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+# New features
+
+## Updated Kafka support
+
+Updated the Apache Kafka core dependency to version 3.3.1.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13176
+
+
+## Query engine
+
+### BIG_SUM SQL function
+
+Added SQL function `BIG_SUM` that uses the [Compressed Big Decimal](https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/10705) Druid extension.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13102
+
+### Add Compressed Big Decimal min and max functions
+
+Added min and max functions for Compressed Big Decimal and exposed these functions via SQL: BIG_MIN and BIG_MAX.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13141
+
+### Metrics used to downsample bucket
+
+Changed the way the MSQ task engine determines whether or not to downsample data, to improve accuracy. The task engine now uses the number of bytes instead of number of keys.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/12998
+
+### MSQ Docker improvement
+
+Enabled MSQ query engine for Docker by default.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13069
+
+### Improved MSQ warnings
+
+For disallowed MSQ warnings of certain types, the warning is now surfaced as the error.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13198
+
+
+## Querying
+
+### Improvements to querying user experience
+
+Exposed HTTP response headers for SQL queries.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13052
+
+### Enable async reads for JDBC
+
+Prevented JDBC timeouts on long queries by returning empty batches when a batch fetch takes too long. Uses an async model to run the result fetch concurrently with JDBC requests.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13196
+
+### Enabled composite approach for checking in-filter values set in column dictionary
+
+To accommodate large value sets arising from large in-filters or from joins pushed down as in-filters, Druid now uses sorted merge algorithm for merging the set and dictionary for larger values.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13133
+
+### Add new configuration keys to query context security model
+
+Added the following configuration keys that refine the query context security model controlled by `druid.auth.authorizeQueryContextParams`:
+* `druid.auth.unsecuredContextKeys`: The set of query context keys that do not require a security check.
+* `druid.auth.securedContextKeys`: The set of query context keys that do require a security check.
+
+
+## Nested columns
+
+### Refactor a data source before unnest 
+
+When data requires "flattening" during processing, the operator now takes in an array and then flattens the array into N (N=number of elements in the array) rows where each row has one of the values from the array.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13085
+
+
+## Ingestion
+
+### Improved control for how Druid reads JSON data for streaming ingestion
+
+You can now better control how Druid reads JSON data for streaming ingestion by setting the following fields in the input format specification:
+
+* `assumedNewlineDelimited` to parse lines of JSON independently.
+* `useJsonNodeReader` to retain valid JSON events when parsing multi-line JSON events when a parsing exception occurs.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13089
+
+### Kafka Consumer improvement
+
+Allowed Kafka Consumer's custom deserializer to be configured after its instantiation.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13097
+
+### Fix Overlord leader election
+
+Fixed a problem where Overlord leader election failed due to lock reacquisition issues. Druid now fails these tasks and clears all locks so that the Overlord leader election isn't blocked.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13172
+
+### Support for inline protobuf descriptor
+
+Added a new `inline` type `protoBytesDecoder` that allows a user to pass inline the contents of a Protobuf descriptor file, encoded as a Base64 string.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13192
+
+### When a Kafka stream becomes inactive, prevent Supervisor from creating new indexing tasks
+
+Added Idle feature to `SeekableStreamSupervisor` for inactive stream.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13144
+
+
+## Operations
+
+### Segment discovery
+
+The default segment discovery method now uses HTTP instead of ZooKeeper.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13092
+
+### Memory estimates
+
+The task context flag `useMaxMemoryEstimates` is now set to false by default to improve memory usage estimation.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13178
+
+### Docker improvements
+
+Updated dependencies for the Druid image for Docker, including JRE 11. Docker BuildKit cache is enabled to speed up building.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13059
+
+### Segment replication
+
+Improved the process of checking server inventory to prevent over-replication of segments during segment balancing.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13114
+
+### Kill tasks do not include markAsUnuseddone
+
+When you kill a task, Druid no longer automatically marks segments as unused. You must explicitly mark them as unused with `POST /druid/coordinator/v1/datasources/{dataSourceName}/markUnused`. 
+For more information, see the [API reference](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/operations/api-reference.html#coordinator)
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13104
+
+### Nested columns performance improvement
+
+Improved `NestedDataColumnSerializer` to no longer explicitly write null values to the field writers for the missing values of every row. Instead, passing the row counter is moved to the field writers so that they can backfill null values in bulk.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13101
+
+### Provide service specific log4j overrides in containerized deployments
+
+Provided an option to override log4j configs setup at the service level directories so that it works with Druid-operator based deployments.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13020
+
+### Various Docker improvements
+
+* Updated Docker to run with JRE 11 by default.
+* Updated Docker to use [`gcr.io/distroless/java11-debian11`](https://github.com/GoogleContainerTools/distroless) image as base by default.
+* Enabled Docker buildkit cache to speed up building.
+* Downloaded [`bash-static`](https://github.com/robxu9/bash-static) to the Docker image so that scripts that require bash can be executed.
+* Bumped builder image from `3.8.4-jdk-11-slim` to `3.8.6-jdk-11-slim`.
+* Switched busybox from `amd64/busybox:1.30.0-glibc` to `busybox:1.35.0-glibc`.
+* Added support to build arm64-based image.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13059
+
+### Improved supervisor termination
+
+Fixed issues with delayed supervisor termination during certain transient states.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13072
+
+### Fixed problem when running Druid with JDK11+
+
+Export `com.sun.management.internal` when running Druid under JRE11 and JRE17.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13068
+
+### Enable cleaner JSON for various input sources and formats
+
+Added JsonInclude to various properties, to avoid population of default values in serialized JSON.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13064
+
+### Improved metric reporting
+
+Improved global-cached-lookups metric reporting.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13219
+
+### Fix a bug in HttpPostEmitter
+
+Fixed a bug in HttpPostEmitter where the emitting thread was prematurely stopped while there was data to be flushed.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13237
+
+### Improve direct memory check on startup
+
+Improved direct memory check on startup by providing better support for Java 9+ in `RuntimeInfo`, and clearer log messages where validation fails.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13207
+
+### Add a new way of storing STRING type columns
+
+Added support for 'front coded' string dictionaries for smaller string columns.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/12277
+
+
+## Extensions
+
+### Extension optimization
+
+Optimized the `compareTo` function in `CompressedBigDecimal`.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13086
+
+### CompressedBigDecimal cleanup and extension
+
+Removed unnecessary generic type from CompressedBigDecimal, added support for number input types, added support for reading aggregator input types directly (uningested data), and fixed scaling bug in buffer aggregator.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13048
+
+
+## Web console
+
+### Old query view is no longer available
+
+The old query view is removed. Use the new query view with tabs.
+For more information, see [Web console](https://druid.apache.org/docs/latest/operations/web-console.html#query).
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13169
+
+### Filter column values in query results
+
+The web console now allows you to add to existing filters for a selected column.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13169
+
+### Ability to add issue comments
+
+You can now add an issue comment in SQL, for example `--:ISSUE: this is an issue` that is rendered in red and prevents the SQL from running.  The comments are used by the spec-to-SQL converter to indicate that something could not be converted.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13136
+
+### Support Kafka lookups
+
+Added support for Kafka-based lookups rendering and input in the web console.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13098
+
+### Improved array detection
+
+Added better detection for arrays containing objects.
+
+https://github.com/apache/druid/pull/13077