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Welcome to the BlueConic product release notes for Q2-2024. This article lists BlueConic product updates, new connections, bug fixes, and API updates released to customers as part of Release 92 (April 2024) and will be continuously updated with any other platform and plugin changes made from April through June 2024.

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Testing new features

Please note that any newly released features may impact existing configurations and require testing before using the feature.

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April 2024 BlueConic product updates for Release 92

The latest BlueConic product updates in Release 92 (R92) for the most recent quarterly release will be delivered to your tenant between April 5 and April 26, 2024.

New BlueConic features and enhancements

• Hourly segmentation: New filters available for "Date time" properties
• Updates made resulting in faster profile segmentation
• REST API updates made
  • Groups REST APIs now public
  • Group refinement capabilities introduced in the REST API
  • Segment refinement capabilities introduced in the REST API
  • Channels and domains now retrievable through the REST API
  • BlueConic REST API documentation site enhanced
• Profile exports now faster when exporting all profiles via REST API v2, Python API, or Connections
• BlueConic SDKs to adhere to Apple privacy updates for apps
• Inactivity timeout configuration option added
• Pendo implemented for improved tenant-level product analytics

Connection updates

• SFTP Connection: Compressed and encrypted files now supported in group imports
• New Adestra Connection added
• New Page Change Listener added
• New data processors added
• Plugins updated to latest jQuery version

Other updates and bug fixes

• Platform/UI
• Plugins
• REST API
• Python API

New BlueConic features and enhancements

Hourly segmentation: New filters available for "Date time" properties

Time-based segmentation in BlueConic was enhanced with new and refined filters that allow you to segment data on an hourly basis. For instance, you can now create segments based on profiles that took specific actions between a range of hours or before/after a designated date and time. This not only provides more granular segmentation (e.g., hourly analysis and targeting for cart abandonment), but also improves the precision of your marketing strategies.

New hourly time selectors added

When you select a "Date time" profile property (e.g., “First visited date”) as a condition for your segment–with the date operator set to in range or not in range–a dropdown now appears in place of the Period radio button with these new fixed-date options:

• Between: To find property values between two specific dates/times.
• After: To find property values after one specific date/time.
• Before: To find property values before one specific date/time.

Also in this dropdown are relative-date options for “Within last” and “Within next,” which replace the “Last _ days” and “Next _ days” radio buttons that appeared previously. (The functionality is the same.) For more information, review the section Relative date filters updated below.

Whenever you select “Between,” “After,” or “Before” from the dropdown, selectors for both date and time appear, allowing you to choose a specific hour on a particular date. For instance, if you’re looking to determine which profiles last visited your site after February 1, you can add the “Last visited date” property as a condition, set the dropdown to “After,” and set the date/time to February 1, 12:00 AM.

Notes:

• For the three fixed-date options, dates/times are based on the local time zone of the user who configured the segment (which is retrieved through their browser setting). All users will see those dates/times displayed in their individual time zone, though.
• The time format for all dates/times is based on your individual locale in Account settings in BlueConic (e.g., “11/15/2023 01:00 PM,” "15-11-2023 13:00").
• Once you make a date selection, the corresponding time selector defaults to 12:00 AM.

Relative date filters updated

The relative-date filters “Within last” and “Within next” allow you to find property values relative to the current date/time (e.g., if a profile visited your website within the last 3 days). These filters are based on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Previously, these relative-date filters were measured in calendar days only (simply labeled "days"), but now you can select any of these three time measurements:

• Calendar days (UTC): The number of full days–i.e., from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM–before or after the current date/time (in your local time zone).
  • Note: This is the same as the previous “Last _ days” and “Next _ days" options, just with a different label. Thus, for any existing segments, “Last _ days” and “Next _ days" will now use "calendar days (UTC)."
• Days (24 hours): The number of 24-hour increments before or after the current date/time (in your local time zone).
  • Note: This is the default option when you choose either "Within last" or "Within next."
• Hours: The number of full hours before or after the current date/time (in your local time zone).

When the system does its calculation for any of these options, times are always rounded to the hour for the most optimal segmentation. As a result, any daily or hourly range you set will include extra rounding time. For more information on how rounding works, along with detailed examples for each segmentation option, review the article Understanding how date and time filters work in segmentation.

