Product Updates

We have been busy working on exMon 3.9 with most of our focus being on stability and usability improvements.Here are the improvements we made in exMon 3.9:Querying multiple data providersIf you have the same or similar data in multiple databases, for example, a Point of sales database in each of your stores, then creating tests results in lots of duplication.In exMon 3.9 we introduce Data Provider Groups. With Data Provider Groups you can add all your stores into a group and create tests that will validate each data provider in the groupWith this, you can create a single test that monitors that product prices are correct in all your stores.You can read more in our blog post about Data Provider Groups.Process Group ImprovementsexMon 3.8 came with support for more complex process groups with sub-steps and a better way to control what happens on failure in each step.exMon 3.9 improves the editing experience a lot with more intuitive controls for adding steps, moving steps and moving objects between steps. We also added:Drag and drop support between steps Ability to rename steps Execution jobs now use your steps instead of object groups You can select which steps to execute when running the process from the portal You can choose to run the process From the last good known location. The process finds the first object that failed the last time it ran and runs from there.Other ImprovementsexMon PortalBetter error page when a user does not have access to a particular system or feature on the portal Adding and renaming systems does no longer require IIS restartexMon Data GovernanceSchedule groups now display which timezone the server is on if it’s different from the local computer View dependencies for users now look up which Active Directory groups the user belongs to View dependencies for Active Directory groups now look up which users belong in an Active Directory Moving objects to different systems would not work if there were only 2 systems in exMon Warn before saving an illegal email address for usersexMon Execution AgentWhen trying to send emails to illegal email addresses, the email address would not be displayed in the error messageException ManagerexMon now updates changed values for existing exceptions Marking an exception as “Not an exception” on Development would cause it to never open on ProductionexMon InstallerSupport SQL Server instances on a different port than standard

We are excited to release exMon 4.0! This release continues our focus on ease of use but we also introduce preview support to Salesforce and Harvest cloud data providers. Here are our most important changes in exMon 4.0:Actionable and informational exceptionsTests in exMon create two main types of exceptions: actionable and informational.Actionable exceptions can be fixed and the goal should be to fix all actionable exceptions.Examples of actionable exceptions are Discrepancies between prices in the master database and the point of sale system, billing addresses not set for customers and discount rates too high for some products.Informational exceptions are generated from tests monitoring past events.The specific exceptions can not be fixed, but analyzing and monitoring the exceptions can aid in changing behaviour. An example of informational exceptions could be sales with low margins.In this release we have more distinction between those two types of exceptions, making working with those exceptions easier.By default, tests create actionable exceptions but you can configure it to generate informational exceptions with the Severity setting.On the exMon Portal, you can then choose between working with All exceptions, actionable exceptions or informational exceptions.Action propertyIn exMon, the developer of a test and the person working with the exceptions are rarely the same people. Therefore, it is important that each test is well documented and describes both what is being monitored and how to fix the exceptions generated.In this release, we have added an Action property for tests. Developers can then add details on what needs to be done to fix exceptions in that test. These details will be visible on the portal and in all emails generated by the test.Exception email triggersIn previous versions, emails could only be configured to be sent when there were new exceptions.In most cases that is the preferred behaviour but in some cases, you would need to be notified on each execution if there are any open exceptions, or you would need to be notified when exceptions are closed.In this release, we have redesigned how to configure when exception emails are sent, so now you can choose to receive email on new exceptions, whenever there are open exceptions or when exceptions are fixed.Furthermore, you can also choose to include a list of open exceptions and fixed exceptions in the email.For further information, visit Exception emailsCompare Query Value ComparisonWhen comparing two data sources with Compare Queries, we most often want the values we are comparing to be the same, or at least, that the difference is less than a predefined threshold.Imagine a scenario where we are comparing planned costs versus actual costs. It would be an error if actual costs are higher than planned costs, however, it would be fine if the actual costs are lower than the planned costs.In exMon 4.0 we add Value Comparison for Compare Queries. With the value comparison dialog you can choose between error conditions, configuring the test to fail if both data providers are not the same or if a data provider is higher or lower than the other one.You can also define a threshold of how high the difference can be before it’s counted as an error.Data provider parametersWith exMon 3.9 we added Data provider groups, allowing you to create a single query against multiple data providers.The Data Provider groups work great for data providers that are structured exactly the same, however, if there is a slight difference between data providers, it could result in data provider groups not being usable.An example of this can be Navision instances that contain tables that are structured exactly the same, but the table names are prefixed differently. Then we cannot create a single query that works against all Navision providers.To fix this issue, we have added support for data provider parameters. When used, exMon replaces all parameters used in the query before executing it on each provider.This can, for example, be used for table names, schema names, data provider-specific filters, or other data provider-specific constants.You configure parameters in exMon Data Governance under General > Data Provider > Provider > Parameters.Automatic refresh of properties in exMon Data GovernanceIf you have developed in exMon, you have surely added a Data Provider or a user for a test you are developing, and be forced to close and reopen the test before it comes available for use.We finally added automatic refresh of properties in exMon Data Governance so now it “just works”.This should work for all fields in exMon Data Governance; users, Data Providers, systems, email templates and more, and should provide a much better user experience.Salesforce and Harvest data providers – previewIn this release, we add preview support for both Salesforce and Harvest as data providers in Tests.With those data providers, you are able to monitor data quality in your cloud data or to compare it against other data providers you store locally.If you want to test against your Salesforce or Harvest data, please contact us and we can send you some further information about the new providers.Other ImprovementsexMon Data GovernanceObject and Process Groups allow users to select multiple tasks simultaneously. Execution dialog now remembers previously executed settings while the task is open. Execution dialog now warns if you try to execute without saving. Browsing for Active Directory users now works in environments with multiple domains. Production is now the default UAT for schedule groups.exMon PortalBug: Adding or renaming systems no longer force you to restart IIS.FrameworkVariance is now also calculated for key errors. Bug: The schedule “between” issue has been fixed before the schedule would not start in the lower limit of between.

