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Customers with a subscription can download the ACL for Windows installation package from ACL Launchpad (www.aclgrc.com).
For detailed information about installing ACL for Windows, see the ACL for Windows Installation and Activation Guide.
Version 11.4.2 of ACL Analytics introduces additional features and corrects the customer-reported issues listed below. If you have already installed version 11.4.0 or 11.4.1, you do not need to uninstall it. You can upgrade by running the 11.4.2 installer.
Feature enhancements
Improved performance in speed for ODBC imports.
Polish language support added to the Non-Unicode version of ACL Analytics.
Corrections to the following customer-reported issues
Selecting multiple columns and then clicking in table data causes column titles to change to white or blank text (AN-3353)
Upgrading to the latest version removes the program folder, including custom files like .mnu from the main installation folder (AN-3345)
Drilling down on entries after classifying to screen shows filter with duplicate equal signs (e.g. Location = = "03") (AN-3354)
Selecting all the text using Ctrl+A doesn’t work in several boxes when making a computed field (AN-3363)
The way ACL Analytics imports numeric type in XML (AN-3364)
ACL Analytics Exchange customers
This release of ACL Analytics also includes an AX Engine upgrade for version 5.4 of AX Server that upgrades AX Engine to match ACL analytics 11.4.2.
Version 11.4.1 of ACL Analytics corrects the customer-reported issues listed below. If you have already installed version 11.4.0, you do not need to uninstall it. You can upgrade by running the 11.4.1. installer.
Corrections to the following customer-reported issues
When using the FIND or MATCH function as part of a condition in a GROUP, incorrect results are returned if there are spaces before or after the separator in the function, or three consecutive spaces (AN-3321)
Some dialog boxes are staying open when they should close automatically (AN-3312)
Named filters are not saved in the filter history when you extract a table by record (AN-3313)
Using a script command to import an Excel file containing Japanese characters in the file name gives an error (AN-3314)
"Insert a condition" button is greyed out when first opening a computed field (AN-3317)
ACL projects that use the increased length for field names introduced in version 11.4 cannot be opened in version 11.3, or any earlier version of ACL. Expressions and conditions that use the new longer lengths will not work in version 11.3, or earlier.
If your organization has multiple ACL users, and you are planning to upgrade to version 11.4, all users should upgrade at the same time to avoid compatibility issues.
Changes to naming, packaging, and distribution
ACL Analytics is now a component of ACL for Windows, which also includes Analysis Apps and Project Manager desktop client. Subscription type will determine if a user can use ACL Analytics/Analysis Apps, Project Manager client, or both components.
An updated and expanded ACL for Windows launcher serves as a starting point for working in ACL Analytics, the Analysis App window, and the new Project Manager client, and for connecting to the Results Manager module of ACL GRC.
A single ACL installer now includes both the non-Unicode and the Unicode editions of ACL Analytics. During the installation you specify which edition you want to install.
The Korean ACL interface has been discontinued for version 11.4. It is still available in version 11.3.
Increased ACL Analytics–ACL GRC integration
Tables can now be imported from ACL GRC Results Manager or Project Manager to ACL Analytics.
From Results Manager, you can import data tables or interpretations from individual control tests in collections.
The ability to import from Results Manager to ACL Analytics allows you to perform secondary or follow-up analysis on exceptions. You can export the results of the secondary analysis back to Results Manager in a round-trip process.
From Project Manager, you can import a variety of different types of tables that collectively contain all the text-based information contained in all the active projects for an ACL GRC organization.
You can use this information to perform various types of analysis in ACL Analytics, including joining tables on key fields as one way of finding incomplete information. You can also export the information from ACL Analytics for use in various reporting tools.
Exporting to Results Manager now includes the option to overwrite existing data. Interpretations in the target control test dynamically update to reflect the imported data.
Feature enhancements
Summarizing and Classifying now support numeric fields.
Field names in ACL tables can now be up to 256 characters long (also applies to AX and Add-Ins). The previous limit was 31 characters.
