What's New in MicroStrategy 2019

Security

(Update 3) Microsoft Azure and AWS Single Sign-on services are certified with MicroStrategy products.

Licensing

In June 2019, MicroStrategy has implemented a series of new licenses and privileges that require provisioning of a new license key. To install MicroStrategy 2019 Update 2 or Update 3, you must not only first have MicroStrategy 2019 installed, you must also retrieve an Update 2 license key from the MicroStrategy Download site. After installation, you must request an activation code in License Manager. For more information, see Installing MicroStrategy 2019 Update 2 Requires Customers to Procure and Deploy a New License Key, Different From That of the 2019 Platform Release.

To compare the licenses and privileges from previous versions, please see the System Admin Guide.

HyperIntelligence

HyperIntelligence represents an entirely new class of applications where answers find you. These applications inject insights directly into a user’s existing workflows and transform familiar interfaces into intelligence tools—making every person, application, and device across the enterprise more intelligent.

MicroStrategy 2019 introduces cards, a new object that is built, managed, and deployed using MicroStrategy Workstation. These cards can be consumed in your Chrome browser via HyperIntelligence for Web, on iOS and Android devices via HyperIntelligence for Mobile, or on Outlook with the new HyperIntelligence for Office.

• New templates that support images and ring widgets for creating Persona-based cards such as Employee, Contact, and Profile cards.
• Ability to add email address links to cards.
• View card usage activity.
• A new template that supports images and displays data in a matrix and list.
• Ability to add Contextual Links to cards.
• Export the HyperIntelligence for Office Outlook add-in manifest file from Workstation to consume cards in Microsoft Outlook.
• (Update 3) Create cards with the new flexible design editor that allows you to change card header styles and add new widgets. For more information, see Create Cards.

HyperIntelligence for Web

HyperIntelligence for Web allows you to consume card data from your Google Chrome browser. For example if you have an employee card enabled, you can view information such as email, department, or tenure when an employee name appears in your browser.

• Support for SAML authentication.
• Improved card matching with a new carousel interface that allows for the discovery and display of multiple cards matching a keyword.
• Support for trusted authentication.
• (Update 3) Ability to export HyperIntelligence for Web logs.

HyperIntelligence for Mobile

HyperIntelligence for Mobile is a universal iOS application and Android application that allows users to leverage contextual analytics whenever and wherever they need.

iOS

• In-app and Spotlight search: You can search for cards directly in the app or use the iOS Spotlight search.
• Native calendar and reminder integrated notifications: HyperIntelligence for Mobile provides card suggestions via push notification to your mobile device if your meeting or event on your device's local calendar contains a match. HyperIntelligence for Mobile for iOS also provides card push notifications based on your Reminders.
• See the history of viewed cards in your Spotlight search, from Calendar push notifications, or from in-app search results on the app home page.
• (Update 3) The new Calendar tab allows you to view cards related to your calendar events. For more information, see the HyperIntelligence Guide.

Android

• In-app search: You can search for cards directly in the app.
• Calendar integrated notifications: HyperIntelligence for Mobile provides card suggestions via push notification to your mobile device if your meeting or event on your device's calendar contains a match.
• (Update 3) Support for SAML authentication.
• (Update 3) See the history of viewed cards from your in-app search results or from your calendar push notifications on the app home page.

HyperIntelligence for Office

As of 2019 Update 2, cards are available in Microsoft Outlook when using HyperIntelligence for Office.

The add-in supports the following:

• View cards on Microsoft Outlook for Desktop for macOS or Windows OS or Office 365.
• Support for LDAP, Guest, Standard, Badge, and SAML authentication.
• Export the HyperIntelligence for Office manifest file from Workstation.
• Filter cards in Outlook.
• (Update 3) Enhanced card matching performance.

MicroStrategy for Office

The MicroStrategy for Office add-in is an application extension that enables you to integrate MicroStrategy with Microsoft Office 365 and Excel for self-service tailoring of business analysis, while ensuring governed access to data and content through the MicroStrategy platform.

The add-in leverages the MicroStrategy for Office JavaScript add-in framework and MicroStrategy’s REST API capabilities to simplify the deployment and administration of extensions in your local environment.

The add-in supports the following:

• Deploying with MicroStrategy for Office on Windows and Mac clients and the Office 365 cloud.
• Leveraging MicroStrategy Library authentication.
• Importing reports or datasets from MicroStrategy to Excel.
• Filtering data before importing to Excel.

As of 2019 Update 2, the following enhancements have been made:

• Refresh datasets and reports imported from MicroStrategy without losing the formatting applied in Excel.
• Import data from prompted reports from MicroStrategy.
• The Refresh All button updates all imported data.
• Selecting an object from the MicroStrategy Office Add-in panel highlights the corresponding data in the Excel workbook.
• Ability to rename imported objects in Excel.
• Quickly import one million rows of data from MicroStrategy to Excel.

MicroStrategy for Office 2019 Update 3 introduces the following:

• (Update 3) Ability to edit data already imported to the workbook.
• (Update 3) Ability to re-prompt a report to the same workbook.
• (Update 3) Ability to refresh prompted data already imported to the workbook.
• (Update 3) Ability to clear data from the workbook to control user access.
• (Update 3) Support for reports with subtotals and totals.
• (Update 3) Support for cross-tab reports.

