Upgrading to Board 14 release from Board 11 and older

Moving from Board 10.x or 11.x versions to Board 14.1 version involves the architecture change that was introduced in Board 12.0, meaning that this should be considered a migration process that requires mandatory actions to be performed. Therefore, both the Board 12 architecture upgrade instructions and the Board 14.1 upgrade notes should be considered for these updates.   

Note that, to move from older versions like Board 10.x or 11.x to Board 14.1, it is not necessary to upgrade to Board 12 first.  

This article aims to explain the steps to upgrade from 10.x and 11.x Data models and Capsules to Board 14.1 and to describe the specific features that need to be adjusted to keep working as expected. 

Steps for upgrading to Board 14 

Migrating Data models 

Every Data model created in a Board version prior to the Board 12.0 (2021 Spring) release will have to be cleared after you upgrade your solution, so Cubes must be extracted before the process and then reloaded in the new Board 14 release environment. 

This applies both to Data models created in Board version 10.x and to Data models created in Board version 11.x. 

1. Prepare a new environment with the current version. Prepare a development environment with the same version of Board currently in use. Board Cloud Customers can utilize a Sandbox instance for this purpose whereas on-premises customers must ensure a suitable environment is made available 
   

2. In your current version, run a Procedure that performs an “Extract all Cubes” step and then, in the Cubes section, select all Cubes and clear them all  

   Only the first version of each Cube (also called Structure) is extracted during this process. 

   • By default (using the "Extract all cubes" Procedure step), the extraction path used by Board is C:\BOARD\dataset\database_name 

   • Cloud Customers must extract such data in the Z:\ storage area, therefore, a dedicated "Extract all Cubes" Procedure must be configured 
     

3. Uninstall your current version of Board (on-premises customers only) 
   

4. Install Board 14 release 

   • For Cloud customers, the upgrade process can be initiated by raising a ticket through the Board Support Portal. The ticket must contain your Platform name (e.g. customer1-s1.board.com). The Board Cloud Operations team will then handle your request

   • On-premises customers can download the necessary installer files from the download page
     

5. Access your Data models. A popup window will appear, asking you to migrate your Data model: click "YES" to continue 
   

6. The system will automatically try to clear all existing Cube's data, search for previously extracted Cubes in the default directory, and reload them onto Board 14 release .

   This process may take minutes or hours, depending on the amount of data you're upgrading.  For large Data models and complex Data models, we suggest not to rely on the automatic extract and reload process described in step 6, but to manually execute the extraction and clear actions as described in step 2. Then, manually reload the Cubes by launching the "Reload all cubes" Procedure

Migrate Capsules 

Next, you must migrate your Capsules and may have to refactor your Time functions.  

After upgrading, your Capsules must migrate from the old version to the new version.

To migrate Capsules, proceed as follows: 

1. Go to the Capsule page 

2. Identify the "old version" Capsules. They are in greyscale and surrounded by a grey dotted border 

3. Right click anywhere on the Capsule tile 

4. Select "Migrate Capsule" from the top of the options menu. Now, your Capsule has migrated and you are ready to interact with your Capsule 

After all these steps are completed and your Data models are upgraded and fully populated with your previous data, you can actively use your new Board 14 release environments.

Data models upgraded from versions 11.0, 11.2, 11.3 will lose Cube versioning. Cube versions will need to be manually recreated in Board 14.1. 

Installing Board 14 release will update the chat feature to the new version and all previous chat sessions will no longer be available (only from versions older than 12.4). 

In Board 12.3 (2022 Spring), the @Selection_Ex substitution formula has been updated, please refer to the release notes here if this functionality is relevant for your application. 

In Board 12.5 (2023 Spring), the evaluation of multiple dynamic selections applied to Time Entities has been changed, please refer to the release notes here if this functionality is relevant for your application. 

In Board 12.6 (2023 Summer), to enhance security, the option to connect data sources to Board using “localhost”, “127.0.01”, or all the access requests that are resolved internally to the server are not supported anymore. This is true for all types of Data readers, including SAP and ASCII readers. Please refer to the release notes here if this functionality is relevant for your application. 

The File upload utility feature has been deprecated. Those who once used the File upload utility feature found in the top menu of previous versions, will no longer be able to upload files in this way.

Detailed changes introduced 

Board 14.1 does not introduce any critical changes compared to the Board 10.x versions, so no specific action is required to complete the upgrade. The only changes to be aware of are the following: 

• Data Model - Dynamic Saving Policy: the new Dynamic Engine released with Board 14.1 will simplify and automatically manage what data is kept in memory rather than on disk. This will ensure optimal resource usage, data model scalability, and better responsiveness under high concurrency usage. To learn more about the Dynamic Engine, please refer to the Dynamic Engine article. For this reason, the “dynamic” saving policy is now the only saving policy configuration available in Board 14.1. If your environment uses one of the previously existing policies, it will automatically change to the dynamic one during the upgrade (the existing configuration will be ignored). No action is required to manage this change. 

• Procedure step - Save Data model to disk: the function executed via this Procedure step is now directly managed by the Dynamic Engine. Therefore, if executed, this step will not perform any action. In complex environments or Data models, this step was typically used to save all pending changes to disk before performing backup actions. This type of backup architecture is no longer necessary and can be simplified by simply leveraging the backup Procedure step.  

