System Upgrade: FNZ Studio 2025

Upgrade Checklist

You can use this checklist to track your progress and ensure you do not miss any steps (all details are outlined in the related sections):

  1. Pre-upgrade, requires that you have:
    • Verified technical requirements and library updates
    • Cleaned the 2024.x.x model.
    • Checked removed and deprecated features, and ensured you are not using features removed in FNZ Studio 2024.x.x.
    • Verified changes in default behavior
    • Prepared custom extensions (if applicable)
    • Created a backup
    • Performed other actions, for this version: Upgrading to Java 21
  2. Upgrade, requires that you have:
    • Stopped the Platform
    • Updated the Core Platform
    • Updated / installed Extensions
    • Updated / installed Packages
    • Tested your installation
  3. Post-upgrade, requires that you have:
    • Reviewed changes in default functionalities and changed features
    • (Optionally) Adopted new features
    • (Optionally) Performed other optional and recommended actions

Check the following documentation resources for further information whenever applicable:

Pre-Upgrade

Perform these steps while still running FNZ Studio 2024.x.x, as a preparation before the actual upgrade. This is a major upgrade and requires careful preparation and planning.

Verify Technical Requirements and Upgrade Paths

Consult the Technical Requirements article to check any possible changes regards to browsers, Application Servers, and JDK. Ensure your system complies with such requirements before continuing with the upgrade.

Verify that you plan an allowed upgrade path. For FNZ Studio internal versions, allowed upgrade paths are:

  • Upgrading to the following LTS (long-Term Support) release (e.g., FNZ Studio 2023.4 to 2024.5 or from FNZ Studio 2023 LTS to 2024 LTS )
  • (For internal projects) Upgrading to the following feature release (e.g., FNZ Studio 2024.1 to 2024.2)
  • (For internal projects) Upgrading to any feature release in the current year (e.g., FNZ Studio 2024.1 to 2024.4)
  • (For internal projects) Upgrading to any feature release in the following year (e.g., FNZ Studio 2024.2 to 2025.1)

Prevented paths are:

  • Upgrading to any feature or LTS release in the year after the next (e.g., FNZ Studio 2023.4 to 2025.1 or FNZ Studio 2023 LTS to 2025 LTS)
  • Downgrading to any lower release (e.g., FNZ Studio 2024.1 to 2023.4, or FNZ Studio 2024 LTS to 2023 LTS)

Check Library Updates

Check library updates (added, removed or upgraded libraries). Review your Solution and verify that custom libraries and other extensions are compatible with the changes outlined below. For a full list of Third-Party Libraries, check also the related article. Library updates can also take place in patch versions. This section is updated continuously with such changes, which are also reported in the related patch version Release Notes.

Library Updates in FNZ Studio 2025.4

The following libraries were upgraded in FNZ Studio 2025.4:

  • Hazelcast from version 5.4.0 to 5.5.0.

Note that the system property nm.cluster.lockpool.processinstances.type now only supports its default value map. An exception is thrown otherwise.

Library Updates in FNZ Studio 2025.3

The following libraries were upgraded in FNZ Studio 2025.3 (IntegrationLinkComponents Extension):

  • ActiveMQ libraries to version5.18.7

The following libraries were removed in FNZ Studio 2025.3:

  • Snappy

    Note that Snappy is replaced with the Lz4 algorithm. If your Solution has any configuration properties of the form nm.cluster.*.compressor (e.g., nm.cluster.commit.compressor or nm.cluster.valuestore.compressor) set to the value Snappy, such value should be changed to Lz4to avoid validation warnings on the Configuration Properties (System Configuration) module (these warnings have no functional impact, since Snappy is already treated as an alias for Lz4.

Library Updates in FNZ Studio 2025.2

The following libraries were upgraded in FNZ Studio 2025.2:

  • JMS API to version 2.0.1 (javax.jms-api-2.0.1.jar)

When using the IntegrationLinkComponents Extension with Tomcat, the library above must be updated.

The following libraries were removed in FNZ Studio 2025.2:

  • Apache Xerces

    FNZ Studio now uses the XML APIs provided by the JDK or by the application server. This comes with some changes in behavior and performance:

    • Comments are no longer removed when creating an XML document with "compact" format.

