What's new in Configuration Hub

July 2025

Capability to create inbound, pull-type connections along with the capability to schedule tasks: The capability to create pull-type connections is now extended to create inbound connections, as well. For more information, see Adding pull connections to send data. Also, when you create inbound pull-type connections, you can now introduce scheduling of tasks. For more information, see Setting up schedulers.

June 2025

Multiple-input, multiple-output lookup: For querying purposes, the HISPEED logic is enhanced with the CodeListQuery user exit to support multiple-input and multiple-output code lists. For more information, see Multiple-input, multiple-output code lists.

Support for updating code list by using APIs: Configuration Hub now supports by using APIs for updating code lists. While your administrator uploads code lists, you can instruct your administrator to create custom columns for you by using these APIs. Your administrator can also use the API to update code lists to introduce new columns. For more information, see Code list update API.

Support for custom column names in code lists and other enhancements

In Configuration Hub, you can now use custom names for column titles. However, since the application uses the SenderCode and ReceiverCode fields for identification, you must still have the columns in your code list. To use custom column names, you must first enable the feature when you create a code list.

Also, the following other enhancements are introduced.

You can have more columns in a code list.
You can look up by using those column names.
You can use a combination of any columns (or column names) for the input parameters and retrieve query results for more than one column. The corresponding code logic in the maps is now enhanced to support this feature.

For more information, see Creating code lists.

April 2025

Support for envelopes: Configuration Hub now supports creating envelopes that are compliant with X12 standards. Before you create a compliant envelope, you can create global control numbers. For more information, see Envelopes.

Support for bulk import jobs: Configuration Hub now supports work queues for bulk jobs. As of now, the feature is restricted to bulk import of envelopes. For more information, see Working with jobs.

March 2025

Support for HMAC authentication: Configuration Hub now supports creating HMAC-based authentication, which is a hashing-based message authentication code. The authentication mechanism helps verify whether a message or snippet of data comes from a trusted source and is not tampered with. For more information, see HMAC-based authentication.

July 2024

Support for HTTPS adapter for inbound and outbound connections: Configuration Hub now supports HTTPS for inbound (Sending) connections and outbound (Receiving) connections. When you create a connection within your company or for your trading partner connections, you can use the HTTPS protocol. For more information about inbound connections, see Adding push connections to send data. For more information about outbound connections, see Adding push connections to receive data.; Note: The HTTPS method supports only the push-type, outbound connections.

Support for multiple retries during connection timeout: Configuration Hub now supports multiple retries during a connection timeout. When configuring a connection in the CTE or production environments, you can opt for either Linear or Exponential retries. Previously, the retry feature was restricted to only configuring the number and duration of retry intervals. For more information, see Connection timeout retries. The corresponding APIs are also updated. For more information, see the APIs.

June 2024

Support for integration with IBM-approved external systems: Configuration Hub now supports data integration with IBM-approved external systems. While you create an inbound connection, you can enable this configuration in the connection. You can later select an external system while you edit the connection. For more information about enabling external integration, see Setting up connections.

May 2024

Support for uploading code lists in XML format that supports Sterling Integrator: In Configuration Hub, you can now upload code lists in the XML format that supports Sterling Integrator. Previously, only an IBM Support might do it on your behalf. This change impacts the process for creating code lists. For more information, see Creating code lists and Uploading changed code list.

Segregation of duty for approving and deploying maps

Configuration Hub is enhanced to segregate the duty between submitting maps for production readiness review and approving or deploying maps. Your administrator can introduce this change from B2Bi SaaS Hub. For this purpose, a new value, Edit only CTE, view all, has been introduced in the drop down field for Maps access on the Edit application page. For more information about the procedure, see Segregation of duty for submitting or approving maps.

As a business user, you can submit a map to a reviewer. As an administrator, or as a business user with production deployment privilege, you can review and deploy a map. For this purpose, the user interface (UI) is now enhanced to introduce the following three tabs on the Mappings page.

