Skim

The Skim facility causes a resetting of the RuleSet version values in the highest version of existing rules. For each rule instance in a specified RuleSet or version, the system identifies the highest numbered version and creates a still higher copy.

• For a major skim, the system adds one to the major part of the version, and sets the minor and patch values both to "01."
• For a minor skim, the system preserves the major version, and sets the minor and patch version values to the version you specify.

Starting a Skim operation

From the Designer Studio, select >Tools > Refactor RuleSets >Skim a RuleSet to begin the skim operation.

Results

Skimming simplifies the topmost rule versions in a RuleSet after multiple iterative development cycles. For example, if the highest version was previously 02-21-06:

• After a major skim, the skimmed version number is 03-01-01.
• After a minor skim, the skimmed version number is 02-22-01.

Rules in lower versions such as 02-21-05, 02-18-53, or 01-88-15 of the same rule are not copied by the skim operation.

The skim automatically creates the new RuleSet version instance corresponding to the major, minor or patch version above the current version. It then copies rules from the current version (selecting only those in the highest-numbered version) into the new major or minor version.

For a major skim, rules with availability of Blocked in the source RuleSet versions are not copied. (For a minor skim, blocked rules are copied into the resulting RuleSet version.

Contrasting Move and Copy

The Copy operation does not delete any rules; the rules it copies to make the new version remain unaltered.

When the Copy operation completes, update each existing RuleSet Version that was skimmed to secure it by checking the Lock this Version? field on the Security tab. This ensures that from then on, developers can add or update rules only in the newly created version.

In addition to locking the RuleSet versions, in some organizations, administrators prefer to delete the rules in lower versions after the versions are skimmed. Deleting no-longer-accessed rules can benefit performance, because rule resolution has fewer rules to search through. Use the Move operation, not the Copy operation, to delete the source RuleSet versions and their contents.

Of course, do not delete any class rules or library rules; rules of these two types (and a few others) don't belong to a version and are needed if any version is in use.

Use the Export Archive tool to back up a RuleSet version before deleting it.

In some organizations, compliance and audit requirements prohibit deleting rules, even those no longer in use.

Notes

• The Skim facility is available only to users who have access to the @baseclass.zipMoveSkim privilege. The standard access role PegaRULES:SysAdm4 provides this privilege.
• The system examines only rules in one major (or minor, or patch) version during the skim operation. For example, when you skim rules in version 02-NN-NN into 03-01-01, any rules in 01-NN-NN are ignored and do not affect skim operations at all.
• Skimming copies rules with availability Yes, No/Draft, Withdrawn, and Final from the source RuleSet version(s) to the skimmed RuleSet version. The results of a skim operation exclude any rules with availability Blocked, and also any rules that are in lower versions and blocked by the blocked rule.
• The Skim operation records its use in the Add date and time field, not the Update date and time. If this rule was created through the Skim operation, the Update date and time can be earlier than the Add date and time. This is expected.
• Class rules, library rules, Access of Rule to Object rules, RuleSet Name rules and the RuleSet Versions themselves have no associated RuleSet version. They are unaffected by the skim operation.

blocked rule, major version, RuleSet version

Definitions — S