Announcements

We keep talking about all of the great new features in KLAS version 7.7 so... where is it? We wish this post was a release announcement, but unfortunately the timeline has been pushed back a bit.

The initial, controlled 7.7 release has rolled out as planned, and we were pushing to start a wider release in March. However, the controlled release uncovered a number of issues that have required additional development time and resources to address. None of them were critical, but added together, it was not the user experience we want to provide.

Additionally, in working with NLS to test Gutenberg integration, we have found several changes that need to be made there as well. Even though this integration is not required for version 7.7's release, it is a high priority and has taken a fairly large amount of development time.

While we do want to get this upgrade to you as soon as possible, we want to be sure that you will have a stable, reliable connection and no service interruptions. Right now, it's looking like it will be at least another month before we can promise that for our Keystone-hosted customers. For self-hosted customers it will be a bit longer (probably May) before we can get you Live on 7.7, though we should be able to get you started with a preview database prior to launch.

If you're interested in more of the technical details, read on! Otherwise, thank you for your patience as we polish up this major release, and keep an eye on the KLASusers email list for more information next month.

So why is this taking so long?

We've made a ton of back-end changes to KLAS that will result in a smoother, faster, better experience... but that also changes how it's deployed to the server, how it communicates with the server, where all of the little programs that run KLAS are located... pretty much everything.

We have been working through a long list of fixes as we nail down how some of our changes have jostled the system, both in the KLAS program itself and even more in the various processes that communicate between your user interface and the data on the server.

We've also been tracking down issues with the hardware itself, including moving our brave first-adopters back off of the new server while we track down an intermittent connection issue. We've even had our internet provider out to assist with testing our various connection points and switches.

In sum: we've been making a lot of minor tweaks, plus chasing some stubborn issues through the system from the staff client to the server and everywhere in between. We are making progress, but it's going to be just a little longer while we test all of our fixes to make sure they don't cause problems of their own.

Why are self-hosted customers going to take even longer?

Again, with all of those back-end changes, deployment of KLAS to the server is a very different process than it was for version 7.6.

With our hosted customers, we have control of all of the variables. Self-hosted customers, however, can have any combination of different hardware and operating systems in place. So for those customers, we are working on a process to ensure that we can get you up-and-running reliably on any system. Most likely, this will make use of a virtual machine.

We will need to work with your IT group to make sure they are prepared and comfortable with the new virtual machine installation process before going live. As we have more information about our new deployment process, we will communicate with you about a timeline for setting up a Preview database, which you and your IT group can use for testing.

And what about Gutenberg?

With the Gutenberg integration, there have been a few points where NLS's testing have uncovered a problem or potential problem, and several as well where we are simply approaching things from a different viewpoint. There are also some sticky points in-between, and some things that have come up on the Gutenberg side of the equation.

Again, however, we are making great progress at solving these issues as they are found, and our latest round of fixes is out for more testing even now.

We are really thankful for NLS pitching in to help us test this integration with their equipment; we're closing in on it together.

Now that we've been doing this for a year, it's been great to take a step back, look at how it's going, and figure out places where we need to make adjustments. You may have already noticed some format changes in the weekly wrap-ups, trying to make it quicker and easier to scan through these and quickly spot any topics you may want to read up on. I will also be re-doubling my efforts to bring you great technical content (how-to's and development updates), but first: a look at the survey results.

First, I want to take a look at the question I felt had the most interesting responses! After the read more link, I'll go through the rest in order. (Note: questions are listed in heading 3 for easy browsing)

Would you like to see comments or tips from your fellow users? How comfortable do you feel commenting on the forums?
The second part of this question saw the full range or responses, from people who are confident and comfortable with replying, to those who are not at all. However: everyone who answered the first part of the question wanted to see tips or comments from other users!

I would encourage all of you to keep that in mind... even if you feel like you're newer to KLAS or if you suspect your comment might be too basic or even wrong... your fellow users want to hear from you! I promise, if I spot something that could use some correction or clarification, I will provide the extra info with respect.

Also, don't feel like you need to wait for me to post a topic that applies to you--you can post comments, tips, or questions any time, anywhere on the forums. They're here for you!

Do you read Key Notes blog posts?

• 45.8% Often
• 33.3% Once / Occasionally
• 12.5% Always
• 8.3% Nope

I think this is great! I'm so happy that so many of you are reading these posts often--and that others are dropping in occassionally for the topics that interest them.

And to the devoted "always" readers: you're awesome. Thank you so much for trusting us with your time and following along with us. That's exactly how I hope for this to work.

