We recently hosted a webinar on the Modernization assistant tool as part of the UX Expert Circle. We received a lot of enthusiastic participation and active Q & A through out the session. We wanted to capture these conversations and hopefully continue to build on top of it. Here are a few questions that we discussed in the webinar chat. We will add more as we can curate them. Keep the conversation going. Thanks a ton for your participation. 

In case you missed the webinar we have the recording available on the Expert Circle too. 

Q1: When should clients consider modernizing their existing applications to Constellation?

Clients should consider modernizing their existing applications to Constellation UI when they are:

• Building anything new: Constellation UI is Pega's default and latest UI architecture for new developments.
• Innovating or adding new case types: When extending existing applications with new case types, leveraging Constellation architecture and blending with Traditional UI capabilities provides enhanced capabilities for new workflows and channel experiences.
• Uplifting entire application: This can address technical challenges that only a modern architecture can resolve and improve overall application performance and maintainability.
• Driven by external regulations or internal requirements: When there's a need to elaborate on existing workflows or meet new compliance standards. This strategic move aims to improve workflows, channel experiences, and align with Pega’s Center-out® business architecture.

For more detailed guidance on Constellation adoption strategies, you can refer to the official documentation: https://docs.pega.com/bundle/platform/page/platform/user-experience/constellation-adoption-strategy.html?workflow=constellation-adoption-strategies-playbook

Q2: Do we have to upgrade to Pega Infinity ‘25 to be able to use the Modernization Assistant tool?

You don't necessarily have to be on Pega Infinity 25 to start using the modernization assistant tool. The Analysis mode of the tool works on Pega 8.7 and higher. For the Migration mode, you need to be on Pega Infinity 23.1 or higher. But it is always recommended to be on the latest platform version. Note that features like the new one-click mechanism for blending UI architectures to allow traditional UI and Constellation to coexist in the same application portal is available Pega 25. You can manually blend in Pega Infinity ‘24 as well one case at a time.

Q3: Are there any limitations to using a traditional UI case type in a Constellation portal (blended UI)?

Yes, while the blended UI offers a quick and low-cost way to move to Constellation UI for new developments while retaining traditional UI cases, there are some limitations or "gotchas" to be aware of. These primarily involve how certain features or UI elements from traditional UI behave when displayed within a Constellation portal, and vice versa. It's important to consult the official Pega documentation regarding limitations between traditional and Constellation UIs for a comprehensive understanding:

• Limitations of traditional UI when blended with Constellation: https://docs.pega.com/bundle/platform/page/platform/user-experience/limitations-traditional-constellation.html
• Limitations of Constellation when blended with traditional UI: https://docs.pega.com/bundle/platform/page/platform/case-management/limitations-constellation-traditional.html

Q4: Does the tool support cloud-native transformation, or is it limited to on-premises refactoring?

• The Constellation Modernization Assistant tool is designed to work with your Pega application regardless of its deployment environment. It supports applications hosted on Pega Cloud, client-managed cloud, and on-premises instances. Its focus is on the application's rules and UI, not the underlying infrastructure. This tool is for the application and would work for both Pega Cloud, or client managed cloud, or on-prem.

Q5: The marketplace tool is 1.0.8, but the webinar referred to 2.0. What's the status of version 2.0?

• The current version of the Constellation Modernization Assistant tool available on the Pega Marketplace is 1.0.8.  We are continuously adding more granular analysis tests to the tool and are releasing them to the marketplace in the 1.x releases. We are excited about the amazing feedback from our early adopters, and we are incorporating those into the tool. We are working on providing a more advanced analysis visualization and planning features like that will make incremental modernization planning and execution easier. Like case-by-case analysis; and a modernization inspector. These are still under active development, and we intend to release this a major version. It has not yet been released. The webinar provided a sneak peek into its upcoming capabilities. We are working as fast as we can, but its exact release date and final form might still evolve.

Related Resources

• Webinar: https://community.pega.com/event/transform-your-applications-master-constellation-modernization-assistant-tool
• Event summary blog: https://community.pega.com/blog/mastering-pega-application-modernization-constellation-ui