What's New In Paragon

Version 6.8.3 G

Revised: August 12, 2024

Changes in V6.8.3 G (8/12/2024)

Resolved: First-time users would get an error after accepting the End User License Agreement (EULA). T12599
Improved: ParagonDC Work Item UI ~ Budget accounts to select from in the picklist are now limited to active category/account combos. T12574
Improved: Work Package Data Export ~ Now includes Date Created. T12561

Changes in V6.8.3 F (7/21/2024)

Resolved: Inventory Editor UI ~ Wrong CRV displayed when Override cost specified.
Resolved: Inventory Editor UI ~ Users with Read-Only role able to edit and save changes.
Resolved: Asset UI ~ Change status to inactive side effects.

When an asset is saved as inactive, any active work items are now marked 'Canceled' (was 'Completed'). Also, any open work packages are canceled plus now updating the Update timestamp, the ID of the user who deactivated the asset and update of the work package update timestamp.

Resolved: Work Item Detail UI ~ Picklist of Budget category/account options included inactive/unused choices.
Resolved: Profile UI ~ Value for CCI(100 - 1) displayed wrong.

Changes in V6.8.3 D (7/5/2024)

Security: Password Complexity Policy

T12540. As part of SOC 2 compliance, the following new requirements are checked and enforced when users reset their passwords:
Minimum of eight characters.
At least 1 uppercase character
At least 1 lowercase character
At least 1 number
At least one special character: (like any of ~!@#$%^&*()_+`-={}|[]:";'<>?,./ ).

Security: Limiting number of unsuccessful log in attempts to 3

As part of SOC 2 compliance, Paragon now limits log in attempts at three after which there is a ten-minute time out. If this happens to a user, there is the option to do a passwrod reset or wait out the twn minutes if fairly sure the right password was found to use.

Changes in V6.8.3 (5/30/2024)

Security: Reduced Inactive Session Timeout

T12544. As part of SOC 2 compliance, we have reduced the inactive Paragon session timeout to one hour. All this means is that if you are not actively working in Paragon then after 60 minutes you will be taken back to the Login page to resume your session.

Resolved: Add Asset UI ~ Custom field values carry over

When on an asset with custom field values and then clicking the 'Add' button to create a new Asset, those field values carried over to the Add Asset UI.

Resolved: Inventory Copy Tab ~ Selected Inventory list doesn't clear after Copy

T12568. When using the Inventory Copy command, the list of selected inventory did not clear after completion of the Copy task. So when using the Copy command again during the same session with other inventory, the initial inventory would be copied again creating duplicates.

Resolved: Password reset request emails would not send

T12551. When a user would forget the password and use the Password reset request feature, the password would reset but the email notifying the user with the reset password would not come. Issue turned out to be an increased security measure preventing the email from getting out.

Resolved, ParagonDC: An upload error would occur when trying to upload a pre-existing work item with photos.

Special scenario where inspector had downloaded an asset (along with inventory and work items), then added one or more photos while in the meanwhile the work item had been deleted in Paragon. Now Paragon will ignore the inspector's changes to the work item and resume uploading other additions/changes.

Changed: Inventory Common Location list should not be augmented if an inspector adds a new entry in the inventory location list.

Specific to Paragon, not ParagonDC, if a user would type in a location value that does not exist in the established list of common locations for inspectors to choose from, it would get added to the list. Now only locations added on the administrative interface get listed, as intended.

Resolved: In the Work Packages grid, filtering did not work if using bottom selector for Work Execution Status.

Filtering was prevented from working due to the order number. The order number is no longer shown so the filtering works. Note that the status options still are listed in the assigned order numbers, not alphabetic.

Resolved: Asset Data Export to Excel renders a 0 for Floors below grade as a hyphen

This issue would only happen if navigation was focused on a node. Now renders a 0 whether focus is on a node or on an asset.

Clarified: If you try to add a work package while navigation focus is on a node you get a warning.

Work Packages are tied to assets. If navigation focus is on a node, Paragon now asks the user to select an asset first before adding a new work package.

Resolved: Two incorrect column headers of the Current FCI Export to Excel

The last two columns were labeled 'Sustainment Cost' and 'CI'; they have been changed to 'Current Backlog with FCI Impact' and 'FCI' respectively to line up with the column naming in the Current FCI interface.

