Data views

Data views represent instances of how your application uses data and defines the data associated with a data type. They provide links between data records and your application. For example, an application called Mortgage Request processes mortgage applications. The application provides information about the types of mortgages offered to help users select the appropriate mortgage. The application sources mortgage information from an external system of record using the Mortgage options data type.

A data view defined for the Mortgage options data type identifies how to connect to the system of record and what fields to map in the data type. It allows an application to populate a data reference with source data, in this example, a list of available mortgage options, without the developer knowing anything about how or where the data is stored.

The separation of data integration from your application enables developers to update the data sourcing for a data type without impacting how the application uses the sourced data. In the Mortgage Request case example, you might need to change the data source for the mortgage options data. You can change the data source in a data view without needing to update how the application uses that data. So, if a new data source better satisfies company requirements, you can update the source in the data view without updating the view that presents the returned data to the user. 

Pega Platform™ provides three data views for any data type configured to connect to a system of record. For example, the following image shows the three data views generated for the Request type data type. The List Request type data view displays all the Request type data records, the Request type data view returns a single record, and the Savable Request type data view allows a case to save a single record to the system of record.

Data views can be production-ready or simulated based on the status of the data source. Simulated data views do not have an associated data source. You must configure the connection to a data source before the data view is ready for production however you can use a simulated data source during application development. 

In App Studio, you can create and review the data views in your application. You can also add and replace the data sources. For instructions on reviewing data views, see the help topic Reviewing the data views for a data type.