Finally, exMon 4.1 is here!In this release, we focused on making exMon easier to use on users’ personal computers, and now we officially support querying SAP. Here are the new and improved features of exMon 4.1.Login with username and passwordWith the release of exMon 4.1 exMon user accounts can be given password authentication privileges.Password authentication allows users to log in to exMon Data Governance and exMon Portal with their exMon user accounts, without being on their AD user account.This can be helpful if you want to open exMon to outside networks.Our article exMon User Authentication goes into further details about this feature.Data Provider execution through Execution ConnectionTests have always been executed on the local machine (when executing directly with epcmd or exMon Data Governance) or on the main execution server (when executing through the exMon Portal or via schedule) and used the currently logged-in user for authentication.This has both forced users to install drivers for specific data providers on each machine (for example Cognos and Oracle) and integrated security has not worked as expected.To tackle these issues, Data Providers can now be configured to execute through an Execution Connection. Changing the execution will affect all tests using the data provider.When executing through an Execution Connection, all communications with the actual data provider are handled on the execution server and executed under the service user configured on that server.Configure test status on Exception MapException Map was added as a visual representation of the state of tests. Tests with open exceptions are red on the exception map while those without any open exceptions are green.With exMon 4.1 we've changed this behaviour, so you can define under what circumstances a test is red/yellow/green on the exception map, depending on the number of open exceptions it has.SAP RFC supportWe’ve taken the first steps of supporting SAP as you can now query SAP through Custom RFC's. Please contact us if you need to query against SAP.Automatically create usersThe exception manager now has an option to automatically create users when User Mapping is enabled.Further details can be found under our User Mapping exampleException Primary Key warningTo make sure each exception exMon finds is unique and can be tracked, exMon creates a unique hash for each row using a predefined primary key that can be edited in exMon Data Governance.If the primary key selection is wrong, it can make it difficult to add/edit columns in the test and can also lead to strange behaviour where closing one exception closes another unrelated exception.In exMon 4.1 we add two features to minimize the risk of wrong primary keys:When selecting a primary key in exMon Data Governance, you are warned when it is not unique When executing a test, exMon looks for duplication and halts executions if errors are found, sending an email to the System AdministratorOther improvementsTests that do not have Exception Manager enabled and are placed on an Exception Map are red if they return rows Added Style Templates which removes navigation bar from exMon PortalBug fixesIn a few cases, Compare Queries used the incorrect primary keys for exceptions Process email attachment did not include icons Having two schedule groups and saving one of them marked the other as unsaved Start date mapping was able to map future start date Process/Exception maps sometimes showed the wrong number of subprocess tasks in dialogs Results from tests that failed to connect to Data Provider were incorrect

exMon 4.2 is here! The primary focus of this release has been to make the portal more convenient and easier to use. Here are some of the new and improved features of exMon 4.2: Anonymous access to reports Currently users need to be logged in to view custom reports on the exMon portal. With the release of 4.2, reports can be configured to be viewed by anonymous users. This change should give reports more flexibility, especially if reports are being integrated into other solutions, such as SharePoint. The property ‘Report visible to’ is set to Anonymous  Process map, refresh and ETAWith the release of exMon 4.2 we’ve made some changes to the process map, which should make it more user-friendly. The estimated time remaining of processes should be a lot more accurate as now we use past executions with the same parameters as reference. We also made a few improvements on task hover dialogs and process execution dialog.  Module enabled on the systemIn most cases, systems in exMon only live in Exception Management or Process Management and users on the portal need to jump between the modules when moving between systems. Now you can disable modules that should not be visible on the portal and when selecting the system on the portal, it goes into the correct module. This greatly improves the usability on the portal. Disabling both modules will cause the system to be disabled and not visible on the portal.  Task parameters and processTask parameters have now been a part of exMon for a while and have been a welcome addition to the exMon features. With exMon 4.2 we improve on them by allowing users to update parameters when running Subprocesses or Execution jobs. Step 2.1 contains a task that relies on task parameters and therefore the start button changes to a Continue button.  SSIS 2014 SupportexMon 4.2 brings support for orchestrating exMon processes with Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Integration Services. In most cases, exMons' processes are enough but this SSIS integration can be helpful in complex processes. 

With the summer around the corner we’re releasing exMon 4.3. Our primary focus has been to improve the user experience of exMon, by making many small adjustments and bug fixes. Here are some of the new features and changes that we’ve made.Filter on Exception MapsexMon 4.3 introduces a new feature for Exception Maps, filtering the number of exceptions for each object on the map, by using the underlying data in the exceptions. In the example below, we have a single Test that is looking at price consistency between the price master and individual stores.However, we want to display how each store is doing separable on the map. To do that we add the test four times to the map and add a filter for each object. In our case, the filter for Store 1 is: __store_num=1. This feature can also be beneficial when mapping tests to departments within your company or product groups.Process Map improvements We made few improvements to process maps:Before, objects on the portal would become outdated (yellow) after a predefined number of hours, indicating that the object had not been executed in some time. With exMon 4.3 we extended this behavior by marking objects as outdated if they were added to the queue when executing a process, but for some reason did not execute. For example, if an object earlier in the process had failed. Furthermore, we changed the error dialog when exMon Portal is not able to connect to the database to a subtler warning message. Bugfixes and smaller improvements to the portal. For example, improving ETA for object groups, fixing an issue with disabling/enabling objects and fixing a short flash of red on the portal when starting a process.User Privilege ImprovementsWe have made improvements and fixed couple of bugs regarding user privileges. Most important ones are:Users can gain the privilege to execute single processes and execution jobs by enabling it in the user configuration The above privileges are now inherited correctly for Active Directory and Manual User Groups. Much better experience running under limited privileges on the Exception Portal. Now users are able to view exceptions that are owned by groups they belong to.Reporting Database SchemaexMon 4.3 comes with a new reporting schema in the database that you can use to connect to via BI tools such as Tableau or Excel. With the reporting schema you are better able to validate the progress you are making with exMon and better able to operate exMon while making sure nothing is falling between the cracks.ConfigurationThe configuration options in exMon have always been a rather cumbersome process that can confuse even the most experienced exMon users. With exMon 4.3 we are starting to address this issue by adding a new way Configuration dialog under Tools > Configuration The configuration dialog groups related options together for easier use and allows you to test your settings were applicable. We will continue to offer the older configuration options, but over the next few releases we expect to move everything and remove the old dialog.

