Full-text search

Depending on how your system is configured, developers can search for rules, data instances and work items, and application users can search for work items. By default, full-text search is enabled for rules, and is accessed from the Designer Studio menu.

Full-text search uses index files when searching. Indexes are typically updated once a minute in the background during the system pulse performed by the Pega-RULES agent.

From the Search landing page, you can enable and disable full-text search, configure the directory where the index files are stored, enable and disable encryption among search nodes, and include or exclude properties with access control policies.

You must have the pxAccessSearchLP privilege to access the Search landing page.

To enable search, you must configure or create some Dynamic System Settings. See Dynamic System Settings for search.

Work item search considerations

Allowing application users to find work items or work item attachments by using full-text search (in addition to structured searches based on owner, party, or status) has both advantages and costs. Full-text searches:

  • Can reduce the chances that an application user enters a duplicate work item.
  • Do not depend on exposed columns; all of the text is searched.
  • Might increase operator productivity by providing faster access than structured searches.

At the same time, full-text searches might:

  • Produce many results that require further review and qualification.
  • Disclose sensitive work item or work item attachment details to users who otherwise are not authorized to open or review such work.
  • Affect system performance during indexing and searching.

The standard sections @baseclass.FindWork and @baseclass.SearchField support full-text search. If your application uses a composite portal, include one of these sections (or a similar custom section) in your portal.