Resolved: Unable to delete inventory when there are associated records

When a user deleted inventory and it would have any of work items, cost estimates, GPS coordinates or file attachments it could fail.

Resolved: Canceling a work item would not auto-detach from work package

When a work item is canceled that is linked to a work package, it needs to be detached from work package without user having to do that as a separate step.

Clarified: Manual Cost Estimate creation

The Quantity field does not act as a multiplier for the values of the four cost types, they are totals. Now the labels for each include 'Total' to remind the user.

Resolved: Back-dating inspection rating date not accepted.

While a user could select an earlier date, upon saving it would be changed to today's date.

Inventory uploading

Resolved: Inventory could not be uploaded due to pre-mature deprecation of a SQL view.

Audit Log of Work Items

Resolved: Logging of the deletion of a work item did not happen if there were multiple cost estimates (during back-end processing).

Changes in V6.8.2 (12/10/2023)

SSO (Single Sign On) Option

NEW FUNCTIONALITY. Paragon clients now have the option to have SSO enabled/enforced on a tenant-by-tenant basis.
Paragon uses the OAUTH Open ID Connect standard (See RFC 6749 and 6750 for details). Using this standard, Paragon redirects the user login to the client-designated 3rd party service where users authenticate themselves. Paragon currently supports Azure Active Directory services, but in principle can support any well-known 3rd party Authentication service such as Okta or Ping Identity. Once authenticated, the 3rd party service redirects users back to Paragon for authorization and access to permitted data. A huge benefit is that Client-mandated policies for Password complexity & re-use, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Authenticator app usage, etc. automatically also apply to Paragon.
For more details, reach out to your Paragon representative. T11679

Financial Forecasting

Enhanced: Forecast Scenario, Step 2 UI ~ Export to Excel now has dynamic file naming to indicate when the export was done and which Scenario ID is included, for example: 2023_12_08_11_39_09__Forecast_CalculatedSpending_ID_86.xlsx. T12457
Enhanced: Forecast Scenario, Step 2 UI ~ Export to Excel template adjusted for narrower column widths for improved visual presentation. T12457
Resolved: Financial Forecasting UI ~ Deficiency Repairs/Replacement spending higher than requirement for the year. T12483
Resolved: Budget Scenario & Forecasting UI ~ Inflation rate of root node used despite an override of inflation rate at a child node. T12477, T12481

Work Item grid UI

Resolved: The Export to Excel feature would generate a hidden additional sheet with unneeded values interfering with user macros. T12478

Work Package grid UI

Resolved: Users might see packages listed belonging to hierarchy nodes that the user was not granted access to. T12466

Help page

The Help page has been re-organized a bit to now include the What's New documentation to accommodate SSO-enabled clients who do not get to see the regular log in page where it continues to be dispalyed as well.

Cost Catalog UI

Enhanced: Using Export to Excel function, the Parent Code column now shows expected parent codes, and the UOM ID has been added. These changes were to facilitate ability for client to do bulk updates, and have Support process all changes. T12485

User Administration UI

Enhanced ~ As before, an account once created, cannot have the following attributes changed by Account Administrators:
Email Address, First name, Last name and Affiliation. This is by design.
If an administrator now attempts to change one of these, an informative message is now displayed:
NOTE: Email address, name and affiliation cannot be edited here once account is created. If such a change is needed, you can either de-activate this account(from access to this tenant) and create a replacement account or contact Paragon Support with an account change request. T 12486

Changes in V6.8.1 L (10/10/2023)

Work Item UI, Cost Estimates upload

Enhanced: Support for RSMeans-generated Assembly cost estimates as well as combo estimates that include both Unit cost estimate lines and assembly cost line(s). T12467
Resolved: Users assigned to the 'Assessor' role are now able to upload cost estimates. T11741

Work Package grid UI

Resolved: WPs could be listed in the grid of hierarchy nodes that user does not have access to. T12466
Resolved: Selecting a Package to View/Edit the WP could result in error: "entity is out of synch with its data" T12470

Changes in V6.8.1 J (9/24/2023)

Work Package grid UI

Resolved: User without access granted to all nodes was able to see all Work Packages of the client. T12446

Work Item UI, Cost Estimation upload

Resolved: Unable to upload a RSMeans-generated cost estimate from the Unit cost section. T12467

Inventory Model UI

Resolved: Issue when trying to use Run Model T12459.

