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What's New in ConnectMaster 7.0, 7.2 and 7.3?

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Content

Version 7.0

Change Management

  • Physical and Logical Inventory with Sub Projects and Scenarios
  • Project Management & Workflow
  • Separation of Operational Network and proposed or current plans
  • Sub Projects and Scenarios with Gannt Chart
  • Allow for planning with multi stage projects and see effective implementation timeline
  • Partial Merge of Projects using Sub-Projects
  • Logical Technologies Support
  • Extended planning for logical technologies within the Change Management environment

Customisable Graphic Diagram with Visual Connections

  • Drag and Drop on Canvas
  • Highlight Physical paths
  • Arrange Visual line diagram
  • Customize Symbols, Labels and Colors etc

Component Circuit Template definitions with Interconnects

  • Predefine a set of equipment to place in a location.

Automated Address Field Lookup - Address Dictionaries

  • Import Address dictionaries from external sources
  • Automate address lookup on location placement

GUI Based Location Creation from CSV and Excel

  • User Friendly
  • With or without Hierarchy
  • Automatic Address Assignment
  • Coordinates and Attributes

Query Manager support user defined filters and output columns

  • Support for Export of User Defined Shape files
  • Flexible queries across locations and components

Integrated ADFS and SSO, 30 Character password

  • Full user management from ADFS
  • ADFS Single Sign On
  • ADFS roles support and automated user creation and authorization
  • 30 Character Support for Oracle Passwords

Support for Container DB with Pluggable database Oracle 19c

Configuration transfer / update between two CM systems

Version 7.2

Beyond the consolidation of bug-corrections the following functional enhancements are part of the new ConnectMaster major release 7.2.

Introduction of SmartGeo Mode vs Legacy mode

  • Introduction of dynamic layer type with predefined layer and style schema introducing well defined rules and enforcement of organizational cartographic standards.
  • Create Locations and Components automatically during draw and edit operations using automatic layer and style selection based on layer and style schema.
  • Well defined layers per Category, Subcategory, Location and Component Type
  • Central style definition
  • Tight integration and validation between object and geographic object
  • New property panel for immediate real-time info view and direct editing, immediate labelling refresh on edit

Property Panel

  • Property panel as a lighter version of the detail view introduces a powerful interactive tool
  • Floating or docked with capability for editing of selected fields.
  • Useable with GEO, Graphic layout and Visual Connection sheet, as well as any object’s context menu

Most field shown are editable, Grey are not

Enhanced MultiDuct model

  • Duct segments introduced for unbroken multiducts connected to specific locations at linear intervals
  • Microducts within a single slot/channel/color may be broken into multiple pieces representing a real world view and allowing the use of residual pieces (not previously possible
  • Model integrated with standard GEO tools such as cable/duct splitting

Enhanced Graphic Connection Sheet

  • Introduced in v7 SP1, significant enhancements and speed improvements have been implemented
  • Layout using multiple algorithms to produce a better visually pleasing result reducing overlaps and easier to follow connecting lines
  • Better coloring and options to improve visual effects for information presentation
  • Improved connection methods to easily and interactively make connections

Change management

  • Improved Merging performance and implementation of merge queue
  • Enhance Master/Subproject handling

RNP Designer

  • Direct KML and shape outputs
  • Full Customizable Reporting Capability
  • Export Wizard - Customised Outputs with formulas and field definitions
  • Shape and CSV outputs
  • Multi-layered PDF
  • Saving of user labels within project scenarios
  • Brownfield support for ducts, locations, cabinets and splices

General

  • Performance improvements throughout
  • Explorer Paging: Enhanced Navigator useability with control of Navigator object display length with length limiting, searching directly into a portion of a long list and expanding as required

Version 7.3

Smart Geo

  • Additional Toolbox / Fttx Automation Toolbox
    Tools to assist with the rapid simultaneous drawing of trenches, ducts and cables as well as automated branching at a connection point are available in the GEO interface
  • Geometry replace function
    Easily replace or substitute a whole geometry such as a cable or duct with a corrected or more accurate one
  • Manipulate map and position during line drawing
    Full zoom and pan during line operations have been added
  • Duct and Cable Inserts supporting new duct segmentation model
    Previously Multi-Ducts were completely split at a cable splice. Now the duct model allows for the duct to be segmented and the microduct to be split and reused multiple times within a single duct this more correctly modelling the real world.
  • Background layer transparency
    Background layers such as Google or Bing can be faded to make the plant layers more visible
  • Layer and View Custom definitions (Query Based Layers)
    In the SmartGEO layer were made dynamic to always represent actual field information. In 7.3 a query capability is added to be able to dynamically modify label fields, limit displayed data by conditional clauses and even change the rendering of map features.
  • Object styles and layer moves automated based on edits
    The SmartGeo introduced a schema driven set of layer definitions which improved map integrity ensuring that plant went into the correct layers and styles were always correctly used to reduce user capture errors. In 7.3 this is further enhanced as changes to the schema automatically realign plant in the correct layers as well as updating styles according to the schema definitions.

Report Data Plugin

Customer can use API to create new data sources for reports.

In ConnectMaster a Report Designer has always allowed customers to create and modify reports. However the data sources for reports were fixed and required fields were not always available. Now it is possible to create custom data sources to support completely flexible reporting without the need to change the ConnectMaster Software, thus allowing the end user total management of their reports.

Graphic Connection Sheet

Layout and speed enhancements

The recently introduced graphic connection schematic has been improved with additional features, useability enhancements, automated layout improvements as well as improved speed.

Performance enhancements

Operational Speed and Responsiveness has been improved in version 7.3 with specific regard to bottlenecks during bulk or multiuser operations. This has provided speed improvements of up to 10 times in some operations.

Import now allows parallel bulk imports

In the past the import process of raw data into ConnectMaster was a serial process only allowing one process at a time. With our growing customer base needing better import capability and the introduction of the visual wizard for import this process can now be used by multiple users simultaneously.

RNPDesigner

  • Export SHP, PDF, KML, CSV, Wizard for shape and csv
    Designer now allows for many different outputs of the plan during different stages of design including a flexible wizard allowing for calculated fields and filters during exports.
  • Report Designer
    A Flexible ability to design custom reports during the Plan and Design phase
  • Addition of Aerial and Mixed UG/Aerial planning
    While only supporting underground planning in previous version Designer now adds Aerial planning as well as highly flexible Hybrid planning across and within planning levels.

New Oracle Role Management

As customer needs have grown and the introduction of Oracle container databases better management of the Oracle environment by IT departments has become a requirement. To facilitate this the Roles required by ConnectMaster Administrators and Users have been adjusted to ensure that only that absolutely necessary roles are provided to the different user classes during different operations. This means that it is no longer necessary to have high security roles such as “sys” top administer ConnectMaster. The new roles are applied during the upgrade to 7.3 as shown below.

New Skin for more modern look

ConnectMaster’s appearance has been modernized.

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