• Procedure step – Backup/Restore Data model: thanks to the Dynamic Engine, the execution of backup/restore Data models has been completely optimized, by making these actions faster and more suitable even for complex environments and large Data models (as already explained for the Save Data model to disk action).  

  For on-premises customers, to benefit from the new backup/restore performance, you must enable the shadow copy mechanism (in Windows features). If it is not active, Board will execute the old backup/restore mechanism

• Data Model - InRam Flag for Cubes: this feature has now been deprecated. Existing setups other than the default ones are ignored after the upgrade. No action is required to manage this change. 

• Data model – Fast track section: this feature has been deprecated. For any questions pertaining to this item or the product roadmap, please refer to the Product Management Team. 

• Cognitive Space area: this feature has been deprecated. For any questions pertaining to this item or the product roadmap, please refer to the Product Management Team. 

• File upload utility: this feature has been deprecated. For any questions pertaining to this item or the product roadmap, please refer to the Product Management Team.

For on-premises customers only

• HTTP protocol is no longer supported: to increase the security of our applications, it is now mandatory to use a certificate (HTTPS protocols) to access the Web Board platform. The only exception is for installations that use “localhost” access. 

• Web API Server folder structure has now changed (relevant for IIS deployments): the new framework used for our new User Interface requires a different web server folder structure which will therefore affect the on-premises installation of Board deployed via IIS. Please refer to the following article to learn more about the new IIS deployment steps for Board 14 and any relevant differences with the previous structure. 

Changes from past versions to consider when upgrading

However, if you are upgrading from Board 10.x or 11.x versions, some changes have been introduced over time and must be considered for this upgrade.

Changes which need to be managed and tested when upgrading from Board 10.x or Board 11.x to Board 14.1 can be divided into 3 main areas: 

1. Screens

   • Screen – Performance: As you navigate your Screens, you'll immediately notice that Board environments offer significant performance improvements to Screen loading time. 

   • Screen – MXC Cubes: The MXC Cubes have been replaced by the Aggregation feature. Therefore, Screens containing these types of Cubes will need to be manually adjusted accordingly. As this feature was only available in the Board Windows Client and is no longer supported in the Board Web Client, it will no longer be available after this upgrade. 

   • Screens – Trellis: As this Object was only available in the Board Windows Client and is no longer supported in the Board Web Client, it will no longer be available after this upgrade. 

   • Screens – Cockpit: As this Object was only available in the Board Windows Client and is no longer supported in the Board Web Client, it will no longer be available after this upgrade. 

   • Screens – Capsule sitemap: As this Object was only available in the Board Windows Client and is no longer supported in the Board Web Client, it will no longer be available after this upgrade. 

   • Screen – Expressions: Expressions have been replaced by the simple Algorithm feature. Therefore, Screens containing expressions will need to be manually adjusted accordingly. As this feature was only available in the Board Windows Client and is no longer supported in the Board Web Client, it will no longer be available after this upgrade. 

   • Screen – Masks: Masks have been completely revised in the Web Client. Please be sure to review your Screens and Masks in order to take advantage of the new Board Web Client capabilities regarding Objects alignment and formatting.  
     

2. Data models

   • Data model – Versions: If you are upgrading from the 11.0, 11.2, and 11.3 versions, Cube versions (except structure) will be deleted during the upgrade process. You will need to manually rebuild Cube versions as in the 10.x version. 
     

3. Procedures 

   • Procedures – Broadcasting: Since the old Broadcast feature has been deprecated, you must now use the new web-based Broadcast 

   • Procedures – Extract Cube: Cube extraction may generate files with a different column order. Please check output files and exchange the column order from the "extract Cube" action directly, if needed

     Since the column order in the extracted files may change, please review associated Data Readers. 

   • Procedures - Nexel writeback: the "Use Configuration Pages" flag has been deprecated in Board 12.0 and later versions, but is still available and enabled by default for back-compatibility reasons. If the Procedures carried out in Board 10.x do not write values in Board 14, please disable the "Use configuration pages" flag and run the Procedure again

   • Procedures - Dataflow: Dataflows upgraded from Board 10.x need to be reviewed. A new paradigm in Dataflow execution on the domain was introduced in Board 12 and needs to be considered. Read more about the Dataflow. 

     
     Dataflows in Board 10.x: 

     1. Detect target dimensions 

     2. Perform calculations on all possible dense combinations, combined with the existing sparse combination in the Data model   

     
     Dataflows in Board 12 releases and newer: 

     1. Detect target dimensions 

     2. Perform calculations only on the existing combinations of Cubes involved in the calculation 

     
     In order to write new combinations, domain options have to be used: 

     • Extend. Writes on all combinations of the Entities detected as extend 

     • Limit. Uses the existing combinations of a given Cube to perform the calculation 

       "Extend" and "limit" options can be combined. 

     Example:

     Let’s assume your target Cube (target cube) is structured by Month, Customer, and Product and another existing Cube (perimeter cube) is structured by Customer and Product. You can set up a Dataflow to write the existing combination of Customer and Product in the limit Cube, but for all Months using the perimeter Cube as Limit and Extend on Month.

     To know more about the Dataflow in Board 12 and newer, see the official Dataflow documentation page.

   • Procedures – Time Functions: If you used Time functions in Procedures before upgrading, you may have to refactor Time functions after upgrading. The Board 12.4 release upgraded the behaviors of certain Time functions. To find out if your time functions are impacted and need refactoring, read the 12.4 release notes on refactoring Time functions.