Keeping in line with the previous version, features and improvements in exMon 4.4 are primarily focused on improving the user experience of exMon. Here are highlights of the new features and changes that we’ve made:Email template improvements + designerCreating a new email template has always been complicated, so much so that many exMon users either just use the default templates or duplicate the default email templates and only make minor changes to them. With exMon 4.4 we’re addressing this issue and taking our first steps to both increase customization of email templates as well as reduce the complicity of creating them. To tackle the complicity of email templates we’ve created an email template designer. Similar to our report designer, the email template designer allows you to drag and drop features onto your email template as well as preview your template with demo data. Along with the designer comes a number of new ways to customize your templates, but we’re going to specially mention two of those:Parent templates – When editing a template, the user can select another template to be its parent template. This allows users to create stylesheets or other advanced template structures. Embedded images – While users could already include images in their emails, many email clients would block those images. By embedding the images you can ensure your images are seen without the receiver having to download them.Read more about the designer under Email Template designer  exMon emailsWith this release, we’re taking a long-overdue look at emails sent by the exMon system. This includes making some of them more informative and more pleasant to the eye.Other improvementsWe also made multiple smaller improvements and bug fixes. Including:All executables and DLLs are now signed with a strong SSL certificate. Filter exceptions by date (for example, all exceptions opened in the past week). Package and Query parameters now support dates. Excel files are now always available on the portal for queries. Better error handling when encountering illegal characters in exception manager. Improvements in the PowerShell queries. DB2 data provider now supports parameters. ODBC data provider improvements. Daylight saving fixes for the scheduler. Scheduler now calculates the next execution using local time instead of UTC. Fixes errors dependent on specific weekdays running close to midnight. Better behaviour when a task was included in more than one process. Exception Manager now handles better tens of queries being executed at the same moment.

We are happy to release exMon 4.6 with exciting new features and improvements.Email SummaryEmail Summary is a new feature in exMon that allows you to gain a better overview of the status of exMon exceptions.You can, for example, create an end-of-week email containing all sales-related tests that are sent to key people in your organization. The summary contains an overview status and optionally all new and/or open exceptions for each test.Right-click Email Summary in exMon to create a new Email Summary.  Process Map diagram editorThe process maps in exMon have depended on external tools, most frequently Microsoft Visio. Although exMon seamlessly saves and opens Visio files, this has been a hurdle that slows the development of process maps in exMon. With exMon 4.6 we introduce an integrated process map editor.Click Background to start editing the background and drag and drop elements and images into place. Your existing maps will continue to work, both Visio and PNG imports, but the new process map defaults to our new integrated editor.To change editors select "Editor Types" in the property grid. Your existing maps will continue to work, both Visio and PNG imports, but the new process map defaults to our new integrated editor.To change editors select "Editor Types" in the property grid.Performance improvementsExecuting tasks (packages, queries, processes and so forth) Executing multiple queries in parallel with up to 40% improvement Opening and saving objects in exMon Data Governance.Other improvementsexMon FrameworkMore descriptive information when a query fails because of primary key issues in the data Images in email templates were not visible in reports or queries Executing processes with incorrect execution job id, executed the entire process Improved look for process emails where no map is associated Package timeout emails were not always sent Better error messages and logging when an Execution Connection fails Logs are now cleaned up regularly Quotation marks for package parameters did not work as expected Datetime incremental columns now use ISO8601 format Usage is now logged to the database for auditing purposes XML import/sync now supports folders Compare queries now use less memory than before and release it earlier Replying/forwarding exMon emails no longer have a grey background colour Ability to disable and enable execution jobsexMon Data GovernanceMoving queries between systems now also move associated exceptions SAP improvements: Better error messages, session handling, more SAP versions etc. Users can be sorted into foldersPortalSubprocesses are now listed in execution order instead of alphabetically Tasks could turn yellow even if the process was executed successfully User customizations on the portal are reset when columns are added to a test Upgrade/InstallBetter experience when installing exMon for the first time. Data providers, email settings, portal settings with better defaults Upgrading older installs with non-standard paths now upgrades the Command Service correctly

exMon 4.7 delivers further improvements to the diagram editor and scheduler, as well as smaller bug fixes and improvements.Diagram process map improvementsWe continue to develop the process map editor introduced in exMon 4.6. The insert tab now includes helpful actions.Import From Process Map copies the design of another process map. Templates has a couple of common process map templates as a starting point. Recent Images include the last 10 imported images.Process and scheduling execution improvementsSchedule groups have in previous versions always executed all tasks in parallel. This is the desired behaviour in most cases but can result in too heavy a load on the source systems. With exMon 4.7 you can choose to execute a scheduled group in Sequence. The schedule groups will by default execute everything in parallel.Related to this there is also a new global option that can be set in Configuration. General.System.MaximumGlobalParallelThreads allows you to set a maximum number of tasks that can be executed at the same time in exMon. This only affects tasks executed in processes or schedules and queues up all new tasks. If you manually execute a single task it will execute without regard to other executions.    Schedule holidaysWhen scheduling tests and processes you would often send out unwanted emails to employees during holidays. With exMon 4.7 we added the ability to add a list of holidays and assign it to specific schedules. When schedules trigger during holidays, the execution will be ignored and executed according to the schedule after that day. exMon 4.7 includes the Icelandic public holidays but you can add your specific holiday, either in exMon Data Governance or by merging data from existing tables with SQL Server.View previous task versionsRight-clicking an entry in Audit now allows you to view that specific version. A read-only view of the version opens that allows you to compare and copy.Other improvementsExceptions containing numbers written in scientific notation now work correctly. Tasks on the process map no longer flash red/yellow when starting the process. When the task is deleted, it will be removed from the schedule, object and process groups. exMon Data Governance should now upgrade correctly. It's safer to execute multiple instances of the same query at the same time. PowerShell queries no longer require a DataTable called $exMonResults. exMon reads output from the pipeline