Relative date filters added to the Python API and REST API v2

“Within last” and “Within next” functionality was also implemented in the Python API and REST API v2. The BlueConic Python API documentation site was updated to reflect this addition under Filtering profiles and groups. On the BlueConic REST API v2 documentation site, the sections Get groups for group type and Get profiles in segment now feature these filters as operators under the "refinement" object. 

Updates made resulting in faster profile segmentation

As part of our commitment to enhance our platform scalability and performance, we are introducing a series of performance improvements benefiting all tenants. To this effect, we increased the capacity of Apache Solr to handle large numbers of profiles and groups. (Apache Solr is the technology behind the BlueConic segmentation engine.) This will result in:

• Faster segment count retrieval, making data analysis and segment management quicker and more efficient.
• A more responsive experience in data retrieval for users of the Segment Discovery Insight and Segment Analyzer Insight.
• Faster retrieval of profile counts under a block, especially when applying OR rules.
• An optimized process of retrieving facets, particularly when values of a specific profile property are selected as part of the segmentation rules.

For more information, review the article Troubleshooting the number of profiles in BlueConic Segments.

REST API updates made

Groups REST APIs now public

Groups REST APIs are now accessible to all customers, allowing you to seamlessly perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on groups. The BlueConic REST API v2 site was updated to include documentation on these Public Groups REST APIs.

To learn more about our groups capacity, review the article Creating and managing groups.

Group refinement capabilities introduced in the REST API

Group refinement capabilities were added to the REST API, providing filtering capabilities for group retrieval. This allows you to target subsets of groups based on attributes like last modified date or group properties. Using these capabilities, you can now efficiently access specific groups from external data warehouses and align group and profile API features.

For more information, review the Get groups for group type section of the BlueConic REST API v2 documentation site.

Segment refinement capabilities introduced in the REST API

To enhance performance and reduce data volume, segment refinement capabilities were added to the REST API. This includes:

• The ability to retrieve only updated profiles within a specific segment, ensuring that your outreach or analysis is always based on the latest information. It also saves time and improves efficiency by preventing the need to sift through outdated data.
• The introduction of IS_EMPTY and NOT_CONTAINS_ANY filters, helping to quickly identify gaps in data collection and allowing for targeted data enrichment efforts. This can greatly enhance the quality of the data insights you derive.
• The ability to apply Objective filters to only retrieve data from customers who have consented, therefore respecting user privacy and adhering to data protection regulations. This enhances your organization's reputation and reduces the risk of legal issues.
• The ability to identify profiles with UNKNOWN consent status and proactively seek consent. This helps expand the profiles you can actively engage with, while also complying with consent requirements.

For more information, review the Get profiles in segment section of the BlueConic REST API v2 documentation site.

Channels and domains now retrievable through the REST API

Through the REST API, you can now make GET requests to retrieve all channels and domains (and their respective aliases), as well as channel-specific information given a channel ID. These enhancements provide a streamlined way to link back channel and domain data already configured in a tenant with data insights captured by BlueConic listeners into your custom dashboards.

For more information, review the BlueConic REST API v2 site or the article Adding channels in BlueConic.

BlueConic REST API documentation site enhanced

Various sections of the BlueConic REST API v2 documentation site at https://rest.apidoc.blueconic.com were updated to include additional explanation, examples, and article links to the BlueConic Knowledge Base. For instance, under Create, update, or delete one or more profiles, messaging and examples were added for deleting a single profile and updating objectives for a single profile.

Profile exports now faster when exporting all profiles via REST API v2, Python API, or Connections

Improvements were made to ensure that customers can export large volumes of profile data more quickly and efficiently. This faster profile export capability is enabled if the number of profiles being requested matches 95 percent or more of the total tenant population.

BlueConic SDKs to adhere to Apple privacy updates for apps

As per Apple's recent privacy updates, when BlueConic uploads a new version of the BlueConic SDK for iOS or the BlueConic SDK for React Native to the App Store, we will now include approved reasons for using the app’s listed APIs.

For the latest SDK updates, review the articles BlueConic SDK for iOS Release Notes, BlueConic SDK for Android Release Notes, and BlueConic SDK for React Native Release Notes, respectively.

