Keeping up with TOPdesk releases: what to check per update

TOPdesk updates its SaaS environments continuously. According to TOPdesk's SaaS information page, every environment gets the latest version each week. Most changes are small. Some do touch what you configured yourself: a form, an integration, a report or your operators' permissions. Without a fixed routine, you only notice when a call about it comes in. A set round for each update prevents that.

How TOPdesk SaaS is updated

TOPdesk used to release four major versions a year; now it ships small, frequent releases. A new version first goes to a small group of test environments. As long as no bugs are reported, more and more environments follow. If you have a test environment, it is updated first by default, and production at least one day later. Installation happens at night, and users see a notice in TOPdesk beforehand so they can save their work.

A release does not mean you see everything straight away. TOPdesk's AI features page states that new functionality is rolled out in phases and appears in your environment within five weeks of the release. Nor does everything switch on by itself. The AI features are disabled by default: an application manager turns them on under Functional Settings > AI Settings, and what is available depends on your pricing package. You also switch on the new SelfServicePortal yourself. TOPdesk's update guide for it lists what the new version does not yet include.

Where to read what changes

Every change is listed in TOPdesk's release notes. Preferably open them from within TOPdesk, via TOPdesk menu > Help > Product News > Release Notes in the Operator Section. You then see the updates for your environment's version. You can filter by hosting and functionality. API changes have their own release notes.

According to the SaaS information page, TOPdesk announces high-impact changes in the release notes six months in advance. In May 2026, for example, it announced there that it will phase out some features and modules on 23 November 2026. KI 19238 on My TOPdesk lists them.

The Product Update newsletter, the What's New in TOPdesk blog series and the public roadmap are useful for an overview but do not replace the release notes. Those also include the small changes that can affect your configuration.

What to check for each update

Something changes every week. So choose a fixed moment that suits your environment, and go through the same five steps each time.

1. Read the release notes alongside your own configuration

Filter on the parts you use. Put each change that matters into one of three groups: it affects your existing configuration, it is a new feature you may want to use, or it announces something that will change or disappear. If you have integrations, read the API release notes as well.

2. Work out what it affects

Then go through these parts of your configuration:

• Forms and the SelfServicePortal: check whether anything changes in how callers submit a question or request.
• Permissions: decide who gets access to a new feature. According to TOPdesk, an AI feature you enable becomes available to all operators without restriction.
• Automation: events and actions in Action Management respond to changes in a card, such as a field that gets a different value. If TOPdesk changes something in such a card or field, check that your actions still do what they should. How to test and document these automations is covered in Events and actions in TOPdesk.
• Integrations: TOPdesk sometimes releases a new version of an API endpoint and marks the old one as deprecated. The old version keeps working for a while, but may be removed later.
• Reporting: TOPdesk announces new versions of the OData feed in the release notes. According to the documentation, an old version is usually supported for about six months, and when you switch, existing reports may stop working. What that means for a report in Power BI is covered on aureadesk.com in Reporting on TOPdesk in Power BI.

3. Test in the test environment

By default, a test environment runs at least one day ahead of production. That margin can be short, so decide in advance what to test. Focus on what the update touches: log a call through the form, let the action run, check that the integration still exchanges data and refresh the report. Keep test configured like production, or you test something other than what your users will see.

4. Decide what to switch on

Switching on a new feature is a decision about your configuration, not a technical step. Discuss it with the process owner and try it in test first. For larger changes, read what TOPdesk publishes, such as the update guide for the new SelfServicePortal. Then record what you switched on, when and why.

5. Inform the people it affects

TOPdesk's notice before an update is there so people can save their work. What changes in their daily work, you tell them yourself. Keep it short and aim it at those who notice: operators when their card or overview changes, callers when the SelfServicePortal changes.

Track announcements separately

Announcements are easily buried among the weekly changes. Keep them on a separate list: what changes, on which date, and what it affects in your environment. Go through that list every round. That way you use the lead time TOPdesk gives you, rather than finding out on the last day that a report no longer works.

Make it someone's job

A routine like this mostly falls away when it is nobody's job, or when someone does it on top of the daily calls. So give the round a named owner and a stand-in.

With TOPdesk Functional Management, we take that round off your hands: we read the release notes, test what touches your configuration and decide with you what to switch on. If you would rather buy administration as a fixed package, there is TOPdesk Managed Services. The release check is included in every package.