General

What organizations can benefit from implementing Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Pega Process Fabric Hub is especially suitable for organizations that use multiple decentralized applications that are hosted on different systems.

What is the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub is a tool to connect and orchestrate work from multiple distributed applications. The Pega Process Fabric Hub includes the following functionalities:

Interwoven Worklist

A tool that collects assignments from remote registered applications that synchronize with the Pega Process Fabric Hub. The Interwoven Worklist creates a cumulative worklist that is unique to every user, as well as work queues that multiple users can share. The applications can synchronize assignment data with the Pega Process Fabric Hub in real time, to avoid duplicating work and ensure that the latest versions of the worklists and work queues are available. Applications can also re-synchronize any changes related to work queues and operator mappings, to provide updated and accurate workflow in your organization.

Pega Process Fabric Application Registry

A portal that lists all your applications registered with the Pega Process Fabric Hub. For active applications, you can view activity logs to analyze how the connection between your applications and the Pega Process Fabric Hub works. You can also manage the life cycle of your applications, for example, to stop synchronizing with applications that are temporarily out of use.

Pega Process Fabric Hub Insights

A reporting tool that you use to generate data about the workflow in your registered applications. For example, you can view how many high priority open assignments are currently assigned to worklists and work queues in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Next Best Work

The Next best Work algorithm helps users prioritize work by prompting the assignments with the highest importance from a worklist and work queues that the user can access. The Next Best Work algorithm multiplies the urgency of an assignment by the weighting of the application that routes the assignment, and then returns work with the highest score. As a result, users can quickly and automatically pick up work that is currently the most urgent.

For more information, see The Pega Process Fabric Hub and Next Best Work in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

How do I obtain the Pega Process Fabric Hub and its connector for remote applications?

You download the Pega Process Fabric Hub from the Digital Delivery and you download the Pega Process Fabric Hub connector for remote applications from the Process Fabric Connector page on Pega Marketplace.

What Pega Platform applications can I register with the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

You can register applications that you host on Pega Platform version 8.1 and later. You can register applications that you host on the following deployments:

• On-premises Pega Platform deployments
• Deployments in Pega Cloud services
• Pega Platform deployments on client-managed clouds

The Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support applications that you host on Pega Platform version 7.4 and earlier.

For more information, see The Pega Process Fabric Hub and Registering applications in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

On what structure does Pega Process Fabric Hub rely?

Pega Process Fabric Hub relies on case types and case assignments and fetches data about assignments that users complete as part of case processing. For Pega Platform applications, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support any other types of tasks, such as tasks that you create in Pulse, or in spaces.

For more information, see The Pega Process Fabric Hub.

What personas does the Pega Process Fabric Hub support?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub supports the following types of personas:

Users

Standard type of persona for any user with a PPF:Users access group. A user can open assignments from their worklist and work queues and use the Next Best Work algorithm to prompt work.

Managers

Managerial type of persona for users with a PPF:Managers access group. A manager can open assignments from their worklist and work queues, use the Next Best Work algorithm, and view reports in the Pega Process Fabric Hub Insights.

Configurators

Administrative type of persona for users with a PPF:Configurators access group. Administrators can register applications with the Pega Process Fabric Hub, manage application life cycles in the Pega Process Fabric Hub, and change weighting for applications to modify data for the Next Best Work algorithm. Users with the PPF:Configurators access group can open assignments and use the Next Best Work algorithm, similarly to other types of users.

For more information, see Personas in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

How does licensing for the Pega Process Fabric Hub work?

The license for Pega Platform includes the Pega Process Fabric Hub. Connecting non-Pega applications might require the coverage of additional costs. For more information, contact your Account Manager.

Managing assignments and calculating urgency

If I have a common work queue configured across multiple applications that are deployed on the same server, how does the Pega Process Fabric Hub display this work queue?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub synchronizes assignments, work queues, and operator mappings per registered application, and the remote application publishes this information during activation. When multiple applications use the same work queue, the work queue data synchronizes per application. In such scenario, a user of the Pega Process Fabric Hub can view multiple entries for one work queue, and each entry corresponds to a different application. Also, the Pega Process Fabric Hub displays an application context for each entry. As a result, when a user selects a work queue entry for a specific application, the Interwoven Worklist displays assignments that come from the selected application only.

For more information, see Assignments management in the Interwoven Worklist.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub prompt the most important work for a selected user?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub uses the Next Best Work algorithm to select an assignment that is currently the most important. The Next Best Work algorithm considers the urgency of an assignment and the weighting of the application that routes the assignment, and then prompts a user with the assignment with the highest score.