    • Formatting an XML document which already contains indentation may add indentation and empty lines.

    • Generated XML documents will always have standalone="no" added to the XML processing instructions.

    • Custom XML entities are removed instead of getting expanded.

    • CPU performance and memory efficiency has been improved by 20-70% for some Java XML APIs.

    • Some additional special characters may be encoded, or encoded differently (e.g., Euro sign).

    • Namespace handling is stricter; it is always added in the XML when it should.

    • On JBoss EAP, FNZ Studio will now use JBoss' version of Xerces which is embedded in the JBoss application server.

    • XXE Protection for the Hazelcast configuration file has been re-enabled; failures are ignored (e.g., JBoss EAP).

Library Updates in FNZ Studio 2025.1

The following libraries were upgraded in FNZ Studio 2025.1:

  • Jackson libraries to version 2.18.2

  • Jersey library to version 2.45

IntegrationLinkComponents

Tomcat-specific Requirements

When using IntegrationLinkComponents extensions with Tomcat, the following library must be updated:

- **JMS API**: Upgrade to version 2.0.1 (`javax.jms-api-2.0.1.jar`)

Clean the 2024.x.x Model

It is especially important to make sure that the model is error-free before upgrading. Issues without visible consequences in the current application can cause problems after upgrading.

  1. Go to Solution Design > Validation and run a global validation.
  2. Solve any errors or warnings and ensure that the FNZ Studio 2024.x.x model is clean before moving on.

See also Housekeeping: Cleaning up Data for more information on best practices with regards to Process design and maintenance.

Check Removed and Deprecated Features

Check removed and deprecated features:

  1. Features removed in 2025.x versions — Before upgrading, carefully check the full list of Features removed in 2025.x versions to evaluate if your Solution is affected by feature removals and follow the recommended actions.
  2. Features deprecated in 2025.x versions — Deprecated features do not generally require any action before upgrading. Deprecated features, in fact, will continue to work as normal in 2025 versions, as they are planned to be removed in minimum two years since the date of the release that deprecates the item (therefore, not before 2027), and this time frame gives you plenty of time to check your Solution and implement any needed changes. However, we suggest that you start considering a migration from these features following the recommended actions described in Features deprecated in 2025.x versions.

Note: See also the Pre-Upgrade Feature Changes and Post-Upgrade Feature Changes sections to check for any changes determined by deprecated features.

Check Changes in Features and Default Behavior

Verify the following changes in default behavior and take the recommended actions if your Solution is affected by such changes. These changes generate errors or runtime exceptions, therefore they should be addressed in the Pre-Upgrade phase.

Prepare Custom Extensions

If your Platform installation contains custom extensions, make sure that they are compatible with FNZ Studio 2025.x versions before upgrading. Note that extension filename restrictions also apply for custom extensions. The extension filename must be the same as the adapter.cfg file name.

Contact FNZ Studio Support if you require assistance.

Create a Backup

Create a backup of the existing FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x installation.

Upgrade to Java 21

While FNZ Studio 2024 was running on Java 17, FNZ Studio 2025 requires Java 21. See System Installation: Technical Requirements for a list of supported Java distributions.

Configure required command-line options for Java 21

FNZ Studio 2025 requires special command-line options to be set when running on Java 21. See System Installation: Required command-line options for Java 21 for more information.

Upgrade

Follow the steps in this section to upgrade your system once it is ready.

You will need the following files (all files are delivered by FNZ Studio Support):

  1. Latest FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x version
  2. Compatible extensions, based on those available in the current environment and the list of mandatory extensions (below).
  3. Compatible Packages, including all mandatory Packages (below) as well as any other provided Packages which you have licensed, delivered as one or more AWDEPLOYMENT files.

Stop Core Platform

Run a clean shutdown of your installation to remove any files that are not required. For more information, see Shutting Down a Large Cluster and System Startup and Shutdown.

