Upgrading to Enterprise
Use this page to upgrade from Ecrion Engage or EngageCX Converse to NorthStar CCM Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, or to move from NorthStar CCM Essentials up to Enterprise.
Who This Page Is For
| If you have... | Versions |
|---|---|
| Ecrion Engage | 12.0 (Nido), 13.0 (Onyx) |
| EngageCX Converse | 12.0 (Nido), 13.0 (Onyx), 14.0 (Ruby) |
Enterprise or Enterprise Plus?
Enterprise Plus includes everything in Enterprise, plus the Journeys, People, and Promotions apps and the Customer Portal for your recipients. To compare them, see Compare Solutions.
Upgrading from Essentials?
If you have the latest version of NorthStar CCM Essentials, but also want centralized project management, browser-based design tools, workflows, or AI-assisted authoring, see Moving from Essentials to Enterprise.
Upgrading from Engage or Converse
What Stays the Same
- Your templates and workflows. Enterprise is compatible with your existing templates and workflows.
- Your code and configuration. The upgrade introduces no breaking changes to your code or configurations. You'll need to reconfigure the new version after you install it.
- Signatures. Electronic signatures (dynamic signer assignment, date/name/initials signing, and workflow integration) and digital signatures (Adobe-trusted certificates, triggered by a workflow or the REST API) work the same way.
- Baseline accessibility. WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 support for PDF accessibility, added in 13.4.12 (Onyx), works as before.
- Integrations. NetSuite (added in 13.4.10) and OData 2.0 (refactored in 13.4.12) integrations continue to work as configured.
- Template design concepts. Desktop editing is still supported. The new browser-based NorthStar Designer mirrors the structure of the desktop Publisher editor, so the transition builds on what you know.
What's New
"Since" shows the first version or release that included each feature. All features below are included in both Enterprise and Enterprise Plus.
Template Design (NorthStar Designer)
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| Word and PowerPoint previews, multi-level list styles | R2026.08.1 (Sep 2026) |
| Multi-column layouts, editable and shareable sample data | R2026.07.1 (Aug 2026) |
| Repeating-row sorting, content fragments from selected content, in-window previews | R2026.05.1 (Jun 2026) |
| Table cell splitting, repeating-row filtering, multi-language previews | R2026.04.1 (May 2026) |
| Table cell merging | R2026.03.1 (Apr 2026) |
| Multi-cell selection and batch formatting in tables | R2026.02.1 (Mar 2026) |
| NorthStar Designer, a browser-based template editor | R2026.01.1 (Feb 2026) |
Forms and Email
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| Emails and workflows open in edit mode | R2026.08.1 (Sep 2026) |
| Multiple sections per form | R2026.06.1 (Jul 2026) |
| Hyperlinks and default sections in forms | R2026.05.1 (Jun 2026) |
| Rich text and lists in forms | R2026.04.1 (May 2026) |
| Images in forms | R2026.03.1 (Apr 2026) |
| Forms open in edit mode; drag-and-drop component reordering | R2026.02.1 (Mar 2026) |
| Synchronized text box fields | R2026.01.1 (Feb 2026) |
| AI-generated webforms from an uploaded PDF or Word document |
Accessibility
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| Adjustable line height | R2026.05.1 (Jun 2026) |
| Hyperlink alt text and adjustable letter spacing | R2026.04.1 (May 2026) |
| Embeddable-font indicator | R2026.03.1 (Apr 2026) |
| Simplified accessibility reports | R2026.01.1 (Feb 2026) |
| Accessibility verification: choose PDF/UA or WCAG 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2 per project, run reports, and track document status |
AI Assist (cloud only)
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| AI XPath validation and AI-generated sample data | R2026.07.1 (Aug 2026) |
| Plain-language XPath explanations | R2026.06.1 (Jul 2026) |
| AI-assisted XPath expression builder | R2026.04.1 (May 2026) |
| Admin control to enable or disable AI translation | R2026.03.1 (Apr 2026) |
| AI writing assistant (sentiment, tone, and length) and per-string AI translation | R2026.02.1 (Mar 2026) |
| AI Assist: generate content, analyze tone, and translate templates |
Document Output
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| Editable PowerPoint output with native tables and preserved styling | R2026.06.1 (Jul 2026) |
| AES 256-bit PDF encryption | 14.0 (Ruby), Aug 2024 |
| PDF 2.0 output | |
| Files and data sources embedded inside a rendered PDF | |
| Automatic downsizing of large images | |
| Single-click checkboxes in Word output |
Integrations, Signatures, and Data
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| Data model generated from an uploaded file; XML data source optimization | R2026.05.1 (Jun 2026) |
| Workflow parameters in business rules and XPath expressions | R2026.01.1 (Feb 2026) |
| Box Sign as an electronic-signature provider | R2025.01.1 (Feb 2025) |
| Box integration: dynamic folders, metadata, per-user copies, embedded links, automatic transfer of form uploads | 2025 |
Platform and Security
| Feature | Since |
|---|---|
| .NET Framework 4.8–compatible SDK | R2026.02.1 (Mar 2026) |
| Move from .NET Framework to .NET 10 | 14.0 (Ruby) |
| API upgraded from Swagger 2.0 to OpenAPI 3.0, with a .NET 10.0 SDK | 14.0 (Ruby) |
| Faster API-based folder and workspace downloads | |
| gRPC with TLS encryption between services, graceful shutdown during autoscaling, session timeouts | |
| Workflows that resume from the interrupted step instead of restarting | |
| OAuth 2.0 for SMTP authentication |
For details of recent releases, see the Release Notes.
