Enable Preview Panel for External Data Integration

[goyac1 (Chitesh Goyal)]

Overview

This article documents the configuration steps required to enable the Constellation Preview Panel for a Data Type that integrates an external data source.

In Pega Constellation, the Preview Panel (a slide-out detail panel) is automatically activated when a user interacts with a field linked to a Data Type - but only if that Data Type has a Default record lookup Data Page configured in its Settings. Without this configuration, no preview is shown.

Use case

This configuration is required when:

1. The Data Type is sourced from an external system (REST, SOAP, etc.)

2. The case UI displays references to this Data Type (e.g., dropdowns, autocomplete, reference fields)

3. A preview panel is expected when users select or interact with those fields

4. This applies only to Constellation UI. It is not applicable to traditional UI.

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Step 1: Configure the Lookup Data Page

The Data Type must have a dedicated lookup Data Page that fetches records from the external system. Ensure the following are in place on the single page lookup Data page.

Critical Setting: Alternate Key Storage

On the Parameters tab, Check the box: “Is this page used for alternate key storage?”

This flag must be enabled. It tells Pega that this Data Page can serve as a lookup source using an alternate key (the record ID parameter) rather than the default pzInsKey. The preview panel depends on this to resolve the correct record when rendering.

When this checkbox is checked, a Linked field column appears in the Parameters grid - this behaviour is expected. Map the field from your data type, which is the key here and will be passed to the external system to get the correct data.

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Step 2: Configure the Data Type’s Default Data Source

Navigation Path

1. Open your Data Type

2. Click the Settings tab

3. Click Default data sources in the left sub-navigation

Default Data Sources Configuration

1. Under Default data sources, set the Default record lookup Data Page to None and click Save.

2. Once the record has been saved, now change the Default record lookup Data Page to the lookup Data Page configured in Step 1.

3. Once selected, a Parameters sub-section expands. Map each parameter to its source.

4. Click Save

This ensures the system refreshes the internal configuration for parameter mapping.

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How This Enables the Preview Panel

Once the Default record lookup Data Page is set on the Data Type, Pega Constellation’s framework automatically:

1. Detects when a case or view contains a field referencing a record of this Data Type

2. Calls the lookup Data Page with the mapped parameters to fetch the external record

3. Renders the fetched data as a Preview Panel (slide-out panel) when the user interacts with that field - without navigating away from the current case

The alternate key storage flag (Step 1) is what makes the lookup work correctly: it allows the Data Page to be resolved using the record business key rather than requiring the internal Pega key.

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[Kamil_Janeczek]

Thanks for sharing, adding to Constellation 101

[MarcCheong]

Welcome to the Constellation 101 series

[PranavD16921175 (Pranav Deshpande)]

Is it possible to do this implementation for not an external data object but system of records data object?

[Kamil_Janeczek]

for Pega SOR data object you should have this feature pretty much ootb

[goyac1 (Chitesh Goyal)]

Hi @PranavD16921175 - As Kamil said, for SOR data objects it should work OOTB.
Please post it here if you’re facing any issues.

[PranavD16921175 (Pranav Deshpande)]

Thanks kamil and Chitesh for the reply. Please let me know if there is any documentation because I want to do it for the SOR data object but from what I read from this data object that I still need data page with alternate key storage so that I can use another property to preview data object details.

[MarcCheong]

All data objects should have underlying data pages so you can look them up.

Going deeper, Constellation requires a lookup Data Page and List Data page. If you’re using an External SOR, then you should be using a saveable datapage and save plans in place for them. You can see this in the Settings tab of a data object

Alternative storage keys is essential for this, so we know how to interact with that SOR.