What are your favorite types of blog post?

• 91.3% Technical content
• 43.5% Users' Group content
• 34.8% Behind-the-Scenes at Keystone

We hear you! We will continue all types of content, but I will do my best to bring you the technical content you really, really want. And if there's a particular topic you want a "how-to" of or a feature you want a closer look at... let us know!

Do you like having a new post each week or would you prefer less to keep up with?

• 72.7% Weekly is good
• 27.3% Weekly is too often

I didn't know what to expect from these results, so I'm glad to hear our current format is working for most of you! For the rest: you have our blessing to skim the weekly wrap-ups and skip any weeks when you're too busy.

What do you think of our Notes from the Scribe guest posts?

• 57.1% Good, and I'd like to see more guest posts!
• 23.8% Good, but I'm not interested in other guest posts.
• 19% Not interested

We're so glad most of you are enjoying these! We'll also look for other opportunities to put up a guest post now and then... but if they don't interest you, don't worry. Guest posts will remain an occassional thing, and they'll be clearly marked in the wrap-ups so you can skip them.

Anything else you want us to know about the Key Notes Blog?
(Any topic requests? pet peeves? guest post volunteers?)

All of your comments are noted. In particular, I'd like to respond to one:

"It would be nice to be able to comment directly to a blog post instead of going into the forums."

I agree! Unfortunately, that is not something our current platform can do... but we will keep that feature in mind as we continue working to make this site more useful for you.

Do you read the Thursday Forum Tips?

• 70.8% Once / Occasionally
• 12.5% Often
• 8.3% Always
• 8.3% Nope

Very interesting! Since the tips are always short and sweet, I'd expected them to have a bigger following than the blog, but that doesn't quite seem to be the case!

I will watch for opportunities to make the Thursday forum posts even better, but in the meantime, I hope you'll continue to drop in occasionally for the tips that interest you... and maybe let a co-worker know if you see one that applies to their job duties. I'd appreciate your help in getting this content to the people who will find it useful!

Do you like weekly tips or would you prefer less to keep up with?

• 73.9% Weekly is good
• 26.1% Weekly is too often

Fairly close to the results for the blog... seems like weekly is still good for now, but between the 26 percent who find this too often and fact that most people only read them occasionally, we may decide to post fewer tips in the future. If we do, I'll try to make them twice as good to make up for it ;)

Have any of the tips encouraged you to try a new feature, change a setting, or do something differently in KLAS?

• 52.2% Yes, one or two
• 30.4% No
• 17.4% Yes, several

I thought this, along with the next question, might be a good metric for how useful the posts are. I'll be bearing the results in mind and thank you for the feedback.

If you come across a tip in the future that leads you to try something new or change something up, please reply on the forum or drop me an email to let me know. I'd love, love, love to know which tips strike a chord!

Have any of the tips prompted you to contact Customer Support for help or more information?

• 56.5% No
• 34.8% Yes, one or two
• 8.7% Yes, several

I'm sure Customer Support will be glad to hear I'm not inundating them as much as I could be! They're here any time you need them, but I will continue to strive to make things clear enough on their own that no additional help will be needed.

Anything else you want us to know about forum tips? Any topic suggestions or questions?

All comments are noted! To answer a couple questions:

"I also worry that they get buried on the forums. Maybe cross-post to a separate place on the main menu next to the Key Notes Blog on the left?"

Remember that you can always browse the forum by topic to check for any overlooked threads in areas that interest you--plus, you can subscribe to topics of interest, and hold onto the notification emails until you have time to follow up!

I think a list of everything might get too long to be useful, but I will create a "best of" page to keep track of and direct people to Thursday Tips that I think will remain relevant for longer. Thanks for the suggestion, and watch for this coming up soon!

"Are they moderated for content?"

Individual posts are not moderated--they go up right away. That said, we do moderate user accounts (only people who are confirmed KLAS users have their accounts confirmed) and only logged-in users can post.

Also, I am notified of everything posted to the forums and read it right away. I may occasionally move a post that I think belongs under a different topic, so that other users can find it easier, but I will never delete someone's comment (unless it is completely, objectively inappropriate, but I trust you all not to do that to me).

What prompts you to read content on KLASusers.com?

• 71.4% I read the Weekly Wrap-up email
• 57.1% I check the site on occasion
• 9.5% I read posts when a coworker or supervisor recommends them
• 4.8% I subscribed to the forums I'm interested in
• 4.8% I check the site regularly
• 0% I use an RSS feed

Looks like the wrap-up emails are working as intended! As I've said, we'll try to keep them easy to browse through so you can quickly spot topics that might interest you.

