February 2023 Release Guide

In the February 2023 release of the BusinessOptix platform we've extended the quality review controls to include workflow, provided a new API for user access control synchronization, added BearerToken as an authentication mechanism for server-to-server integration and fixed several bugs. 

Quality Review

The BusinessOptix platform has been enhanced to enable the quality review milestones to be managed via a workflow. Approving and publishing a model confirms to you and your business stakeholders that the process is correct, as of now. Over time the process map and business operational reality are likely to drift and the quality review procedure in BusinessOptix provides a regular opportunity to check and confirm that the process map continues to be a correct representation of your business process. 

In this release of BusinessOptix we've added a library wide configuration option to make the quality review procedure an approval workflow. Once configured by your library administrator when a model hits its quality review date the workflow will be initiated. 

In the release there is also a workflow to get you started. The process owner and author will be notified that the quality review workflow has started, and they have 14 days to approve or reject the model. Approval by one of them will re-publish the model and move the next review date into the future. Rejection or no decision will mean the model is not re-published and the next review date remains in the past. 

By default, a model is set-up to be reviewed 12 months after it has been published. An author can change this period by editing the Model/Quality Review property. In an associated tidy-up we have removed many of the manual quality review properties that are less relevant. The manual quality review properties can be added back into the library via a support request. 

Read more on managing quality review with BusinessOptix.

[Using a workflow is immediately available in all libraries; sample workflow requires a library refresh]

SCIM

SCIM is the System for Cross-domain Identity Management and is an open standard for automating the exchange of user identity information between on-premise and cloud software solutions. In this release of the BusinessOptix platform we have added support for SCIM to enable your IT organization to synchronize user and access control information from your internal user management solution with your BusinessOptix library. 

Using SCIM allows you to centrally manage an individual's access to a library; the license they are assigned and the BusinessOptix access control groups they are members of. Equally when an individual no longer has a requirement to access a BusinessOptix library you can remove their access via your internal user management platforms. 

SCIM support is optionally available for libraries set up to use single sign-on (SSO) and can be requested via customer support. Authentication will require a BearerToken (see following). 

[SCIM is available via support request]

Bearer Token Support for APIs

All information held in your BusinessOptix library is available via an open API. The APIs have been enhanced to include support authentication with a Bearer Token. A library administrator can create the bearer token, assign it to a licensed user and set an expiry date. The assignment to a licensed user allows your library administrators to manage the access control of any software using the Bearer Token to access the API.

[Bearer tokens require enabling via a support request, managing Bearer tokens is then a library administrator function]

Workflow

When a workflow touches a model the change history is updated to record that event. We have extended the change notes to include the name of the workflow. 

Accessibility

In library user interface, model output, Author we have enhanced the user's ability to navigate around using a keyboard, without requiring a mouse. 

Library User Interface

In the library user interface, the validation of characters allowed in a model name was inconsistent with Author. This has now been made consistent. 

Manage

Deleting an access control group from your library requires confirmation. Access control groups created by the BusinessOptix platform can no longer be renamed.