diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index 40e27ad4e4..bcee9c37ad 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ Changelog
 
 0.12.0-alpha
 ------------
-**Date:** TBA
+**Date:** 2020-09-07
 
-[Title]
+Complex Numbers, Close & Backend Options
 
-[Summary]
+This release adds data type support for complex numbers, allows to close iterations and adds first support for backend configuration options (via JSON), which are currently implemented for ADIOS2.
+Further installation options have been added (homebrew and CLI tool support with pip).
+New free standing functions and macro defines are provided for version checks.
 
 Changes to "0.11.1-alpha"
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
@@ -27,17 +29,21 @@ Features
   - add ``Mesh_Record_Component.position`` read-write property #713
   - add ``openpmd-ls`` tool in ``pip`` installs and as module #721 #724
   - more idiomatic unit properties #735
+  - add ``file_extensions`` property #768
 - CD:
 
   - homebrew: add Formula (OSX/Linux) #724 #725
   - PyPI: autodeploy wheels (OSX/Linux) #716 #719
 - version compare macro #747
+- ``getFileExtensions`` function #768
 - Spack environment file ``spack.yaml`` added to repo #737
+- ``openpmd-ls``: add ``-v, --version`` option #771
 
 Bug Fixes
 """""""""
 
 - ``flush()`` exceptions in ``~Series``/``~..IOHandler`` do not abort anymore #709
+- ``Iteration``/``Attributable`` assignment operator left object in invalid state #769
 - ``Datatype.hpp``: add missing include #764
 - readme: python example syntax was broken and outdated #722
 - examples:
@@ -47,7 +53,7 @@ Bug Fixes
 - warnings:
 
   - ``listSeries``: unused params in try-catch #707
-  - fix Doxygen 1.18.8 warnings
+  - fix Doxygen 1.18.8 and 1.18.20 warnings #766
   - extended write example: remove MSVC warning #752
 
 Other
@@ -57,7 +63,7 @@ Other
 - ADIOS2: require version 2.6.0+ #754
 - separate header for export macros #704
 - rename ``AccessType``/``Access_Type`` to ``Access`` #740 #743 #744
-- CI:
+- CI & tests:
 
   - migration to travis-ci.com / GitHub app #703
   - migrate to GitHub checkout action v2 #712
@@ -69,6 +75,8 @@ Other
   - add Clang 10.0 builds #759
   - migrate Spack to use AppleClang #758
   - style check scripts: ``eval``-uable #757
+  - new Spack external package syntax #760
+  - python tests: ``testAttributes`` JSON backend coverage #767
 - ``listSeries``: remove unused parameters in try-catch #706
 - safer internal ``*dynamic_cast``s of pointers #745
 - CMake: subproject inclusion cleanup #751
diff --git a/NEWS.rst b/NEWS.rst
index d734a81b41..0bf52eceb9 100644
--- a/NEWS.rst
+++ b/NEWS.rst
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ Upgrade Guide
 0.12.0-alpha
 ------------
 
+CMake 3.12.0 is now the minimally supported version for CMake.
+ADIOS 2.6.0 is now the minimally supported version for ADIOS2 support.
+
 Python
 ^^^^^^
 
diff --git a/docs/source/conf.py b/docs/source/conf.py
index a24fa5025e..3eda6e33f7 100644
--- a/docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/docs/source/conf.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
 # The short X.Y version.
 version = u'0.12.0'
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = u'0.12.0-dev'
+release = u'0.12.0-alpha'
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
diff --git a/docs/source/index.rst b/docs/source/index.rst
index d8f187d31e..a3d796bea1 100644
--- a/docs/source/index.rst
+++ b/docs/source/index.rst
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ openPMD-api version      supported openPMD standard versions
 ======================== ===================================
 ``2.0.0+``               ``2.0.0+``      (not released yet)
 ``1.0.0+``               ``1.0.1-1.1.0`` (not released yet)
-``0.1.0-0.11.1`` (alpha) ``1.0.0-1.1.0``
+``0.1.0-0.12.0`` (alpha) ``1.0.0-1.1.0``
 ======================== ===================================
 
 .. toctree::
diff --git a/include/openPMD/version.hpp b/include/openPMD/version.hpp
index 5eb5fd16da..4de98a54ce 100644
--- a/include/openPMD/version.hpp
+++ b/include/openPMD/version.hpp
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 #define OPENPMDAPI_VERSION_MAJOR 0
 #define OPENPMDAPI_VERSION_MINOR 12
 #define OPENPMDAPI_VERSION_PATCH 0
-#define OPENPMDAPI_VERSION_LABEL "dev"
+#define OPENPMDAPI_VERSION_LABEL "alpha"
 /** @} */
 
 /** maximum supported version of the openPMD standard (read & write, compile-time)
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 72fbbc6ce1..dd92e8368a 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def build_extension(self, ext):
 setup(
     name='openPMD-api',
     # note PEP-440 syntax: x.y.zaN but x.y.z.devN
-    version='0.12.0.dev',
+    version='0.12.0a',
     author='Fabian Koller, Franz Poeschel, Axel Huebl',
     author_email='f.koller@hzdr.de, f.poeschel@hzdr.de, axelhuebl@lbl.gov',
     maintainer='Axel Huebl',