EmcienPatterns Release Notes

New Functionality

• All data formats, including wide, now support a User specified Transaction ID. 
  • Error validation messages during the import process are displayed with regard to the Transaction ID when one is provided in the source data.
• Bulk deletion functionality has been added to the System Admin Reports menu to make it possible to mark and delete large numbers of Reports at once.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The data file naming convention has been loosened.
  • It is no longer mandatory to add the file format as an extension to the data file name (e.g. .wide, .long, etc.).  The file format can be selected at time of import https://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/for gui loading, or pre-set for auto load projects. 
  • Files in the data repository are no longer labeled “invalid” due to failure to follow the more restrictive naming convention
• A change was made to the Prediction algorithm resulting in improved prediction results for specific use cases.
• The time it takes to create the Prediction Report has been drastically reduced when compared to the 2.16 release.
• Prediction results now only contain a maximum of 8 Rules for each Outcome.  For example, if the Outcome Category contains 5 possible Outcomes, the Prediction results will contain a maximum of 40 Rules (8 per Outcome).
• A Downloads page has been added to the Prediction Report UI.  The page contains descriptions for all fields in the CSV.  Links are provided to facilitate downloading the CSV and information is also provided to programmatically obtain downloads. 
• Additional search filters have been added to the Prediction Search page to facilitate analysis of Prediction results.

Enhancements to the usability and supportability of the Emcien VM

• A script has been created to allow VM administrators to reset user passwords. Contact your Emcien Support contact for this script.
• The VM no longer automatically restarts after the export or import https://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/bundle completes processing.  Separate bundles have been provided to allow the System Admin to control starting and stopping the VM.

Defects Resolved

• Clicking the browser back button while viewing the Report Import lhttps://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/og no longer causes json code to display.  This was an intermittent issue in v2.16.1.
• A warning now displays in the Prediction Report Import log if the Outcome category contains only 1 Item, precluding the creation of a rule set.
• Long text strings are now wrapped, preventing them from skewing data on the Home page and Search pages.  Skewed data previously caused overlapping of panels.
• The Predictive Rules Search filter now works properly when clicking the related link on the Item Detail page

Compatible Browsers

• ​Chrome – 47.0.2526.106
• FireFox – version 42.0
• Safari – version 8.0.8
• IE 11
  

New Functionality

• Prediction Reports: predictions have been separated from the Analysis, making the two-tiered prediction process more obvious to users.  Reports include:
  • Ability to perform searches on prediction details and rules
  • Ability to download prediction details, transaction details and rules
• Ability to perform a quick-look preview on data files from the New Analysis page.
• Ability to auto-populate the prediction category name for wide format files
• Ability to declare the file format of prediction test files from the New Prediction page 

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The “long” data format has replaced the “receipt” data format.
• Users can now view all of the rules that were triggered during a particular prediction. In previous releases we only listed the top 5 rules that applied to the winning outcome.
• Home page redesign:
  • Easier access to in-process Reports and the most recent failed Reports
  • Reports are displayed by type, rather than project

Enhancements to the usability and supportability of the Emcien VM

• VM Upgrades: data from 2.14 and more recent VMs can be exported, and then importehttps://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/d into a 2.16 or later vm.  The export and import processes are managed by Patterns bundles.
• VM security has been greatly improved.  Each VM installation comes with its own unique set of system user and perform user passwords.

Defects Resolved

• Reports deleted while in the queue waiting to start processing now appear as deleted.  Previously they appeared to process in spite of the fact that they had been deleted, but the ‘completed’ Report was not viewable. [PAT-826]
• Situation where a Data Analysis failed on some data sets when a prediction category was declared and the API feature was enabled.   Failure error was “Failed to Load Rules download” or “Load Rules failed” [PAT-973, PAT-1070]
• The tool-tip for Negative Accuracy was incorrect and misleading.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome  – version 42.0.2311.135
• FireFox  – version 37.0.2
• Safari – version 8.0.8
• IE 11

New Functionality

• Two new file formats have been added, Tagged and JSON
  • The JSON file format is a slight modification to the industry standard, great for large multi-attribute transactions
  • The Tagged format easily handles text data and is our most loosely structured format

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• A parse progress indicator has been added to the Import log in the format of an entry for every 1MM lines parsed, as well as a final entry indicating the total number of lines parsed.
• A download id is now associated with all downloads.  This id is part of the download name, making it easier for Users with several downloads to keep track of them on their computer.  