Changes in V6.8.1 I (8/10/2023)

Add Asset UI

Resolved: When a user adds an asset and neglects to fill in all required values, there is no a clear red icon beside all the fields that still require entry. T12446

Inventory Editor UI

Resolved: ACM-related comboboxes were not populating their values. T12369

Inventory Copy UI

Clarified: The 'Copy Ratings' option has been adjusted to the following behavior:
Direct Rating: Copies DCR, and if not rated, then the copy is not rated either.
Date Last Rated: Not copied, instead the current date is inserted.
Rated By: Not copied, instead associated with the user doing the copying. If not rated, then no association with a user.
Rating Notes: Always copied as is. If blank, then the copied record is blank as well.
Note that, as before, if the Copy Ratings checkbox is NOT checked, then none of these columns are written to.

Inventory Listing UI

Enhanced: To provide clarity, cells that are not editable in batch edit mode are displayed with soft-yellow background. Cells with white background are editable when in Batch Edit mode.
Resolved: Photo count could be too high if photos had been deleted. T12422

Cost Catalog UI ~ Export to Excel

Enhanced: Export to Excel includes additional columns to facilitate bulk changes - Client, Client ID upfront and at the end, whether custom entry and the internal unique ID. Also using easier-to-read font. T12182

Work Items UI

Resolved: Inability to filter the 'Work Pkg' column on blanks, i.e. Work Item not assigned to a Work Package. Now in this case a placeholder '(None)' is displayed that users can filter on. T12455

Work Package grid UI

Enhanced: Added a new column option, '# Work Items' so that you can tell the number of active work items linked to the work package while in the grid, and do quantity-based filtering. The quantity is for T12141

Work Package Editor UI

Resolved: Work Execution Status did not load (when Status = Canceled) T12366

Profile UI

Resolved: In the File attachments section, the Edit icon did not respond. T12430.

All Data Exports to Excel

Enhanced; Now all Data Exports to Excel are produced in the XLSX format for consistency, deprecating the older XLS outputs.

Requirements Analysis UI, Summary Export

Enhanced: The name given to the Summary Export to Excel is no longer generic 'RequirementsAnalysisSummary.xls', but now includes the date of the report and Analysis ID number. This is for clarity and consistency with the Details Export. T12449

Forecast Scenarios, Step 2 tab

Enhanced: Unfunded items are now displayed is a pale shae of red to facilitate reading the black text T12429

ParagonDC

Resolved: Deleting a primary photo and replacing it with another resulted in 'File upload table not updated' error. T12402
Resolved: Upload error when user uploads new photo(s) to inventory deleted in Paragon. T12398

Changes in V6.8.1 D (7/2/2023)

Hierarchy Admin UI, Option to copy access rights to a new node

New: Now when you add a hierarchy node, there is a checkbox that makes Paragon copy the parent node's user access to the new node. It is checked by default. If the user unchecks it and saves, then no user accounts are granted access just like Paragon has worked in the past. T11465

Asset Summary Report (PDF/Word)

Resolved: Line breaks were not reflected in the Summary and Histroy sections. T12443
Resolved: 'Detailed Replacement Value' was shown as 'Direct Replacement Value'. T12432
Clarified: Now, only the user-selected RV choice that is used for FCI calculation is displayed. T12432

Changes in V6.8.1 C (6/24/2023)

User Management, Hierarchy Access Assignments

When an administrator unchecks some of the hierarchy nodes for a user, parent node(s) are displayed with a blue square. Previously, these parent nodes were not accessible/visble to that user. Now these blue square parent nodes ARE displayed and accessible to users. T12348

Inventory Listing UI

Added 'Last Rated' to column chooser (view-only values) T12421

Inventory Editor UI

Date Inventoried field was tied to the record creation date, resolved T12418

Date Inventoried value would have time portion truncated when anything else in the record was edited and saved. resolved T12394

Inventory Add UI

Resolved: If record not rated, then the date last rated should be blank/NULL T12416

Inventory Copy UI

Resolved: If 'Copy Ratings' not opted, should not copy any of rating-related values. T12376

Changes in V6.8.1 B (1/5/2023)

ParagonDC Uploads and Downloads

Resolved: Paragon's API has been adjusted to handle out-of-range values for Create Date caused by non-US region Date/Time setting on iPad. T12382

Changed: Paragon's API has been adjusted to no longer provide data to ParagonDC during Asset download that isn't displayed or used in ParagonDC. The result is a significant decrease in time of 'Asset Download...' T12277

Resolved: Paragon's API has been adjusted to not reject an asset upload if the facility was missing City.