exMon 4.8 contains further improvements to version control as well as some new possibilities when developing and execution tests.Version ControlWith the introduction of exMon 4.7, we took our first steps in allowing users to view older versions of tasks. With exMon 4.8 we have improved this feature, making it more user-friendly and visible. With these new improvements you can view both task’s current version on PROD as well as older versions and it is very simple to revert to them.Parameter List For TaskWe’ve improved task parameters to allow for a list of legal values that can be passed to the task. This list can be either a static list made by an exMon developer or a T-SQL function.For more information, visit Send parameters to query and compare queryDataprovider Group can execute a single Data providerWhen you have multiple data providers which are structured the same way, it can simplify things a lot to create a dataprovider group that you query the dataproviders with so when a test using the dataprovider group is executed, it will run its query against all dataproviders contained in the group. With exMon 4.8 we’ve added support to allow users to execute the test without executing all of the dataproviders. There are many situations this can be helpful as this allows the user to fx. execute the test against only dataproviders that were offline during the scheduled execution.  Improved SAP Query SupportexMon has supported SAP for a long time. That being said, creating an SAP test has always been a rather confusing task as the query was written in XML. We’ve improved the GUI for SAP queries quite a bit, making them easier to understand and work with.  Other improvementsThe normal process can now be configured to allow multiple executions of itself Holiday Lists are now ordered correctly in exMon Data Governance Data Providers can now be moved into folders Dimensions now are properly audited Process map editor allows users to use the customized Portal’s colours Email Summary column format improved Added more customization to exception tables in Email Template

In this new release, exMon 4.9 contains a few new features and a lot of smaller improvements and bug fixes.Global ParametersWith exMon 4.9 we’ve added Global Parameters which allow the user to define values that can be used across most tasks in exMon. These values can also be encrypted, ensuring they will not be written or sent in plain text to users or logs.Further details can be found at Global Parameters  Exception Status improvementsexMon 4.9 brings a few changes to how the user can view and change exceptions. With previous versions of exMon, an exception marked as not an exception could not be opened again. While using the not an exception feature should be well thought out, human errors can and do happen so we’ve added a way to reopen those exceptions.Similarly, we’ve also added a way to reopen marked as fixed exceptions so the user will no longer be required to rerun a task to do so. Another change we’ve made is that details of exceptions both show when the exception was opened and reopened as well as when it was closed, along with the information that was already shown.Other improvementsExecution History performance improvements Logging greatly improved More granular settings for the style of the exMon Portal Process Map background editor improvements. For example, it's now easier to change object properties Integrated support for SSIS 2016 processesBug fixesSuccess emails were not sent out when executed from the portal Executing a task on the portal with a DateTime parameter would not always work if the region settings on the server and client were not the same The process queue would not always clean up after itself after failure. This happened when Windows had a process with the same PID running again as the failed exMon instance Fixes with "Execute from Last Known Good State" Deploying objects in exMon Data Governance would in some setups hang the application. Forcing the user to restart exMon Data Governance Auto creation of users did not always work correctly when using CC User Mapping 

exMon 5.0 has two major improvements and several smaller improvements and bug fixes.Exception ImprovementsWith exMon 5.0, exceptions for each test are stored in separate tables. This change allows exMon to execute multiple tests simultaneously considerably faster as well as making working with exceptions faster.Discovery HubIn May, Expectus partnered with TimeXtender which develops Discovery Hub, a product which simplifies modelling a datawarehouse. With this release, we’ve created a new type of exMon package that simplifies executing Discovery Hub execution packages.Package and Data Provider changesPackages and data providers require users to configure each UAT separately. This behaviour is great when development and production environments are completely separated. However, in many or even most instances that is not the case and having to copy the configuration between UATs can be annoying for users as well as increases the possibility of input errors.With exMon 5.0 we’ve added the option to both packages and data providers to use the same configuration for all environments.Other improvementsAdded report template that shows exMon user association to exMon tasks Several places in exMon Data Governance have been changed to allow the developer to select exMon users rather than type in email addresses Removed Overview tab in Portal. The exception tab now directs to the page the Overview tab previously did exMon upgrader now shows other execution connections left to upgradeBug fixesUnder certain conditions executing from the last good state did not work correctly Test with the primary key selected will show a strange error message when the column is deleted from underlying data Losing connection to the exMon database while waiting for a package to finish on the remote server would Deleting process did not work in some exMon versions

In this new release, exMon 5.1 has two major improvements and several smaller improvements and bug fixes.Data Transfer packagesThe main new feature of exMon is the introduction of Data Transfer packages. This feature reduces reliance on third-party components to handle simple data transfers.Data Transfer packages use data providers as the source and destination of the transfer with column mapping between the two data sources.Powershell Query TaskQuery tasks are a niche feature in exMon that allows the developer to create actions after a query has been executed.exMon 5.1 adds the Powershell Query Task to the type of actions that can be used, which allows even greater customization.Process Gantt ChartA new addition to the exMon process emails is a Gantt chart that shows an overview of the process execution, how long each step took to finish, what failed and what did not run.This feature should work well in combination with the process map to show a clear status of the process but will also allow the developer a more in-depth view of things such as execution bottlenecks.Global System ParametersGlobal parameters were released with exMon 4.9 and have been a great addition to the exMon system. With exMon 5.1 we are adding system parameters to the functionality of the global parameters, where the exMon developer can now use these parameters in their task to access any ID used by the exMon execution.Currently, there are four Global system parameters:{$__ExecId} {$__RemoteExecId}{$__SystemId} {$__UserId}.Further details can be found under Global ParametersOther improvementsOn the portal, a task with parameters will now have the run button enabled if a default parameter value is set Tasks that have never been deployed will send a notification email when executed Service email in configuration will now only receive more critical exMon emails, rather than all emails Execution history in exMon Data Governance now allows users to view the execution log Email history now properly renders images contained in emails Process Queue now allows users to select/terminate multiple executions at the same timeBug fixesWhen execution of a package, inside an object group, with the execution connection set was terminated, the object group would sometimes continue exMon properly cleans up execution details after a timeout Exception Overview no longer shows tasks with open exceptions after the exception manager has been disabled In exMon Data Governance, pressing enter with task-focused inside Object Explorer now opens the task

