Release Oct 2024

Overview

The LBMS V7.12.0 release introduces performance upgrades, security enhancements, and a range of new functionalities requested by clients, improving the usability, configurability, and security of the loyalty platform. This release is ready for UAT, with client-focused testing and validation completed by the QA team in a production-equivalent environment.

Key Enhancements

Bulk Email Processing Performance: Bulk email notifications are now processed more efficiently, improving performance through a streamlined setup using only one processing pod instead of three (HA-2 pods and one auto-scaling pod). Impacted notifications include:
- Note: These enhancements apply specifically to the email channel.
Enhanced Password Management Security for non LDAP env:
- Business Users are limited to one active password reset link, which expires after 24 hours.
- Restrictions prevent users from reusing any of their last four passwords, and password reset attempts cannot include parts of the user’s email address.
- After six consecutive failed login attempts, access is blocked for 24 hours, though password resets are still permitted during this period.
Program-Level Email Branding: Clients can now configure custom email branding at the program level. If no custom branding is set, the system defaults to Giift's standard branding. Email previews also display current branding for verification.
Rule Engine Date Validation: Warnings now appear when a rule group’s validity date range is expired, helping users avoid unintended triggers. This validation appears in the rule group’s main view, condition editor, and management sections.

Performance Testing Results for Core Scenarios

The following performance metrics were obtained during testing on large data sets, showcasing significant processing enhancements in V7.12.0:

1M TXN Upload with Product Capping: 21 minutes
Accrual Notification for 1M Records: 2 hours, 21 minutes
Tier Progression for 7M Members: 12 minutes
Member Report for 7M Members with Multiple Filters: 14 minutes

Note: Processing times may vary depending on data complexity and the number of variables used.

Migration and Compatibility Notes

Migration from V4 to V7 (GF-4562): The migration script has been designed to facilitate smooth data transfer while ensuring compatibility:
- Roles and permissions have been restructured, with new roles (Program Admin, Program Manager, Customer Executive) replacing older roles.
- Reports generated prior to migration have been archived, and only liability reports will be created by default post-migration.
- Disk Space and Execution Time: For a database with 6M members and 11M transactions, the migration consumed 19GB of disk space and took 20 minutes.
- Special Note: Member attributes migrated only include global attributes. Any specific local attributes need advance communication with the Giift team.
Streamlined Program Creation Workflow (GF-5507): Program creation has been condensed into three steps—Program Details, User Details, and Point Definitions. Default sender information is pre-configured as Giift’s details and should be updated during deployment.

Additional Updates and Functional Improvements

Welcome Email On-Demand (GF-5922): Welcome emails can now be triggered on-demand via API, with parameters Program_id and Enrollment_date for precise targeting.
Audit Trail Search Filters (GF-5698): Enhanced search functionality in the audit trail now includes IP address filters for more detailed monitoring.
User and Role Management by Program (GF-5143): Roles and permissions are now program-specific, allowing users to hold different permissions across multiple programs.
Program-Level Notification Events (GF-5697): Notification events can now be configured at the program level, ensuring tailored communication.
Microsoft Edge Compatibility (GF-6002): Fixed an issue where the password view icon appeared twice in the login view.
Image Upload Positioning (GF-5997): Users can now drag uploaded images to desired positions.
Time-Zone Accuracy in Reports (GF-5771): Report timestamps are now aligned with client-specific time zones.

V7.12.0 Hotfix

This release includes additional requested improvements implemented as part of the 7.12.0 branch (initially released on 19/10). Release artifacts remain unchanged from the original deployment.

Hotfix Improvements

Special Characters in Product Codes (GF-6118):
- Product codes now support hyphens, underscores, periods, spaces, alphabets, and numerals, increasing flexibility in product labeling.
- This update applies across all relevant modules, including points management, reports, communications, and the rule engine.
Field Validation for Rule Creation (GF-6073):
- Additional field validation has been added for the "IF" and "OR" conditions in rule creation:
  - String: Allows 1–150 alphanumeric characters, spaces, underscores, and hyphens.
  - Float: Accepts decimal values up to four decimal places, from -999,999.9999 to 999,999.9999.
  - Integer: Whole numbers only, within the range of -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.
  - Date: Date selection is now limited to a calendar widget, preventing manual entry errors.
LDAP Configuration for Enhanced Security (GF-6026):
- Secure LDAP is now supported, validated on Azure and AWS environments.
- UI checks prevent blank username/password submissions, and anonymous binding toggle options ensure smooth setup.
- To enable secure LDAP, set IsLdapSecure to true in appsettings.json.