Data Sources

• MicroStrategy 2019 does not support Denodo 7 with Kerberos Authentication using ODBC/JDBC drivers.
• HP Vertica 9 is certified.

• New Data Gateways

  • Act! Essentials
  • Agile Central (Rally)
  • Autopilot
  • BambooHR
  • Chargebee
  • Chargify
  • Citrix Sharefile
  • Connectwise CRM
  • Ecwid
  • Freshdesk
  • Greenhouse.io
  • Infusionsoft Rest
  • Infusionsoft ECommerce
  • Power BI
  • Qlik Sense
  • QlikView
  • Sage Financials (formerly Sage Live)
  • SAP SuccessFactors
  • Servicemax
  • Stripe

  • Tableau

• The JDBC Google BigQuery driver has been updated to leverage the BigQuery Storage API for faster performance.
• (Update 3) Improved data import capacity for Microsoft Excel (xls) connector.
• (Update 3) Ability to improve Google BigQuery data transfer speeds by 80% using the High-Throughput API.
• (Update 3) Teradata Vantage is certified.
• (Update 3) Full assessment testing on IBM DB2 11.1, Oracle 18c, SQL Server 2017, and Teradata 16.x.

Embedding SDK

A new property, dossierFeature, was added to help you customize the dossier feature on the UI. You use the detailed property, readOnly, to enable or disable all context menus, including the visualization right-click context menu and the context menu on the top right of the visualization (that has options like "Export").

Library Mobile SDK

• Library Mobile SDK for Android
  • The Library Mobile SDK for Android is certified to work with Android 9 Pie (API level 28).
  • When you customize MicroStrategy Library Mobile for Android, you must have Android SDK 28 to develop and compile your application.
• Library Mobile SDK for iOS
  • API references are now published for iPad and iPhone.
  • When you customize MicroStrategy Library Mobile for iOS, you must have an Apple Mac, running Xcode® 10.2.1 with the Apple iOS SDK 12.x, to develop and compile your application.

Mobile SDK

• Mobile SDK for Android
  • The Mobile SDK for Android is certified to work with Android 9 Pie (API level 28).
  • (Update 3) When you customize MicroStrategy Mobile for Android, you must have Android SDK 28 to develop and compile your application.
  • (Update 3) Ability to customize authentication:
    • Customize startup activity
    • Customize the app lifecycle
    • Customize the login screen and authentication parameters
    • Add custom logic during the authentication process
    • Pass custom login parameters
    • Add customized headers to network requests
    • Log out users when status changes occur in another app
• Mobile SDK for iOS
  • When you customize MicroStrategy Mobile for iOS, you must have an Apple Mac, running Xcode® 10.2.1 with the Apple iOS SDK 12.x, to develop and compile your application.
  • There is a new method for customizing the splash screen using Storyboard, to support the new FaceID iPad Pro device.

REST API

• Push Data API has been enhanced.

  The ability to make external data available to MicroStrategy—often referred to as the Push Data API—has been enhanced. The newest version of the Push Data API supports complex scenarios where a large number of columns/metrics need to be managed at a different update/load/refresh schedule. This is accomplished by separating dataset definition, data upload, and dataset creation, using multiple requests to incrementally add data before publication.

  Performance was significantly improved for Data Import using the Push Data API (with multiple requests), and issues were addressed for stability improvements.

• Filtering data has been enhanced.

  The REST API has been enhanced to support the ability to pass filters into the REST API endpoints.

• Support for prompts has been enhanced.

  The REST API has been enhanced to support the ability to programmatically view, answer (with specific values, no answers, or default answers), and reset prompts on reports, dossiers, and documents.

• (Update 3) Exporting data has been enhanced.

  The REST API now supports the export of cross-tabbed reports and report sub-totals. Additionally, the REST API has been enhanced to allow for greater scalability, so users can consume larger datasets in less time.

MicroStrategy Web

Analysts should review the Expected Behavioral Changes.

• Streamlined process to set up SAML configuration.
• Ability to search for derived elements on hierarchical attributes in the Filter panel, Threshold Editor, and in-canvas selector (search box).
• When creating a new derived element from a hierarchical attribute, any filters using that hierarchical attribute and targeting a visualization with a derived element are automatically updated to use the new derived element. The filter state will be preserved during this replacement.
• New Adobe Analytics community connector.
• Support for user fencing in seamless log in.
• (Update 3) Ability to keep or exclude specific branches or elements in a grid containing a hierarchical attribute.
• (Update 3) Filter other visualizations by specific branches or elements.
• (Update 3) On the Filter panel, an indicator appears for hierarchical attributes in the branch selection checkbox when any of the branch's children are selected. This indicator eliminates the need to expand the branch to see if children are selected.

