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Version: 3.0

3.0 Release Notes


TL;DR​

  • Redesigned navigation and home experience for easier access across archive systems
  • Cortex now supports multiple Cherwell, ServiceNow, Neurons, and Jira archives simultaneously
  • New installer improvements, including automated SQL Server provisioning and enhanced upgrade handling
  • Expanded database support, now including Postgres across multiple integrations
  • Improved user management, security configuration, and SAML/SCIM support
  • Enhanced search, form rendering, and archive browsing experiences for ServiceNow, Neurons, and Jira
  • Expanded data migration capabilities across all supported archive systems
  • Improved system resilience, performance, and error handling

The Full Story​

  • Redesigned navigation menu for improved structure and usability
  • Cortex now supports connecting to multiple archive systems simultaneously (Cherwell, ServiceNow, Neurons, Jira) without previous limitations
  • New dynamic home screen experience based on connected systems:
    • Guided setup screen when no archives are connected
    • Direct archive landing when a single system is connected
    • Multi-system card view when multiple archives are available

Installer & Deployment Improvements​

  • Added optional automatic SQL provisioning and Cortex database creation during install
  • Improved support for upgrading custom installation directories and app pool configurations
  • Added option to use the same SQL Server for Cortex and Archive databases to simplify setup
  • Improved installer validation, messaging, and troubleshooting:
    • Better handling of Windows service account connection tests
    • Improved detection of missing WebSockets installation
    • Improved antivirus interference messaging
    • Warning when database is read-only
  • Fixed configuration issues where placeholders were omitted from appsettings.json
  • Enforced password change for default cortex.admin user during first-time setup

Security, Authentication & User Management​

  • Added HMAC authentication support for embedding Cortex in external applications
  • Added SAML SCIM support and improved SAML configuration UI in Cortex System Manager
  • Introduced a new dialog for managing user roles and security group assignments across systems
  • Improved UI for managing data-source-specific permissions within security groups
  • Enhanced Cortex User Management screen usability
  • Additional security improvements across authentication and platform components

Platform & Database Support Expansion​

  • Added support for connecting to any Postgres database
  • Expanded ServiceNow archive support with improved rendering and Postgres compatibility
  • Added full text search support across Neurons, ServiceNow, and Jira archives
  • Added support for configuring full text search language codes across archive systems
  • Fixed an intermittent issue affecting search functionality in Jira Data Center archives
  • Improved database engine handling and resilience to SQL Server connection interruptions

Search, Forms & Archive Experience​

  • Improved UI for building saved searches across Neurons, Jira, and ServiceNow
  • Added ability to filter available business objects in search and browse screens
  • Improved form, grid, and related item rendering across platforms, including Neurons and ServiceNow
  • Added support for additional Cherwell form controls, including Lifecycle Progress Indicator and Related Item Viewer
  • Added print-view UI for ServiceNow archives
  • Improved Neurons-specific UX, including better handling of “No Workspaces Found” scenarios

Data Migration & Integration Enhancements​

  • Expanded migration capabilities to support all connected archive systems (not just Cherwell)
  • Added support for storing migration configurations across multiple data sources and tables
  • Improved search and data handling when working with external systems
  • Improved Halo integration stability

System Reliability & UX Improvements​

  • Improved resilience to intermittent SQL Server connection timeouts
  • Added user-friendly error messaging for database connectivity issues
  • Added warnings for missing permissions or empty datasets (e.g., no visible tables)
  • Updated application favicon with the new Cortex logo
  • Improved platform form editor experience
  • Fixed an issue where the setting to apply custom login screen ‘help’ text was not being shown

Upgrade Considerations​

When you upgrade an existing environment to v3.0.0, plan for these one-time admin tasks under Admin → System Settings → Maintenance.

  1. All customers will need to run a maintenance task to migrate existing Cortex saved searches for their connected archive to be stored in a newly created table.
  2. Cherwell Archive users will need to run an action to move any Cherwell-specific system settings to be stored on the Cherwell Data Source record instead of the general system settings table.

Please refer to the documentation at https://docs.synapsesoftware.com for more information regarding these upgrade steps.


Download Cortex 3.0 from: https://releases.synapsesoftware.com/Cortex/v3.0.0