Storage Stream

A Storage Stream is a column in a PegaRULES database table that contains property data in a compressed format. Most tables in the database contain a Storage Stream column, identified as the pzPVStream column.

Do not confuse the Storage Stream with stream processing, an unrelated feature than involves generating HTML (or XML) text from HTML rules, XML Stream rules, and other rule types.

In Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and most other database vendor software, the Storage Stream is stored as a binary large object or BLOB data type.

For example, an aggregate such as a Value List property can have multiple values. When the system saves an object that includes an aggregate property, its values are compressed together (or "deflated") into a single column. When the instance is later opened and placed on a clipboard, the column is decompressed (or "inflated").

When deflated, the property names and values are present in a single text value. This text value has a proprietary format; the values are obfuscated.

Storage requirements

Values of the Storage Stream column (pzPVStream) may require a large number of bytes of storage, and extracting or updating a property value from this column requires that the entire value be transmitted from the PegaRULES database to the server. Accordingly, using careful design to minimize the number of Storage Stream operations can improve performance significantly.

For guidance on understanding the space requirements of the storage stream articles, see the PDN article How to estimate disk space requirements for a PegaRULES database (Oracle).

Default BLOB storage system setting

When deploying Pega 7, there are two default BLOB storage system setting versions: version 6 and version 7.

Pega 7 version

Default BLOB storage system setting version

Pega 7.1.1 – Pega 7.1.7

Version 6

Pega 7.1.8 and later versions

Version 7

Users upgrading from an earlier version of Pega 7 to Pega 7.1.8 and later versions have the option to continue using the BLOB storage system setting version 6 or to upgrade to the BLOB storage system setting version 7. Continuing to use version 6 on a system running Pega 7.1.8 or a later version provides the option to reverse the upgrade back to the previous Pega 7 version, if desired.

Users of a newly deployed system running Pega 7.1.8 and later versions can only use the BLOB storage system setting version 7.

Related alerts

The PEGA0004, PEGA025, PEGA0039 and PEGA0040 alerts call attention to BLOB issues that can affect overall system performance.

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