NCS Circ Maintenance Release: 2025-2.0

This is a Beta-approved release.

Product Information contained within this document, including technical information and functional specifications, is subject to change without notice, and Naviga reserves the right to make any changes to the information in this document at any time without notice. Naviga makes no warranty, representation, or guarantee regarding the suitability of its products and services for any particular purpose.

Introduction

Welcome to the NCS Circulation 2025-2.0 release. This maintenance release introduces a series of enhancements and bug fixes across multiple modules of the NCS Circulation system, including Customer Service, Route Service, Accounting, API Integrations, and Naviga Subscribe.

In this release, a new Webhooks integration with the Subscribe application has been introduced, enabling automated push notifications for New Start subscription transactions. It also includes a set of new Business Rules under the new Subscribe section. To support customer retention analysis, a new Churn Levels setup screen has been introduced, allowing users to define specific churn categories per product.

To enhance the search process, a new default search mode for Email Address has been added to the Customer Service screen. The system now also ensures correct handling of one-time subscription payments through CyberSource, including the automatic population of the Email field when no email is provided. In terms of real-time data synchronization, the system now processes Start and Stop subscription transactions based on the Create Date/Time. A new Business Rule has also been introduced to control real-time data feeds to external systems.

The release addresses timeout errors related to inactive publications in iServices Distribution by introducing a new Business Rule that defines publication inactivity thresholds. In the IVR complaint submission process, a new “Do Nothing” resolution option has been added, enabling complaints to be logged without making changes to the subscription.

This maintenance release also includes important bug fixes across various modules of the application.

Minimal Requirements

• If using Naviga Pay for payments, a minimum Naviga Pay version of 2.2 is required for 2025-2.0.

• If using Payment Authorization Service, a minimum PAS version of 8.11.61 is required for 2025-2.0.

• A minimum Circulation version of 2025 is required to upgrade to the 2025-2.0 release.

Installation Notes

• If using PostWare, run all of your postal reports through the current publishing date before applying this patch.

Resolved Issues

Customer Service

• Previously, removing an email address associated with a subscriber on E-Bill whose subscription was permanently stopped resulted in an error. Changes have been implemented to allow the removal of email addresses for Permanently Stopped E-Bill Subscriptions. Additionally, if an attempt is made to delete the email address of a stopped E-Bill Digital Subscription with a positive balance, a warning message will now be displayed. (CM2-10395, CM44#450)

• Previously, the Amount Paid field in Refund transactions on the Customer Service screen displayed an incorrect amount. The issue was only a display error—the financial records, including file exports, GL records, and the Refund Journal, remained accurate. The error occurred after accepting the Refund Batch or transaction, causing the Amount Paid field to display the full balance amount, as if the Grace Day payment had been refunded, even when it wasn’t. This issue has now been resolved. The Amount Paid field now correctly reflects the actual refunded amount. (CM2-12197, CM44#410)

Route Service

• Route Service > Draw Mgmt > Returns > Returns for a Day Route Service > Draw Mgmt > Returns > Returns for a Week Previously, the ACBatSCReturn (Accept Batch - Single Copy Returns) Transaction Security setting did not effectively secure the Accept option for iDistribution Returns batches, although it functioned correctly for other return batches. This issue has been addressed with the introduction of two new Transaction Security settings:

  1. WebRtrnRefuse

  2. WebRtrnReject

  The default value for these new settings is “Not Activated”. These settings, along with existing security settings mentioned below, now regulate user access to iDistribution Returns batches based on authorization. The available settings are:

  • WebRtrnOverride – Prevents users from modifying a return in a batch.

  • WebRtrnReview – Prevents users from accepting a batch of returns.

  • WebRtrnRefuse – Prevents users from sending back a batch of returns.

  • WebRtrnReject – Prevents users from rejecting a batch of returns.

  Configuration Path: Setup > System > Security > Transaction Security > WebRtrnOverride / WebRtrnReview / WebRtrnRefuse / WebRtrnReject

  • If any Security is applied to the Security item, users who are part of the Security ID will have access to modify iDistribution Return batches, while users who are not part of the Security ID will not.

  (CM2-11668, CM44#460)

• Route Service > Setup > Route Setup Utility The error message “Convert Many already exists with Transfer Key DistribPointPublConvert” previously appeared when end-dating the Route Setup to update the Distribution Point Publication record. The issue has been resolved, and the error will no longer be displayed.

  (CM2-12020, CM44#230)

Accounting

• Accounting > Fiscal Close > Fiscal Close – Sub > Close Period Character Utilities > System > Batch Setup Character Utilities > System > View/Print > Run > Batch When running the Fiscal Close through a batch process, the Process Log previously displayed generic “Error” entries without providing specific reasons or context. This issue occurred when publications were not ready for fiscal close because they had not been updated through End Pub Run for the fiscal close date.