Defects Resolved

• Drag and drop capability to filter by Category on the Item search screen has been restored.
• Clear, user friendly error messages now display when a UTF-16 file is improperly declared as a different file encoding

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome – version 43.0.2357.124
• FireFox – version 38.0.5
• Safari – version 8.0.5
• IE 11

New Functionality

• The File Upload feature allows the upload of files directly into the company data server, eliminating the need to use an FTP client. 
• Prediction Rules can now be viewed and downloaded
  • A Prediction Rules page has been added to the Report.  Rules are categorized to distinguish those that most influence the prediction results.  Similar to the Predictions page, the Rules page is only visible when the Report was created with an Outcome Category defined.
  • A Prediction Rules API has been added to facilitate integration with external applications
  • A Prediction Rules search has been added to the Report 

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• Prediction Feature
  • A prediction is only made against a transaction if there are rules that support the prediction.  The prediction results indicate how many predictions were made against the test file, and how many transactions were skipped due to a lack of supporting rules.  
  • The User now has the ability to specify the field delimiter and file encoding on prediction test files.  
• Data file management
  • Files in the company data server can now be renamed and deleted from the New Analysis page. 
  • The data file naming convention has been loosened to permit spaces.
  • Invalid files display in the file selector box on the New Analysis page, but cannot be selected.
• The User Homepage has been redesigned to provide additional information about available Reports 

Enhancements to the usability and supportability of the Emcien VM

• The New Analysis page now displays available disk space.  By providing this information we hope to prevent the User from running out of disk space while processing a data file.
• The System license page displays a more specific status of the VM license

Defects Resolved

• Failure messages have been improved to better communicate the root cause of the failure, enabling the User to take appropriate action 

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome  – version 42.0.2311.135
• FireFox  – version 37.0.2
• Safari – version 6.2.5 (8537.85.14.17)
• IE 11

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The CSV formatted data file can now be delimited with either a comma, semi-colon, colon, tab, pipe or hash. Comma is the default delimiter. If a different delimiter has been used, it must be specified at time of import.
• Navigating within the Report has been made easier by allowing the escape button and background clicking to close “Tell Me” and Scenery information windows.
• During GUI data loading the browser tab changes color to reflect the processing state. This functionality is only supported by Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

Enhancements to the usability and supportability of the EmcienVM

• The process for installing a VM and creating the initial company, System Admin user and data URI has been simplified
• Auto login for the initial System Admin user
• Updates to the VM license terms are now made over the internet, without the need for Emcien Support to send the customer a new license file. The System Admin menu contains a license page that displays license status, license terms, and a history of previous licenses.
• The complete hardware profile of the host machine is now displayed on the Company Admin page
• A Diagnostics page has been added to the System Admin menu to facilitate trouble shooting when a customer encounters a problem

Defects Resolved

• Single quotes (an apostrophe) in the company name are displayed as browser escape characters.
• Wide formatted data files that contain an empty order will fail during the import. An empty order is one that does not contain items. This is characteristic of an order deletion in some Retail environments.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 41.0.2272.104
• Firefox version 36.0.4
• Safari version 6.2.4 (8537.85.13.7)
• IE 11

New Functionality

• Non-user facing architectural improvements

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• Correction to error message regarding price on receipt format

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 40.0.2214.91
• Firefox version 35.0
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE 10

New Functionality

• The Partial Import Option has been returned to the New Analysis page. The ability to import a subset of your file was removed from the previous release.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• Terminology was revised in several UI screens and CSV downloads to more accurately describe the Analysis data.
• Several enhancements were made to the Predictions feature to make it easier to make a prediction and understand the results of the prediction.
  • Predictors API documentation and downloads updated to specify the format of the unique Item identifier
  • Replaced the Dashboard link to make a new Prediction with a link to view existing Predictions.
  • Added the ability for a User to perform “quick predictions”. In this situation only the Summary file is generated.
  • A “Tell Me” was added to the Predictions Overview page to describe the prediction results for each Outcome Item.
  • The Item pill is now active on the Prediction Details page, enabling the User to navigate to the Item Detail page while viewing Prediction results.
• The Browser Tab now identifies the specific Report screen the User is viewing, along with the Report name. Prior to this release the Tab only indicated the Report screen followed by “EmcienPatterns”. Stating the Report name facilitates Users who are viewing multiple Reports at a time.

