Evolve Your Application with OpenEdge 12.1

From database performance to high-availability to the development experience and security, the latest OpenEdge 12.1 release packs a lot of improvements. Check out everything that's new and how it can enhance your applications today.

The latest release of Progress OpenEdge 12 shipped in August this year. This release contains enhancements for database high-availability, increased database performance, strengthened security and improvements for developer productivity. I am very excited to share with you the high-level details of OpenEdge 12.1 enhancements and how they benefit your application in the following categories:

• Performance and Scale

Updated database startup defaults and extended server-side joins and improved performance

• Continuous Operations / High Availability

Additional database parameters supported online and improved OpenEdge Replication integration

• Agile Development and Deployment

Enhanced development experience and updated deployment options

• Advanced Security

Enhancements in authentication and logging processes offer greater protection and easier debugging

Performance and Scale

As business applications continue to work with more users and more data, we continue to explore ways to make both your application and the database work faster and extensively scale, all while minimizing the changes required by you. In this release we delivered the following enhancements:

Extend and Mark Variable-Length Extents as Fixed

DBAs have increased flexibility with the ability to extend and mark variable-length extents as fixed as well as create and extend new variable-length extents.

Limit on the Number of Unique Shared Sequences Increased

The maximum number of unique shared sequences in an OpenEdge database has been increased to 32K regardless of block size. The maximum number of multi-tenant sequences is now 2000.

Server-Side Join Processing for Dynamic Queries

The server-side execution has been extended to dynamic queries with forward-only, no-lock joins on the database server to improve performance of ABL queries that join multiple tables. Because fewer records are returned to the client, database performance is improved.

Database Startup Defaults Changed to Increase Performance:

-aibufs, -bibufs, -lruskips, -lru2skips, -pica, -prefetchDelay, -prefetchFactor, -prefetchNumRecs, -prefetchPriority, -Mm, -Mxs

Continuous Operations: Database

Gone are the days when you can bring down a business application for long periods of time to perform maintenance. Users demand uninterrupted access. The following enhancements allow you to conduct maintenance activities with the database not only online but also without exclusive locks:

Modify Database Startup Parameters Online

Eliminate disruption to users with continual database availability by modifying startup parameters on running databases with new menu options in PROMON or through Virtual System Tables (VSTs). Also modify encryption and security cache sizes -ecsize & -secsize) using PROUTIL INCREASETO.

Allow Non-Structural Schema Changes Online

Change fields in the ;_File ;and ;_Field tables and Modify Integer fields to Int64 without an exclusive schema lock.

New Replication Properties Validation Utility (DSRUTIL)

Validate replication-enabled source and target databases as well as confirm the status of target database brokers. Validates [server], ;control-agent], and ;[transition]properties.

Enhancement to Replication Status in VSTs: ;

Readily identify the status of replication databases using new information useful for managing application failover thus reducing application downtime during a planned database failover. Fields have been added to the _Repl-Server field descriptions and _DbStatus VST field.

Continuous Operations: Progress Application Server for OpenEdge (PAS for OpenEdge)

Along with expectations for the database to be updated online, users do not want to experience downtime for a new version of an application to be deployed. PAS for OpenEdge ;is designed to provide fault-tolerant ABL sessions. These enhancements provide various online capabilities to enable updates and troubleshooting without forcing users to disconnect:

Refresh Agents in an ABL Application

The TCMAN refreshagents command terminates all sessions so that updates to an ABL application can be made in real-time. Refresh sessions with new features such as online schema changes without bringing the application offline. Can also be used to mitigate memory leaks in an ABL application.

Deferred Logging in PAS for OpenEdge

Gain insight into any multi-session agent crash, even in production, with no performance impact. Using a rolling in-memory log that is automatically refreshed on request boundaries, diagnostics and troubleshooting information is always available in the event of an agent crash.

Enhanced Current Request Information

The GET-ACTIVE-REQUESTS-ON-SERVER API captures details about currently active requests to improve visibility into the requests being processed by a PAS for OpenEdge instance. Enhanced data to troubleshoot performance and availability issues.

Agile Development

Improved developer experience is always a goal and 12.1 added some useful and regulatory changes:

Improved Content Assist in Progress Developer Studio for OpenEdge (PDSOE)

Improved coverage and AST (Abstract syntax Tree) accuracy simplifies ABL development and increases developer productivity while developing code in PDSOE.

PROPATH Used to Locate Schema Files in PDSOE

Promote team development using relative paths to a schema when creating new Business Entities and Data Object Service catalogs.

Removal of Java Development Kit (JDK)/Java Runtime Environment (JRE)

In keeping with recent changes to Oracle’s licensing of Java, these are no longer included with OpenEdge and are now considered prerequisites for installation. You can:

• Continue to use the Oracle JDK and JRE
• Use an open-source JDK and JRE (AdoptOpenJDK is certified)

A new JAVA_HOME environment variable has been added to $DLC/properties/java.properties file.

Agile Deployment

Deployment takes on many forms and can be very complicated for an enterprise business application. This release simplifies deployment with a newly architected PAS for OpenEdge container with logging, updated third-party components and a new Windows installer for Client Networking.

PAS for OpenEdge in a Docker Container

The Baseline PAS for OpenEdge container saves time with pre-built production-grade deployments. 12.1 uses a new side-car pattern so you can deploy your OpenEdge applications alongside a highly-available cluster of PAS for OpenEdge containers.

Unified Logging for PAS for OpenEdge Containers

Fluent Bit support utilizing standard out with PAS for OpenEdge.

New Windows Install Package for Client Networking

A separate Windows Install package is now available.

Upgraded Aurea Sonic Client JARs

OpenEdge Client JARs are upgraded to support the latest Aurea Sonic 2018 release.

Advanced Security

Release 12.0 already introduced numerous security improvements and new features. In this release you will find the following enhancements:

Tenancy Logging for PAS for OpenEdge

New tenancy log entry type Sec.TenancyTrace for the PAS for OpenEdge agent log file logs database access from ABL to tenant data. This provides:

• Traceability for multi-tenant database access by asserting Client ID
• Logging multi-tenant database access for new safe user ID feature

Client Authentication Support

PAS for OpenEdge supports client authentication where the digital certificate is managed by the client. Authentication is done over HTTPS which insures the security of the connection and encryption. This functionality strengthens authentication by requiring that ABL clients authenticate themselves to PAS for OpenEdge.

Miscellaneous

And last, but not least, are some miscellaneous enhancements:

PASOE Licensing

Access Agents replaced by Core Licensing

Solaris 64-bit OS Support

The Solaris 64-bit is back in release 12.1!

You can find more details on these and other features on the Progress Information Hub:

Upgrade Today to Get the Latest Features

Release 12.1 is the first release following a major OpenEdge platform upgrade. It contains bug fixes, performance enhancements as well as the feature enhancements identified in this article. Check out an overview of everything that’s new, and for a deeper dive, feel free to check out our on-demand webinar, Progress Talks OpenEdge 12.1 Live.

If you have been watching and wondering if you should move your OpenEdge application from a prior version to Release 12, I can tell you that the answer is an unequivocal YES. I can assure you that 12.1 is a powerful and exceptional release. ;Try 12.1 today or contact your account manager to learn more.