  Changes have been implemented to ensure the Process Log now provides detailed error messages. These messages include specific information about the publication, such as:

  • Publication Date

  • Mail Closed Date

  • Route Closed Date

  • Date Entered at Runtime

  Example Message: “Pub XXXX was not published through the fiscal close date of xx/xx/xxxx. MailClosedDate: xx/xx/xxxx, RouteClosedDate: xx/xx/xxxx.”

  (CM2-11252, CM44#200)

• Accounting > Subscriber Payments > Auto Payments When running Automatic Subscription Payments on Permanently Stopped Subscriptions with no balance due, the error message: “? RoutePublication missing for Publ: xxxx Route ID: xxxxx Subscription ID: xxxxxx not selected for renewal or invoice” was displayed. This occurred when the Route Publication setup had an End Date that was less than or equal to the Start Date of the Permanently Stopped Subscription. This issue has been resolved, and the error will no longer be displayed under these conditions, ensuring correct processing of Automatic Subscription Payments for Permanently Stopped Subscriptions. (CM2-11448, CM44#440)

• Accounting > Subscriber > Auto Notice Export The issue where Trial subscriptions were incorrectly included in the Auto Renew Notice Export under the following scenarios has been resolved:

  • Subscribers had unprocessed payments.

  • The Auto Renew Notice Export was run with the ‘Notice Type’ set to “Auto-Renew.”

  Trial subscriptions will now only be included in the Auto Renew Notice Export if the payment has been processed and the ‘Notice Type’ selected is “Trial-End.” (CM2-12038, CM44#310)

• Accounting > Subscriber > Auto Notice Export Previously, Trial Subscriptions with an unprocessed Start transaction (status: “Not Started”) were incorrectly included in the Auto Renew Notice Export, causing notices to be sent before the subscription had started.

  Changes have now been implemented to ensure that Trial Subscriptions are only included in the Auto Renew Notice Export if the Start and Adjustment transactions have been processed, and the Expiration Date is updated accordingly.

  (CM2-12204, CM44#470)

Publishing

• Publishing > Tran Processing Previously, when running Transaction Processing for Permanently Stopped or Expire Stopped transactions, permission errors were logged in the Tran Proc logs. These errors were caused by issues in the logic related to transferring real-time export files from the Exchange directory to the AWS S3 bucket.

  The issue has now been resolved, and permission errors will no longer appear in the Tran Proc logs during Transaction Processing for Perm Stop or Expire Stopped transactions.

  (CM2-12406, CM44#580 – HM44#100)

Subscriber Activity Import (SAI)

• Previously, the Subscription.ReceiveBonusDays flag was incorrectly set to “No” during the Subscriber Activity Import, even when the ReceiveBonusDays field was not part of the File Map setup for Billing Change. This issue has now been resolved.

  The following behaviors have been implemented:

  • If the ReceiveBonusDays field is not included in the File Map for Billing Change, the flag will retain its current value, preventing unintended changes.

  • If the ReceiveBonusDays field is included in the File Map, a question mark (?) can now be used as an input to indicate “No Change” to the current value. This provides added flexibility and control during the import process.

  (CM2-11647, CM44#140)

Setup

• Menu Security (Setup > System > Security > Menu Security) Fee Code (Accounting > Subscription Rates > Fee Code) Issues were identified in the Menu Security screen where the WriteSecurityID for a Fee Code menu item was displayed as blank, and the Fee Code Setup screen displayed invalid fee codes. These issues have now been resolved. A fix program has been implemented to address the issues:

  • The WriteSecurityID for the Fee Code menu item is now updated to M118400W if SAAS ID is set to Yes. If SAAS ID is set to No, no changes will be made.

  • Invalid Fee Code setups where the Fee Code ID was ‘First’, ‘Start’, or ‘End’ have been deleted.

  • The description for Fee Code ID ‘PrintedBill’ has been updated to ‘Printed Bill Fee’.

  (CM2-11922, CM44#350)

• Graphical Setup > Rules > Business Rules The issue that caused an error in Graphical Business Rules when a selected Business Rule did not have an associated PolicyAnswer record has been resolved. (CM2-11960, CM44#150)

iServices Distribution

• Previously, when a publication was no longer being published, its RouteClosedDate remained set to a past date. This caused timeout errors in iServices Distribution when users clicked on the Draw and Returns tabs, if a CarrierDistribPoint existed for that ProductID, even if it was end-dated. To address this issue, a new CMO Business Rule—”How many days from the last route publishing close date should a publication be considered inactive?”—has been introduced under the ‘Distribution – Web > General’ section. The value should be greater than 0, with the default set to 9999. This setting allows newspapers to define a threshold for considering publications inactive, ensuring they are filtered out when accessing the Draw and Returns tabs. This prevents unnecessary data retrieval and eliminates timeout errors.