When exporting an ACL table to a Microsoft Excel or Access file the maximum length for field names is 64 characters. Microsoft ADO limitations are the reason for this restriction.
Expressions can now be up to 8188 characters long. The previous limit was 1023 characters.
IF or WHILE conditions can now be up to 4094 characters long. The previous limit was 1023 characters.
Individual conditions or values can now be up to 4094 characters long. The previous limit was 255 characters.
The sample data included with ACL Analytics has been expanded and updated with the addition of new sample ACL projects, and new sample data files and scripts. The old sample projects and data files are still included.
XML import has been improved so that it can import larger files.
As part of this change, the way ACL Analytics imports XML data has changed somewhat. ACL now imports the data exactly as it appears in the source XML file. Previously, source XML data was sometimes interpreted, and the interpreted version of the data appeared in the resulting ACL data file (.fil file). Customers with scripts that assume the old method of importing XML data may need to adjust their scripts to work with the new method.
PDF import now has the option of using a different parser when performing an import. With some PDF files, switching parsers may give better import results.
The Online Help topics for print image and PDF import have been revamped, including specific workarounds for importing misaligned data.
Easier access to the Analysis Apps window, and interpretations and visualizations
Any ACL table can now be opened directly in the Analysis App window, and can be used as the basis for interpretations and visualizations, without the need to first create an analysis app.
The following enhancements have been made to analysis app interpretations and visualizations (also applies to AX Web Client):
Analysis app data can be exported to a CSV file.
In character fields that contain HTML markup you can display the content as it would appear on a web page. One use for this feature would be including clickable links in a table.
In datetime fields you can change the display format of date values.
Corrections to the following customer-reported issues
ACLSE requires a "Log on Locally" access right, which is a security risk for companies where only Administrators can logon to Windows Servers machine (AN-2836)
Result of Classify Graph changes when you change Seperators (AN-2556)
Copy command from Log and Paste to Command Line does not work properly (AN-2458)
COMPUTED and some other keywords are not coloured in script editor in AN 11 (AN-2256)
Packed date field not interpreted correctly in the Table Layout in AN 11 (AN-2248)
Issue with FROM parameter on an IMPORT EXCEL command within a script (AN-2212)
DELETE RELATION command fails if the relation does not exist (AN-2202)
Log does not show results of variable substitution when creating a computed field (AN-2178)
Extract Record - Append does not return the expected result when one field is defined as variable (AN-2176)
ACCEPT window is not shown properly in AN 11.2 (AN-2166)
SAP option is unavailable after upgrading from AN 11.1.3 to AN 11.2 (AN-2116)
Record notes of the project created in AN 10.5 do not show in AN 11 (AN-2049)
Choosing "Look for Duplicates" with multiple fields selected will only look for duplicates on the leftmost field (AN-1603)
It is not possible to change the printer for an already-created report (AN-1526)
Importing the attached 3000-column XLSX file causes ACL to crash (AN-1074)
DISPLAY HISTORY inaccurate for table created by Duplicates Command (AN-892)
The main goal of this release of ACL Analytics is to simplify, stabilize, and secure the application’s code base. Our developers have been busy updating components and cleaning up old unused code.
Updated and enhanced user experience
During the import of delimited files a new option lets you cleanse the data of misplaced carriage return (CR) and/or line feed (LF) characters. Misplaced CR/LF characters can cause incorrect divisions between records. When enabled, the option removes any CR/LF characters that occur between text delimiters.
A new global option improves sorting and indexing performance by changing the way ACL Analytics manages memory when executing these operations. When the option is enabled, additional system resources are used for sorting and indexing, which speeds up the processing of data files of a certain size (approximately 800 MB to 10 GB). The option is disabled by default and can be enabled in the new System tab (Tools > Options). Note that using additional system resources for sorting and indexing may slow down other tasks while sorting or indexing is in progress.
The Table View in the Analysis App window includes several enhancements:
You can apply formatting based on a condition to highlight specific values. For example, you could make the background red for past due dates.
You can reorder or hide columns to tailor the display of data to your needs.
