Polaris 8.0 Release Notes

Polaris 8.0 is in general release. Release notes include new and changed features, details on upgrading, and more.

Polaris 8.0 is currently in general release.

Highlights of Polaris 8.0

Below are only some of the exciting features included in Polaris 8.0. For the full list and all the details, please view the What's New in Polaris 8.0 found within our Documentation Portal. 

• 6 New Features from Enhancement Requests
• Polaris System Administration (Web-Based) Improvements 
  • Access to Log Files
  • Access to SQL Job statuses  
  • Newly Added Administrative Settings and Tables 
    • Vendor Accounts
    • Resource Groups
    • Serials
    • Acquisitions
    • & More!
  • Bulk Update Option for Polaris System Administration  (Web-Based)
    • Patron / Material Type Loan Limit Blocks
    • Fines
    • Loan Periods
    • & More!
• New Additions and Updates in Leap 
  • MARC Export in Leap
  • Automatic MARC Records Import 
    • FTP for EDI Orders
    • TCP/IP for OCLC
  • Bibliographic Templates in Leap
    • Create, Modify, and Delete
  • New Fiscal Year Rollover Utility
  • Leap Offline Updates
    • Offline Check-In has been added
  • Locale-Aware Sorting Enhancements
    • Sorting for regions where letters with diacritics are treated as distinct characters in the alphabet

 

 

Enhancement Requests Added to Polaris 8.0

Within Polaris 8.0 there were 6 added features and functionality that came right out of Idea Exchange enhancement requests. Polaris 8.0 is the third release to incorporate MEEP voting and 3 of the 6 enhancements were a result of MEEP voting. The features added as a result of enhancement requests and MEEP were: 

• Ability for a “Display” location that automatically clears at check-in.
• Patron timestamped non-blocking notes
• Initial articles within Leap Find Tool
• Patron Code Aging
• System Administration - Bulk Update Tables
• PAPI Key Management Permission 

 TIP: Did you know on the Polaris Roadmap anything with a light bulb icon indicates it is a feature from an enhancement request.

 

New and Modified Polaris Administrative Settings

The following table lists the new and modified profiles, parameters, and permissions in Polaris Administration.

Setting	Purpose	Level
New Settings
Patron Services: Allow Patron Aging Job	Enables the patron aging process, allowing the system to automatically assign patrons to the next level of patron code after reaching the required age.	System, Library, Branch
Patron Services: Hold Slip Options > Request ID	In libraries with custom smart lockers, this option allows users to include Request ID on hold slips so they can easily look up the request at the locker, place an item inside, and update the request.	System, Library, Branch
Patron Services: Hold Slip Options > Request ID QR Code	In libraries with custom smart lockers, this option allows users to include Request ID on hold slips so they can easily look up the request at the locker, place an item inside, and update the request.	System, Library, Branch
Web app > Suppress view: Dated notes	Indicates whether the Dated Notes view is suppressed from display in the Leap Patron Registration workform.	System, Library, Branch
New Permissions
Log Files: Access	Allows users with this permission to access all available log files for their organization through Polaris System Administration (web-based).	System
Modify patron code aging rules table	Add and modify entries in the Patron Code Aging Rules table that specify conditions for  automatic changes to patron codes after reaching a certain age. All organizations use the settings in this table.	System, Library, Branch
PAPI key management	Allows users with this permission to Access PAPI key management in the Administration Explorer to create, modify, and delete PAPI keys.	System
Patron status: Display dated notes	Allows users with this permission to view dated notes.	Branch
Patron status: Create dated notes	Allows users with this permission to create dated notes	Branch
Patron status: Delete dated notes	Allows users with this permission to delete dated notes.	Branch
SQL job status: Access	Allows users with this permission to access SQL Job Status from Polaris System Administration (web-based), view a list of all SQL jobs configured on the server, their statuses, and the history of selected job runs.	System

 

Polaris API changes

The following methods have been Updated: 

• API
  • Returns PAPI version information. Improved health check.
• UpdatePatronNotesData
  • Provides the ability to prepend, append, or replace staff notes on patrons. Updated to work with dated patron notes. 

 

For more information please review the Polaris API Reference Guide 8.0 located in our Documentation Portal.

 

Preparing to update your system

System Requirements

 TIP: Detailed requirement information can be found in the Polaris Operating System Requirements solution.  

• Windows Server 2016 or above is required.

  • Windows Server 2022 is now supported, however, please note Microsoft has removed support for local SMTP and an external SMTP server will now be required.

  •  

    Windows 2025 Support is now supported starting with Polaris 8.0.

     

• SQL Server 2016 or above is required.

   

   

  • SQL Server 2025 is still undergoing beta and is not officially supported at this time.

•  

  Windows 11 for the Staff Client installation 
  

  • Starting in Polaris 7.8, installation of the Windows Staff Client requires the 64-bit version of the OS.

  • Starting in Polaris 8.0 Windows 10 is no longer supported. Microsoft ceased support for Windows 10 starting in October 2025.

 NOTE: When the new Polaris release is installed on a workstation, the file path changes from 7.8 to 8.0 as in the following examples:

• C:\ProgramData\Polaris\8.0
• C:\Program Files\Polaris\8.0
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Polaris\8.0

 

Upgrading Your System

In order to schedule your upgrade to Polaris 8.0, please log a ticket with Support or utilize the Polaris Upgrade Request Form.