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Rules management

Updated on November 18, 2021

A rule is a basic building block of an application that defines its behavior. Pega Platform applications contain many types of rules that specify different types of behavior. Because rules are reusable, by implementing them, you can save time and resources when you build your application.

Rules define the display of forms, the UI fields, the flows for work processes, and multiple other software elements. The system can reuse rules throughout your application. For example, in an application for ordering replacements parts, you can define a UI element to capture an address, and then reuse the rule to capture the mailing address and billing address for the order.

You configure rules to create a business solution for your organization and customers. Rules provide flexibility during the development process and help you design applications more efficiently so that you can implement the rules again in future projects.

For learning metarials about rules, see Creating a rule module on Pega Academy.

  • Creating rules

    To save time and ensure that your projects meet the needs of your clients, create rules and data instances using reusable elements of your application. By combining a rule type, name, class, and ruleset, you provide a unique identity for each rule that you create.

  • Organizing rules into rulesets

    To identify, store, and manage the set of rules that define the reusable elements of an application, organize rules into rulesets. When you group rules into a ruleset, you save time, because you can reuse an entire ruleset within different applications in your system instead of reusing or creating individual rules.

  • Organizing rules into classes

    For more efficient management of your applications, organize rules into classes. A class describes a collection of rules or other objects, such as properties, activities, and HTML forms, that are available to other, child classes, or to instances of the class. Pega Platform organizes classes into a hierarchy, in which the system searches from the current class upwards when looking for a rule to apply.

  • Rule resolution

    Rule resolution is a search algorithm that the system uses to find the best or most appropriate rule instance to apply to complete processing. By using automated rule resolution, you can save time and ensure that you implement resources in a way that is the most efficient in a given scenario.

  • Defining and changing the scope of rules

    Adjust your application to your specific business needs by changing scope of rules. For example, you can move a rule to another ruleset or class, so that you can reuse the rule in a different part of your application.

  • Preparing for modifying rules

    Adjust your application to your unique business scenario by modifying existing rules. As a result, you save resources, such as time and money, and deliver software that precisely meets your business requirements. You can also delegate a rule so that non-IT stakeholders can perform needed changes.

  • Exploring rules in your application

    To ensure that your application includes all the features that your business process requires, explore rules that define these features. By exploring rules before you define new elements of your app, you can also avoid duplicating resources, and as a result, save time and development costs.

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