exMon 5.2 focuses on improvements that allow more separation between systems. The version introduces two major changes along with a few smaller improvements and bug fixes.Data Provider / Execution Connection changesCurrently, Data Provider and Execution Connection are always available in all systems. The changes we've made to Data Provider and Execution Connections allow an administrator to configure which system they are available in.Development role changeThe developer role used to have access to all systems in exMon Data Governance. We have changed that so now a developer has only access to systems that are specially granted through the systems tab.Other improvementsProcess Map is now colourblind-friendly Users can create a destination table in the Data Transfer GUI Data Transfer works with PowerShell Links on the process map can be in standard hyperlink format Data Connector can now create a PowerShell Data Provider  Tests now retry creating exceptions on failure Object/Process/Schedule Group highlights undeployed tasksBug fixesCompare Query using PowerShell did not correctly compare non-string values Executing Object Group containing task parameter in exMon Portal did not work correctly When adding Discovery Hub packages to the process/object group they did not disappear from the task list Flush did not correctly work when the task was Discovery Hub and/or Data Transfer package

exMon 5.3 focuses on a new add-on to the exMon environment along with two major feature improvements, minor improvements and bug fixes.Dashboard Add-OnOut of the box, the dashboard add-on gives users the option to analyze exceptions better, whether from the perspective of their users, individual tests, or their overall exception status.This addon also allows those who focus more on process management to see an overview of their exMon executions and options to expand these dashboards into the future, both improvements of these two dashboards as well as options to add custom dashboards.Execution Connection configuration can be configured by the EnvironmentIn exMon 5.3 you can now separate an Execution Connection configuration by the environment. This change primarily benefits Discovery Hub and Data Transfer packages which before would always use the same Execution Connection, whether they were running on Development or Production.This change will also simplify the setup of Command-Line packages that use the same Working Directory and Command-Line.Dimension improvementsWith exMon 5.3 we've released improved exMon dimensions. Dimensions allow the user to view their exceptions from a different perspective. A perspective focused rather on the data that exceptions have in common instead of when the exceptions were created.You can read more about dimensions under How do I use Dimensions?Other improvementsProcess Map with a process attached will now show a Sync with Process button that adds exMon tasks on the process map that are in process but missing on the process map When exMon execution fails to connect to the exMon database it can be configured to retry connecting rather than failBug fixesWhen a schedule is disabled, holiday options are now also correctly disabled Duplicating Data Provider now works correctly Check all in the Deploy window sometimes selected rows are not visible in the UI Execution History cleanup with keep rows option set sometimes did not correctly store execution history

exMon 5.4 has focused on fixing issues brought to our attention by our users, whether they were bugs or improvements that would make exMon better and easier to use.AnalyticsOut of the box, the exMon Analytics add-on gives users the option to analyze exceptions better, whether from the perspective of their users, individual tests, or their overall exception status.This addon also allows those who focus more on process management to see an overview of their exMon executions and options to expand these dashboards into the future, both improvements of these two dashboards as well as options to add custom dashboards.exMon now supports installations on Azure SQL databasesMore and more of our clients have been moving their infrastructure, including exMon, to Microsoft Azure. In the past, installation in Azure was a manual process but with exMon 5.4 we now support SQL Azure out of the box.Unified login experienceUsers of exMon Data Governance and exMon Data Management cloud services used to have to keep track of separate usernames and passwords when logging in.With exMon 5.4 we introduce a unified login, which works especially well when clients have enabled Azure Active Directory.Head over to https://login.exmon.com to try our new unified login experience.Exception overview improvementsException overview worked great for most users but some of our power users could have issues with its behaviour. We have made major changes to how we manage and display the exception overview.Query Snippets/Global Parameter improvementsBoth Global Parameters and Query Snippets are great but some of our users had issues using them when the list became too large. With exMon 5.4 we've added both a filter and multi-select to make using both of these features a more pleasant user experience.Other improvementsThe package now warns when SQLCmd is not installed on the machine exMon Upgrader no longer requires SQLCmd installed on the machineBug fixesGlobal parameters were not used for packages executing PowerShell scripts When a task incorrectly had a different name on DEV and PROD, object groups containing the task could not be opened The configuration window in the toolbar did not correctly display the email authentication information 

The release of exMon 5.5 contains a beta release of Turnkey, a new web interface that makes it easier for business users to create data quality controls for their data. Included in the release are also a few new features and improvements to exMon Data Governance.TurnkeyThe core philosophy behind Turnkey is twofold; to move the data layer further from the business user and simplify the process of making data quality controls.In Turnkey you have Datasets, which are the definition of how to access data and how the data should be configured.A user creates a dataset e.g. SQL query to a database and configures things such as which column is the primary key, the caption and/or format.Since Datasets are simple queries to a data source, a data administrator can be tasked to create the required Datasets without much input from the business user.When a Dataset has been created, the business user can start creating Rules that use the Dataset as their source. Rules can be quickly created as the only definitions required are that of the rule filters.Turnkey is currently available to cloud customers only but will become available to all customers who want to try it when we release the first stable version, expected in Q3 or Q4 of 2021.Other ImprovementsA hierarchy view has been added to Execution History.  Users can now switch between grid view and hierarchy view. This provides users with a better overview of their executions.Powershell has been added as a destination for data transfer.Data Provider packages are a new type of package. They enable users to either run stored procedures or create a custom SQL to run.A feedback button has been added to most exMon products. The exMon team is hoping for a lot of interesting feedback about things that we are doing well and/or things that can be improved.Bug fixesProcess execution showed a wrong error message when no task inside the process was executed Object groups sometimes showed the wrong error message when they were unable to connect to the database Pressing Test Connection with Analysis Service Data Provider open always showed success The user did not by default see exceptions assigned to the user group he was a part of The browse button for Active Directory users did not work Email Summary did not work properly