MicroStrategy Workstation

• HyperIntelligence: Create cards to view in HyperIntelligence. Cards are objects that hold the data that appears when users hover over a keyword attribute in a web browser. When creating a new card, you can select a dataset, identify specific KPIs and attributes to display, and more. Once you create a card, grant users access to the card and deploy it from Workstation.
• Ability to search for derived elements on hierarchical attributes in the Filter panel, Threshold Editor, and in-canvas selector (search box).
• When creating a new derived element from a hierarchical attribute, any filters using that hierarchical attribute are automatically updated to use the new derived element. The filter state will be preserved during this replacement.
• The "Create Dataset in Workstation" privilege is now enforced for all users. If a user does not have it, they will not be able to create datasets. You can read more about privileges in Workstation in this Community article.
• In addition to dossiers, embedded telemetry reports can now be displayed for reports, documents, HyperIntelligence, and datasets.
• User Activity: View statistics and trends related to user activity.
• Ability to certify reports in Workstation.
• Ability to sort by certified dossiers, documents, cards, reports, and datasets.
• (Update 3) Ability to keep or exclude specific branches or elements in a grid containing a hierarchical attribute.
• (Update 3) Filter other visualizations by specific branches or elements.
• (Update 3) On the Filter panel, an indicator appears for hierarchical attributes in the branch selection checkbox when any of the branch's children are selected. This indicator eliminates the need to expand the branch to see if children are selected.

MicroStrategy Desktop

• Ability to search for derived elements on hierarchical attributes in the Filter panel, Threshold Editor, and in-canvas selector (search box).
• (Update 3) Ability to keep or exclude specific branches or elements in a grid containing a hierarchical attribute.
• (Update 3) Filter other visualizations by specific branches or elements.
• (Update 3) On the Filter panel, an indicator appears for hierarchical attributes in the branch selection checkbox when any of the branch's children are selected. This indicator eliminates the need to expand the branch to see if children are selected.

MicroStrategy Cloud Platform

• Users can now provision MicroStrategy Cloud Platform for Azure environments, Team or Department Edition, in East US 2 (Virginia), West Europe (the Netherlands), and Southeast Asia (Singapore) for better performance and support of self-service cloud deployments around the globe.
• The console that enables you to provision and manage MicroStrategy cloud environments is now referred to as MicroStrategy Cloud Platform. See the MicroStrategy Cloud Platform documentation.
• Users can now deploy MicroStrategy Cloud Platform for Azure Enterprise Edition.
• Users can now provision MicroStrategy Cloud Platform for Azure environments, Team or Department Edition, in Canada Central (Toronto), North Europe (Ireland), West US (California), and West US 2 (Washington) for better performance and support of self-service cloud deployments around the globe.
• Users can now provision MicroStrategy Cloud Platform for Azure environments into an existing VNet.

MicroStrategy Intelligence Server

• Microsoft Windows Server version 2019 Preview Build is certified.
• Intelligence Server now has the ability to release cached memory in SmartHeap when the Intelligence Server is about to hit memory contract manager denial. See MicroStrategy Community for more information.
• PhantomJS, previously used in the Export Service, has been replaced with Puppeteer.
• Using the Configuration Wizard, you can select to keep your existing statistics settings or enable statistics database instance for the local Intelligence Server metadata.
• Support for user fencing in seamless login.

MicroStrategy Library

• Streamlined process to set up SAML configuration.
• Ability to search for derived elements on hierarchical attributes in the Filter Panel, Threshold Editor, and In-Canvas Selector (Search Box).
• Library Mobile is iPad Pro Certified.
• Support for form-based single sign-on authentication for Library for iOS and Android.
• Support for user fencing in seamless login.
• (Update 3) Library Mobile is iOS 13 certified.
• (Update 3) Ability to keep or exclude specific branches or elements in a grid containing a hierarchical attribute.
• (Update 3) Filter other visualizations by specific branches or elements.

Platform Analytics

• Improved installation process on Linux and Windows.
• Improved usability and interface for the out-of-the-box Platform Analytics dossiers.
• Improved Kafka server stability on Windows.
• Improved consumer start-up health checks to cover more cases, provide more detailed and actionable feedback, as well as attempt to diagnose network connectivity issues.
• Developed a new health check tool that enables customers to test the end-to-end flow of data between the Intelligence Server Producer, Telemetry Server (Apache Kafka), and Platform Analytics Consumer (Telemetry Store) for both Change Journal and Statistics cases.
• A new data cleanup script allows you to delete data for specific users, across all tables in the Platform Analytics repository. This feature provides compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Ability to use the Configuration Wizard in both Interactive (console) mode or GUI instead of using a response file.
• Upgrade Platform Analytics using the Configuration Wizard.

Integrity Manager

• Improved ability to handle larger dossiers and documents, improved error handling when running out of memory processing larger documents, and performance improvements for prompt answering.
• Integrity Manager Report enhancements, improved SQL comparison, and user experience enhancements.

MicroStrategy Identity

• Streamlined process to set up SAML configuration.
• Ability to install and configure the Identity Messaging Server for Linux deployments only.
• Ability to switch URLs, based on region, during login.

MicroStrategy Badge

• Background NFC tag detection is now supported for iPhone XS and XR.

MicroStrategy Communicator

• Ability to modify multi-attribute selections.
• By default, search results display in real-time.