
We are pleased to announce the release of ESCRIBA EDS 1.9 for the beginning of 2025. This will provide ESCRIBA customers with advanced features and significant improvements that make our leading document creation software even more attractive. By updating to version 1.9, you too can benefit from highly efficient workflows that will make your daily work easier. These benefits also apply to new EDS users.
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Please note: ESCRIBA can always be used with both the current release and the last previous version, meaning that with the release of ESCRIBA EDS 1.9, maintenance and support for release 1.7 will expire. To give our customers enough time to update, we will not discontinue maintenance and technical support for version 1.7 until July 31, 2025.
lternatively, you can upgrade to the current long-term release ESCRIBA EDS 1.8, which was released as a cloud-native version in June 2021 and will be maintained by us until at least June 30, 2026. In addition to improved logic and dynamization of document generation, it offers a number of other useful optimizations. You can find more detailed information on our Website.
These are the key benefits of ESCRIBA EDS 1.9 at a glance:
1. Introduction of the multi-distribution list
With ESCRIBA EDS 1.9, we are introducing the multi-distribution list requested by many of our customers. This makes it possible to assign a different output types to each individual document in a document template set.
How does this work in practice?
The HR department notifies an employee by email that a document requiring a signature is on its way. The document is attached to the email as a preview. In addition, the HR manager has to send the document to print so that it can be put in an envelope. The document should also be stored in the archive or in an e-file.
Previously, at least three different orders were required for this workflow. Thanks to the multi-distribution list, these processes can be completed with just one order. The process optimization significantly reduces the required time. Now it is sufficient to create the document template set only once and then send it via the various output types. That’s it.
In addition, document templates and external documents can now be assigned to output types. The intermediate step via a document template set that only contains this element, is no longer necessary.
2. Extension of the ESCRIBA EDS Functions
The ESCRIBA functions were first introduced with the release of ESCRIBA EDS 1.4. They serve as function modules for values, which are to be transmitted or processed to the leading system during the document creation. In the past, these were one or more inputs that only provided a unique return value. With the release ESCRIBA EDS 1.9, these return values have been extended to include data references and data tables, so that an extended output can be returned in the form of a data reference or data table. This allows a better context to be established in the creation process and, if necessary, access to the delivered data (records) for verification.
This is particularly relevant when considering the use case of a simulation in the leading system, for example. A salary increase, a transfer, an extension of the product configuration to include additional products, but also many other use cases can serve as a simulation.
For example, a simulation in the leading system, e.g. SAP, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, etc., requires start parameters from the wizard dialog, whereby the simulation provides more than one result. This is particularly evident in the example of a reallocation of the pay scale group with a corresponding salary increase. In the past, only the new total amount was returned. Now, a data table with the salary composition (e.g. base salary, allowances, bonuses, etc.) can be transferred and integrated into the document creation.
3. Direct display of the element language in the Designer
The following example: You create documents that have to be managed in several languages. This means that each text element can be present in different languages. Accordingly, all text elements are formatted differently depending on the locale and language. Errors can creep in here if elements are accidentally edited in a different language and, for example, the date is in the wrong format.
To avoid this, ESCRIBA EDS 1.9 offers a direct display of the element language in the Designer as soon as an element (e.g. a text element) is selected. This eliminates a step, as an element no longer has to be opened to check the language selection.
4. Extension of the freely configurable link in Dynamic Composer
In response to numerous customer requests, we have extended the configurable link. Until now, for example, a link to the data protection guidelines could be integrated. The text of the link can now be defined for each language or language dialect, and an adapted link can also be stored. The color of the banner in which the link is displayed can be freely selected.
5. Design option for entering numbers with thousands separators
A small new feature of EDS 1.9 offers the possibility of allowing the entry of numbers with thousands separators for a numeric assistant field in the Designer. This allows you to enter numbers with thousands separators in the assistant of both ESCRIBA Composer clients or to format entered numbers with the separator. This helps to avoid incorrect entries, especially with large numbers. The formatting of the numbers in the documents remains unaffected.
6. Improved analysis as standard in EDS 1.9
Some of our optimizations are not directly visible in EDS 1.9 – but users will feel them directly. For example, our new analysis. With ESCRIBA EDS 1.8, we have already introduced a revised, more effective analysis as an option alongside the established analysis. The new analysis is significantly more powerful and has a wider range of functions. It can, for example, recognize whether individual decision subtrees of a document are interdependent. And it can analyze the individual decision subtrees both independently and in parallel. In contrast to the previous version EDS 1.8, the new analysis in EDS 1.9 is no longer an option, but a standard feature that completely replaces the old analysis. The only thing you will notice is the improved analysis performance.
7. Technical improvements in ESCRIBA EDS
Important technical optimizations have also been made “under the hood” of EDS 1.9:
- Improved search algorithm in the Designer
- EDS 1.9 now also supports EE10-compatible application servers
- Java 17 is supported by the ESCRIBA server and ESCRIBA converter
- Java 11 is supported by the clients
Would you like to find out more? Please feel free to write to our expert Michael Büttner: michael.buettner@escriba.de
Our customers can make an appointment directly so that we can create an individual migration plan for you. To do so, please contact your sales representative or write to sales.operations@escriba.de.