Update Core Platform

To update the Core Platform on your application server:

  1. Open the control center of your application server
  2. Deploy the new version of the WAR file. Note: For multi-node installations, deploy the WAR file on each node of the Cluster.
Important! If you have customized the `web.xml` file, merge your custom `web.xml` with the new `web.xml` delivered with FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x. Make sure that your customized `web.xml` includes all new entries delivered with FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x. Failure to do so can lead to unexpected behavior in FNZ Studio Composition. Contact FNZ Studio Support if you require assistance when creating the updated custom `web.xml` file.

Update/Install Extensions

  1. Update all extensions currently running on your system. Important! Update all of the extensions. Even if the version of an extension has not changed and it contains no new features, you must replace it with a version compiled against FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x.
  2. Newly install any mandatory extensions for FNZ Studio 2025.x.x.x which are currently not available on your installation (see the list of mandatory extensions in the section below). To update/install extensions, follow these steps outlined in the Managing Extensions article.
  3. Verify if any extension has been removed in the Feature Removal and Deprecation: FNZ Studio 2025 article, and take the necessary actions (if any).
  4. Check if any extension-related errors are logged at startup or if any error messages are present in FNZ Studio Composition (System Configuration > Extensions).

Mandatory Extensions in FNZ Studio 2025

Mandatory extensions are an essential part of the Platform and must be installed on every instance. If these extensions are not installed and running, the Platform itself is not considered correctly installed and set up. Mandatory extensions provide important features and strengthen the available analytical capabilities allowing you to tune your installation and ensure maximum platform stability.

Ensure the following mandatory extensions are installed on your system:

  • AppTask — Includes all the logic behind the autogeneration of the Data Driven UI and the logic to apply a Theme to such UI. This extension is used by App Tasks.
  • AppTaskAPI — Exposes the API used to communicate with the backend (Data Logic, Theming, Process). This extension is used by App Tasks.
  • ClusterTools — Provides insights into the Cluster and Hazelcast (see ClusterTools Extension).
  • ComponentExtension — Contains most of available Screen Components.
  • DefaultIcons — Adds generic Workspace icons to be used by Screen Components and Solutions.
  • Functions — Provides additional functions vital to working in the Platform.
  • ProcessUsageTracker — Collects usage statistics (started, updated, stopped) for top-level Processes in Solutions. These statistics can be accessed in the license report.
  • StatisticsCollector — Collects statistics relevant for testing and tuning your installation (see documentation).
  • SystemHealthSensors — Adds additional health sensors to the Health Service (see Health Sensor documentation).
  • WorkitemFinder — Provides out-of-the-box filters as well as sorting, paging, and text-based searching capabilities for Workitems (see documentation).

Update/Install Packages

You need to perform the following actions on Packages:

  1. Install all mandatory Packages for FNZ Studio 2025.x (see the list of mandatory Packages in the section below). If mandatory Packages are already installed, update them to versions compatible with FNZ Studio 2025.x version.
  2. Update all the Packages that you have licensed to versions compatible with version 2025.x.x. See Packages documentation for full information, and pay special attention to reserved Package IDs.

To update/install update Packages, follow these steps:

  1. Place the AWDEPLOYMENT files containing the Packages into the packages folder in the Data Home (<Local file system>/data/packages). The Packages are then automatically installed when FNZ Studio is started. See Importing Packages for more details on installing Packages automatically.
  2. If you prefer to install/update Packages manually, install/update them in FNZ Studio Composition (Solution Design > Import) after starting the Platform.

Note: Updating Platform-managed Packages (e.g., DesignSystem) will overwrite any custom changes you have made for such Packages. In general, modifying Packages managed by the Platform is not recommended, as upgrading becomes more difficult.

Mandatory Packages in FNZ Studio 2025

Mandatory Packages are an essential part of the Platform and must be available on every instance. If these Packages are not installed (or not updated to a version compatible with version 2025.x.x), the Platform itself is not considered correctly installed. Mandatory Packages provide important features and functionality allowing you to use your installation more effectively. You can obtain mandatory Packages from FNZ Studio Support.

Ensure the following mandatory Packages are installed on your system:

  • Design System — Provides patterns, pre-built modules, and styling to enable the straightforward implementation of a cohesive brand experience.

