Domain Specific Language

The search API in Pega Platform uses a specific language, which the system uses to determine what results to retrieve. For example, the pxRetrieveSearchData activity supports boosting settings that prioritize particular words during a search. In a car rental application, you can enter white^2 cars to make the white word more relevant than cars. The system then prioritizes the retrieval of results about white cars.

Search functionality in Pega Platform does not match accented words with unaccented. For example, if you search for santé and sante, the system retrieves different results.

Domain Specific Language (DSL) includes special characters that you can use when searching, for example '-', '_', '!', '@'. However, the system retrieves various results depending on the way you use special characters in the search query. If your query contains special characters that are not escaped, the system may retrieve incorrect results. For example, if you do not escape the slash mark in the 25/02 query, the system may ignore the special character.

Older versions of search API that do not rely on the pxRetrieveSearchData activity do not provide the option to use the CONTAINS search method. For example, use the *123 search string to find assignments whose last digits are 123. If you do not use the asterisk, the system retrieves results whose IDs are 123 or that begin with 123, instead of results whose IDs contain 123.

Fuzzy search

You can also use fuzziness, which provides the option to include results similar to the results requested. For example, depending on specific parameters, when you search for the word setting, the system displays results that contain the word sitting.