Since I am now using JMP 17.2 Pro, should we upgrade to JMP 18 Pro?

[#1]

It is my opinion that updating software as new releases become aware is the correct thing to do.  However, when to do the update is more of an issue.  Typically, I do not make a new release of JMP the default version, until 2 items take place.  1. I have taken the time to become familiar with the new version. Multiple version of JMP can be maintained on the same computer, allowing for testing and familiarizing before making the new version the production version.  2. The first maintenance release for the new version has been distributed.  This is usually about 3 months after the initial release.

Again, these are my opinions, and I assume, other Community members will also have theirs.

[#2]

Maybe. Are you concerned about getting new features? About support? Stability?

I've been working with the JMP 18 Early Adopter for a year. Look at https://community.jmp.com/t5/Blogs/ct-p/Blogs for some information about new features. JMP has always been good about supporting older versions, but being several versions old will be hard for everyone. 17.2 is still quite fresh. JMP's cycle tends to be about 18 months, with a N.1 and N.2 maintenance during the 18 months. The N.2 versions are generally quite solid.

Better collection: https://community.jmp.com/t5/JMPer-Cable/bg-p/jmper-cable

[#3]

Usually, I will wait other user feedback if any other bugs (3-4 months after release).

Well, I've complained some bugs in 17.2 (How-to-save-Dashboard-to-run-animation-gif-through-JSL  ).

If new version can resolve it, I will upgrade 1 system to JMP 18 for testing first (test all my JMP17.2 scripts/add-in) - this activity is really taking a lot of time.

[#4]

I agree with everything that @Craige_Hales and @txnelson have contributed. I'll add a bit of a different perspective. "Should I upgrade?"... is always a good question for your JMP sales team as well. They will know the specifics of your specific license agreement, deployment, IT configuration, and other information or issues that could shed light on the best path forward for you individually and perhaps your organization more holistically.

[#5 · Accepted solution]

There are really BIG improvements - which get advertised.
The direct integration of Python in JMP v18 sound very promising.
Other new features are presented in Angling, Wrangling, and Untangling Data 

It could also be a "tiny" improvement which makes your work life orders of magnitude more efficient - like the new option in MFI:

which allows the user to select files in a much more flexible way.
After adjusting our import scripts, I see orders of magnitude speed improvement with the EA version, especially when I want to open a file from a network drive with thousands of files. Jmp 18 doesn't scan the input path anymore, so it just takes a few seconds till the files get loaded.

Another tiny, but very powerful improvement: Summary Statistics for Smoother plots

[#6]

Hi @thiennguyen   Perhaps there’s some food for thought here as well.

https://community.jmp.com/t5/Discussions/SAS-Integration-support-is-being-removed-in-JMP-18/m-p/6725...