Pending review
Pending production deploy
Rejected review

For administrators, or business users with production deployment privilege, submitting maps for review and deployment is optional and configurable. If you are a user with such a role, and want to disable submitting for reviews, you can set Submit for review to Off. To review and deploy a map, you can either assign a map to yourself even if it is assigned to some other user or select Review from within the Action options menu. You can also find this action on the map listing and details pages. For more information, see Reviewing map changes.

March 2024

Support for multipart/form-data added to Configuration Hub: Configuration Hub now supports multipart/form-data, which you can use to add multiple data types in a single request. For this purpose, a new field, Request body type, is added to the connection creation process. For more information, see Adding push connections to receive data.

Introduction of SSL certificate expiration API: The API is used for displaying a list of SSL certificates that are either nearing or past their expiration dates. You can provide the expiration duration in only the number of days. You can also view the list for the connections that use these SSL certificates. For more information, see SSL certificate expiration API.

February 2024

Introduction of PGP key expiration API: The Expiry based PGP keys API is used for displaying a list of PGP keys that are either nearing or past their expiration dates. You can provide the expiration duration in only the number of days. If you do not provide the duration, the results are displayed for the keys that are either already past the expiration date or expire in the next 45 days and are grouped by the company (tenant). The results are displayed in the ascending order of dates of expiration with the latest first. For more information, see PGP key expiration API.

January 2024

IBM Support and customer administrators can now associate system certificates within the non-customer context: As an IBM Support or the customer administrator, you can now also associate a system certificate within the non-customer context. Previously, you could only associate trusted certificates. For more information, see Adding certificates for trading partner resources.

Improvements to the user interface (UI)

As part of the continued effort to create a streamlined, efficient UI, Configuration Hub contains the reorganized side navigation menu. With this change, each menu item is categorized into company-specific and trading partner-specific submenu items.

The following are the details:

You can access your company's configuration settings that are related to business aliases, prefixes, and trading partners in Company configurations. To use trading partner resources, you must first create an association with your trading partners from within your company configuration. For more information, see Company configurations.
You can access your company's mappings, code lists, PGP keys, connections, SSL certificates, and other details in Company resources. For more information, see Company resources.
You can access all your trading partner configurations in Trading partner resources. For more information, see Trading partner resources. With the latest change, you can now use the Trading partner resources section to do the following actions.
- Create a PGP key for a trading partner.
- Add and manage connections within the trading partner association.
- Generate, upload, and share SSL certificates with your trading partner association.
The Map test tool can be accessed independently within the menu.

October 2023

Choose an environment to read associated code lists when running map tests: When running map tests by using Configuration Hub Map Test Tool, you can now choose an environment and select the associated code lists. Previously, the code lists associated with maps in only the customer test environment (CTE) were selected by default. For more information, see Running map tests.

Using JSON to upload code lists: Now, you can use the JSON format to upload code lists. Previously, the application only supported the CSV format to upload code lists. For more information, see Creating code lists.

September 2023

Support for one-way SSL authentication: Configuration Hub now supports one-way SSL authentication. You can enable this authentication by setting SSL certificates to On. For more information, see Enabling mutual or one-way SSL certificates.

API key added as an authentication type: When creating push type outbound connections within My Connections and Trading partner connections, you can select API key as the authentication type. For more information, see Adding CTE configurations for outbound push connections.

August 2023

Support for dynamic header and query values: Configuration Hub now supports dynamic values for header, query, and API URL. While passing additional information with an HTTP request and response, you can include the dynamic values that are specified in this list. For more information about the list of acceptable values, see Query and header values.
Note: The capability is available only for outbound push-type connections.

Create and share SSL certificates: As part of the continued effort to establish a secured connection, Configuration Hub is enhanced with the support for mutual TLS. A part of the introduction of this feature is the capability to create system and trusted (SSL) certificates. For more information, see SSL certificates.

Create and share PGP keys: You can create, view, edit, and share PGP keys. For more information, see PGP keys.