We are working hard at making exMon Turnkey, our next generation of exMon, ready for public testing. With exMon Turnkey, we focus on enabling business users to configure their own business rules within exMon.Our goal is to release exMon Turnkey for public preview this fall.exMon Data GovernanceImprovements we made in 5.6 for existing exMon customers. Data Connector ImprovementsWhen queries fail to run through the data connector, rather than failing or timing out the data connector will now rather retry executing the query. This prevents temporary timeouts or locks from stopping queries from running.Data Connector is now also able to execute multiple queries simultaneously.Improvements and bug fixesUsers without Administrator/Developer privileges will no longer get an Email Authentication login screen if the company has Windows Authentication enabled Saved Comparative Compare query didn't show variance error for string columns Changing a user in configuration sometimes saved their name rather than their email address

Turnkey is coming along nicely and along with it there are a lot of changes and improvements to underlying aspects of the exMon infrastructure. We are working hard on making it easier for potential customers to register for trials and improving the user experience of all our products.exMon Data GovernanceImprovements we made in 5.7 for existing exMon customers.Data Connector ImprovementsexMon Data Connector has been redesigned, making it both look better and easier to use.It is now also able to execute multiple queries simultaneously.Cloud Customers movedCloud customers have been moved to the Azure ecosystem. This will make exMon considerably faster and makes it easier to move existing customers to the cloud version of exMon.TimeXtender improvementsexMon now displays the error message from TimeXtender packagesImprovements and bug fixesData transfer with PowerShell did not work with same syntax as Tests use Data connector no longer crashes when test returns abnormally large amount of dataTurnkeyThere have been many improvements to Turnkey, most notable is the Customer FilterCustom FilterNow user can create custom filter for rules which fulfill outlier cases where the standard validations are not enough.Improvements and bug fixesUser can pin their favorite workspaces Workspaces are now sorted by name Datasets are now only created on their workspace

Our January 2020 DM 2.5 update includes a lot of improvements and features.Web Edit (Preview)Our Web Editor has had major improvements, It is still in Preview and if you would like to try it out contact us and we will enable Web Edit for your account.Single Row Edit in DM ClientWhen adding one row or doing changes to only one row it can be better to view only one row at a time in a Single Row view.With The Single Row Edit function, any row in a Table can be edited in a Vertical Single Row Edit Mode.Export/Import ProjectMoving Projects and all their contents can migrated between exMon DM Services with the Export/Import project feature. We improved the usage of this feature with the following improvements:Performance Improvements Ability to include data in the export Ability to select which categories are included Various bugfixes.User Windows AuthenticationOnPremise instances can now benefit from single sign-on with their Windows Active Directory account. Item List from ValuesIf you have a Table that has data and you would like to create a pickable ItemList you can now convert the existing column to an ItemList.Bugfixes & Minor ImprovementsExport to Excel left Table Editor in an unclean state Import Large Project timeout Windows Authentication - can change AD Name DM Web Edit possible on calculated fields DM Web Improvements DM Web Lookup/Item List better support Recently used in DM Web Symbols in Object Names Export Project performance improvement and supports hierarchy Run Action UI fixes

Our March 2020 DM 2.6 update includes a lot of improvements and features. Power BI ViewVisualize changes to a table live inside the exMon DM Web interface by embedding your Power BI online dashboard inside the DM interface. Filtering on the dashboard will filter your Table so you don't have to find the row that you need to update.For more information visit Create Power BI Embedded ViewSet a default value for columnsAssign a default value to new rows by defining a default value for a column. The value can be modified by the user or be read-only.Access FilterThe user access filter is now more powerful and allows you to define row-level access with SQL statements. The statement could, for example, select security from a SQL table or with a SQL function.For more detailed information visit User Setting Permissions and User Access FilterDisable User Access and Reset PasswordYou will now be able to better control access to your exMon service by disabling access and resetting the user's password.When a user is disabled they will not able to log into exMon DM, but the user's records and audit history remain unaffected. Resetting a user's password will then require them to request a new password next time they log in. You can utilise these features when you think the password has been compromised or when an employee leaves your organisation. Search Display Value in Web [Beta]Now the search on the web will also search the display value of lookup Columns.Compact view on the Web [Beta]Enjoy a more compact Web view with a small row height and width.Other exMon DM Web Improvements [Beta]We have continuously been improving the web experience and it is the quickest way to enrich data in exMon DM. If you want to try out our exMon DM Web Beta, contact us here Bugfixes & Minor ImprovementsStart page and NavigationBetter experience when opening up exMon DM for the first time Fixes for drag and drop bugs in the navigation view Users could not drag a table/category into an empty category/project Users could not right-click on the project if they don't have access directly to the project - just categories/tables under itProject editingCould not import a project if the name of the ZIP had been changed Could not export/import a project if a table had an emoji in the name Tab order is now correct in the Edit Project Form Edit Projects Form was constantly asking you to save when moving between elements The user could not drag a table/category into empty a category/project Fixed an error when deleting a category with existing tablesSettingsSwitching between User Configuration and Account Settings doesn't warn you that changes will be lost Creating new users On-Premise did not send the Invitation email exMon now prevents the user from changing the email address of user because of security reasons When you rename a table from the navigation bar and the table is open, the name on the tab does not update Audit schema did not exist for all schemas Navigation jumps to the beginning when you open or close the settings window Enter and Escape keyboard shortcuts in the Edit User Details form Creating a user was extremely slow for large installations Error when adding a user to a service, when the user already existed in exMon DMTable DesignRenaming a table through the Table Properties dialog did not update the tab name Import a new table dialog was too small when importing multiple columns Import into a new table now supports customized format for DateTime When importing into a new table, the Preview in the Verify step was sometimes empty Table Properties could not be opened right after creating the table A label was partly hidden in the Calculated column designer The „Duplicate Table“ button was not working correctly in the Advanced tab Fix errors when duplicating a table that had previously been duplicated Added a UI validation to make sure the table and action database names are unique. Before the error came when saving. Saving a table did not work when it had an action with the same name in another schema Moving a task to a different project through „Right-click and Edit“ failed Duplicating a table did not duplicate associated item lists Import a new table from a database did not always work Deleting the last Action for a table resulted in an error UI warning when trying to create a duplicate database name for an Action Duplicating a table with actions, now duplicates and renames the actions Duplicating a table, resulting in a duplicate table name, now appends „ Copy X“ to the name The SQL procedure name for SQL Actions now does not contain the IDs. When creating new Action, the default name was 'New Action'. Now it becomes 'New Action_[NUM]' to make sure there are no duplicates If you have a table containing actions and you change the schema and the new schema has an action with the same name that causes an error, exMon now automatically renames actions so that they are unique Editing custom lookups did not always save the correct settingsTable editingCould not add a new row when the table had a group by column Import from Excel and Database Actions did not work Export Excel had empty cells because the __Display column is null Excel export shows custom display text even though "custom display" is not selected Lookup columns as filters show the key value but do not display the value Run Action form only has a Close button Action with „Refresh after save“ messes up filters Import from database action doesn't ignore columns that have been deleted from the table Misc. smaller fixes in import from a database Import data into a table containing large lookup table times out Custom Import from a database works for the first time, but when you click the generated action afterwards it failed The dateTime column as a filter was not ideal Null exception for lookup column where the referenced table had been deleted in the Single Row Edit Error in Single Row View after saving in Table Designer Single Row View new row has value in the lookup editor Single Row View   missing formatting for number columns Error and error sound when saving with Ctrl+S in Single Row View Action with "Save before execution“ is not saving when the focus is still in the cell that was changed Filter popup did not show lookup display values correctly exMon DM WebFixing shortcuts in grid view and fixing if the region is set to the UK to replace, with the United Kingdom. Ctrl/Shift + click and right-click to open a table in a new tab now works correctly Lookups were not displayed correctly

