Introduction
Xytech is pleased to provide our second release of 2023. This is a significant release as it is the first release that incorporates different combinations of our feature set for different customer segments into a single release. We call these different views Feature Flags. While similar to our licensing modules, these Feature Flags can affect capabilities much deeper or much smaller than an entire module. Feature Flags give us the ability to deliver new capabilities without having to build and test different code branches for each idea which reduces our time to market and improves our quality. More details below.
This is the 2nd release under our new Media Operations Platform product name. As we announced with our Granite Winter 2022 release, we will no longer be using MediaPulse as a product name. We suggest using Xytech Platform, Media Ops, Ops Platform, Xytech, or simply Platform for a shortened name, depending on the context you are in.
As Xytech announced in 2022, our goal is to have a minimum of one general availability release every quarter, if not faster. With our use of Feature Flags, this release includes one general availability and two limited availability variants of Xytech Media Operations Platform:
- Granite Service Pack 1 for customers currently using Media Operations Platform Granite or MediaPulse 9.x or earlier
- Sapphire 1 for select customers migrating from ScheduALL to Media Operations Platform
-
Ruby 1 for select customers deploying transmission capabilities for dynamic bandwidth scheduling
management.
While Sapphire and Ruby are currently only available to select customers, Xytech will release these features to all customers in a future release. Our goal is to release them in 4th quarter 2023 or earlier pending early adopter feedback.
Why are Sapphire and Ruby for limited audiences?
Project Sapphire is focused on closing the gaps in features as used by the majority of ScheduALL customers versus features available in the Media Operations Platform. These new Platform features will enable ScheduALL customers to migrate from ScheduALL to our latest Media Operations Platform. Sapphire is specifically targeted at resource management and scheduling features. Ruby is our project for enhancing our Transmission capabilities.
Summary of Product Variants
Granite Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Granite SP1 includes approximately 75 defect fixes that were found after the Granite Winter 2022 release
Sapphire 1
Project Sapphire 1 incorporates 17 feature level additions and enhancements which required over 123 unique user stories in the areas of resource management and scheduling. With this much change comes some risk and Xytech’s goal is to strike the best balance between introducing new capabilities while minimizing risks to our current customers. Sapphire’s limited availability allows our ScheduALL customers a migration target Platform with no risk to existing customers who are in production with the Media Operations Platform. Once several customers have migrated successfully, we have addressed any issues they identify, and they have reached stable production, Xytech can enable Sapphire for existing Media Operations Platform customers. Project Sapphire will continue after this release to address the less commonly used but still significant features in ScheduALL that Platform doesn’t yet have with potential releases in 3rd and/or 4th quarter of 2023.
Ruby 1
Project Ruby 1 is the first of several releases focused on enhancing our Transmission capabilities. It will initially only be made available to a few select customers that have critical deadlines for support of booking schedules for dynamic bandwidth transmission systems. As this new capability hits the market in Satellites, we needed to start our Transmission enhancements with supporting features so that all future enhancements include and support dynamic bandwidth management when needed. Project Ruby will continue after this release to address ScheduALL transmission users, allowing those customers to migrate to Xytech’s latest Platform with releases targeted at the end of Q2 and in Q3.
It is worth stating again that Sapphire and Ruby features will be available to the full Xytech customer base as an upgrade opportunity in the 2nd half of 2023.
Release Highlights
Please review the release highlights for the release you’ll receive based on the descriptions above. If you’re curious about the other variants, you can view the highlights in the named sections below.
Granite SP1
See the Release notes for details on the ~75 defect fixes available in this release.
Sapphire 1
Sapphire 1 is for ScheduALL customers migrating to Media Operations Platform who use resource management and scheduling but not transmission in ScheduALL. These capabilities will be released to all Media Operations Platform customers in a future upgrade targeted for 2nd half of 2023. The features here represent capabilities found in ScheduALL but not previously available in Xytech’s Platform. This is not 100% of all ScheduALL features and future releases will address additional enhancements.
