Data Management
Know where data lives and how long it lives
Pega data management questions usually hinge on data pages, data transforms, and class structure. A data page is a clipboard page loaded from a source such as a report definition, connector, activity, or data transform. Its scope controls lifetime and sharing: thread, requestor, node, or application. A parameterized data page is reusable for different inputs; a savable data page can be persisted and is appropriate when users create or update reference data. Read-only lookups should not be modeled as savable unless persistence is required.
Modeling and inheritance
Properties belong to classes, and inheritance determines which properties and rules are available. Property modes affect how values are presented and stored, so changing a mode can break existing logic. Prefer data types for reusable business entities and case data for values that belong to one case. Large or frequently changing reference data is usually better in a data page than embedded in case properties.
Traps candidates miss
A common trap is assuming every data page refreshes automatically. Refresh strategy and reload conditions matter. Another is confusing a data page source with its scope: the source supplies data; the scope controls lifetime. Also watch for questions that imply a data transform saves to a database by itself; persistence requires an appropriate save mechanism, such as saving a savable data page.
Worked rule of thumb
For a customer lookup by ID, create a parameterized data page with CustomerID as a parameter and a scope that matches reuse needs. If the page must be edited and saved, make it savable and call the save operation explicitly; otherwise keep it read-only.