Our May 2020 DM 2.7 update includes a lot of improvements and features.Single Sign-OnAzure Active Directory allows organizations to enable Single Sign-On for many cloud services. In exMon DM 2.7 we add support for Azure Active Directory enabling your users to sign in using their existing credentials. Furthermore, this allows IT to reset passwords and disable users when employees are no longer active.The Single Sign-On works both for the Windows Client and on the Web. For further information on how Single Sign-on works and how to enable it for your organization visit Single Sign-On Azure AD.Constraint Column InputColumn constraints are restrictions on the data that can be inserted into a given column and can be used for columns that have one of the following Data Types: String, Decimal, Double, Number, and Large Number. In the Table Designer, you will find a tab called 'Size & Format' when editing your Column properties where you can set the columns Min- and Max values as well as create a pattern in which all values of the column must match.  You simply create your pattern in regEx and add it to the pattern text field. If a user inserts a value that conflicts with any of the column constraints he will get a warning and is unable to save the data until that value has been fixed.  For further information on how Column Constraints work visit Column Designer.Parameter Action on WebNow it is possible to run Actions that contain Parameters on the Web. When you press the Action a window will pop up where you can insert the parameter value/s for the Action.  For further information on how you create Action with parameters in the client visit Table Actions.Custom Table IndexCustom Table Index allows the user to create indexes on their tables. A well-constructed index will make your tables faster to use, especially tables used as Lookup Tables.For further information on how you create a Custom Table Index in the client visit Custom Table Index.Bugfixes & Minor fixesStart page and NavigationRenaming an open table would not update the display name in the UI until re-opened PowerBI reports could not be deletedTable DesignSimplified the UI for designing actions  Added the ability to select a schema and Database table name when duplicating a table Creating a new table from an Excel spreadsheet or CSV is now smarter at suggesting data type sizes for columns. Creating a new table from an Excel spreadsheet or CSV and trying to ignore some columns would result in an error. Duplicating a table would not duplicate Item Lists correctly Duplicating a table would not duplicate a Default value correctly when the table contained an Item List Duplicating a table from the navigation tree would not always work Some save actions would not roll back correctly on error. More reliable save Default value improvements for Lookups and Item ListsTable editingImporting data into a very large lookup column is much faster Fixed some edge cases when importing dataexMon DM WebBetter experience when searching and selecting values within lookups Better UI for dates and dropdowns in tables Entering a column with the data type string and size large would resize the focused row Fixed some errors with lookups Fixed an error when saving NULL values Better error messages when a running Action fails

Our August 2020 DM 2.8 update includes a lot of improvements and features.Web file importexMon DM online now supports importing Excel and CSV documents on the web! Simply press the button 'Import data' from the toolbar in the table editor and go through the three simple steps (Upload, Preview, Map Columns). When all steps are finished you do not have to wait for the import to finish, instead, you will receive an email letting you know if your import was successful or not. This can save you time since you can now use the time spent waiting for the import to finish working in other tables in exMon DM.For further information on how web file import works visit Web file Import.Microsoft Teams IntegrationMicrosoft Teams has taken remote work by storm and in many offices, like our own, Microsoft Team is the central hub for collaboration.With exMon DM 2.8 we have optimized the web experience so that you can easily integrate your data within Teams and have relevant data at your fingertips. For more information visit Integration with Microsoft Teams.Contributor Access changesTable designers can now control better who can add or remove rows in specific tables. Under Table Properties, you can choose if Contributors can modify, add, and/or remove rows.For further information on how Contributor Access work visit Create New Table or import the existing Table.Lock/Unlock rows on the webYou can now use the Lock/Unlock feature on the web. When you lock a row the row becomes instantly a read-only. To make it editable again select the row and press Unlock. This feature can be helpful to prevent someone from accidentally modifying a row that should not be modified.For further information on how you lock/unlock rows on the web visit Web - Add, Change or Delete Data.Bugfixes & Minor fixesTable DesignItem list dropdown was not sorted depending on if it is a string or number Actions which do not have a display name should get the database name instead Changing the table name inside the Designer did not update the tab titleTable editingFixed some column constraint errors Publishing data to an external database now respects if the destination table is in a different collation than exMon DM.exMon DM WebBetter experience when using filters on the web Pasting into Lookups with Custom Display values did not work. The dropdown list of services was not sorted alphabetically Memo box missing for string columns with >100 char Fixed some errors with DateTime columns Better start page UI with shortcuts to Documentation 