  

  (CM2-10315, CMO44#40)

• An internal issue in iServices Distribution, related to the Reporting tab, has been identified and resolved. This update enhances system security and ensures proper access controls to prevent unauthorized access. (CM2-12137, CM44#530)

Customer Service (CS) API

• Previously, when creating a complaint through the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for a subscriber whose New Start had not yet been processed, the credit adjustment amount was displayed incorrectly. This issue occurred because the CS API did not validate future start dates when processing complaints (e.g., using the Missed Delivery reason code), causing the Days to Extend field in the Complaint transaction to be incorrectly set to 1 instead of 0. This issue has now been resolved. The CS API has been updated to align with the Customer Service complaint entry logic, ensuring that when a complaint is entered for a subscriber whose New Start has not yet been processed, the Days to Extend field is automatically set to 0. (CM2-10711, CMO44#50)

• A new resolution option, “Do Nothing,” has been added to the Resolution Code drop-down field when submitting a complaint through the IVR system. Selecting “Do Nothing” ensures that no modifications are made to the subscription, including:

  • No extension of subscription days

  • No credit adjustments

  • No digital access granted

  • No carrier penalty imposed

  Note: This functionality applies to all delivery types – Mail, Online, and Route.

  (CM2-11333, CMO44#30)

Enhancements

Customer Service

• A new default setting, Email Address, has been added to the Search Mode dropdown in the Customer Service > File > Sign-On Defaults screen.

  

  When Email Address is selected as the default search mode, clicking the Find button to search for a Subscription, Occupant, or Address will place the cursor in the Email field by default. This enhancement allows users to initiate searches directly using the Email field.

  

  (CM2-11884, CM44#220)

• When creating a one-time subscription payment for a subscriber without an associated email address through the CyberSource SA Payment Vendor, the following behavior has been implemented:

  • The Email field will default to [e-mail] in both the Hosted Order Page (HOP) and the Customer Information section of the Customer Services screen.

  • After the payment is successfully processed or the HOP is closed, the [e-mail] value in the Customer Information section will automatically revert to blank.

  

  (CM2-11926, CM44#240)

• Real-time data synchronization has been implemented for Start and Stop subscription transactions in NCS Circ. These transactions are now created based on the Create Date/Time rather than the transaction processed status. Additionally, a new Business Rule, “Should real-time data feed be allowed to external systems?”, has been introduced under the General section, with the default value set to No. This business rule can be configured at both the Publication and Business levels. It supports multi-selection by ProductID, the generation of separate real-time data extract files for Start and Stop transactions, and the inclusion of detailed subscription data fields. If the business rule is set to No, real-time files will not be generated for Start or Stop transactions.

  

  Real-Time Data Extract File Details:

  • Database ID is included as the first field.

  • Database name is prefixed in the filenames.

  • Files are generated per record with unique nomenclature and transferred to the AWS S3 bucket through a Cron Job for client access.

  • File Path:

    • [defaultdir]/cm/realtimedata (for CM)

    • [defaultdir]/hm/realtimedata (for CircAPI)

  Note: For setup and configuration of Real-Time Data Synchronization, please contact Naviga Support.

  (CM2-12007, CM44#160 – HM44#30)

• The Real-Time Data Extract files for Start and Stop transactions now include three additional fields to enhance subscription tracking and processing:

  • AutoRenewSubscription.AutoRenewTerm – Specifies the subscription’s auto-renewal term.

  • AutoRenewSubscription.AutoRenewLength – Specifies the duration of the auto-renewal period.

  • SubscriptionTran.TranNumber – Specifies the transaction number associated with the subscription transaction.

  These additions ensure that subscription details are accurately recorded and accessible for subsequent processing. (CM2-12184, CM44#390 - HM44#70)

Setup

• The NCS Circulation Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been updated to support login passwords containing special characters. This enhancement improves compatibility with secure, automatically generated passwords from LogonBox, offering increased user convenience and system security. (CM2-12076, PBS44#40 – CM44#280)

• A new menu option, “Churn Levels,” has been added under Graphical Setup > Business > Products. This setup allows users to define churn levels for each product and use them for customer retention analysis and reporting.

  The Churn Levels screen enables defining churn levels using the following fields:

  • Product – Identifies the product.

  • Churn Level – Defines the churn category.

  • Start and End Dates –Date range during which the Churn Level will be applicable. The End Date field is optional and can be left blank.

  • Churn Min Value – Minimum value for the churn level range.

  • Churn Max Value – Maximum value for the churn level range.

  • Description – Additional details about the churn level.

  • Icon Location – Path or reference to the churn level icon.

