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What's new?

See some of the new features and improvements of IBM Industry Solutions Workbench 4.2.0 in the spotlight.

System Architecture Design​

This new project type helps teams to align on software architecture. It aids in modeling architecture, making informed decisions, and communicating visually with stakeholders.

Collaborative Software Architecture Modeling​

Modeling with C4 Framework:

  • Utilize the C4 framework within Workbench for structured yet simple architecture modeling.
  • Engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders with clear diagrams.

Collaborate Effectively:

  • Use real-time collaboration tools to iterate on software models without extensive training.
  • Keep architecture documentation open to all stakeholders.

Manage all aspects around system architecture with a single source of truth​

Keep consistency: -Avoid defragmented toolset and disjoint communication.

  • Streamlined workflow for connecting elements to up- and downstream assets

Ensure Ongoing Alignment:

  • Regularly update and refine architecture to align with evolving business needs.
  • Collaborate with product owners and architects to maintain a cohesive software foundation.

AI-Powered Decision Support​

Streamline Decision-Making:

  • Utilize the AI assistant to guide architectural decisions with context-specific recommendations.
  • Document decisions using built-in templates for Architectural Decision Records (ADRs).

Enhance Transparency:

  • Use AI-generated insights to identify and fill critical gaps in decision documentation.
  • Share ADRs with the team to ensure alignment and clarity.

Interactive Diagrams​

Visual Exploration:

  • Create interactive diagrams with clickable nodes and color-coded layers to explain architecture effectively.
  • Tailor visualizations for business stakeholders, developers, and other team members.

Facilitate Learning and Collaboration:

  • Empower new team members to understand and explore system architecture from day one.
  • Use diagrams to bridge knowledge gaps and ensure team-wide understanding and collaboration.

NestJS TypeScript stack​

The new NestJS TypeScript stack offers support for easily implementing a Node.js backend while using TypeScript as implementation language. The stack is based on NestJS and allows native development in combination with pre-generated modules which makes it easy to implement different use cases.

More about the NestJS stack features:

Generic Service (NestJS TypeScript)​

This project type enables you to easily build microservices based on NestJS/TypeScript for a wide range of business requirements. This project type gives you full control and flexibility in any aspect of the development project while having useful functionality already built-in.

Integration service (Java)​

This project type enables seamless data flow between disparate services, ensuring compatibility and real-time synchronization by consuming one or several APIs and in their turn providing data via an API. Model and implement your integration as well as your APIs directly in the Designer and use our Swagger UI support to easily access your built APIs in order to automate business processes and enhance data connectivity. See Integration Service.

Use your own pipeline technology​

By default, it is expected that OpenShift Pipelines is installed on the cluster. From 4.2.0 onwards, it is now also possible to use your own pipeline technology to build your solutions. Read more about this here.

OpenShift 4.16 support​

IBM Industry Solutions Workbench 4.2.0 now supports OpenShift version 4.16.

New improvements for Saga Pattern Support​

Execute Saga Orchestrator asynchronously​

You now can choose between two execution modes for saga orchestrator execute and executeAsync.

Read more about it in Implement Saga Orchestrator.

Tracing capability in Participants​

Participants execution method now uses the same API request's trace-id in logs to allow better tracing capability.

Participants can have return entity​

You now can choose an entity as output of the participant. As default, the last participant will be used for the "aggregated" result And it is possible now to change the Orchestrator return entity by overriding aggregateStrategy method implementation.

Read more about Overwriting aggregation strategy.

Control participants execution mode​

You now can choose between two execution modes for saga participants in saga parallel and sequential modes.

Read more about Execution mode.

Providing access to exchange object​

You now can access the exchange object from the participant's execute method.

Read more about Accessing exchange object.

Allow more open configuration options for saga definition​

You now can use the new configuration methods to configure your saga configureParticipantsExecution and configureSagaDefinition.

Read more about Override configuration for saga orchestrator.

Allow to override the Orchestrator-Bean​

You now can override the default Orchestrator behavior by overriding the Orchestrator bean.

Read more about Implement custom Saga orchestrator.

Other noteworthy improvements​

Simplification and enhancement of the project creation dialog​

When creating a new project, you can now directly access assets as a starting point as well. You can select the asset catalogs from which assets should be included in the Create project action in the admin settings of the Solution Designer. By default, all already existing asset catalogs will be included; but you can also easily exclude catalogs.

Clicking on a solution acronym within the Solution Hub now leads to an overview page of the service deployment providing you with details and artifacts concerning the deployment as well as further configurations. Additionally, API links are now also accessible from the Solution Hub.

Usability improvements​

User interface​

The interface has been improved at several places. The right columns in instance pages (e.g. the overview of an entity) can now be changed in width or be hidden completely. File upload is now possible via drag and drop, and a warning message appears when leaving the text editor with unsaved changes.

User support​

At first login to the Solution Designer, a welcome screen with useful information for starting your work with IBM Industry Solutions Workbench, including links to the documentation and to the learning center, is displayed. The screen can also be accessed - as well as the documentation and the learning center - at any time from the help menu in the application header.

Apart from this, contextual links to the documentation are provided throughout the application.

Additional improvements​