Our May 2021 exMon DM 3.0 update includes new exciting features that bring new possibilities to the service.FivetranFivetran connectors offer a way to pull data from a variety of external data sources such as Salesforce, Google Analytics, Facebook and many more.Fivetran offers more than 100 data source connectors which you can choose from. In order to set up a data connector for your exMonDM service you need to go to the Settings page and choose the External Data Connectors tab on the left-hand side.In the External Data Connectors tab, you will see a list of all data connectors which have been set up in your exMonDM service and if you want to add a new one you can do so by clicking the Add connector button. Then you can simply select the data connector you want to use from the list. REST APIAdministrators can now share table data with third parties using our REST API.  By clicking the Share button in the Table toolbar -> Advanced you can create a link to share with others.Note: Anyone with the link will be able to see your data. To get an overview of which tables/projects/categories have active links go to Settings > API Access. It is also possible to create and delete links from there by right-clicking the item you want to share.Database UsersAdministrators can now create SQL Server database users from within exMon Data Management. that you can use to integrate with other solutions. You have the option to give different permissions depending on the schema. Simply check all the permissions you want the user to have for each schema in your system. When the user has been created, he can be used to connect to your data, for example with Power BI and DataFactory.Saved views on WebUsers can now select their Saved Views on the Web. The Saved Views preserve the column layout and visibility as well as applied filtering.Product FeedbackLet's talk! We want your help to shape the future of exMon. A user Feedback Button has been added that allows you to give us feedback on how we could improve. If you would like to get involved, simply select the smiley face and type away.After reviewing the feedback we may get back to you requesting additional information or providing you with a solution.Create schemaAdministrators can now create new database-level schemas from within exMon Data Management. Schemas allow you to both organize your data and enforce access controls. This feature is available in all the schema dropdowns for editing/creating a table or project. When creating/editing a Table or a Project simply click the 'create schema...' in the Database Schema dropdown.Then a small popup will appear where you canThen a small popup will appear where you choose a name for your new schema and press 'Create'. New icons for ActionsA common request is "Can we get more icons for actions?" Well, we added thousands of them! The icons are now visible on the desktop version and will be available on the web soon. To change icons for Actions go to Table Designer > Edit Actions in the table toolbar. You must check the Visible in toolbar checkbox to see the action in your table toolbar.Bugfixes & Minor fixesNavigationDeleting categories did not work Deleting web views did not work Changing the name of the table resulted in its hierarchies disappear  Web views disappeared when their category was moved between projects Properties of a table were not updated in the editor if the table was open when they were changed from the navigation Unable to create a new table in service with no projectsUser AccessAdmins of the project were unable to open a table in the project that was created by othersTable EditorColumn constraints prevented certain tables from opening Clicking the Import Data button with unparseable data raised an errorTable DesignImproved layout of Create Table popup Added Back button after selecting a create table mode in Create Table popupexMon DM WebThe custom filter did not work when unchecking a filter item The lookup column dropdown was too small Lookup columns did not have a minimum width Dropdown for cells with long text did not contain a scrollbar

exMon Data GovernanceThis release contains two new types of packages along with a few improvements.Data Factory PackageexMon could already execute Data Factory Pipeline through a PowerShell script. With this release, we have made it far easier to execute Data Factories by adding it as a new type of package. This feature will also support our efforts to make it easier to connect to cloud systems through exMon.To start using Data Factory, Right click Package and selecte New Data Factory Pipeline.PowerShell PackagePowerShell scripts have always been an important part of exMon data processes. This has however always been done through command-line executions. exMon 5.8 adds native support for PowerShell scripts. With native support error and exception handling becoming easier, changes are version controlled and you don't have to rely on placing PS1 on the correct server.To start using the PowerShell integration, right-click Packages and select New PowerShell Script.ImprovementsAdded new SSIS template to command-line packages Improved the look of test emailsTurnkeyTurnkey is now in private beta and we are improving based on user feedback. This time we have added two features along with some bug fixes.Show Execution PreviewWhen designing a new rule it can be important to see the output of the rule, things like new, opened, or closed exceptions as well as emails that will be sent out.Executing rules in the preview has therefore been added to Turnkey.(Image: Execution Preview - Query Result)(Image: Execution Preview - Execution Result)(Image: Execution Email Preview)Workspace Start PageEach workspace now has its own start page that shows the overview of the workspace, recently changed and executed rules, and provides shortcuts to create new datasets and rules.ImprovementsImproving the edit look for Datasets and Rules Fix exception links

Our June 2021 exMon DM 3.1 update mainly contains big improvements to already existing features.Convert database tables to exMonDM tablesUsers can now select tables that exist in the exMon DM Database and convert them to exMonDM tables.Fivetran improvementsIn our last version, we introduced the Fivetran data connectors feature. We have now made some improvements for better usability. Tables will now be converted automatically to exMonDM tables and will be located in the Fivetran project folder. Required ColumnsNew property to table columns indicates whether the column must include a value. This property is set for each column in the Table Designer.If the table does not contain a value in a required column an error icon is displayed indicating that it's missing and a message is shown before saving to ask the user if they want to ignore the errors.Database User ImprovementsDatabase users can now be given permissions to create stored procedures, functions, views and tables across all schemas to the database user has access.Table IndexesSystem columns can now be added to custom exMonDM indexes.Open table in the browserUsers with web enabled can now open their tables in the browser from the desktop application. The 'Open in Browser' button is located in the Advanced tab of the Table Editor.Bugfixes & Minor fixesTable EditorError message gets lost when action fails on save in a table Error when importing data from the 'Import data' button in the toolbar and set ignore to all columns Trying to import into a table with no columns needs to notify users that they need to add columns first Unable to refresh open hierarchy after making changes to attribute namesTable DesignImport from database action saved to toolbar shows icon name as the action name Renaming table does not rename it in the tab Edit connections in import data when the already existing table is open doesn't work Warn users if they are trying to create two new SQL tasks that have the same name. Make the save button disabled. Changing values for multiple columns simultaneously did not always workUser AccessPossible to press next when adding a new user without writing an emailOtherRemoving system keys from API share Sometimes generating a password for a DB user does not automatically pass password enforcement(missing 2 of 4 requirements) Save in settings doesn't disable save and navigation buttons while saving Telemetry crashed program when user could not connect to application insights An exporting project that contains tables with lookup columns would fail when the lookup table itself was not part of exported project