For more information, see Next Best Work in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Can I customize the Next Best Work algorithm?

Currently, the Next Best Work algorithm relies on providing a weighting for the application and supports no customizations.

For more information, see Next Best Work in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub calculate urgency for assignments from applications that have non-integer urgency?

Because the Pega Process Fabric Hub only accepts data from remote applications, to calculate non-integer urgency, ensure that you map the urgency format from your remote application to the format that the Pega Process Fabric Hub uses for calculations. The Pega Process Fabric Hub calculates urgency for assignments with an integer-based urgency which value is between 0 and 100.

For more information, see Next Best Work in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Does the Next Best Work algorithm consider skills that I assign to users during routing assignments?

No, the Next Best Work algorithm considers only application weighting and the urgency of an assignment.

For more information, see Next Best Work in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Can users interact with all assignments that remote applications route to the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Users with a standard user persona in the Pega Process Fabric Hub can process assignments that a remote application routes to their worklist or a work queue that the user can access. Routing and access configurations rely on a side of a remote application. Users with a manager persona in the Pega Process Fabric Hub can access an overview of assignment data in the Pega Process Fabric Hub without an option to process any assignments.

For more information, see Personas in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub ensure that users do not duplicate work?

If a user picks up an assignment from a work queue that multiple users share, or by using Next Best Work, the Pega Process Fabric Hub makes the assignment unavailable to other users. Because applications sync data with the Pega Process Fabric Hub in real time, the assignment that is under processing is also unavailable from the remote application interface.

For more information, see Assignments management in the Interwoven Worklist.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub handle assignments that a remote application routes to a work group or a team?

When a remote application routes an assignment to a work group or team, the assignment moves to a work queue or worklist according to the configuration in the remote application. Then, the Pega Process Fabric Hub displays the assignment to the target user if the assignment moves to a worklist, or to all users who can access a work queue if the assignment moves to a work queue.

For more information, see Assignments management in the Interwoven Worklist.

Registering and managing applications

Who can register remote Pega Platform applications with the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

In your remote Pega Platform application, ensure that you assign one of the following access groups to an operator who wants to register applications in the Pega Process Fabric Hub:

• ApplicationName:Authors
• ApplicationName:Administrators
• A custom access group with administrative privileges
  Note: If you use a custom access group other than Application:Administrators or Application:Authors, add the access group to the AllowedRegistrationAccessGroups dynamic system setting. For more information, see Extensions to Pega Process Fabric worklists and Editing a dynamic system setting. Ensure that the access group is present in your operator record. For more information, see Defining operator contact information and application access.

A user who wants to register applications with the Pega Process Fabric Hub also needs to have the PPF:Configurators access group in the Pega Process Fabric Hub application.

You define access groups for operators in Dev Studio. For more information, see Learning about access groups.

When I register a new application, I select the application from the list in the Register application dialog box. How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub populate this list?

In the Register application dialog box, the Pega Process Fabric Hub displays all remote applications from a selected system. The applications include the Pega Process Fabric Connector component and are unregistered with the Pega Process Fabric Hub yet.

Can I delete a registered application from the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Yes, you can delete registered Pega and non-Pega applications from the Pega Process Fabric Hub. Only users with a configurator persona can delete applications. Deleting applications from the Pega Process Fabric Hub removes the connection between the Pega Process Fabric Hub and your remote application, as well as resources that are synchronized with the Pega Process Fabric Hub, such as operators and work queue mappings. The remote application remains intact in the hosting system.

For more information, see Deleting applications from the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Is there a limit to the number of applications that I can register in the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

You can register remote applications in the Pega Process Fabric Hub without a limit.

How often do remote applications synchronize with the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

After you register a remote application in the Pega Process Fabric Hub, a bulk sync of all open assignments in the remote application occurs. After registration, a remote application synchronizes with the Pega Process Fabric Hub in real time, every time on creation of a new assignment, and on update or completion of an existing assignment.

For more information, see Assignments management in the Interwoven Worklist.

Can I schedule a bulk sync after I register a new application to occur after working hours?

Currently, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support customization of bulk sync when you register a new application. The bulk sync occurs automatically after you activate a new application. You can manually activate the new application after peak hours when the data throughput is lower. Other changes in assignment data in the remote application synchronize automatically in real time with the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

For more information, see Activating applications in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

If I move my remote application to the offline mode, how can I stop users in the Pega Process Fabric Hub from seeing assignments from this application?