Test Your Installation

After performing the actual upgrade, follow these steps to test your installation:

  1. Start the Platform (see System Startup and Shutdown).
  2. When completely started, check the log output of the startup. Carefully examine all errors and warnings before continuing to Studio Composition.
  3. Check that the Platform version number has been updated in System Maintenance > Overview.
  4. Check that extension version numbers have been updated in the System Configuration > Extensions > Version column.
  5. Re-run the Validation report (Solution Design > Validation). Browse the validation logs (Show Validation Logs) and use its diff viewer to compare versions. Apply fixes for any new errors or warnings.
  6. Thoroughly test your Solution.

Post-Upgrade

Perform the steps outlined in the following sections when FNZ Studio 2025.x.x is running. Not all steps may apply to your specific Solution.

Check Changes in Features and Functionality

Some features and default functionality may change between versions. Check the changes below to verify whether they apply to your Solution.

Changes in FNZ Studio 2025.4

Change Tracking License

Starting from FNZ Studio 2025.4, license property nm.license.studio.changetracking.enabled is enabled by default. You will need to request this license to Supporto to use the BO Change Tracking feature. This is also valid if you are upgrading to FNZ Studio 2024.5 from a lower version.

Changes in FNZ Studio 2025.3

Removed Libraries

The Snappy library has been removed. This may cause validation warnings (with no functional impact), as illustrated in Check Library Updates.

WorkspaceCollaboration Extension: Removal of USER()

Usages of deprecated USERmethod have been removed from the WorkspaceCollaboration_HandleUserInvitedToChat Script Business Object in WorkspaceCollaboration Extension 10.0.1. After this extension version has been installed, you need to run the extension action Restore defaults.

Important! Restoring defaults will reset the following items to their original state:

  1. Screen Business Object WorkspaceCollaboration_JoinChat

  2. Script Business Object WorkspaceCollaboration_HandleUserInvitedToChat

  3. Custom list WorkspaceCollaboration_DefaultObjects

Moreover:

  1. Extension property: workspacecollaboration.chat.provider.script.invitationFunction will be set to WorkspaceCollaboration_HandleUserInvitedToChat.

Changes in FNZ Studio 2025.2

Extension Auto-Discovery at Start-up

Extension auto-discovery at start-up can now be disabled by setting the new configuration property nm.cluster.startup.extensions.autoDiscovery to false (default is true). In this case, only the extensions listed in the configuration.xml file are loaded.

Removed Libraries

The Apache Xerces library has been removed. This comes with some changes in behavior and performance, as illustrated in Check Library Updates.

Adopt New Features

FNZ Studio 2025 brings a host of new features. Adopting these new features is not a prerequisite for successful upgrade, but the use of these features is beneficial in the long run. See your FNZ Studio 2025 Products card for full information on new features, as well as links to full Release Notes and new documents.

The following sections outline further optional and recommended actions to be performed post-upgrade.

To keep your Solution up to date and make sure it uses the recommended functions and methods, we strongly advise performing an automatic migration of functions and method calls as a further post-upgrade step. This is done through the Automigrator Tool described below. See also: Feature Removal and Deprecation: FNZ Studio 2025.

If you have not run automatic migration before, consider that you might get a large number of changes.

Follow these steps:

  1. Execute Migration:MigrateFunctions, and pass the Package ID as an argument, as the function executes migration on a per-Package basis. Example: Migration:MigrateFunctions('ClientOnboarding') migrates all occurrences of deprecated and unrecommended functions and method calls in the 'Client Onboarding' Package. In detail, the migration function performs the following actions:
    • The migration function finds all Business Objects using deprecated and unrecommended functions and method calls within the given Package. Example – The 'Client Onboarding' Package contains the Script Function Business Object 'Test', which uses the deprecated USERROLES() function: Function ClientOnboarding:Test(String $value) : Nothing Begin USERROLES();
    • The migration function replaces all such occurrences with new and recommended functions and method calls; an uncommitted version of each Business Object with migrated code is created. Example – The Script Function Business Object 'Test' has been modified by the migration function to replace the deprecated function: Function ClientOnboarding:Test(String $value) : Nothing Begin User:CurrentUserListRoleIds();
    • The migration function returns a list of Business Object IDs that have been migrated. Example: String[ClientOnboarding:Test]
  2. Based on the list of migrated Business Objects, review the changes to the Business Objects and commit them.