You can change the format of numeric values. Format options include adding a currency symbol, using parentheses for negative numbers, and controlling rounding.
This release includes corrections to the following customer-reported issues
In the Unicode Edition, the Sort Order option, which specifies the sort sequence (collation) for character data, was previously updated with a large number of new options. However, the upgrade from previous versions of ACL Analytics may not have correctly replicated clients’ previously specified Sort Order option (AN-2110).
Using DICECOEFFICIENT( ) with blank values could crash ACL (AN-2103).
Inconsistent import of some delimited files (AN-2099).
ODBC Import from ADABAS may cause ACL to crash (AN-1348).
During JOIN an incorrect error message may appear stating secondary table out of sequence (AN-2057).
Data preview for some delimited files would become blank (AN-2072).
Activation issues with Japanese machine names (AN-2066).
Quick filter not recognizing named filters (AN-2062).
Invalid DIRECTORY command could lock ACL without error (AN-2050).
Large complex expressions could crash ACL (AN-2013).
Server profile name for ACL Analytics Exchange was incorrect, updated to “Analytics Exchange” (AN-1660).
ACL Analytics Exchange customers
We are releasing a new version of ACL Analytics Exchange (5.3.0) at the same time as ACL Analytics 11.3.0. The AX Engine includes all the same changes as ACL Analytics 11.3.0. AX customers who want to use ACL Analytics 11.3.0 will need to upgrade to ACL Analytics Exchange 5.3.0.
Version 11.2.1 of ACL Analytics is a patch release that upgrades version 11.2.0. You must have version 11.2.0 installed before installing version 11.2.1.
This release includes corrections to the following issues
When a primary table has 0 records and the secondary table is correctly ordered by the key field, ACL occasionally presents an incorrect error message “Secondary table is out of sequence...” (AN-2058 and AN-2095).
Extracting to a local table from a server table drops the link to the .FIL file (AN-2101).
Inconsistent import of a delimited file (AN-2082).
ACL Analytics Exchange 5.0 customers
This release of ACL Analytics also includes an AX Engine upgrade for version 5.0 of AX Server that upgrades AX Engine to match ACL Analytics 11.2.1.
Version 11.2.0 of ACL Analytics contains a number of new features and enhancements, and fixes for almost 30 customer-reported issues.
Updated and enhanced user experience
As a result of customer feedback on the changes to sorting behavior in version 11.1 of ACL Analytics, the results of sorting operations are now ordered in the same way that they are in version 10.5 and previous versions of ACL Analytics. Scripts written using pre-sort, or expecting the 10.5 sort behavior, no longer need to be modified to run in version 11.2. Scripts that were modified to run with the 11.1 sorting behavior should work as expected in 11.2 and do not need to be modified again, or reverted to their original form.
Reverting to the previous method of sorting required changing the ACL Engine back to single-threaded processing.
The crash report that is generated when ACL Analytics stops unexpectedly has been updated, and the dialog box that provides guidance has been improved, with clear information about how to email ACL Support Services for further assistance.
When you package an analysis app, the tables available for inclusion in the package are listed alphabetically, making review of the tables easier.
The button for stepping through a script in the Script Editor has been redesigned to be more intuitive.
The design and usability of sorting and filtering has been improved in analysis app interpretations. Visualizations have been tuned for better performance.
Improved performance
As with previous releases, a number of code changes have been made to improve performance and stability, with the goal of delivering a faster product that performs even more reliably.
Improved capabilities
The new WORKDAY( ) function allows you to calculate the number of workdays between two dates, and specify which days of the week should be treated as non-workdays.
The new DICECOEFFICIENT( ) function provides an additional method for finding fuzzy duplicates. Unlike the existing functions based on Levenshtein Distance, DICECOEFFICIENT( ) is effective at finding values with identical or near-identical content but transposed elements.
The new NORMDIST( ) function allows you to calculate the probability that a random variable from a normally distributed data set is less than or equal to a specified value, or exactly equal to a specified value.
The new NORMSINV( ) function allows you to calculate the z-score associated with a specified probability in a standard normal distribution.
A new Quick Search feature allows you to quickly and easily search for text in a table by entering a search term in the Filter text box at the top of the View tab. ACL Analytics automatically converts the search term to the correct filter expression. It also automatically distinguishes between search terms and manually entered filter expressions.
Installation and Licensing
Users with ACL Analytics subscription-based licenses can now install the software on multiple computers as long as the software is for their own use only, on all computers on which it is installed. This change is retroactive to version 11.1 and applies only to customers with subscriptions. It does not apply to customers with perpetual licenses.
Uninstalling ACL Analytics now releases the associated subscription license so that it can be used by another user.
Note:
If the software is installed on multiple computers under one subscription, it must be uninstalled from all computers before the subscription is released.
If multiple users with separate subscriptions have activated ACL Analytics on the same computer, only one subscription is released, even if all copies of ACL Analytics are uninstalled from the computer.
Improved security
To comply with tighter IT security requirements, some of the third-party software components used by ACL Analytics have been upgraded. Upgrades include MSXML 6.0, and .NET Framework 4.5.2. Some components, such as Crystal Reports, could not be upgraded, and have been removed.
End of support
Integration with Crystal Reports is no longer supported.
All ACL Analytics components that supported connecting to ACL Server Edition for z/OS have been removed. ACL Server Edition for z/OS is no longer a supported product.
ACL Analytics Exchange 5.0 customers
This release of ACL Analytics also includes an AX Engine upgrade for version 5.0 of AX Server that upgrades AX Engine to match ACL Analytics 11.2. If you want to use any of the new features, or the reverted sorting behavior, with AX 5.0, you will need to upgrade the AX Engine.
This release also includes corrections to the following customer-reported issues
Right click in Expression Builder no longer working (AN-1630)
Quick filter on invalid dates creating an invalid filter (AN-744)
List of recent projects within AN File Menu not showing all projects (AN-1636)
COMMENT command picking up wrong end point in a script (AN-286 / AN-778)
Launchpad unable to open ACL projects from network locations (AN-1890)
Export to GRC fails in scripts (AN-1880 / AN-1703)
Export to GRC not creating a WRITE1 variable (AN-1839)
EXECUTE command fails with condition (AN-1866 / AN-1751)
EXECUTE command with double quotes not interpreted correctly (AN-1770)
EXECUTE with blank string crashes AN (AN-1622)
Downloading SQL Server data via ODBC may result in numeric value out of range error (AN-1853)
DISPLAY VARIABLES returning non-English variables in some languages – they are now all English (AN-1840)
Wrong value shown with STRATIFY STATISTICS (AN-1836)
Sorting on RECNO( ) causes AN to crash or give misleading error (AN-1818)
SET FOLDER causing issues (AN-1782)
Using LAST with TRIM( ) function with a length longer than field returned garbled text (AN-1779)
Insufficient memory during duplicate or index command (AN-1765)
Unable to open ACLX in Non-Unicode French (AN-1738)
Import delimited file with CR value imports incorrectly (AN-1726)
Large DIALOG command crashes AN (AN-1689)
XML date fields defined as xsi:nil not imported correctly (AN-1678)
Server profile named Audit Exchange causing issues (AN-1697)
PAUSE command limit not 200 as per documentation (AN-1672)
Record count for large tables not showing (AN-1648)
AN10.5 log file not loading correctly in AN11 (AN-1638)
Graph output when Classifying on field with blank values yields no results (AN-1632)
Extracting large table and appending displays wrong number of records (AN-1504)
ACL crashes in step mode with commands output to screen (AN-1352)
Known issues
For information about ACL Analytics 11.2 known issues, and some suggested workarounds, see https://support.acl.com/solution/articles/4000047710-analytics-11-2-known-issues
Improved software activation
Activation now works with proxy servers that require additional authentication.
Improved logging to assist in troubleshooting activation issues.
ACL Analytics no longer deactivates in some situations where a secure network prevents a connection to ACL's licensing server.
After a lot of hard work and a successful beta program, we are proud to introduce the first generally available version of ACL Analytics 11. Thank you to those customers who provided amazing feedback during the beta program.
Our beta software was released as version 11.0. The first public release is version 11.1.
Updated and enhanced user experience
Our designers have been busy updating the ACL Analytics user interface to make version 11 easier to use, with a fresh new look that matches the other ACL products.
The ACL Analytics Launcher is the new stepping-off point for accessing your existing analytic content, creating new ACL projects, or accessing ACL’s expanded online resources.
New shortcut buttons in the Project Navigator and View tab provide quick access to frequently used features.
Columns are now auto-resized immediately after importing a new table.
The Project Navigator can quickly be collapsed and expanded by double-clicking the vertical bar between the Navigator and the View tab.
ACL project and table properties now provide one-click navigation to the project location or table source location in the Windows Explorer.
Context-sensitive Help now connects to docs.acl.com to ensure you always have the most recent product documentation.
The file extension for external table layout files has been renamed .layout from .fmt to align with the user interface terminology. Table layouts have not been called “formats” for many years.
The file extension for external ACL script files has been renamed .aclscript from .bat. You can now associate the .aclscript extension with a text editor and double-clicking an .aclscript file will no longer try to run the file as an MS-DOS batch.
The ACL Main Menu has been re-organized and simplified to make commands easier to find.
Analysis Apps
Analysis Apps, and the new Analysis App window, allow you to create beautiful visualizations of your data, powerfully illustrating the value of your analysis. Interactive filters and drill-down capability empower visual exploration. This first version of Analysis Apps includes the following visualizations, with more visualizations to be added in future releases: Pie, Bar, Line, Area, Scatter Bubble, and Metrics.
Multiple visualizations can be saved as an interpretation to create an easy-to-follow and interactive story for others to learn more about your findings.
A simplified but powerful data grid makes it easy for anyone to view, sort, and filter data.
Complex ACL analysis steps can be automated and simplified for sharing with others by saving your scripts as an Analysis App. New tools provide interactive input and running of scripts without worrying about the end user accidentally changing your scripts.
The same Analysis App works in both AN11 and the new AX5 web client. You no longer need to develop different scripts for different environments.
Improved performance
Our ACL Engine is now multi-threaded, making our software work faster than before. Sorting and pre-sorting now break down files and use multiple CPU threads to perform multiple sort tasks simultaneously.
Code has been optimized in numerous areas to make processing faster.
Improved capabilities
Classify, Stratify, Age, and Summarize now provide additional statistical information about subtotal fields. Maximum, minimum, and average values are now available for each unique value, strata, or date range.
You can now use regular expressions to find or replace character data. Regular expressions provide a powerful and flexible tool for performing basic or more complex searching and data cleansing tasks. Two new functions provide access to regular expressions: REGEXFIND( ) and REGEXREPLACE( ). Don’t worry, our existing FIND( ) and REPLACE( ) functions are still there and your existing scripts will continue to work with these functions.
The new PROPERTIES( ) function provides information about ACL project items. The function currently works on table layouts, with more project items to be added in a future release.
The new GETOPTIONS( ) function provides information about current ACL option/preference settings.
Table layouts can be saved and retrieved with a script using the SAVE LAYOUT and IMPORT LAYOUT commands. By default, these commands use the new .layout extension but can still work with the older .fmt file extension.
The NOTIFY command now automatically makes up to five attempts to connect to a mail server. You can specify the number of attempts, the wait time between attempts, and whether a script stops or continues after a connection failure. You configure these options in the Options dialog box (Tools > Options), or by using a SET command within your script. NOTE: There is a change in behavior. In previous versions, ACL stopped a script after a connection failure. The default setting is now to allow the script to continue.
Indexes can now be larger than 2GB. This change also helps the performance of related tables, as they rely on indexes.
Temporary .AC files can now be larger than 2GB. Some complex scripts can create large .AC files, which in the past could cause ACL to stop. Now ACL will continue to run.
Command logs can now be larger than 2GB.
Record notes can now be used with files larger than 2GB.
You can now Export fields with a logical data type to JSON.
Improved security
Sensitive fields or data within an ACL table can now be encrypted with the new HASH( ) function. A specific clear text value always produces the same hash value, so you can search hashed data for duplicates, or join two fields of hashed data, and the results are the same as if you had performed the operation on the equivalent clear text values. The encryption is a one-way method using an SHA-2 cryptographic hash algorithm. The protection offered by the HASH( ) function is strengthened by the addition of a salt value prior to hashing.
The salt value can be set using the PASSWORD command to ensure the salt value is not visible within your scripts.
Script and Analytic Development
You can now package ACL scripts and selected data files into a consolidated and compressed Analysis App file (.aclapp). This makes it easier to share and backup your work. Opening an .aclapp file will decompress the scripts and tables and open them as an Analysis App.
The Script Editor now provides ACLScript keyword assistance and guidance for function parameters.
Developing analytics for AX or for Analysis Apps is easier with a new tool that validates analytic header syntax.
Analytic headers now allow the inclusion of test values to populate variables, which means you can test analytics directly in ACL projects without having to leave ACL.
The //PARAM tag now allows you to prompt the user for a file location using the Windows file manager and save the result to a variable that is subsequently used in the associated Analysis App.
ScriptHub
ScriptHub is a new and rapidly evolving web-based library of useful ACL scripts developed by ACL employees and the ACL user community. A link in the new ACL Analytics Launcher provides quick access to ScriptHub.
You can insert ScriptHub import, prepare, or analysis scripts into a current project, or code snippets directly into an existing script. When you download from ScriptHub, scripts, including any dependent scripts, are automatically imported into your ACL project. Using code snippets saves time and makes scripts easier to read by simplifying main scripts.
Installation and Licensing
The installation process has been simplified.
Activation is no longer part of the ACL installer. ACL is now activated at first use when the user signs in to ACL GRC Launchpad.
You will have just one user ID and password to access all ACL resources (both software licenses and online resources).
You no longer need to keep track of lengthy serial numbers. A single person in your organization can act as an ACL account administrator and allocate ACL licenses to other employees.
This release also includes corrections to the following customer-reported issues
Index recreated when extracting a related server table (AN-847)
Cannot relate server tables (AN-1176)
After joining two tables, secondary field names cut off to 18 characters if names conflict with primary field names (AN-1035)
Sort/Index on table with repeating segment of data will cause AN to freeze (AN-802)
Extracting variables generated by STATISTICS command on a field with a date data type will result in empty values (AN-789)
XML/Access/Excel imports numeric or text field as a date data type in some situations (AN-327 and AN-343)
SET PASSWORD not working if a Server Table is open (AN-324)
Using QUIT in script may generate an incorrect error message in the ACL Command Log (AN-826)
A permanent variable containing a time value cannot be saved (AN-780)
XML imports numeric fields differently when done manually vs when done in script (AN-788)
Pressing ESC when running script with PAUSE command behaves differently from previous versions (AN-747)
Time values are not displayed in the variables tab (AN-749)
Function keys to insert ACL items not working in DIALOG or ACCEPT (AN-751)
Output to graph with IF condition not allowing drill down. Localized versions only (AN-356)
Permanent variables cannot be defined or deleted (AN-770)
Running script with a non-unique command abbreviation causes ACL to crash (AN-758)
Re-running a script with an error may cause a “Script already in use” error message. (AN-735)
Modifying the format of a date-time field may disable the Format drop down menu (AN-272)
Running STATISTICS on a computed field with a date-time data type may cause a division by zero or numeric overflow error (AN-322)
Running a script with a GROUP and a FUZZYDUP command may create unprintable characters (AN-350)
AN not displaying alternate column titles correctly in Chinese UNICODE (AN-1065)
Unable to see data after selecting adding a new filter in the Table Layout Editor (AN-1268)
Activate option for workspace is disabled (AN-1315)
Scripts not staying in correct folder after importing from external .aclscript files (AN-1304)