Release Summary - Apr 18, 2024 (24.08)

ENG-27567

Find:

Dashboard backend changes to save rules to playservice

We have developed new backend changes for the dashboard that facilitate the creation, modification, deletion, and retrieval of rules via the UI. These changes include a set of CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) APIs that serve as a wrapper over the Play Service APIs, ensuring seamless interactions and data consistency.

ENG-27686

Science:

Catalog Management Enhancement - Site-Specific Schema Implementation

We have optimized our catalog management system by transitioning to a site-specific schema to address scalability and performance challenges. This update involves migrating existing data to new site-specific tables and ensuring that all catalog enrichment processes, such as those run by data science and Apache Airflow jobs, are updated to interact with these new tables seamlessly.

ENG-28020

Recommend:

Make Recs.algorecs.com at par with recs.richrelevance.com for vanity URL config

We have updated the vanity URL configurations to ensure consistent behavior across recs.richrelevance.com and algorecs.com domains. Previously, the platform-specific settings caused integration requests on algorecs.com to default to production URL responses, which could lead to configuration errors.

With the new enhancement, enabling the 'response domain based on request domain' setting allows the RRserver to correctly respond with domain-specific URLs—integration requests return integration.algorecs.com and production requests return recs.algorecs.com.

PLAT-3760

Streaming Catalog:

Custom Batch Size Configuration for Enrichment Calculations

We've updated the enrichment calculation process to include a customizable batch size property. Previously, a universal batch size of 100 was used, which was reduced to 10 for some sites to avoid exceeding Kafka's message size limits. This change, while necessary, increased network traffic for other sites.

With the new update, sites can now set their own batch sizes via new REST endpoints, optimizing performance without impacting network efficiency. The default batch size will remain at 100, allowing flexibility and improved data handling across different sites.

PLAT-3750

Use a distributed lock in MailReCache while fetching recs from Runtime

We have introduced a Hazelcast-distributed lock to optimize email recommendation retrieval and prevent redundant server requests. Now, the initial user request captures a lock, fetches recommendations from the RRServer, and caches them in Cassandra. Subsequent requests retrieve recommendations directly from Cassandra, improving response times and reducing server load.

PLAT-3782

Feed Processing:

Support for Storing Additional Product Attributes in Feed

We have introduced a new method for handling large, infrequently changed product attributes. Clients can now send these attributes in a separate file （for example, catalog_attributes_sitename_date.*.zip）, which will be stored upon receipt and only utilized during the next full catalog update. This change eliminates the need for frequent re-processing of unchanged data, streamlining operations and reducing processing load.

ENG-27875

Data Engineering:

Sessions Report - Showing Duplicate Orders & Not Using Currency Divisor

We have resolved a bug in the Sessions Report where orders were not being deduplicated and the currency divisor was not applied correctly. These fixes ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial data within the report, enhancing its utility for business analysis.

ENG-27939

Enterprise Dashboard, Find:

Search Term Expansion - Pagination incorrect when filtering on rules with a search

We have resolved a bug affecting pagination in the Sessions Report when filtering with a search term, such as "iPhone." Previously, clicking to the next page of filtered results incorrectly displayed the same items as the first page. This was caused by improper API calls that did not include the necessary offset parameters.

The corrected implementation now adjusts the API endpoint to properly handle pagination parameters ("/api/productsearch/synonyms?offset=25&rows=25&kw=iphone"), ensuring that each page displays the correct set of items.

ENG-26848

Recommend:

Critical Severity Findings (SQL Injection)

We have fixed a critical SQL injection vulnerability that arose from improperly constructed SQL queries dynamically concatenated with user-supplied data. By transitioning to parameterized queries, we've fortified our database interactions, preventing attackers from manipulating SQL commands to access or alter data. This enhancement ensures the integrity and security of our database operations across all affected endpoints.

ENG-27731

Find:

Search term expansion export and pagination issues when filtering on rules with search

We resolved two significant issues on the Search Term Expansions page:

Duplicates in Export: Fixed an issue where exported synonyms showed duplicates not present on the portal, ensuring exports now correctly reflect unique portal entries.

Pagination Errors During Searches: Corrected pagination errors when filtering by search terms (e.g., "iPhone"), where navigating to subsequent pages incorrectly repeated items. We improved API calls to properly handle offsets, ensuring accurate page-to-page navigation.

PLAT-3799

Streaming Catalog:

Few updates are not persisted in Itemstore

We've resolved an issue in the streaming itemstore where subsequent updates within a one-minute interval mistakenly overwrote previous entries due to a caching mechanism in the MapDB 3 KV library. By switching to a cacheless ValueReader.direct for data writes, we now ensure all updates are preserved accurately.

ENG-27941

Enterprise Dashboard, Social Message:

Social Proof - Tracking messages showing multiple messages even though it is not enabled

We have fixed an issue where Social Proof tracking incorrectly displayed multiple messages even though the feature was disabled. Now, the trackExperience API will correctly show only a single message when multiple messages are not enabled.

ENG-27946

Data Engineering, Enterprise Dashboard:

Social Proof - Track Experience Event API call logging both False and Error

We have addressed an issue with the Social Proof Track Experience Event API where redundant calls were made showing both 'False' and 'Error' statuses for SP Message Status within milliseconds for the same user. This occurred under the new template settings when no message was actually displayed.

This redundancy in logging has been eliminated, ensuring that the API now triggers only the necessary call depending on the actual message status.

ENG-28007

Advanced Merchandising:

Issue with System Filters and Backfill in Advanced Merch Rules

We resolved a problem, where using the "Enable system filters and rules" option in Advanced Merchandising rules caused issues when the "Backfill remaining slots with recommendations" option was also employed.