Resolved: Paragon's API has been adjusted to include Green Opportunity value from Paragon to PDC. T12371

Profile UI

Resolved: The CCI and CCI(100-1) values did not exactly match the numbers of the first year of Requirements Analysis. T12374

Inventory Model UI

Resolved: Certain situations could cause the Model generator to either fail or only generate a partial model. T12207

Inventory Copy UI

Resolved: The Copy feature copied over the inventoried date of the source; now the Inventoried Date is set to the date and time the user performed the copying. T12244

Inventory Listing grid

Added an 'Add' (Inventory) button and 'Export to Excel' button to the top of the grid. (the buttons at the bottom have been retained)

Inventory Editor UI

Resolved: Changing the Rating along with changing the date would not also capture the time of day.

Add Inventory UI

Resolved: If the 'Year Installed' is entered, upon Save, Paragon now warns if Year Installed is before Asset's Year Built.

Work Items grid

Added an 'Add' (Work Item) button and 'Export to Excel' button to the top of the grid. (the buttons at the bottom have been retained)
Added 'Number of Records' indicator to the top of the grid. (still also listed at the bottom)

Add Work Item UI

The 'Status' field now auto-populates to Active.
The 'Year Observed' now auto-populates to current year.

Work Items Editor, Cost Estimate creation, manual

It is no longer required to enter a 0 for all of the four cost types (Material, Labor, Equipment, Other) if there are no costs for one or more of these types. Paragon now auto-defaults blank cost cells to $0 for you.
Resolved: Removed obsolete label and checkbox for 'Apply Conversion Factor'.
Resolved: The text size of the Cost estimate notes section is larger, in line with other font size used.

Work Items Editor UI

File attachment (photos typically) could show a number rather than type, like 'Promary photo' T12370

Work Packages grid

Ability to delete a Work Package implemented. A Pop-up warns the user that any work items attached to the package will be unattached (but retained in the database).
Added an 'Add' (Work Package) button and 'Export to Excel' button to the top of the grid. (the buttons at the bottom have been retained)
Resolved: The optional 'Status Date' and 'Create Date' columns would display time rather than dates.

Reporting
Asset Data Export

Changed: The Hierarchy column now shows the full hierarchy path of the assets rather than just the name of the hierarchy node that the asset is listed under. T12380

Condition Assessment Report

Added three columns: Year Built, Year Decommissioned and the asset_id. T12368

Resolved: Inventory Data Export ~ Removed duplication of the UNIFORMAT II code in column F.
Resolved: Work Package Data Export ~ Column header 'Year Observed' changed to 'EYO/P' (Earliest Year Observed/Planned).

Requirements Analysis

Resolved: Requirements Analysis ~ Step 2, Assets listed for selection no longer includes decommissioned facilities.

Audit Logging

Issue resolved where Assigning (or removing) a work item to a work package fails to record the user's ID for the Work Package (it did record it for the Work Item).

Version 6.8

Revised: November 9, 2022

Changes in V6.8

Asset UI

Optional new 'Synch Enabled?' checkbox, for clients opting to synchronize facility/inventory records between Paragon and an external CMMS. This option is enabled by tech support and, when offered, the Synch status can only be changed by users assigned to Account Manager role.

Administration, Common Inventory Locations

Issue resolved where an error message of 'Specified cast is invalid' would prevent user from adding/changing common inventory locations.

Work Items grid

Added ability to save grid layout, as well as revert to default like Inventory grid has.

Work Packages grid

Added ability to save grid layout, as well as revert to default like Inventory grid has.
Issue resolved with Export to Excel function where optional columns added with Column Chooser would not export to Excel.
Issue resolved where closing a Work Package would not also automatically mark associated work items as Completed.

