Understand the new InMemory Pipeline archival process and the enhancements it brings with it. Learn to implement the InMemory Pipeline mode of archival to eliminate archival performance issues. The scenarios describe the issues with case archival that users have reported.
Implementing InMemory Pipeline archival
Diagnosing and debugging Archival issues
Scenario 1: Crawler and Copier tasks run in asynchronous mode
Scenario 2: Out-of-the-box Archive job fails to archive cases
Scenario 3: Performance degradation of Indexer job while archiving
Scenario 4: Archival and Purging Indexer jobs run in loop
Scenario 5: Purge and Archive jobs fail
Scenario 6: Archival job fails to pick cases
Scenario 7: Pega Archive fails
InMemory Pipeline archival
This new archival process executes all stages of the traditional archival process within a single job, pyPegaArchiverUsingPipeline. This job triggers the pzPerformArchiveUsingPipeline activity. An important parameter in this activity is pipelineduration. This parameter allows users to specify the duration (in minutes) for the archival pipeline.
Enhancements
InMemory Pipeline archival process brings with it the following enhancements:
- Simpler setup
- Improved resiliency
- Maximum performance
Simpler setup
- User needs to schedule a single job, pyPegaArchiverUsingPipeline, to run regularly and specify the duration to run the process considering the low-load time-window.
- A single run executes multiple cycles of 4 steps (Crawler, Copier, Indexer, and Purger) internally.
- Setting Buffer time between jobs is not required since there is only one job.
- Archival process ends before the expected End time that is specified by pipelineduration.
Improved resiliency
- Defragmentation and DB connections of pr_metadata are reduced significantly as pipeline is InMemory.
- The pr_metadata table is truncated at the end of each cycle.
- If a failed archival process is reattempted a few times and if the reattempts do not help, job exits to avoid a runaway scenario and creates PDC alert for user to address the underlying issue. This is because most of the archival failures are caused by environmental issues and reattempts may not help in such scenarios.
- Despite all the safety mechanism/measures, if there is a runaway scenario where archival keeps running due to some unknown issue, user can stop the archival process easily without restarting the Util node.
Maximum performance
- Most of access to the pr_metadata table is replaced by InMemory Pipeline for higher performance.
Easier Adoption
- User must adjust only maxCrawlerRequestors and maxCopierRequestors.
- User is not expected to tune the following parameters:
- limitPerPolicy
- indexerQueryLimit
- purgeQueryLimit
- maxIndexerRequestors
- maxPurgerRequestors
Implementing InMemory Pipeline archival
- Perform the following steps:
- Disable pyPegaArchiver, pyPegaIndexer, and pyPegaPurger jobs
- Set dataarchival/batchPipelineEnabled to True
- Enable pyPegaArchiverUsingPipeline
- Specify Start Time and pipeline duration in minutes. The Pipeline job archives as many cases as possible during the specified duration.
- For higher performance, adjust the following parameters:
- MaxCrawlerRequestors
- MaxCopierRequestors
- If you have deployed synchronous
hotfix (HFix-85147) , then perform the following steps:
- Work with the Pega Cloud support team to enable pr_metadata. for
- Disable pr_metadata. for
Compatibility
InMemory Pipeline archival process is compatible with the following Pega Platform versions:
- Pega 8.7.3
- Pega 8.7.6
- Pega 8.8.3
- Pega Infinity ‘23
Diagnosing and debugging Archival issues
Scenario 1: Crawler and Copier tasks run in asynchronous mode
Crawler and Copier tasks in the pzPerformArchiver job scheduler run in asynchronous mode. Hence, there is a requirement to set some buffer time while defining job interval so that no overlap happens. This results in loss of time leading to less throughput.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
This issue was determined to be a product enhancement request.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.3 in Pega Cloud® services 2.24
Solution
Apply HFix-85147.
Implement the InMemory Pipeline archival method.
Scenario 2: Out-of-the-box Archive job fails to archive cases
Out-of-the-box Archive job fails to archive cases despite the cases are resolved. 100% success message for archival displays though the cases are not archived.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
Archival is happening as expected. Errors occur due to unresolved child cases.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.2 in Pega Cloud® services 2.27.1
Solution
Resolve the child cases and set their status to Resolved.
Scenario 3: Performance degradation of Indexer job while archiving
Performance degradation of Indexer job while archiving and purging when value of is set to 1.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
Forward chaining gets enabled during the Archival Indexing process and causes the delay.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.3 in Pega Cloud® services 2.24
Solution
Apply HFix-85094.
Scenario 4: Archival and Purging Indexer jobs run in loop
Archival and Purging Indexer jobs run in loop when indexing failed entries get added. This causes a pause in the Archival and Purge activities.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
A defect in Pegasystems’ code or rules.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.3 in Pega Cloud® services 2.24
Solution
Apply HFix-85146.
Alternatively, perform the following local-change:
- Disable the job
- Manually execute the indexer
Scenario 5: Purge and Archive jobs fail
Purging and Archiving fail when user archives old/outdated data with the Pega recommended configuration.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
This issue was determined to be a product enhancement request.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.3.6 in Pega Cloud® services 2.20.9
Solution
This issue is addressed in Pega 8.7.
Scenario 6: Archival job fails to pick cases
Archival job does not pick cases.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
Data-Retention-Policy does not have the updated Archival settings.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.3 in Pega Cloud® services 2.24.4
Solution
Perform the following local-change:
- Delete the Data-Retention-Policy instance for a particular case for which Archival is enabled.
- Create a Data-Retention-Policy instance with the updated Archival settings.
Scenario 7: Pega Archive fails
Unable to archive data using Pega Archive.
Errors
Not Applicable
Explanation
This issue was determined to be a product enhancement request.
Environment
Pega Platform™ 8.7.1
Solution
An enhancement request, FDBK-110971, is created for consideration by Pega Product Management.