geode-docs/developing/data_serialization/using_PdxInstanceFactory.html.md.erb

---
title:  Using PdxInstanceFactory to Create PdxInstances
---

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You can use the `PdxInstanceFactory` interface to create a `PdxInstance` from raw data when the domain class is not available on the server.

This can be particularly useful when you need an instance of a domain class for plug in code such as a function or a loader. If you have the raw data for the domain object (the class name and each field's type and data), then you can explicitly create a `PdxInstance`. The `PdxInstanceFactory` is very similar to the `PdxWriter` except that after writing each field, you need to call the create method which returns the created PdxInstance.

To create a factory call `RegionService.createPdxInstanceFactory`. A factory can only create a single instance. To create multiple instances create multiple factories or use `PdxInstance.createWriter()` to create subsequent instances. Using `PdxInstance.createWriter()` is usually faster.

When you create a PdxInstance, set as least one identity field using the `markIndentityField` method. If you do not mark an identity field, the PdxInstance`equals` and `hashCode` methods will use all PDX fields to compare objects and consequently, will not perform as well. It is important that the fields used by your `equals` and `hashCode` implementations are the same fields that you mark as identity fields.

The following is a code example of using `PdxInstanceFactory`:

``` pre
PdxInstance pi = cache.createPdxInstanceFactory("com.company.DomainObject")
   .writeInt("id", 37)
   .markIdentityField("id")
   .writeString("name", "Mike Smith")
   .writeObject("favoriteDay", cache.createPdxEnum("com.company.Day", "FRIDAY", 5))
   .create();
```

For more information, see `PdxInstanceFactory` in the Java API documentation.

## <a id="concept_FFECBE8249D848E9A2CF7FD02514EC68__section_F4EC56197730427084FBF040820A6149" class="no-quick-link"></a>Enum Objects as PdxInstances

You can now work with enum objects as PdxInstances. When you fetch an enum object from the cache, you can now deserialize it as a `PdxInstance`. To check whether a `PdxInstance` is an enum, use the `PdxInstance.isEnum` method. An enum `PdxInstance` will have one field named "name" whose value is a String that corresponds to the enum constant name.

An enum `PdxInstance` is not writable; if you call `createWriter` it will throw an exception.

The `RegionService` has a method that allows you to create a `PdxInstance` that represents an enum. See `RegionService.createPdxEnum` in the Java API documentation.