6.6 Release Notes

Owned by Kyle Erickson (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Dec 27, 2017 by Zac Wyner (Unlicensed)
4 min read


PopMedNetTM Distributed Query Tool

Release Notes

Based on Release 6.6


Releases

Networks UpdatedSentinelHDCPCORnet
Date of Release12/27/17 12/28/17

11/6/17 - DataMart Client

12/17/17 - Web Portal

DataMart Client Update

Not Required


Not Required

Required

Introduction

PopMedNet version 6.6 is a significant update to the PopMedNet distributed query tool. A full list of new features and bug fixes can be found here. Those updating from v5.3.2 to v6.6 of PopMedNet will also find additional information for:

  • v6.5 release notes here
  • v5.6.1 release notes here
  • v5.6 release notes here

Enhancements

UpdateDescription
Higher character limitsQuestion Engine-based requests now have no character limit for the Description field, and the character limit for the Additional Instructions field is 3,000 characters.
Improved DataMart Client error messages

Improved the clarity of connection error messages for PCORnet Menu-Driven Queries and Summary Tables.

Improved Web Portal error messagesIntroduced a new error message to indicate if there are any problems with DataMart response files when viewing results for Question Engine-based requests on the Web Portal.
Optimized Question Engine File Distribution to accommodate more DataMartsQuestion Engine-based File Distribution requests now support sending requests to up to 100 DataMarts at once.
More DataMart Client loggingThe DataMart Client now logs all connection attempts between the DataMart Client and any given Web Portal (service URL). The DataMart Client also now logs additional information about file transfers between the DataMart Client and Web Portals.
More structured request workflow
Improved request workflow to prevent unintended routing status changes.
Modifying results option
Introduced an access control setting to allow or deny the ability to re-upload results that have not been re-submitted. For existing PopMedNet networks, this setting will be determined by individual project governance.
Various Distributed Regression improvementsFunctionality laying the foundation for distributed regression workflow has been implemented.
Various security improvements
  1. The DataMart Client now automatically disposes of encryption keys immediately after they are used.
  2. Removed TLS 1.0 support from the DataMart Client. The DataMart Client now only supports encrypted connections using TLS 1.1 & 1.2.
  3. Removed hyperlinks from the "About" screen of the DataMart Client.
  4. Usernames and passwords are now encoded into a token for use on the client side.
  5. Web Portal and API basic authorization schemes have been designed for 3rd party compatibility.
  6. Authentication from the Web Portal now uses a dedicated authorization scheme utilizing AES encryption prior to encoding.
Various improvements to file interactions in the DataMart Client
  1. Renamed 'File View' to 'View Raw File(s)' to be more descriptive of functionality.
  2. Removed the 'kind' column in the File View panel.
  3. Removed the 'Is Viewable/Select' field from the Request Panel of the DataMart Client.
  4. Renamed the 'Is Viewable/Select' field to 'Select' in the Response Panel of the DataMart Client.
  5. Added instructional dialogue windows if a user tries to delete files from the Response Panel of the DataMart Client.
Various Enhancements to PCORnet Menu-Driven Query (MDQ) Functionality
  1. MDQs can restrict to a specific care setting by joining on the EncounterID.  This EncounterID can also be joined with the Diagnosis and/or Procedure terms.
  2. Observation periods are linked to the criteria group in which they are specified.  This allows for MDQs to include multiple observation periods
  3. Information in the Vitals table are not joined on EncounterIDs
  4. In accordance with version 3.1 of the PCORnet CDM, the available values for the Setting term in MDQs now include the new values: Observation Stay and Institutional Professional Consult
Improved viewing of DataMarts and Organizations in the Web PortalThroughout the Web Portal, DataMarts and Organizations are now listed alphabetically.
Updated the Investigator's edit routing status abilitiesInvestigators can now 'bulk edit' multiple DataMarts at once.  Additionally, the Investigator will only see the Incomplete routings that they have permission to change.
Improved viewing and downloading resultsEnhanced Investigators now have the option to Select All/Clear All DataMarts in the routing grids on the web portal.
Improved Email Notifications
Only DataMarts that had a query re-submitted will receive the  'Re-submitted' notification.
Improved Question Engine result load times on the Web Portal
Results for Question Engine-based requests now load more quickly when viewing from the Web Portal.

Bug Fixes

UpdateDescription
Corrections to 'File View' checkbox behaviorCorrected the default state of the 'File View' checkboxes in the DataMart Client to be request type-dependent.
View SQL button with legacy Summary TablesFixed an issue that in some cases will cause query SQL to be returned from the DataMart Client instead of results after clicking the View SQL button for legacy Summary Tables. This caused an error when downloading results from the query tool that included SQL code rather than summary table results.
Various Fixes to PCORnet Menu-Driven Queries
  1. In the case of multiple criteria groups, all terms within one criteria group are first evaluated within the criteria group.  Then the various criteria groups are ANDed or AND NOTed with one another.
  2. Diagnosis and Procedure terms are ORed when in the same criteria group.
List of installed models is no longer 'clipped'For each DataMart, there is a list of installed models (request type adapters) that can be added.  Previously, the list was clipped and not fully visible to the administrator setting up the DataMart functions.


Known Issues

IssueWorkaround
Multiple DataMart Clients set to auto-uploadIf a single DataMart has multiple DataMart Clients set to auto-upload, it may cause two result sets to be uploaded. It is advised to only use a single primary DataMart Administrator at a time for each DataMart to avoid this issue until it is fixed.
Response Detail Web Portal tab resizing

In Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Edge, the Response Detail tab for Question Engine-based requests may occasionally not resize properly to accommodate viewing a large number of DataMart responses at once. This will prevent the user from being able to view results directly on the PMN Web Portal, but it does not prevent the user from downloading results. Two workarounds have been identified:

  • Use Chrome or Safari web browsers when viewing results on the PMN Web Portal. These browsers are not affected by this issue.
  • In Firefox, when the Response Detail window fails to resize, right-click the contents of the Response Detail tab and click This Frame>Reload Frame.
Checking for NULL ADMIT_DATEs in PCORnet Menu-Driven QueriesThe Observation Period term in PCORnet Menu-Driven Queries fails to check that ADMIT_DATEs are not NULL if both minimum and maximum dates are left blank when creating the query. To avoid this, always enter a minimum and/or maximum date when using the Observation Period term in PCORnet Menu-Driven Queries. This is expected to be fixed in PopMedNet 6.7.
Modifying DataMart Client refresh rateThe foundation and user interface for user-changeable DataMart Client refresh rates was implemented in the PopMedNet 6.6, but a new refresh rate value will not save successfully if a user tries to modify it. This feature will be full implemented in PopMedNet 6.7.


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