Inactivity timeout configuration option added

A setting is now available that allows BlueConic site administrators to configure how long a user can be inactive before their user session times out (and they are logged out of the platform). This setting is included in a new tab labeled “Timeout configuration” through BlueConic settings > Access management.

By default, the inactivity timeout is set to 60 minutes, but you can configure it for any time between 30 and 60 minutes.

Additionally, new user permissions–"Timeout configuration" and "Edit timeout configuration"–were introduced on the Roles page, allowing system administrators and users with appropriate privileges to view or edit these settings.

Note: To enhance transparency and accountability, audit events are generated to provide users with detailed logs related to the timeout configuration. These events will be logged under the object type "Privacy Setting." For further details, review the Audit Events section of the REST API v2 documentation site.

Pendo implemented for improved tenant-level product analytics

To enhance how BlueConic captures tenant-level data and actionable insights, we plan to deploy Pendo, a product analytics tool, at the end of April in the tenant user interface only. This integration with Pendo will provide us with robust analytics, in-app guidance, and other capabilities that are crucial for optimizing the platform's functionality and will help us further improve the customer experience by identifying areas where users may encounter friction.

For more information and FAQs, review the article BlueConic and Pendo. And if you have any questions about Pendo, please reach out to your account manager.

Connection updates

SFTP Connection: Compressed and encrypted files now supported in group imports

To provide additional security measures for the SFTP Connection, you can now import compressed (.gz) and/or encrypted (.pgp) files for group imports when PGP encryption is enabled on the Set up and run page (and a Private key and Public key are entered). This ensures a consistent process with profile imports.

When PGP encryption is turned on, file previews will now be disabled. And when you attempt to run the connection with a .gz or .pgp source file selected in step 2 of the group import page, error messages will no longer display.

New Adestra Connection added

The new Adestra Connection allows you to enrich BlueConic profiles by importing data from Adestra subscribers and to elevate email marketing efforts in Adestra by exporting BlueConic data to that platform.

New Page Change Listener added

The new BlueConic Page Change Listener captures browsing activities for single-page application (SPA) websites by applying event logic rules that track visitor navigation.

When configuring this listener, you must select the channel(s) on which you want this listener to be active and then create the rules for tracking by adding any of these four capturing methods:

• On hashChange event: Triggers a page view based on the hashChange event in the browser activity.
• On popState event: Triggers a page view based on the popState event in the browser activity.
• On pushState event: Triggers a page view based on the pushState event in the browser activity.
• On replaceState event: Triggers a page view based on the replaceState event in the browser activity.

New data processors added

In select BlueConic connections, when setting up a data import or export, you can use data processors to transform or filter the data exchanged between BlueConic and the other system. Four new processors were recently added:

• Hash values processor: Hashes incoming values using MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512 formats. (Hashing provides a more secure and adjustable method of retrieving data.)
• JavaScript processor: Applies custom-written JavaScript code functionality to a data source.
• Split multi-value fields processor: Takes a data field with multiple values and places them into a unique field. (This helps clean up your data for optimal use, like if want to create new fields for each part of a postal address.)
• Duplicate check processor: Identifies and skips the import of a data record if it was already imported within the same run. (This is helpful for use cases that involve linking and bundling event files, such as consolidating events within the same profile or bundling order data.)

Plugins updated to new jQuery version

To ensure security best practices, JQuery was updated to version 3.7.1 for several BlueConic plugins, such as:

• Connections: Product Collector, Content Collector
• Dialogues: Lightbox, Fullscreen Lightbox, Content, Toaster, Notification Bar, Slide-out Message, Prefill Form
• Listeners: Interest Ranking, Interest Ranker 2.0, Event Trigger, Scoring, Conversion, Behavior, Visual Form, Recently Viewed Items, Rule Based Form, Privacy: Consents and Refusals
• Toolbar Items: Product Recommendations, Content Recommendations, Forms, Privacy Management Components

There is no change in functionality for any of these plugins.