Resolved Issues

• Manually aborted prediction jobs now indicate that the “Prediction was terminated by the System Admin”.
• Corrections made to error messages to more accurately describe the issue preventing import of the data file
• Maximum transaction size for wide files is no longer limited to 100 items. It is now 1000 items.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 40.0.2214.91
• Firefox version 35.0
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE 10

New Functionality

• The Predict feature is now fully integrated into Emcien. To make use of this feature a data file is uploaded for analysis with instructions for Emcien to learn which rules (i.e. actions, events, circumstances) produce specific outcomes in a particular category (the prediction category). Predictions can then be made against future data files to determine whether or not the outcomes in the prediction category will occur.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The cluster-trend calculation process now makes use of multiple processors, when available, to reduce processing time.
• More informative error text when data file format issues prevent the file from successfully loading.

Resolved Issues

• Issue preventing the System Admin from downloading the Exception log has been resolved.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 39.0.2171.95
• Firefox version 33.1.1
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE 9 and 10

New Functionality

• Emcien now supports LDAP. Many companies utilize an LDAP server to maintain the employee directory along with other data and records related to their organization. LDAP enables ‘single signon’ to company systems. By integrating with a company’s LDAP server, Emcien enables users to sign in using the normal username and password the individual uses to access other company services.
• We have implemented functionality that allows Sandbox users to interact with Emcien Support through the Emcien application.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The Emcien import lhttps://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/og displays the size of the file that is loading. compressed files are expressed by their compressed size. although such files are normally named with a “gzip” extension, there are times when the extension is absent. To ensure that the Admin and Data Loader realize when a compressed file is loading, the import lhttps://emcien.com/files/support_subdomain/help/article/link/og now indicates “gzipped” next to the local file size.
• The import queue message has been improved to take into account the file that is currently processing as well as the situation where a file may complete processing earlier than one that entered the queue before it.

Resolved Issues

• When a User’s feed server account password expires, Emcien is unable to connect to the company data server to process a GUI load. The application previously displayed a 500 error in this situation. Emcien now displays a message indicating that there is an error connecting to the data server and suggests that the password may be expired.
• The text on the Item Detail page that describes the slope of the Item transaction trend has been corrected.
• Predictor probabilities less than 1% now accurately display; they previously rounded down to 0%.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 38.0.2125.122
• Firefox version 33.0.3
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

Emcien is now able to generate a list of predictive rules from a data set. The rules can be exported and used by EmcienPredict to provide predictions for similar data sets. This feature is available to Companies that have the Predictors feature enabled. The rule set to be generated is pre-defined for auto-load projects, and defined at data loading time when GUI loading.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• All of the Item’s connections (ranked connections, clusters and initial connections) are now accessible from the Item Detail page. By adding multiple views to this page the user is able to obtain a full understanding of the Item’s relationships without navigating away from the Item Detail.
• Admin and System Admin email notification settings have been moved under the new/edit User form. Email notifications are restricted to Admins only.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 38.0.2125.111
• Firefox version 33.0.2
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

Item Scenery provides a list, by Category, of every Item the focus Item has been involved in a transaction with. The list of “Scenery” Items includes both pruned and unpruned connections.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The Company Projects page now displays the count of Ready reports in each project.
• Transaction statistics have been moved from the Trends dashboard to the Transaction Size dashboard.
• We now display a more informative data parsing error message when the data file has an invalid line ending.
• Added placeholder text below the Search criteria text box to assist Users with entering valid search criteria for advanced searches.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 38.0.2125.104
• Firefox version 32.0.3
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

• Data Loader role: A new role has been added to allow non-Admins to load data and create, edit and delete Reports.
• Emcien now accepts UTF-8 files with a BOM. The BOM is detected by the application and stripped off.
• An import queue message now displays when multiple files are queued for analysis. If a User loads data to create a Report and the Report is not actively processing due to other Reports in line ahead of it, the message will state how many files are ahead in the queue.
• A notification email is sent when an invalid file is uploaded to the auto loader directory. The email alerts the User that the file will not load.

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The Downloads page has been removed from the Admin view. Each User has the ability to access their downloads from their Homepage.
• An index has been added to the Reports page to facilitate keeping count of, and sorting through, long lists of Reports.
• Admin pages have been redesigned to improve readability and menu access.