To prevent users from interacting with assignments from a remote application, disable the application in the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

For more information, see Disabling and enabling applications.

After I create a new operator in my remote application, does this operator automatically gain access to the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

No, new operator data requires resynchronizing the work queue data with the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

For more information, see Updating work queue data.

Can I register non-Pega applications directly from the Pega Process Fabric Hub interface?

No, currently registering non-Pega applications requires using custom connectors. After you register a non-Pega application, you can manage the application directly from the Pega Process Fabric Hub interface, as any other Pega remote application.

For more information, see Managing applications in the Pega Process Fabric Hub and Custom connectors for the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Does the Pega Process Fabric Hub check environment production level of an application to register?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub checks the environment production level of an application that you want to register. To avoid unexpected issues with data, register applications from a system which production level is exactly same as the Pega Process Fabric Hub production level. For example, if the Pega Process Fabric Hub is in staging environment, as a best practice register applications from the staging environment only. If you register an application which production level is different from the Pega Process Fabric Hub, you receive a warning that states the environment mismatch. You can continue registering the application by accepting the data issues warning, and after the registration you can perform all application life cycle actions. If you use APIs, you an receive an error while registering an application that is of different production level.

Security

What security aspects are important to consider regarding the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Before you implement the Pega Process Fabric Hub, consider the following security aspects:

• Use single sign-on to configure the operators that you want to log in to the Pega Process Fabric Hub.
• Ensure that the operator ID of a user who wants to log in to the Pega Process Fabric Hub is consistent across all registered applications and the Pega Process Fabric Hub.
• Configure security and access settings in the applications that you want to register with the Pega Process Fabric Hub. The Pega Process Fabric Hub fetches the configurations from the registered applications, and you cannot make any security modifications on the Pega Process Fabric Hub side.

For more information, see Learning about operators and Authentication.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub manage security? Does the Pega Process Fabric Hub pull data from remote applications, or do remote applications publish data to the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

The entire security configuration relies on the remote application that you register with the Pega Process Fabric Hub. The remote application sends data, while the Pega Process Fabric Hub only fetches assignment-related data. From the Pega Process Fabric Hub side, the risk of any data breach is nonexistent.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub handle security aspects of remote applications, such as attribute-based access control (ABAC) or role-based access control (RBAC)?

Remote applications do not publish any data or configurations related to ABAC or RBAC to the Pega Process Fabric Hub. A remote application considers security configurations when it opens an assignment in a new browser tab, after the redirect from the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

For more information, see Role-based access control and Attribute-based access control.

What is the authentication mechanism between remote applications and the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub uses REST APIs to connect to and accept data from remote applications. The REST endpoints rely on OAuth 2.0 authentication.

For more information, see Creating a secure connection with the Pega Process Fabric Hub by configuring OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Communication with remote applications

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub communicate with registered applications to synchronize data?

For Pega Platform applications version 8.1 and later, the Pega Process Fabric Hub synchronizes data through bidirectional API calls. The Pega Process Fabric Hub can trigger an API call, but the synchronization occurs on the remote application side. Ensure that applications that you want to register with the Pega Process Fabric Hub can process REST APIs correctly.

For a non-Pega remote application, you need to build a connection by using Pega Process Fabric APIs. For non-Pega applications, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not trigger any API calls and the entire synchronization and communication process relies on the remote application.

For more information, see Integrating with Pega APIs and services.

What additional information about assignments does the Pega Process Fabric Hub accept from remote applications?

Apart from standard assignment data, such as mapping to a worklist or a work queue, the Pega Process Fabric Hub has three additional fields to store information: Customer, Product, and Account. To adjust mapping of fields between your remote Pega Platform application and the Pega Process Fabric Hub, you can override the standard extension points that you obtain after installing the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

For more information, see Extensions to Pega Process Fabric worklists.

Can I modify which data fields that my remote application publishes to the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Yes, you can override the default values that a remote application passes to the Pega Process Fabric Hub by using extensions that support a data model in the Pega Process Fabric Hub. The Pega Process Fabric Hub lacks support to customize its internal data model and accept customized values.

For more information, see Extensions to Pega Process Fabric worklists.

Pega Process Fabric Hub and cloud environments

Can I use one instance of the Pega Process Fabric Hub to manage both applications that I host in the Pega Cloud services environment and on the premises?

Yes, however, ensure that you configure the Pega Process Fabric Hub to accept data from all types of environments where you host your applications.

For more information, see Deployment of the Pega Process Fabric Hub and Preparing Pega Process Fabric Hub for the Pega Cloud services environment.