Reporting

Inventory Data Export ~ Added inventory ID to facilitate QC & bulk updating.
Work Items Data Export ~ Added work item ID to facilitate QC & bulk updating.

Audit Logging

Issue resolved where entries for deleted work items and/or deleted cost estimates would not show deficiency_id and/or deficiency_cost_detail_id.
Issue resolved where, when deleting work items and/or cost estimates, the user who last edited the records was listed as users who deleted the record(s).

Canadian metric market support

Paragon source code & database schema have been reviewed and adjusted as necessary to support metric deployment in anticipation of extending Paragon to the Canadian marketplace Q4 2022.
Asset UI ~ For facilities in Canada, now the provinces & territories are selectable form the picklist. All Canadian regions have geographic adjustment factor averages as well as factors for major Canadian cities.

Changes in V6.7.3

Paragon API V1 for ParagonDC

The API has been adjusted to stop transferring lists of values that ParagonDC does not use, resulting in a noticable reduction in delay of loading assets.

File Uploads

File uploads over 50MB, up to 100MB (max allowed) would yield a false upload warning of the max being 50 MB.

Inventory

Edit Inventory tab: This has been split into two tabs; the original and a new 'Add Inventory' tab dedicated to adding new inventory.
Inventory Grid: We now ensure that Description, Comments and Rating notes are auto wrapped so their values can be seen in entirety to aid QC process.
Copy Inventory: All copied inventory is marked as active evenif the source inventory was not active.
Added User Fields and other desired fields to the Inventory Data Export Report.
Added Barcode, External ID 1 & 2, CMMS ID, and Other Identifiers columns to the Inventory Grid.

Analysis

Fixed FCI analysis asset query to exclude future and decommissioned assets.

Work Packages

Fixed issue where cancelling a workpackage without work items wouldn't save.
Fixed issue where auto work packaging wasn't working for some builds.
Fixed issue where work packages with no work items would delete on updating and saving.

Reporting

Fixed issue where Inventory Detail report DCR values not displaying for both PDF and RTF editions.
Fixed issue where Trade Narrative Description report ignored hierarchy node.

Changes in V6.7.2

Inventory Upload

Fixed issue where the Actual Year Installed was not being parsed properly.
Fixed issue where a valid Asset could not be found if it was under a hierarchy node that shared the same name as another node.

Changes in V6.7.1

Assets

Fix saving not working for assets that are inactive.

Inventory Editor

Add asset number and name information.
Change Burden Factor cell color to match other readonly cells.
Fixed Direct Rating combo box not clearing properly.
Fixed Next and Previous button not working in certain scenarios.
Changing hierarchy or asset node selection now switches back to the Inventory Listing grid.

Cost Catalog

Fixed null cost values causing total to be null/empty in Cost Catalog grid.
Fixed UI state not resetting in certain scenarios, causing UI to freeze.

Changes in V6.7.0

Upgraded Grid Controls

A number of issues related to Sizing, Ordering, and Filtering in the grid controls have been addressed to provide a smoother and more stable experience.
The Inventory Listing, Work Item, Work Package and Cost Catalog grids now automatically expand to fill the screen as the page is scrolled down.

Inventory Listing

Batch Edit mode now supports saving DCR changes and custom inventory field values.
Custom column layouts were being reset in certain scenarios. Save Layout and Revert to Defaults now function as intended.

Inventory Copy

This feature would not function as intended in certain scenarios. This is now fixed.

Asset Data Export

Now includes columns for Floors Above and Below Ground.

Changes in V6.6.4

Paragon Data Collector — Inventory

Comments, barcodes, and user defined field values were not being saved for new inventory records. This is now fixed.

Profile

The Profile page was erroring due to certain budget category configurations. This is now fixed.

Changes in V6.6.3

Work Packages

The Export to Excel button under the grid was not working and returned an error code. This is now fixed.

Changes in V6.6.2

General

Some users received a generic error message such as "Callback Request Failed" when performing certain operations in various grid controls. This has been fixed and the underlying cause is now displayed.

Performance

Additional performance enhancement tweaks have been made.

