Sitecore 10.4 Released!

Sitecore's recent release of version 10.4 in late April marks another step forward in their commitment to XP/XM. At ClerksWell, we've had the opportunity to explore this release both from a client and development perspective, and we're impressed by Sitecore's dedication to catering to business needs. 

What stands out in this release is Sitecore’s commitment to flexibility. Rather than limiting businesses to using only their suite of products, Sitecore advocates for a composable strategy. This approach empowers businesses to integrate a diverse array of technologies and platforms, tailored to their unique requirements. Such versatility paves the way for businesses to forge new paths of innovation and swiftly adjust to the evolving demands of the marketplace. 

What is inside the 10.4 release? 

This release addresses over 200 features, enhancements, and bug fixes, allowing businesses to complete many backlog items from various departments including infrastructure, security, marketing, campaign management, and sustainability. Specifically, that means: 

1. Improved security hardening throughout SXP to decrease risks 

1. Javascript libraries upgraded to the latest; this applies to both the Content Management and Content Delivery (SXA related components). 

1.  A codeless schema extension module has been added. This enables business users to extend the xConnect scheme, without too much dependency on development code. Business users can take advantage of it to increase speed to market. 

1. xDB data is no longer tied only to Sitecore. Using new APIs and the open-source module, the data can be migrated to feed external data analytics such as Power BI. 

1. Enhanced xDB with the capability to bulk assign marketing definitions to content, significantly improves usability and efficiency. It allows marketers to associate a marketing campaign with multiple content items simultaneously, streamlining their campaign management process. 

1. A new capability to trigger campaigns or goals based on specific rules. This enhancement allows campaign managers to dynamically display campaign-specific content when pages are visited, significantly improving the relevance and personalization of their marketing efforts. 

1. Implemented Solr soft commits ensures index changes are quickly visible in search results. This optimisation leads to more efficient use of resources and delivers better search results to front-end visitors. 

1. Improved accessibility - enabling content authors with visual impairments to more effectively manage content in the Content Editor. Improvements include the ability to: 

• Navigate the ribbon and use these actions: create, rename, move, and delete items 

• Navigate and expand items in the content tree. 

• Navigate and select several types of fields in the content area. 

• Listen to information about UI elements through assistive third-party technology. 

1. ​Provision of the Sitecore Client Content Reader​​ user role OOTB that grants read access to content tree items in the content editor and media library. 

1. Updated 3rd party compatibility, including with SQL Server 2022 and the latest Azure Kubernetes Service. Container base images for ltsc2019 are expected soon. 

1. Added flexibility in interworking with new SaaS products and with the community ecosystem, enabling current customers to continue with existing investments in SXP, while innovating at their own pace with Sitecore's other SaaS-based products.  

Navigating upgrades and transitions to larger platforms like SXP 10.4 or moving to SaaS XMCloud can indeed be a complex decision for customers. As a trusted implementation partner, ClerksWell is here to empower you through this decision-making process and help you envision the journey ahead. We understand that the answers to many questions aren't always straightforward, as they depend on numerous factors unique to your organization. 

Please contact us for more information and guidance. We're here to provide support and expertise every step of the way.