Renamed Components and Concepts
| Earlier term | Current term |
|---|---|
| Ecrion Engage / EngageCX Converse | NorthStar CCM Enterprise or Enterprise Plus |
| XF Rendering Server | Publishing Engine |
| Data Aggregation Server | Data Engine |
| EngageCX API v1.0 (Ultrascale Client) | API v2 (v1 compatibility is an installation option) |
| Desktop-only template editing | NorthStar Designer (browser) and MHC Studio Publisher (desktop) |
C:\ProgramData\Ecrion |
C:\ProgramData\MHC Software |
Some earlier names still appear in the current product: MHCEngageCX in the installer file name, and EOS4 in database and configuration file names.
System Requirements by Version
| Requirement | 12.0 (Nido) | 13.0 (Onyx) | 14.0 (Ruby) and later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system (minimum) | Windows Server 2016 | Windows Server 2016 | Windows Server 2019 |
| Operating system (recommended) | Windows Server 2019 | Windows Server 2019 | Windows Server 2019 |
| CPU (minimum) | 1 CPU / 4 cores i5 @ 2 GHz | 1 CPU / 4 cores i5 @ 2 GHz | 1 CPU / 4 cores i5 @ 2 GHz |
| CPU (recommended) | Xeon E5, 8 cores | 2 CPU / 8 cores Xeon @ 3 GHz | 2 CPU / 8 cores Xeon @ 3 GHz |
| RAM (minimum / recommended) | 4 GB / 16 GB | 4 GB / 16 GB | 4 GB / 16 GB |
| High Availability CPU and memory | 2× the above | 2× the above | 2× the above |
| Storage (minimum / recommended) | 10 GB / 1 TB | 10 GB / 1 TB | 10 GB / 1 TB |
| .NET | .NET Framework 4.7.2 | .NET Framework 4.7.2 | .NET Framework 4.8, .NET 10 Runtime, ASP.NET 10 Runtime, ASP.NET 10 Hosting Bundle |
| IIS | 7.0 or later | 7.0 or later | 10.0 or later (IIS Express not supported) |
| URL Rewrite | Required | Required | 2.1 or later |
| Visual C++ Redistributable | — | 2015–2022 (x64) | 2015–2022 (x64) |
| SQL Server (minimum) | 2016 or later | 2016 or later | 2016 or later |
| SQL Server (recommended) | 2016 or later | 2019 or later | 2022 or later |
| Database permissions | db_owner to install; db_datareader, db_datawriter, db_backupoperator, and EXECUTE at runtime | Same | Same |
| Browsers | Chrome 69+, Edge 42+, Opera 56+, Safari 5+, Firefox 62+ | Same | Same |
For full current requirements, see Enterprise Requirements.
Before You Begin
- Confirm your servers meet the Upgrade Requirements.
- Back up your storage folder and your NorthStar CCM database.
- Plan a maintenance window: services and websites must be stopped during the upgrade.
Upgrade Steps
The Upgrade Process guide covers each step in detail:
- Review the hardware and software requirements.
- Back up your storage folder and database.
- Stop the NorthStar CCM services and websites.
- Uninstall Ecrion Engage or EngageCX Converse.
- Rename the configuration folder from
EcriontoMHC Software. - Set up whitelist folders and any additional optional configuration.
- Install the new NorthStar CCM version.
- Check and test your installation.
After Upgrading
- Sign in to the Enterprise Website (default port 8094) and confirm your projects, templates, and workflows are available.
- Review the Post-Installation Configuration, including IIS bindings and secure connections.
- Check system status and background services in the Administration Website. See the Sysadmin Guide.
For help, contact northstarccmsupport@mhcautomation.com.
Moving from Essentials to Enterprise
If you use NorthStar CCM Essentials (or Ecrion Develop or EngageCX Create), Enterprise adds a complete communication management application on top of the rendering engine you already use:
- Group and manage files by project.
- Create and edit templates, emails, forms, and reusable content fragments in the browser, with AI tools on cloud.
- Check templates for accessibility requirements.
- Build and run workflows.
- Migrate and convert existing templates, with AI assistance on cloud.
For the full list of Enterprise features, see What's New above. Enterprise is compatible with your existing templates and introduces no breaking changes to your current code or configurations, although you'll need to configure the new installation. Enterprise also has additional system requirements, including SQL Server and IIS.
To get started, review the Enterprise Requirements and contact your account team.