Question


Evonsys
NL
Last activity: 26 Jul 2025 2:06 EDT
Entity vs Data Object
What is the difference between an entity and a data object in the context of Pega, and what is the relationship between them? Can someone explain this with an example?
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Updated: 30 Jun 2025 5:21 EDT


Rulesstack Private Limited
IN
Hi @AchinthaJ,
In Pega, Entity and Data Object are often used in slightly different contexts depending on whether you're working in Pega Constellation (the newer UI architecture) or traditional UI/Cosmos
Relationship Between Entity and Data Object
In Pega:
🔸 Entities are built using Data Objects as their foundation.
- Think of an Entity as a business-level abstraction (like a customer or Product).
- The Data Object defines the structure (properties) and behaviour (integration, sourcing) of that entity
Example to Illustrate
Let's say you're building a Loan Application in Pega.
🔹 1. Entity: Customer
- Represents a real-world person applying for a loan.
- Business term that business users can easily understand.
🔹 2. Data Object: Customer
- Defines the actual data structure: Name, Email, Phone, PAN Number, etc.
- Can be reused across multiple cases (Loan, Account Opening, KYC, etc.
Please refer to the document below for a clearer understanding
https://academy.pega.com/module/entities-and-their-relationships/v1/in/84971
Regards
Hi @AchinthaJ,
In Pega, Entity and Data Object are often used in slightly different contexts depending on whether you're working in Pega Constellation (the newer UI architecture) or traditional UI/Cosmos
Relationship Between Entity and Data Object
In Pega:
🔸 Entities are built using Data Objects as their foundation.
- Think of an Entity as a business-level abstraction (like a customer or Product).
- The Data Object defines the structure (properties) and behaviour (integration, sourcing) of that entity
Example to Illustrate
Let's say you're building a Loan Application in Pega.
🔹 1. Entity: Customer
- Represents a real-world person applying for a loan.
- Business term that business users can easily understand.
🔹 2. Data Object: Customer
- Defines the actual data structure: Name, Email, Phone, PAN Number, etc.
- Can be reused across multiple cases (Loan, Account Opening, KYC, etc.
Please refer to the document below for a clearer understanding
https://academy.pega.com/module/entities-and-their-relationships/v1/in/84971
Regards
Mohd Qizer Uddin


Evonsys
NL
Thank you @Mohd Qizer Uddin


HCA Healthcare
US
In Pega, an Entity is the main business data used in your application, like a customer or an insurance policy, which you usually create, update, and store in the database. A Data Object is supporting or reference data, like a list of countries or insurance products, which is mostly used for selection or display purposes and usually comes from data pages or external systems. Entities are often tied to case types and form the core of your business process, while data objects are used to help complete the process by providing additional information. For example, when creating a new policy (entity), you may pick a product from the product catalog (data object). So, data objects help fill in values in entities. Entities are more dynamic and store changes, but data objects are usually read-only. Both are important and often work together in an application.


Evonsys
NL
Thank you @Sairohith


Publicis Sapient
IN
Hi @AchinthaJ
Entity is the main object you're working with, like an Order in an online shopping system. It has its own ID and can be saved or processed.
Data object is a smaller part of that entity — like Customer Info, Shipping Address, or Payment Details. These data objects help describe the entity but don’t usually stand alone.
For example, an Order (entity) is made up of many data objects that give it full meaning, just like a burger (entity) is made complete by its bun, patty, and toppings (data objects).


Evonsys
NL
Thank you @PoojaPalla