[Sharing] What’s Changed in This Release? By Susan Trommer, Information Builders

The announcement of each new WebFOCUS release, new feature or maintenance pack always sparks interest. Typically, it is only a matter of hours before I start getting e-mails, instant messages and phone calls from people asking, “What’s changed in this release other than the new features?” My answer, for several years, is that there are two documents for each major release level that provide this information.

The WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations provides information on product changes in default configuration or functional behavior.
The WebFOCUS Release Notes provides information on:
WebFOCUS functional issues with workaround information, as well as whether these problems have been fixed and in what release they are fixed.
Third-party product limitations or problems.
Documentation updates that are not yet available in the WebFOCUS manuals.

Questions that usually follow and the answers I provide are as follows:

Where can I get a copy?

The WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes documents can be obtained from the Information Builders Technical Documentation Library, which is accessible to registered InfoResponse customers. You can go to the Information Builders Corporate Web site, http://www.informationbuilders.com, and from the Services and Support menu, select Documentation. Then, in the Quick Links section on the right, select WebFOCUS Release Notes. From that page, you can obtain both documents and also the WebFOCUS New Feature Highlights and WebFOCUS New Features documents.

Who decides what to put in the WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes documents?

WebFOCUS Product Managers are responsible for the documentation about the product areas they manage. They work with Information Builders’ Documentation Services technical writers, who manage the creation and publication of all WebFOCUS product documentation.

Information in the WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes originate from many sources but mostly from operational (programming and QA) efforts, as well as the evaluation and certification process for third-party products such as new release levels of browsers, operating systems, Web and application servers, database engines, and Java versions.

How often are the WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes documents updated, and how do I know if they have been updated?

These documents can be updated daily, if necessary, but are generally updated on a weekly or monthly basis. The revision date of the document is on the Release Notes page as well as on the document’s cover page. A notification e-mail is not distributed when an update of the WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes documents is made accessible from the Release Notes page.

If e-mail isn’t sent to me, how do I know when there is important information added to these documents?

Important product functionality notifications are proactively distributed via e-mail to registered InfoResponse customers as a CTSS Alert or product notification e-mail. So, I will take this as an opportunity to remind registered InfoResponse customers to verify that the e-mail address in your profile is correct.

With each new WebFOCUS Release, a product availability notification is distributed that includes links to the key release documents, including the WebFOCUS Upgrade Considerations and WebFOCUS Release Notes documents.

The Q&A usually ends at this point, but the WebFOCUS Product and Documentation Services teams are always interested in any feedback you have on how to improve the product, as well as the content and quality of the WebFOCUS product documentation.

So, if you do have any feedback, please tell us by opening a case with Customer Support so that your feedback is documented and delivered to the appropriate product manager to review and respond.

Click here to read the online version.

We hope you enjoy this article.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Butler
Customer Care and Communications Manager
Information Builders