Schedule Book
- Change Views without leaving Schedule Book with only views available to the user shown
- Easily copy an existing view or create a blank view
- Using the Find Item dialog, the list can be expanded/collapsed for all levels
- “Not Assigned” designator enables a user at a glance to easily Identify Bookings that contain one or more related transactions that are yet to be assigned a specific resource
- Enhanced Item Selection for Schedule Book and Calendar Gadgets enables easy configuration and quick reordering, by selecting the item type and specific items to include or exclude in the view.
Resource Handling
- Resource Bundles: Create a bundle of related resources
- Assign a bundle to a parent resource
- When booking the parent resource, the bundle is automatically booked
This makes booking “always dependent resources” automatic.
- Group Resource Selection, Search: the scheduling view displays surrounding bookings for each resource which makes selecting the related appropriate resource easier and faster.
- Add Resources using Order Transaction Search by selecting one or more bookings or quick holds, from Schedule Book for a Booking or Quick Hold, and from Quick Hold search
- There is now graphical highlighting for resource conflicts
- Resource Scheduling Notes can be configured with a pop-up to alert schedulers of unique issues for a specific resource
- Apply Roster Templates to multiple Resources at the same time.
Pricing & Billing
Ability to control customer discounts and/or mark ups across all, by rate card, for specific categories
- Accounts Receivable Categories can be set up in support of ledger Accounts by Customer Type; Customer Types can be flagged as “Internal”
Migration Toolkit
In addition to the features highlighted above, there is also a ScheduALL Migration Toolkit that Xytech
Professional Services can use to assist in migrating existing ScheduALL data to a new Xytech Media Operations Platform instance. Contact your sales or service representative for more details.
Additional Benefits for ScheduALL Customers
Migrating to Xytech Media Operations Platform
In Addition to the features above, Xytech Platform offers many additional benefits over the ScheduALL system (and potentially a few limitations, it should be said). Example additional benefits:
-
Xytech provides the Platform as a SaaS, Cloud hosted offering so you don’t have to worry about hardware and infrastructure management.
-
New modules that you can license to add major feature areas not available in ScheduALL.
-
Simple features such as horizontal scroll bars in the UX to support easily navigating tables with large number of columns.
Your Xytech representative can provide you with details on the major benefits migrating will provide.
Ruby 1
Ruby 1 is for a few select, early-adopter customers migrating to Media Operations Platform who need dynamic bandwidth booking for new satellites that can offer this, as well as software-defined-networks over fiber. These capabilities will be released to all Media Operations Platform customers in a future upgrade targeted for 2nd half of 2023. Project Ruby will continue after this release with additional Transmission features focused on migrating ScheduALL customers that use Transmission.
Schedule Book
- Bandwidth Plan Selector lists the configurable set of bandwidth options for a set of transponders, and the list will be filtered when booking to only show the transponders with availability for the selected bandwidth
- Retains Satellite channel height and position upon selection of a different bandwidth plan overlay so that transponder reloading options can be immediately seen
Ad Hoc/Dynamic Slot Selection
- Bookings are assigned dynamic slots for no-gap transponder loading independent of pre-defined slot grids.
- Transponder is auto filled from bottom up (lowest frequency to highest)
- Customers self-provision bookings from selected bandwidth sizes, but slot is dynamically created and assigned
- Bookings center can position a booking anywhere within the availability on the transponder in ad-hoc slot creation
Web Hook Integration
- Event Triggers can now have a REST API Web Hook registered as the endpoint of an event transaction. This is the beginning of support for Web Hooks so that automated integrations between Xytech and other systems do not have to poll Xytech for changes. Additional Web Hook features will be enabled in future releases in 2023.
Summary
This is an exciting release for Xytech and our customers. It returns us to a consistent cadence of quarterly
releases, addresses significant product and quality issues for 100s of customers, enables a large set of
ScheduALL customers to start their migration to the Xytech Media Operations Platform, and introduces our new Feature Flags capability making Xytech more agile in addressing our customers’ needs, while reducing our time to market, but without increasing risk to our clients.
To request this release, please email support at helpcenter@xytechsystems.com with the words 'Spring 2023 Release' in the subject line.
Thank You for being our customers and partners.
-Dave White, Chief Product Officer, and the entire Xytech Team