  

  

  (CM2-12187, CM44#490)

Naviga Subscribe

• Previously, Naviga Subscribe restricted users from selecting Upgrade/Downgrade offers with different Rate Terms due to API limitations. This issue led to subscriptions being assigned an invalid Rate Term when updating the Delivery Method and Rate Code through the AddDeliveryScheduleChg MicroAPI or when creating a Billing Change transaction through the Billing Change CircAPI. To address this, a new input parameter, DelSchedTranID, has been introduced in the Billing Change CircAPI. This parameter references the Transaction ID returned in the AddDeliveryScheduleChg MicroAPI response. The Billing Change CircAPI now uses DelSchedTranID to validate Rate Code updates against the new Delivery Method, ensuring correct Upgrade/Downgrade processing and preventing incorrect Rate Term assignments.

  Note: The DelSchedTranID parameter will only be sent by Subscribe in Upgrade/Downgrade scenarios where both the Delivery Schedule and Billing Change transactions are required to be created.

  Disclaimer: This feature will be available only in the 2025-2.0 version of Naviga Subscribe. The current version of Naviga Subscribe does not support this functionality, and it will not be fully operational until the release of 2025-2.0. Ensure that you are using the appropriate version to access this feature.

  (CM2-12126, CM44#480 – HM44#80)

Webhooks

• A new Webhooks feature has been implemented in the NCS Circ application to send push notifications to the Naviga Subscribe application when a New Start subscription is created. For each New Start transaction, a PushNotification record will be created in the Convert database table. Push Notification Process:

  • A Progress program/process (lib/pushnotifications.p) has been developed to handle webhook notifications.

  • This process will be executed through a cron job, which will be set up by the Hosting Team.

  • The process will run indefinitely and trigger notifications to Subscribe.

  Business Rule Setup for Webhooks:

  A new Subscribe section has been added to the Business Rule Setup screen. This section includes a set of new Business Rules to support the Subscribe Webhook functionality. These rules are configurable at the Business level, with the WebhookPaperCod Business Rule configurable at both the Publication and Business levels.

  

  Business Rules:

  1. What is the URL to access Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookURL Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the URL for accessing the Subscribe Webhook.

  2. What is the Media Group code used for Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookMedGroup Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the Media Group Code for the tenant’s Subscribe Webhook.

  3. What is the Client code used for Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookClientCod Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the Client Code for the tenant’s Subscribe Webhook.

  4. What is the Paper code used for Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookPaperCod Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the Paper Code for the tenant’s Subscribe Webhook.

     Note: This setting can be configured at both the Publication and Business levels. Ensure that when the Business Rule is configured at the Publication level, only publications that require real-time entitlement are set to True. When the Business Rule is configured at the Business level, real-time entitlement will apply to all publications.

  5. What is the Authorization code used for Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookAuthCod Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the JSON Web Token (JWT) for accessing the Subscribe Webhook.

  6. What is the Source system used for Subscribe Webhook? QuestionID: WebhookSourceSys Default Value: Blank Description: Enter the consumer or source system accessing the Subscribe Webhook.

  7. What is the time interval for which the batch job for Push Notifications should sleep? QuestionID: PushSleepInterval Default Value: 1 Description: Enter the time interval (in minutes) after which the Webhook endpoint should receive the next batch of notifications or convert records.

     Note: The Webhook will receive push notifications in batches, and notifications will be paused after each batch based on the defined interval.

     Prerequisites:

     • The Push Notification Process (lib/pushnotifications.p) must be configured to run as a cron job by the Hosting Team.

     • If any of the critical Business Rules (WebhookURL, WebhookMedGroup, WebhookClientCod, WebhookAuthCod, WebhookSourceSys) are left blank, the process will terminate immediately.

     • If the WebhookPaperCod Business Rule is left blank, no convert record will be created for the respective PublicationID.

     Disclaimer: This feature will be available only in the 2025-2.0 version of Subscribe. The current version of Subscribe does not support this functionality, and it will not be fully operational until the release of 2025-2.0. Ensure that you are using the appropriate version to access this feature.

     (CM2-12217, CM44#570)

Circulation (Circ) API

• A new optional input parameter, UpdateEbill (field name: Update Ebill Email Address), has been introduced in the RedeemGift CircAPI. This parameter allows updating the Ebill Email Address of the occupant for an Ebill Gift Subscription. The accepted values for this parameter are Yes, No, Blank, and Invalid.

  • If Yes, Blank, or Invalid is passed and the Redeemer Occupant (Gift Recipient) has a Primary Email, the Ebill will be updated with the Redeemer’s Primary Email Address.

  • If No is passed, the system will continue to use the Gift Giver’s Email Address, consistent with the behavior in previous versions.

  

  (CM2-12050, HM44#60)