Upgrading to AASHTOWare Project™ 4.3
May 28, 2020In the February 2020 AASHTOWare Project newsletter, we posted an article about the AASHTOWare Project 4.3 Release. The article highlighted enhancement TMRs included in the release and introduced the semi-annual enhancement release plans. We continue to recommend agencies upgrade to the latest version, noting that AASHTOWare Project 4.4 is planned to be released this fall.
Upgrading to Project 4.3 will not only provide the enhancements and bug fixes referenced in that article, but also includes an important Technology Upgrade TMR, APR-20113. This TMR
“Extends AMS functionality that will allow OData integrations to use a specified role and perform operations as a user or application and provide OpenAPI compliance.”
What’s OpenAPI?
OpenAPI is a specification for defining and generating Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). System administrators and developers can use OpenAPI with the AMS service to generate the API code that will be used to connect third-party integrations. Ultimately, OpenAPI provides agencies with greater flexibility in customizing AASHTOWare Project interfaces. Technical users looking to learn more can reference Chapter 9.3 of the System Administration and Customization Guide on aashtowareproject.org.
We know that upgrading AASHTOWare Project can be a challenging task, often competing with other IT and business priorities. AASHTO and the PTF work closely with the user community to select the new features that will add value to each release, offsetting the investment of time and effort to upgrade and test. It is possible to upgrade within a few months of release, and four agencies that have already completed their production upgrade: the New Jersey DOT, Oregon DOT, Tennessee DOT, and Wisconsin DOT. Each of the four is also actively implementing additional modules. Robert May, Project Engineer from New Jersey DOT shared the following feedback:
“The upgrade of our system was flawless, as usual. There are two steps to make sure everything is working properly. The first upgrade is in a test environment, we then work in the test environment to ensure that all the functionality that we rely on in the system works properly. Once this is done, our production database is then upgraded.”
We encourage interested agencies to reach out to the aforementioned agencies to learn more about their implementation experience.
If you’re already working on your upgrade to AASHTOWare Project 4.3, we thank you. Fewer old releases to support means more funding for enhancements and technology upgrades. If you’re not already planning your upgrade, please start as soon as possible. The philosopher Lao Tzu is credited with the quote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Take that first step by contacting your Infotech Account Manager with any questions you have about the implementation process.
By:
Charles Groshens, Project Website Subcommittee Chair, Minnesota DOT
Russ Barron, Director, Program & Project Management at Infotech