June 2023

Role-based access to resources: With the new release, the access to resources, such as maps, code lists, and connections can be assigned at a granular level. For each resource type, you, as a customer administrator or an IBM Support, can assign role-based access (All access, View only, or None) that is specific to resources. For more information, see Adding users.

May 2023

Share response: To configure how to process the response or receive it, you can enable the Share response toggle for outbound connections. For more information about configuring Share reponse when creating a trading partner public connection, see Using an existing public connection to deploy configuration to trading partner. For more information about configuring Share response when creating a private connection, see Adding CTE configurations for outbound (push) connection.

Support for OAuth 2.0 authentication method: Configuration Hub now supports OAuth 2.0 authentication for outbound push connections. For more information, see Adding CTE configurations for outbound (push) connection.

April 2023

Skip environment for variant type code lists: When you upload and deploy a checked-out code list, you can now skip either CTE or the production environment. For more information, see Skipping environments during uploading a new code list.

January 2023

Migration to Carbon design language: As part of the continuous improvement to IBM Sterling B2B Integration SaaS Configuration Hub, the user interface (UI) is now updated to match the design language throughout IBM products. The new UI elements in Configuration Hub introduce noticeable styling and layout changes. However, the underlying functions remain the same.

August 2022

Enhanced quality and validation check during map quality review in Configuration Hub: The quality and validation check is enhanced to fail the test upon encountering unlisted user exits. For more information, see Reviewing the map quality review report.

July 2022

Enhanced quality and validation check during map quality review in Configuration Hub: The quality and validation check is enhanced to fail the test upon encountering unlisted user exits. For more information, see Reviewing the map quality review report.

Activating and deactivating private and public connections in Configuration Hub: You can activate and deactivate both private and public connections from the My connections list page. And you can activate or deactivate only a private connection from the Trading partners list page. For more information, see Activating and deactivating connections.

June 2022

Create maps by using Configuration Hub: Create maps by using Configuration Hub. For more information, see Creating maps.

April 2022

Filter conditions for code lists and maps enhanced: Filter conditions are enhanced for code lists and maps. For more information, see Finding and downloading a code list and Finding and downloading maps.

Deleted or missing keysets Configuration Hub: For all inbound connection and only those outbound connections of the Pull type that use API keys, if the key is deleted from IBM Sterling B2B Integration SaaS Hub, an error message is displayed in Configuration Hub. For more information, see Deleted or missing keys of connections.

Activate or deactivate a public connection in the Configuration Hub user interface: As a user, company administrator (admin), or a representative of IBM Support, activate or deactivate a connection. For more information, see Activating and deactivating connections.

Sort and paginate trading partners in the Configuration Hub user interface: Sort the trading partners in the ascending or descending format on the Status and SCI company ID fields. And list trading partners in a paginated format. For more information, see Finding and viewing a connection list.

Filter conditions added to the Trading partner connections listing page: Filter conditions added to enhance and refine the results that are displayed on the trading partners list page. For more information, see Viewing trading partner details.

Discard a connection edit in the Configuration Hub user interface: As a user, company administrator (admin), or a representative of IBM Support, discard a connection edit. For more information, see Discarding connection edits.

Perform transfer edit on My connections and Trading partner connections pages: Transfer a connection while you are editing it. This feature is available in the work in progress status. For more information, see Transferring connection edits.

Block or unblock a trading partner from using a public connection: As a user, company administrator (admin), or a representative of IBM Support, block or unblock a trading partner from using a public connection. You can also view its relationship with trading partner when the connection is blocked. For more information, see Blocking and unblocking public connections.

Lock or unlock a connection: Lock a connection from restricting other users from working on the connection. For more information, see Locking and unlocking connections

Filter conditions enhanced for connections: Filter conditions are enhanced for connections. For more information, see Finding and viewing a connection list.

February 2022

Create code lists by using Configuration Hub: Create variant and nonvariant code list by using Configuration Hub. For more information, see Creating code lists.

November 2021

Introduced API Connections Configuration Hub: Introduced API Connections Gateway to create, establish, and map connections by using APIs. For more information, see Finding and viewing a connection list.