs to more clearly indicate that the version has been copied.  

General Updates

• Infotips are now supported for multi-select fields.
  
  
• When an organization or process admin edits a pick list or item type, the content in the right panel now automatically reflects their selections.
  • This update prevents unintentional changes to the wrong item or pick list. 
• The test execution window now reflects the same field order as test case and test run items, with description presented above test steps instead of below them.
  
  
• When you delete a custom field from an item type that data is now automatically removed, avoiding issues in calculations and item updates when the unique field name is reused later. 
  
  
• In the Project activity stream, a link now takes you to the source in the baseline tree.
  
  

• The item types list now correctly displays all data, even when you change the screen size. 
  
  

• The "Lock" button now includes the locked and unlocked icons. 
  
  

• The gear settings icon and its drop-down menu were replaced with a new layout button. 
  
  

• When you publish an edited item in a review, your scroll position is now maintained in the details of the review. 
  
  

• The item types page for for organization admins includes improved language and behavior.
  • The Add item option is now Add field.
  • When a new item is added, the right panel now opens automatically. 
• The Pick lists page for organization admins includes improved language and behavior.
  • The UI text items is now values.
  • When a new item is added, the right panel now opens automatically. 

• Infotips for multi-select item type fields is now consistent in Reading View, List View, and reviews. 
  
  

• When you add a defect from the Test Execution window, a confirmation message now appears. 
  
  
• The full Category Path is now displayed in the project's List View and is based on the cell width. 
  
  
• You can now apply relationship indicator icons to the Dashboard filter widget. 

SCIM Provisioning for Group Management

This release builds on the new System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) workflows for user management that were introduced in Jama Connect 8.74. Your organization can now automatically provision groups from Okta into Jama Connect. 

With SCIM group management, you can:

• Create new organization-level groups
• Read existing org-level group membership
• Update org-level group membership (add/remove)
• Delete org-level groups

In addition to SCIM support for Okta, Jama Connect now includes SCIM support for Microsoft Azure AD. Contact Jama Customer Support to assist with enablement and to ensure successful implementation.

Performance Improvements: Review Center Dashboard

The Review Center views now load much faster than previously, even if you have a large number of reviews.  

OpenSearch

Jama Connect now utilizes OpenSearch for application-wide searching and other index-driven applications. OpenSearch is a community-driven, open-source search suite and is a fork of Elasticsearch that was first announced in January 2021.   

Notes for System Administrators 

IMAP Server Configuration Now Supports OAuth for Microsoft Domains

Microsoft has announced EOL for basic authentication in Exchange Online, starting as early as October 1, 2022. If you use basic authentication on a Microsoft-hosted IMAP server, you must update the connection settings to use OAuth. You must also register a Microsoft AAD application with the appropriate permissions. For more information, see Authenticate an IMAP, POP, or SMTP connection using OAuth.

Jama Connect supports the Client Credentials Flow using a client Secret. Other IMAP server providers or relays can also be used. If you don't implement these changes and apply this release (or a previously released hotfix for Jama Connect 8.66, 8.71, or 8.74):

• Replies to Stream comments via email aren't saved in Jama Connect.
• Users aren't notified if an error occurs. 

Outbound notifications from Jama Connect utilize SMTP and should continue to work as intended. Microsoft has communicated that customers can continue to use SMTP basic authorization or it can be re-enabled.

For additional information, see our Community announcement.    

For SAML Customers Only

Root users see a new configuration option in System Properties > Authentication Properties > Basic + IdP.

To validate a user's identity, the new Match on field setting allows admins to select which option SAML uses during the authentication flow. Previously, SAML only used the Email option. We've also introduced the option to use Username and Custom identifier. The ability for SAML to use Username simplifies the SCIM integration process. 

Replicated KOTS and Standard Replicated EOL

Our partner, Replicated, is a leader in deploying cloud-ready infrastructure into self-hosted environments, including airgap and customer-managed cloud environments. Replicated developed KOTS, which preserves the previous versions' options for simple installation, monitoring, and updating, but is upgraded to leverage KOTS. KOTS is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

This update is part of Jama Software's focus on continual improvements to enterprise tooling. The 8.79.1 release (and any required hotfixes) will be the last self-hosted release provided on both the 'standard' and KOTS deployment channels.  Beginning with Spring 2023, self-hosted releases will only be made available via the KOTS channel.

In order to maintain standard support under Jama Software's standard maintenance and support agreement (current release and two (2) releases prior), we also ask that all customers upgrade to the KOTS deployment either in line with, or prior to, the Spring 2024 release.      

CentOS EOL

With the Spring 2023 release, Jama Connect will no longer support CentOS. Server operating system support will be provided on both Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Ubuntu per our published supported software at the time of that release.  

Supported Software

For this current release (and for all self-hosted releases), we encourage system administrators to review the complete Supported Software information on the Jama Software User Community before upgrading.  

Container Artifacts

We regression tested using Replicated 2.53.2, and recommend the use of the following script for the initial installation of Jama Connect. This will install Replicated 2.53.2: 

curl -sSL "https://get.replicated.com/docker?replicated_tag=2.53.2&replicated_ui_tag=2.53.2&replicated_operator_tag=2.53.2" | sudo bash -s no-auto

Airgap Environments

Airgap customers can download the required version of Replicated via https://s3.amazonaws.com/replicated-airgap-work/stable/replicated-2.53.2%2B2.53.2%2B2.53.2.tar.gz before installing the 8.79.1 Airgap file available in your portal. 

Replicated KOTS

We recommend the use of the following script for the initial installation of Jama Connect. This will install Replicated KOTS: 

curl -sSL https://k8s.kurl.sh/jama-k8s-standardkots | sudo bash

Resolved Issues

Known Issues