Other updates and bug fixes

Platform/UI

• In an advanced search, two filters in the left panel had the same label, “Status.” To avoid confusion, the second “Status” filter was relabeled “BlueConic hostname status.”
• An issue was fixed for profile properties marked as unique identifiers with the "Create new profile when identifier changes" option enabled. As expected, the visitor’s current profile will now switch to a new profile once the new identifier is set and will no longer require a refresh or navigation to another page.
• On individual channel pages, a formatting issue was fixed in the “Used by” dialogue box for a position when it lists several variants with very long names.
• On the BlueConic Support access tab (through BlueConic settings > Access management), system@blueconic.com will no longer display as a named account.
• For a Timeline event type, an “invalid” message will now properly display when you attempt to re-add and save a property as non-PII that had previously been saved as PII.
• An issue was fixed in which certain insights were unintentionally excluded from emailed dashboards.
• An issue was fixed that prevented a valid 13-digit Brazilian mobile phone number from passing validation.
• An issue was fixed with extended segments in which the facet count in the CSV export did not match the count displayed in the UI.
• On individual plugin pages, under "Plugin details," the URL field will now be hidden if there is a Version index URL listed. This ensures that you use the correct URL when registering a plugin from one tenant to another; registering the URL instead of the Version index URL would result in a specific version of the plugin being installed that is not automatically updated.
• Enhancements were made to URL mapping to better support the specific tracking of platform core features. In particular, when you open an object in BlueConic, the object's platform name now appears in the URL as a URL parameter.
• In the “Profiles and Groups” section of the platform, an issue was fixed that caused display issues if the name of a profile property included “< >” tags.
• An issue was fixed that was preventing profiles from completing a Lifecycle when the 'Select lifecycle completion event' option was set. 

Plugins

• When using the mapping functionality in connections, it is no longer possible for a group property to be created with an identifier that already exists for a profile property.
• An issue was fixed in which plugin updates were not being reflected on the Plugins page or in the plugins gallery.
• File validation measures were added when authenticating a connection with Vault to display an error if formatting is incorrect.
• An issue was fixed in the Interest Ranker 2.0 Listener where the wrong font was being uploaded resulting in random characters appearing in the UI.
• In the Webhook Connection, issues were fixed that caused event type creation and mapping issues if they included non-text fields, date formats, or “< >” tags.
• An issue was fixed in the SFTP Connection that caused group import goals to disappear when the connection was upgraded to the latest version (2.17.0).
• The Casing data processor was restored to return the correct output after a bug was detected in the latest update that cleared the settings.
• The Privacy Management Components toolbar can now be configured to select objectives, change template settings, and assign visitors to be asked for consent.
• In the Klaviyo Connection, an issue was fixed that caused Timeline event imports to stop and throw an error when the matching profile property was empty.
• An issue was fixed in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Connection that caused the Save button to be activated while creating an import goal.
• An issue was fixed in the Snowflake Connection that kept large primary data tables from file linking properly.
• Updates were made to the Braze Connection that fixed issues from occurring in the run history table and data mapping.
• The Timeline Query Connection reporting graph now displays the selected visitor segment within the connection goal rather than defaulting to the “All visitors” segment.
• The ActiveCampaign Connection was updated to support downloadable error log files.
• An update was made to BlueConic Recommendations to be compatible with the most updated version of Mustache (4.0.0).
• An update was made to the Behavior Listener so that it is able to capture URL string parameters that include the “+” character correctly.
• An issue was fixed with the Google Cloud Storage Connection that caused intermittent "BlueConic cannot connect" error messages to display.
• An issue was fixed in the Mailchimp Connection that caused imports to fail with the error message "Dates must be in valid ISO 8601 time format."

REST API

• In the REST API, an issue was fixed when you requested to remove a value from a profile property; if the property was empty, the value to be removed would be erroneously added to that property.
• An issue was fixed that caused an internal server error when an unindexed property was retrieved via the REST API.
• In the REST API, any incorrectly formatted Timeline request will now return an error code so you know the request needs to be revised.
• On the REST API documentation site, under Create interactive event, the documentation was updated to show that PAGEVIEW should not be an allowed “enum” type.

Python API

• When using get_lifecycles in the Python API, an issue was fixed that would only return the first 20 lifecycles.
• If you have a profile property that stores multiple values in the Python API, you can now remove one or more of those values. For instance: