This release brings a completely rebuilt Modeler, a new generation of Gateways that keep themselves up to date, and a Portal that now works comfortably on every screen — from a phone to an ultrawide monitor.

🏷️ New Names for Familiar Things​

Two components were renamed to make the platform easier to talk about:

• Agent is now Gateway — the component you install to reach your own systems.
• Query Handler is now Connector — the part that speaks to a specific source, such as SAP or a SQL database.

How they work has not changed, only what they are called.

🔌 A New Generation of Gateways​

🔄 Automatic Updates​

Gateways now keep themselves current. A new Gateway installs a small launcher that downloads, verifies and swaps in new versions in the background — no more uninstall-and-reinstall with every release. All builds are code-signed.

💻 Try It on This Computer​

Want to see the platform work before rolling anything out? Start a personal evaluation Gateway directly from the Portal — no administrator rights and no server needed. Available for Windows and macOS (Intel and Apple silicon).

🧭 Simpler Setup, Clearer Errors​

• Create a Location and its first Gateway in one single form.
• When the platform refuses a Gateway, it now tells you why instead of blaming the network.
• A Gateway held back on an old version is now clearly shown, and the hold can be released from the Portal.
• Gateways are significantly smaller to download and install.

🧩 Modeler 2.0​

The Modeler has been rebuilt from scratch inside the Portal and replaces the previous one entirely.

• Version History — publish, compare and restore earlier versions of a Model.
• Column Lineage — follow every column back to where it came from.
• Iteration Nodes and a Union editor for building more expressive models.
• Preview and Testbench in one place, so you can try a Model while you build it.
• Code editing with syntax highlighting, plus copy/paste, undo/redo and a fullscreen canvas.
• Safe collaboration — a Model is edited by one person at a time; everyone else sees it live and read-only.
• Smoother drag & drop, easier reordering of transformation steps, and a tidier resource palette.

🎨 Portal​

🌗 Dark Mode and Mobile, Everywhere​

Dark mode and the responsive layout now cover the whole Portal, including the redesigned Connector page, the dashboard and the Gateway console.

📊 Sandbox Monitor​

Your Sandbox is now a resizable sidebar available from anywhere in the Portal, with charts that show usage against your actual limits.

🚀 First-Run Guide​

New tenants get a guided setup that walks from an empty tenant to a working Virtual Dataset, with role-aware tours and short in-place hints. It also assigns the first licence for you, so administrators no longer hit a dead end on their first dataset.

🔎 Better Search and Filters​

One consistent search-and-filter control across all list pages, with filter badges — and search is no longer case-sensitive.

☁️ Managed Cloud Locations​

Sources that are reachable from the internet no longer need a Gateway at all: pick a Managed Cloud location and the platform runs the query for you.

🔐 Credentials, Separated​

Credentials are now managed separately from connection settings, which makes them easier to share and to rotate.

🕸️ Lineage Graph​

The graph view is out of preview and available to everyone, with filters, search and a clearer layout for large landscapes.

🔗 Connectors and Clients​

• SAP BW — date and time parameters are now supported and respect your personal date format.
• SQL endpoint — noticeably faster, with better compatibility for Power BI and SQL client tools.
• Excel add-in — fixed stale results when a table parameter was changed.

🐛 Notable Fixes​

• Occasional random sign-in failures when opening the Portal.
• Queries that stayed on "Waiting in queue" instead of running.
• The dashboard reporting a brand-new, empty tenant as healthy.
• A deadlock when saving a Model, and queries that only appeared after a save.
• Row counts not updating while a Model was running.

🚧 Known Issues​

Power BI​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: the first execution of a Model in Power BI fails because no metadata is available yet to determine the column set. Simply run the query once again.

Evaluation Gateways​

• A Gateway installed via Try it on this computer is meant for evaluation only. It cannot be turned into a production Gateway later, and a Gateway that has been used in production cannot be moved onto a personal machine.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

This is the last manual Gateway upgrade. Please remove your existing Agents and install new Gateways through the Portal. From this release on, Gateways update themselves automatically. All other components are upgraded for you and require no action.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

We're excited to announce a major milestone for Virtual Data Platform. This release introduces a complete rebuild and redesign of our Portal, laying the foundation for a faster, more intuitive, and future-ready data virtualization experience.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements of the Portal 2.0​

🎨 Fully Redesigned​

The Portal has been rebuilt from the ground up with a modern, clean, and professional look & feel. Improved layouts and consistent workflows make it easier to navigate and get things done with confidence.

🧙 Virtual Dataset Creation Wizard​

Creating Virtual Datasets is now easier:

• Guided, step-by-step wizard
• Reduced setup complexity
• Faster onboarding for new users

✨ New Features​

Quickly find Virtual Datasets with a global search and get instant access to Sandbox information, all in one place. Spend less time searching and more time building.

📱 Mobile Support​

Access the Virtual Data Platform wherever you are. The new responsive design ensures a smooth experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

🌙 Dark Mode​

Work comfortably in any environment with native dark mode support, designed to reduce eye strain and fit modern developer and analyst preferences.

🚧 Known Issues​

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

The Agent needs replacement. Please remove all old Agents and install new ones through the Portal. All other components will be upgraded automatically, requiring no action from the user.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

Management of Permissions and Scopes for MS Azure Entra ID:

• Optimized Management in Entra ID: Permissions and scopes in Microsoft Azure Entra ID for VDP have been improved for better clarity and control.
• Separation of Core and Source System Permissions: Permissions for core functionality can now be configured and managed separately from those required for specific source systems like SharePoint, DevOps, or CRM.
• User-Friendly Assignment via Portal: These scopes can now be easily assigned through the portal, providing a more intuitive and efficient user experience.
• Greater Transparency and Control: This enhancement makes permission management more transparent and gives VDP customers greater control over their configurations.

🐛 Solved Issues​

Source System Connections​

• SharePointOnline List Handler: Values of special column types, such as multi choice or link, can be parsed again.

🚧 Known Issues​

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

All components are upgraded automatically and no action from the user side is necessary.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Source System Connections​

• Newly Available Source System: SAP HANA can be connected. Within SAP HANA, the following objects can be accessed:
  • SAP HANA Table
  • SAP HANA Procedures
  • SAP HANA SQL Statements

🚧 Known Issues​

Excel AddIn​

• Parameter of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. Using DateTime works as a workaround.

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

Source System Connections​

• SharePointOnline List Handler: Values of special column types, such as multi choice or link columns, cannot be parsed.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

All components are upgraded automatically and no action from the user side is necessary.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• Backend: Major reconfiguration and allocation of hardware resources based on Microsoft's architectural recommendations.

Modeler​

• Versioning of Models:
  • Changes to published Models can now be fully tracked.
  • Models can now be published with versioning. It is also possible to revert to and restore previous versions. Please note that Models must be published to be accessible to end users.
• Copy and Paste:
  • Entire Models or individual parts of them can now be transferred using copy-and-paste functionality.

Source System Connections​

• New available source system: Snowflake can be connected.
• Salesforce: The username/password flow now is enabled without requiring a client ID and secret.
• ODBC Query Handler: The ODBC Handlers for table and SQL statements support aggregate functions in selections.

Unicon - Power BI​

• Compatibility: the Unicon is now compatible with the latest Microsoft Power BI version (November 2024).

🐛 Solved Issues​

Modeler​

• The issue of concurrent saving when launching a Model with multiple parameters or adjusting multiple parameters in parallel has been resolved.

🚧 Known Issues​

Excel AddIn​

• Parameter of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. Using DateTime works as a workaround.

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

Source System Connections​

• SharePointOnline List Handler: Values of special column types, such as multi choice or link columns, cannot be parsed.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

Due to backend resource re-allocation and the architecture updates, the following changes are required:

• Admin Consent: The App Registration has changed, so you need to grant consent for its use again.
• All agents must be re-created in the portal as well as re-installed in the corresponding networks.
• Users experiencing issues with launching the Modeler should also clear their browser cache.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• This is a minor release that includes updates to the backend and maintenance activities with respect to some third-party packages. No significant new features have been implemented.

🐛 Solved Issues​

Modeler​

• Bug fixes related to the transformation operation and the data lineage functionalities.

🚧 Known Issues​

Modeler​

• Concurrent save issue when launching a Model with multiple Parameters or adjusting multiple Parameters in parallel.
• Union of identical nodes might result in "Duplicate Key" error message.
• Meta data preview potentially not loading for large models. It ends with an infinite load and the error message 'cancelled by user'.

Excel AddIn​

• Parameter of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. This will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases. In the meantime, using DateTime should work as a workaround.

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

All components are upgraded automatically and no action from the user side is necessary.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• Enabling the new authentication method 'Shared OAuth2 Code Flow'

Source System Connections​

• Introducing new Query Handlers for the Source System 'Workday'.

🐛 Solved Issues​

Front-End Applications​

• Universal Connector (Power BI): Querying Virtual Datasets form private Workspaces now possible without limitations.

🚧 Known Issues​

Modeler​

• Concurrent save issue when launching a Model with multiple Parameters or adjusting multiple Parameters in parallel.
• Union of identical nodes might result in "Duplicate Key" error message.
• Meta data preview potentially not loading for large models. It ends with an infinite load and the error message 'cancelled by user'.

Excel AddIn​

• Parameter of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. This will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases. In the meantime, using DateTime should work as a workaround.

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

With the upgrade to .NET 8.0.8 it is recommended to download the newest Agent version. All other components will be upgraded automatically, requiring no action from the user.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• Introduction of the new Workspace concept for Virtual Datasets. This feature allows users to organize their Virtual Datasets into distinct Workspaces, enhancing data management and collaboration capabilities. Three types of Workspaces are available:
  • Public Workspace: This Workspace is accessible to all members, promoting transparency and shared knowledge across the organization. It is denoted as 'MyCompany'.
  • Shared Workspaces: Restrict access to specific teams, ensuring that only authorized team members can view and work on the datasets within these Workspaces.
  • Private Workspaces: Ideal for individual use, these Workspaces are accessible only to the user, providing a secure and personal data environment.
• Enhanced security with Encryption: We have significantly improved security by implementing comprehensive encryption. Now, all communication and data transfers are encrypted from Source Systems to VDP and from VDP to Front-End Applications. This robust encryption minimizes the risk of hacking, making VDP more secure.

Modeler​

• Transformation:
  • Type transformations to the new data types 'Time' and 'Date' are available.
  • Type transformations of 'null'-values are possible now.

Source System Connections​

• Salesforce:
  • Introducing aggregation: Rows can be aggregated by columns, providing more powerful data analysis and reporting capabilities.
  • The API version can be optionally entered by the VDP Admin.
  • Enabling the new authentication method OAuth2 Password Flow.
• JSON Handler: The option to automatically detect data types is available.

Front-End Applications​

• Unicon (Power BI): DISTINCT can be used in statements now.

🐛 Solved Issues​

Modeler​

• Formulas: Improved error messaging for incorrect decimal delimiters when entering decimal numbers.
• Transformation: Allow only data types 'Integer' and 'Decimal' as value columns in Pivot transformation.

Source System Connections​

• Salesforce: The issue within the Technical Handler showing error 'An invalid request URI was provided' is solved.
• SAP BW: Bug fix with respect to keyfigure value column containing special characters.

🚧 Known Issues​

Modeler​

• Concurrent save issue when launching a Model with multiple Parameters or adjusting multiple Parameters in parallel.
• Union of identical nodes might result in "Duplicate Key" error message.
• Meta data preview potentially not loading for large models. It ends with an infinite load and the error message 'cancelled by user'.

Excel AddIn​

• Parameter of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. This will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases. In the meantime, using DateTime should work as a workaround.

Unicon​

• Limitation caused by Power BI: First execution of a Model in Power BI fails as no metadata is availabe to determine the column set. This is solved by simply executing the query once again.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

The new Workspace concept requires the following manual actions from the admin-user:

• The Agent needs replacement. Please remove all old Agents and install new ones through VDP Portal.
• Users that should be able to edit Virtual Datasets in the Workspace 'MyCompany' require the assignment of the role 'VDP Enterprise Creator' in the Enterprise Application 'VDP Global SignIn' (Azure Portal). Note that all previously created Virtual Datasets are assigned to the Workspace 'MyCompany'. In addition, the user may have to sign out and sign in again after assigning the 'VDP Enterprise Creator' role (in some cases, this has to be done a second time in the Modeler).
• To extract user rights from groups, the EntraID App Registration requires the extended group scope. Therefore, this additional scope must be manually consented to in the Azure Portal for VDP.

All other components will be upgraded automatically, requiring no action from the user.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• Introducing new data types: Date and Time. This enhancement cause some breaking changes in the following components:
  • Virtual Datasets:
    • Depending on the source system, we now retrieve columns of type Date and type Time whenever feasible. This alteration in column data types has the potential to disrupt existing Models.
    • New Formulas have been introduced in the Modeler to accommodate these new data types.
    • Adjustments to Parameter configurations may be needed for both Functions and Models.
  • Agent: A new Agent must be installed.
• Introducing IS INITIAL and IS NULL for managing empty versus null values within Parameters: Enhances clarity on how VDP handles these distinctions, particularly valuable for string handling.

Modeler​

• Introducing new Transformation feature Pivot: Users now have the option of defining columns for pivoting.

🐛 Solved Issues​

Modeler​

• Bugfix type conversion: Type conversions of a column used in greater than (>) or less than (<) operations within a formula now work as expected.
• Bugfix filtering: Filtering a range now works for both inclusion and exclusion.

🚧 Known Issues​

Modeler​

• Concurrent save issue when launching a Model with multiple Parameters or adjusting multiple Parameters in parallel.
• Union of identical nodes might result in "Duplicate Key" error message.
• Meta data preview potentially not loading for large models. It ends with an infinite load and the error message "cancelled by user".

Excel AddIn​

• Columns of type Date and Time cannot yet be processed. This will be resolved in one of the upcoming releases. In the meantime, using the "Datetime" type should work as a workaround.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

The Agent needs replacement. Please remove all old Agents and install new ones through the Portal. All other components will be upgraded automatically, requiring no action from the user.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.

🚀 New Features and Enhancements​

Core​

• Introducing new internal License Management (Breaking Change): Admins can now assign purchased licenses directly in the Portal. Note that existing assignments require reassignments by the Admins.

Modeler​

• Formula: TRIM() added.

Source System Connections​

• SAP BW Handler optimized (Breaking Change: New Agent required).
• Introducing new Query Handler for SAP B1 User Queries.

🚧 Known Issues​

Modeler​

• Concurrent save issue when launching a Model with multiple Parameters or adjusting multiple Parameters in parallel.
• Parameter of type date is visible but not enabled yet.
• Union of identical nodes might result in "Duplicate Key" error message.
• Meta data preview potentially not loading for large models. It ends with an infinite load and the error message "cancelled by user".

ODBC Handler​

• Columns of type TIME cannot be processed.

🙌 How to Upgrade​

All other components are upgraded automatically and no action from the user side is necessary. However, in order to be able to use the latest SAP BW Query Handler without inconvenience, the latest Agent version must be installed. Admins must also reassign the user licenses via the new License Management in the Portal.

🗣️ Feedback​

If you have questions, want to share feedback or have any new ideas please do not hesitate to contact us via contact@virtualdataplatform.com.