Resolved Issues

The Cluster Scenery “Download CSV” button no longer appears grayed out.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 36.0.1985.125
• Firefox version 31.0
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

• Anomalies Feature: enables Companies to monitor a specific category or attribute of their data to gain insight on when the data deviates from normal, or expected, behavioral patterns.
• Tail Report: enables the analysis of data over time, with a deep dive into the active time period. Companies are able to analyze and view trends in Item and Category transaction history, but the detailed analysis is only performed on Items and categories in the final period of data.
• Information on available processor count is now displayed on the System overview page for Companies operating Emcien as a virtual appliance
• An API Usage section was added to the API page in the Admin area to assist Users with programmatically making API calls.
• It is now possible for the Admin to auto-generate the User auth token
• A control has been added to close the Item pill dropdown menu.
• Improved definitions and display of key metrics
• A “Tell Me” feature was added to explain each Cluster in the analysis results.
• Allow the import of data files other than UTF-8 character encoding. Please see Admin Guide and Data Requirements document for encoding formats accepted

Enhancements to Existing Functionality

• The date field requirement has been extended to accept date and time. Emcien now accepts both ISO and Unix timestamps.
• The defect that prevented the application from recognizing when a change was made to existing Search filters has been corrected
• Ability for System Admins to set the number of users a Company can have and the maximum file size that can be loaded
• The “last updated” date now displays for Companies and Projects instead of the “Created at” date.
• A visual alert has been added to the Admin Project page to inform them when there is a problem that will prevent auto loaded files from processing
• A manual start button has been added to allow Admins to override the scheduled autoloader run time
• Homepage now displays the end date for Reports when the data contains dates. This is particularly beneficial for Tail Reports
• Transaction distribution is now provided graphically and numerically for the Day of Week Eccentric Categories
• Changes to the Dashboard Trend chart to improve readability
• Stricter adherence to the use of 0 (nothing is affected) and 100 (everything is affected)
• The User can now select the time interval the data should be analyzed against.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 36.0.1985.125
• Firefox version 31.0
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

• User Interface:  Changed appearance and added functionality to enhance the user experience.  Some of these changes include:
  • Warn user when they are about to lock out their account
  • Cluster Scenery has been added to the application as a new feature.  This is the ability to peer into the details of a Cluster and see the Items that appeared in transactions with the Cluster when the feature has been enabled.  For more details please see the latest Training Guide or Help files.
• Admin Interface: Added functionality to facilitate administration of Company environment.
  • License now displays the maximum number of users allowed as well as the maximum file size
  • 30 minute lockout of accounts that fail to sign in properly after 3 failed attempts
  • Administrators have the ability to unlock user accounts
  • Track and display server exceptions in System GUI for VM Clients
• Technology updates: Made changes to improve processing and general throughput.
• Increased available API calls (see below), and added functionality to deliver a compressed data file for each call: Affinities, Categories, Clusters, Items, Item Predictors, Substitutes

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 35.0.1916.153
• Firefox version 29.0.1
• Safari version 6.1.3 (8537.75.14)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

• User Interface:  Changed appearance and added functionality to enhance the user experience.  Some of these changes include:
  • Connections map has been added to the dashboard to provide an overview of patterns within the report
  • Retail Substitutions feature has been improved and returned to the solution.
  • Item Predictors feature added to predict the probability of an Item appearing in a cluster.
  • Substitutions API is provided to obtain Substitutions data
  • Improved search capabilities and clarified results being returned
  • Advanced Search criteria added to use “OR” as well as “AND”
  • Added a Glossary section to the online Help
  • Lock Step items can now be filtered in the Cluster Search
  • Improved text formatting on dashboard Chord Chart
• Technology updates: Made changes to improve processing and general throughput.
  • Improved Engine processing to reduce report creation by almost 50%
  • Increased the maximum length of item names
• Report ID no longer auto-increments by 1. Reports are now assigned a random number.

Compatible Browsers

• Chrome version 33.0.1750.152
• Firefox version 28.0
• Safari version 6.1.2 (8537.74.9)
• IE9 and IE10

New Functionality

• User Interface: Changed appearance and added functionality to enhance the user experience. Some of these changes include:
  • redesigned chord chart
  • the ability to drag and drop categories or items onto the search filter
  • additional views of daily, weekly, monthly or yearly of the Trends screen if the data supports it
  • pop up on clusters screen to display long names or ids
  • new search criteria of anchor, not anchor, and without
• Technology updates: Made changes to improve processing and general throughput. Added more detailed logging.
• Data Formatting: Added new Emcien Wide input format to make data loading easier. Changed file naming format to allow processing of either Receipt (legacy) or Wide formatted files. Also added new date formatting to include: ISO (Y-M-D) and AUS (D-M-Y).