I'm surprised that so few have subscribed to a forum... this is a fantasic and very easy feature that I'd encourage you to consider! If there are one or two topics on the forums that apply to you (maybe NLS and KLAS Core for administrators, Patron Services for RAs?) give it a try. You will receive a clearly marked email with anything that is posted to that forum. And if you decide later that you'd rather not get those emails, you can always un-subscribe.

Conclusion

Anyways, thank you again for your time! I do think this will help us make this site and our other communications better and better. Also, I hope you will all feel free to contact me any time you have requests or specific feedback.

Here's to another great year and to making KLASusers.com the great resource you all deserve!

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I can't believe it's already 2019! For me, that doesn't just mean another resolution to fold my laundry right away, or the end of the holiday baking season (though I will miss all those Christmas cookies). It means we're closing in on the first anniversary of the Key Notes Blog and Thursday Forum Tips!

That's right, we've been doing this every week since last February! To help us review how it's going and adjust course as needed, we put together a quick survey for you. It's only 12 questions long and will be open through the end of the month.

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! I'm doing this for all of you, so please chime in to let us know how it's going!

(This survey is closed.)

Hello, KLASusers! As we start looking towards the Holidays, I thought this might be a good time to check in with the developers and let you all know where we stand with the big projects that we know you all have on your Christmas Wishlists.

KLAS 7.7 is coming!

I know we’ve been talking about this one for a while now. This is a huge update that impacts every part of KLAS, so getting all the last pieces and touch-ups and testing in place has been a big project for us. Additionally, as hosted customers are upgraded to version 7.7, they will be migrated to our new server.

It’s important to keep our hosting stable, speedy, and secure for you, so we put a lot of work into getting the new server ready for you. It’ll be faster, more secure than ever, and uses a new method for rapid recovery to a backup server in case of failure.

I will be hosting a webinar to take a closer look at 7.7 later this month, but some of the improvements will include:

• Structural, back-end changes. While these won’t be visible to you at all, we expect them to improve performance and free up some system resources.
• UTF-8 support. This essentially extends KLAS’ character set, allowing for better handling of diacritics and other “special characters.”
  New installer. This will usually remove the need for admin access to install or update, make installation and updates easier, and enhance security. It’s a win-win-win!
• A new method of connecting to the database server. We are implementing PASOE, which will eliminate the need for OpenVPN and reduce or eliminate lost connections due to network drops.
• APH Census improvements. More back-end changes, this time to how and where APH data is stored. These standardizations will improve our ability to support various options for keeping up with the annual APH Census and ensure accurate, reliable reporting.
• SCRIBE! High-capacity PCC duplication using Scribe will be fully-functional. This will include the brand-new Service Queue Tab, the ability to include firmware updates and newsletters on all duplicated cartridges, and other upgrades to ensure a flexible and sustainable workflow.

This update will go Live for a limited release in January.

We need this to be a limited release because of the new server and the sweeping back-end changes. In the (unlikely, but possible) event that something goes sideways, it’ll be better for everyone if we can fix a few databases and get the others right from the start, instead of needing to scramble to get a fix in fast for everyone.

We expect to open the doors for everyone in February.

What about Gutenberg?

Don’t worry—this hasn’t fallen by the wayside. As announced this summer, we’re building on our work for Scribe to integrate with NLS’ Gutenberg as well. In fact, we’re nearly finished!

Gutenberg support will be included in the next update after 7.7, and the rollout should follow close behind the main release.

While we’re making good use of North Carolina’s robust testing of our new systems and workflows, we’ll need some extended testing on Gutenberg specifically. We know a lot of you are eager to get on this as quickly as possible, but we also don’t want to set you up on something that doesn’t quite work. We’re balancing speed and prudence, and expect to put this out on limited release in February.

Future Updates?

With the big structural changes and server swap all taken care of, we expect our release schedule to pick back up following the 7.7 release. We have a lot of updates and improvements on our to-do lists, and are eager to get them out to you.

If you have requests for anything to add to our list, or want to make sure we prioritize something you’ve been waiting on, please add it to the KLAS Development Suggestions forum! Posting there will ensure that your suggestion or request is seen by the KLAS Development Advisory Committee (KDAC), who will help us evaluate how valuable it would be to other Users. It also ensures that we have a written record of what people are interested in, which can easily be referred back to or passed among the developers.

We can’t wait to start 2019 off right with some fantastic new features! Thank you all for your continued support, and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Keystone!