What does the action 'Aggregate' typically do in OutSystems?

The action 'Aggregate' in OutSystems is primarily used to retrieve and combine data from multiple data sources, such as entities and other data sources defined in the application. This functionality allows developers to create complex queries that can join data, filter records, and compute values based on the data retrieved.

Aggregates provide a straightforward way to fetch data by allowing users to specify the data structure they need, apply filters, and define how the data should be grouped or sorted. This retrieval process is integral to building applications that require dynamic data presentation and insights derived from various data sources.

By allowing the gathering of data in a single operation, aggregates simplify the development process and improve application performance by minimizing the number of database calls needed to retrieve complex datasets. This capability aligns perfectly with the needs of data-centric applications where variation and synthesis of data play crucial roles.