Release Notes: xTuple ERP 4.10.0RC and many other components are now available

Version 4.10.0RC || September 2016

xTuple ERP 4.10.0RC is now available for download from xTuple's GitHub repository or the xTuple open source project page on SourceForge. This release candidate includes over 50 bug fixes and 9 features added since Beta2 and over 300 bugs fixed and 90 features implemented since 4.9.5. Commercial editions and extension packages may be downloaded by commercial customers from their private access download section of xTuple's Community Website. See the Release Notes on GitHub for complete details.

Thanks to all who contributed to make these releases possible, including a number of feature sponsors, partners, customers and interns.

Summary

The themes for this release have been:

• Lay the groundwork for an ERP dashboards extension (see below)
• Implement Feature Mob 2 features
• Update technology infrastructure
• Improve desktop application performance

As part of the technology update, you will need PostgreSQL 9.3 or 9.4 with the following PostgreSQL extensions:

• pgcrypto
• pPLv8 — see our GitHub wiki for PLv8 installation instructions
• ossp-uuid — if you built PostgreSQL from source code, you might have to rebuild it; make sure to include the --with-ossp-uuid option from the configure command; see instructions for building PostgreSQL for details

In addition to the xTuple ERP databases and desktop client, we have published the following:

xTuple Updater 2.4.0

Start using Updater 2.4.0; several of the extension updates require it, including the new xTuple Connect 3.8.1.The new Updater has two important changes from previous versions:

• Better command line support
• Better handling of non-ASCII data

In addition you can now embed comments in the package description file and keep an Updater audit trail. 

• Updater 2.4.0 Release Notes

xTuple Dashboards 1.0.0Beta2

xTuple Dashboards (xtdash) is a commercial extension that provides customizable dashboard displays to the main application window and various other key windows. You must have the xTuple Desktop extension 4.0.x installed and enabled to see and configure the main dashboard. This is currently at version 1.0.0Beta2 and may be downloaded by commercial customers from their private access download section of xTuple's Community Website. You will need to install two extensions — xtdash and the supporting nodejsshim.

xTuple Connect 3.8.1

This xTupleConnect release fixes 3 bugs, including a critical issue with scheduled reports.

• xTuple Connect 3.8.1 Release Notes

Others Improvements

• OpenRPT 3.3.12
• CSV Import (CSVImp) 0.5.4
• xTuple Desktop (xtDesktop) 4.0.4

Release and Deployment Management

With any release — and especially one of this magnitude and interdependencies — updating requires a plan to ensure the integrity of the software is protected and that the components you need are updated properly. 

We recommend the following order of implementation: 

1. Updater — required, standalone and backward-compatible with extensions and databases — available separately
2. Database
3. Desktop client
4. Batch Manager, xtConnect client
1. Existing database — install this
2. Master reference (masterref) database — pre-loaded
5. Extensions, in any order
1. xtDesktop
1. Existing database — install this
2. Any reference database — pre-loaded
2. Dashboards
1. Existing database — install this and the supporting nodejsshim
2. Distribution, Manufacturing and Master reference databases — pre-loaded
6. Other
1. CSVImp — included in 4.10RC and also available separately
2. OpenRPT — included in 4.10RC and also available separately

Complete deployment and release notes for the 4.10.0RC and 4.10.0Beta of xTuple ERP.