Can I install the Pega Process Fabric Hub in the Pega Cloud services environment?

You can install the Pega Process Fabric Hub both on the premises and in a cloud environment, such as Pega Cloud or a client-managed cloud. If you install the Pega Process Fabric Hub on the premises, you complete an entire installation process. When you use Pega Cloud, the Pega Cloud services team deploy the Pega Process Fabric Hub for you. To request that Pega Cloud services install and configure the Pega Process Fabric Hub in your environment, you must make a request by selecting New request in My Support Portal, and include the networking details and operator details in the request. For the latest documentation on making requests, see My Support Portal: New Design, Streamlined Features. Ensure that you request hosting the Pega Process Fabric Hub on an HTTPS port.

What do I do after the Pega Cloud services deploy the Pega Process Fabric Hub for me?

After the deployment, your instance of the Pega Process Fabric Hub includes all necessary rulesets. Pega Cloud services do not perform any additional configuration, such as assigning access groups to users. Continue with creating an administrative user and enabling a default operator that the Pega Process Fabric Hub adds to your application, and that is disabled for applications on Pega Cloud. For more information, see Creating an administrative user for the Pega Process Fabric Hub and Preparing Pega Process Fabric Hub for the Pega Cloud services environment.

For more information, see Creating an administrative user for the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Do I need to create separate service requests for different staging environments?

Yes, if you host your instance of the Pega Process Fabric Hub on Pega Cloud, you need to create a service request when you want to deploy the Pega Process Fabric Hub on different staging environments, such as testing or production.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub on cloud communicate with remote applications if I use multiple instances to host applications?

The communication model depends on instances that you use and is different for public and private access. For example, if you host the Pega Process Fabric Hub in a cloud environment and your remote applications on the premises, and you use public access through the Internet, you only configure OAuth 2.0 authentication. For more information about different deployment scenarios, see Communication models of remote applications and the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

If I deploy the Pega Process Fabric Hub in a cloud environment, do I need to configure any network configurations?

To ensure communication between your remote applications and the Pega Process Fabric Hub, create a service request in My Support Portal requiring the following actions:

• Listing the Pega Process Fabric Hub in the allow list of your remote application.
• Listing the remote application in the allow list of the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Additional questions

How does upgrading applications that have the Pega Process Fabric Hub connector affect communication of these applications with the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

You can add the Pega Process Fabric Hub connector to an application that you host on Pega Platform version 8.1 or later. If you upgrade your instance of Pega Platform to a version higher than 8.1, the connections between remote applications that this instance of Pega Platform hosts and the Pega Process Fabric Hub continue to work without the need for any additional configurations. As a best practice, to avoid any issues with data synchronization, upgrade the connector to match the current version of the Pega Platform instance that hosts your remote application. For more information, see Installing the Pega Process Fabric Hub connector component.

Does the Pega Process Fabric Hub display assignments from remote applications as mashup code?

No, the Pega Process Fabric Hub opens assignments from remote applications in new browser tabs.

Does the Pega Process Fabric Hub support Federated Case Management?

No, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support Federated Case Management or Federated Case Management Repository. Federated Case Management Repository is deprecated and is incompatible with applications that you host on Pega Platform version 8.1 and later.

Does the Pega Process Fabric Hub support collaboration tools, such as Pulse or spaces?

Currently, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support collaboration tools. You can install and use collaboration tools directly in your remote applications.

For more information, see Collaborating on cases.

Can I use built-on applications to extend the features of the Pega Process Fabric Hub?

Although the Pega Process Fabric Hub is an application that you can extend as any other Pega Platform application, avoid customizations and overrides to prevent any issues that might occur when you update to a newer version of the Pega Process Fabric Hub.

Can I customize the UI of the Pega Process Fabric Hub to meet my unique needs?

No, currently, the Pega Process Fabric Hub does not support any UI customizations.

The Pega Process Fabric Hub opens assignments in new browser tabs. How do remote applications handle session management?

An application reuses the same browser session. If a user opens one assignment multiple times in multiple tabs, all the redirects from the Pega Process Fabric Hub use the same thread name, which then refreshes all other sessions. As a best practice, close a tab after completing an assignment.

How does the Pega Process Fabric Hub use websockets?

The Pega Process Fabric Hub uses websockets on a server. When a change in a remote application occurs, the remote application publishes data to the Pega Process Fabric Hub through REST APIs. The server on the Pega Process Fabric Hub side publishes the changes to the websockets and refreshes the UI in the Pega Process Fabric Hub. You do not need to perform any additional browser session configurations.