Budgeting

Budget Accounts & Categories that had been removed/deactivated were still visible in Administration > System Configuration Tables & Analysis > Budgeting. This is now fixed.

Changes in V6.6.1

Assets

An issue with the Audit Log subsystem was preventing Paragon from informing users that dependent items such as Narratives, Inspections, File Uploads, and GPS Points were still present and must first be deleted. This has been fixed and enhanced to include a note about dependent items to the warning prompt. Dependent items are now deleted automatically once the user has confirmed. Please note, any associated Inventory, Work Items, and Work Packages and their dependents must still be deleted manually.

Inventory

The Inventory Listing grid has been adjusted to allow more items to be displayed when an asset is selected versus than with a hierarchy node which remains the same as 6.6.0.
The Asset Name column was missing from the Inventory Listing grid. This is now fixed.
Some users were not able to Save Edits in Batch Edit mode. This is now fixed.

Changes in V6.6.0

Performance

The performance of several Paragon features has been enhanced including the Inventory, Work Item, Work Package, and Cost Catalog grids.
Added a new Home page to allow making a hierarchy or asset selection before navigating to module.

Changes in V6.5.1

Profile

The Profile page metrics now exclude assets with a "Year Built" that is in the future as well as those with a "Year to Decomission" in the past.

Reporting

Made adjustments to prevent errors while running certain long-running reports.

Changes in V6.5.0

Assets now support "Year to Decomission" which will exclude costs for consecutive anaylsis years.
Work Items

Added support for future "Year Observed" values.
Added new "Year Planned" field.

Reporting

Added support for auditing Assets, Work Items, Work Item Cost Details, and Inventory.

Analysis

Updated analysis forecast requirements summarization with Active Assets, and TRV.

Changes in V6.4.4

Reporting and Export Enhancements

Paragon now includes the ability to generate certain reports and Requirements Analysis Result Detail exports in the background. The following reports are available via this method are:

Inventory Data Export
Work Item Cost Detail Data Export
Work Package Data Export

Added Asset Filter

Paragon includes a new feature called the "Asset Name Filter". This helps you locate one or more assets in the Location Hierarchy Tree based on a filtered name search of the Asset Name. This is especially helpful for user accounts that have a long list of assets in their portfolio, or several levels in the hierarchy tree. The new field is located at the top left of the Location Hierarchy and is labeled “Asset Name Filter”. To initiate a search, simply type in all or part of the Asset Name you are looking for. Then hit Return. The filter is not case sensitive and does not require a perfect match. If there is a match, the Hierarchy Tree will be re-displayed and filtered to include only those Asset Names that meet the search criterion. Once displayed, users may select the Asset Name of their choice by highlighting the selection as in the past. To clear the filter, simply highlight the text in the Asset Name Filter field and hit Delete. The previous entry will be deleted. If you hit Return with no text in the Asset Name Filter and the cursor in the field, the Hierarchy Tree will re-display the full hierarchy list, fully expanded.

Changes in V6.4.3

Inventory Listing: Added Location to Column Chooser, editable in Batch mode
Asset Size/Quantity shows up to 2 digits after decimal mark
Assets Data Export ~ Mission Criticality Index suppressed if not used (0)
Various defect fixes based on client feedback and internal testing

Changes in V6.4.2

Rebranded the application to Paragon

XPParagon is now named Paragon
XPParagon Mobile is now Paragon Data Collector, or Paragon DC for short.
New URL: https://Login.ParagonCAPM.com
Updated User's Guides for both Paragon and Paragon DC
Support now available from Support@ParagonCAPM.com
Public web site at: www.ParagonCAPM.com

Inventory Interface:

Added Batch Edit capability
Added option to save Custom Column Layout

Work Items Grid Interface:

All of the columns available with the Column Chooser control can now be exported to Excel, letting you have a quickly-customized report.

Reporting enhancements

Assets Data Export ~ More complete and robust
Asset Property ID now a standard column in Excel data exports: Asset Data Export, Inventory Data Export, Work Item Data Export and Work Package Data Export.

Work Item Details and Work Packages Items Interfaces

Changed column header 'Adjustment' to 'Other' to clarify that the input is an additional cost, not a multiplication factor

Various defect fixes based on client feedback and internal testing