We are excited to announce the early access release of KNIME Analytics Platform Version 5. This is the first version that offers the new UI by default and features a Starter Perspective that restricts the set of recommended nodes to those which are beginner friendly. You’ll also notice improvements to the workflow editor and search, as well as a handful of new data wrangling nodes.
You can find all information and download links to this release here. (Please note that we do not recommend using this early access version for production yet and thus do not offer an update from KNIME Analytics Platform 4.7 to 5.0.)
We would love to hear your feedback! Please use this forum thread to tell us what you like, what could be improved, and if anything is missing that we don’t have on the list of known limitations below. If you run into any problems please follow the Bug Reporting Best Practices.
Known limitations:
Community or partner extensions are not available
Some workflow editing features are still missing, but we are working on them, e.g.
Still no molecule rendering in tables. Unfortunately that’s a dealbreaker for pharma users.
I guess that will require community or partner extensions to provide the renderer. I assume the table will then be able to display the structures in the rows…?
Otherwise, it is looking good. The node browser is a lot better and easier to navigate.
Thanks! I like the new direction and I have seen that a lot of important requests have been raised in the previous thread. Simple question can I have the two versions on the same machine? I like experimenting on the new but I would still need to work on the old one…
If you are windows OS, you can do multiple installs if you use the zip file download instead of the windows installer. I use windows installer for my main “production” work install, and a zip file for testing / forum help. Just be sure to put them in different folders and workspaces.
Just to be clear, features like customization profiles to connect to a KNIME Server are still to follow? I’d like to connect to our server to see how that’s reflected in the new version.
Good morning,
the interface is awesome and saves a lot of time, with metanodes and components.
What is missing is being able to choose to display the data outputs in a window to be able to (sort, search) as in the old version.
The KNIME server is not available in this version.
It is not possible to modify the lines that connect the nodes.
Would it be possible to put in option the bottom part which displays the data and the variables permanently.
Hey, Scott. Really excited about the early access.
A few things from my install this morning:
It would be great to have a prompt for scanning all workflows in a repository and installing all required extensions for all workflows at once rather than me opening my often-used workflows and installing. This would be a quality-of-life improvement.
I can’t seem to edit/create annotations. I can see them in my previously created workflows, but can’t manipulate them or add new ones.
Consider changing the order of the tabs in the Modern UI from Details > Nodes > Workspace to Workspace > Nodes > Details, or make these sortable on our side.
The icons at the top of the screen are not rendering very clearly
I reeeeeeaaaaaally need those alignment buttons back.
It’s not really clear that I need to click the (i) button on the top right to get to settings, etc. I would just put all those as icons in that Home box at the top. Check out my awesome copy/paste skills:
Great job on the new version of the KNIME program! The updated version looks amazing and much more user-friendly. As I continue to use it, I will share my thoughts.
Here are some suggestions for new features (I hope it’s okay to share them here):
It would be great to have an AI chat function like ChatGPT, where users could ask for suggestions on which nodes to use for specific outcomes. This would be especially helpful for those new to KNIME or not comfortable with coding. As the leader of a team of news journalists who are uncomfortable with coding, I believe this feature would significantly reduce the learning curve for new KNIME users.
It would be helpful to be able to export workflows as code scripts (e.g., Java or Python) so that colleagues in the IT production team can use them in an application. Unfortunately, my company is very restrictive, and they wouldn’t use KNIME to develop an application, so anything I build on KNIME has to be rebuilt from scratch by my IT team.
Regarding the design, here is some feedback:
The universal design approach for the menu is a three-line hamburger icon located in the top left corner of the application. Please avoid nesting the menu inside an info icon on the right side, as it doesn’t feel natural and will confuse people.
Set up to open the menu as a slide bar or a dropdown menu, not as a separate page. This would produce a more natural transition and be less cognitively straining for the user.
Instead of a home button, consider adding the option to select “create a workflow in the local space” or “sign into the KNIME community hub” directly from the sliding or dropdown menu. This would make the process easier and faster.
It would be helpful to be able to open two separate KNIME windows to see two workflows or metanodes side by side. Going back and forth between tabs can be cognitively straining for the user.
I’m open to be reached by the KNIME team to provide further feedback in a one to one session.
Hey @rsherhod,
as soon as you have installed the RDKit Nodes Feature – KNIME Community Hub extension you should have a renderer in the table for molecules. We still need to improve the row heights, but rendering molecules should already work.
edit: The extension is not yet working with the early access version.
Nice job for KNIME 5.0.0,
After a little time exploring, still need more time, I think I need “open component” in the context menu, when right click on component, it is available on 4.7 but I cannot find it in 5.0
I’m using Macbook Pro M1Pro, Arm64
The new column rename doesn’t have the ability to change the column type, which is a handy node feature for columns with an unknown type to change to string.
I suggest you move the filter and search icons for the preview panel to the right side instead of the left side. That way it is easy and fast to access when you’re working with multiple columns without having to scroll all the way to the right all the time.
Another comment about the column renamer node, it would be very useful to be able to search what column you want to rename. In a workflow with dozens of columns, it is draining to search for the column you want to edit… I sense some nodes have been oversimplified for the sake of design and elegance, sacrificing functionality
I am not able to open KNIME AP 5, which I installed with the .exe and tried with the extract.
Not sure, what the problem is - but here my windows specs (64bit).
The type conversion for columns should be anyways easier in my opinion. I think it’s strange to use the column rename node to tackle missing column types Could be maybe one node with several conversion capabilities. Just my thoughts on it
Could be maybe one node with several conversion capabilities. Just my thoughts on it