Frequently Asked Questions

WebSphere ILOG Business Rule Management Systems (BRMS) product experts answer a variety of questions from this series.

About ILOG's Business Rule Management Systems (BRMS's)

• I am currently driving a project which requires my company to identify all the business rules in the beginning, order for all the rules to be identified. Where do I start?
• What is the relationship between a business process management system (BPMS) and a business rule management system (BRMS)?

WebSphere ILOG BRMS Platforms

• Is there a version of ILOG JRules for the .NET platform?
• Does ILOG JRules work with legacy applications?

WebSphere ILOG BRMS Performance

• I have noticed that some rule engines are slow and therefore not able to meet the response time requirements of some applications. How does ILOG BRMS measure on time?

WebSphere ILOG BRMS and Open Source Software

• What distinguishes ILOG’s Business Rule Management Systems (BRMSs) from open-source products like DROOLS?

Integrating WebSpjere ILOG JRules With Other Products

• Can a decision table be created outside of ILOG JRules (i.e. in Microsoft Excel) and imported into ILOG JRules?

Statistical Analysis and Risk Management

• Can I use ILOG JRules to detect fraud (or fraud and spending behavior patterns) and then store the outputs into a historical database for later use, and can I use ILOG JRules to build a statistical data model where data is scored and weighted based on statistical analysis?

WebSphere ILOG BRMS and Role Management

• Statistical Analysis and Risk Management:

• How do you restrict business changes in ILOG JRules Rule Team Server (RTS)?
• Do we need a specialized analyst to edit rules?
• Can one place limits on users, so they can only select rules form a predefined list of rules, and not add new rules?

How to Use WebSphere ILOG JRules

• General Questions:

• Can rules be versioned, and where are they stored?
• Do we need a specialized analyst to edit rules?
• Is it possible to run different versions of the same rule at the same time?
• Does ILOG support a custom domain-specific language (DSL) to author rules?

Writing Rules

• Decision Tables:

• Is it possible to combine multiple conditions in a decision table?
• Does ILOG JRules support “top-down” rule modeling, where rules can be defined independently of the business object model (BOM)?
• Is there a maximum number of rows in a decision table?
• Is there a limit to the number of columns in a decision table?
• Can the data in decision tables be database driven?

• Business Rule Templates:

• Can one place limits on users, so they can only select rules form a predefined list of rules, and not add new rules?

Rule Testing

• Can we test rules as they are created?

Storing and Sharing Rules

• Rule Management

• How do you restrict business changes in Rule Team Server (RTS)?
• Can one place limits on users, so they can only select rules form a predefined list of rules, and not add new rules?
• Can rules be versioned, and where are they stored?

• Deployment

• I understand ILOG helps in "hot deployment" of business rules. Does this involve shutting and starting up our application's servers?

Orchestrating Rule Execution

• Rule Flows

• Do we have to create a rule flow if there are multiple eligibility criteria?
• What mechanisms can a calling application use to consume rules and/or ruleflows?
• Do you have examples of a complicated rule?
• Where can I access this webinar series and related demos?

What distinguishes WebSphere ILOG’s BRMS from open-source products like DROOLS?

The primary distinction between WebSphere ILOG BRMS and open-source BRMS products is innovation.

Our BRMS products, such as ILOG JRules, lead the business rule management market in a number of ways by providing:

• Specific and comprehensive environments for all stakeholders (developers, business analysts and experts, operations) involved in business rules management

• A complete business user environment

• A comprehensive set of application programming interfaces (APIs)

• Extensive support for multiple platforms

• Robust decision insight and governance capabilities, including rule analysis and testing, simulation and role-based controls

.NET version (ILOG Rules for .NET) and a product that supports legacy systems (ILOG Rules for COBOL). We offer the assistance of IBM’s high-quality Professional Services Team, ILOG Solution Implementation Standard (ISIS) methodology, training, and support.

While our products stand out from most open-source products on the market, we do make contributions to the open source community where appropriate. The IBM ILOG Agile Business Rules Development (ABRD) methodology, for example, is the business rule management industry's first free vendor-neutral methodology. Delivered as an Eclipse Process Framework plug-in, it provides a step-by-step process and best practices for developing business rule applications.

Is it possible to combine multiple conditions in a decision table?

Yes. Decision tables are composed of rows and columns: Each row corresponds to a single rule, with the columns defining the conditions and actions that apply to the rules.

You can add new rows to a decision table and fill in the cells to create new rules. When the conditions of a given row are met, the actions in that row are performed.

Do we have to create a rule flow if there are multiple eligibility criteria?
Multiple eligibility criteria decisions can be included in the decision table example above.

I have noticed that some rule engines are slow and therefore not able to meet the response time requirement of some applications. How does WebSphere ILOG BRMS measure on time?
WebSphere ILOG BRMS’s performance depends on a number of factors, such as the number and types of rules and inferential versus sequential rule execution, for example. Learn more about WebSphere ILOG BRMS performance.

Do you have examples of a complicated rule ?
Our BRMS Resource Center is a good place to start. It serves as a central resource for developers, architects and IT managers to share industry knowledge, experience and best practices. Try the forums and blogs for dialogue on industry issues and best practices for rules implementation and service-oriented architecture (SOA) deployments. The BRMS Resource Center also contains white papers, online tutorials, recorded webinars and analysts' reports.

How do you restrict business changes in WebSphere ILOG Rule Team Server (RTS)?
By combining user access and permissions you can limit a user’s ability to perform actions such as changing rule properties, rule content or other parts of a rule.
Another convenient way to give users a common starting point to create rules or to restrict what certain users can do when writing rules from scratch is to use rule templates. A rule template is a partially written rule that is used as a starting point to create other rules that share the same content and structure. A template can specify, for example, that certain parts of a rule should be frozen so those parts cannot be edited.

I am currently driving a project which requires my company to identify all the business rules in the beginning, order for all the rules to be identified. Where do I start?
By identifying and starting with the highest value rules, the process of identifying the rules and building a rules-based application becomes much more focused and definable. The WebSphere ILOG BRMS Best Practices Webinar Series will give you more information on our approach. Try the WebSphere ILOG BRMS Hot Tips Webinar Series for answers based on rule discovery.

I understand ILOG helps in “hot deployment” of business rules. Does this involve shutting and starting up our application’s servers?
Hot deployment does not require stopping the application server.

Can I use WebSphere ILOG JRules to detect fraud (or fraud and spending behavior patterns) and then store the outputs into a historical database for later use, and can I use WebSphere ILOG JRules to build a statistical data model where data is scored and weighted based on statistical analysis?
WebSphere ILOG JRules can be used as part of a fraud detection system, where rules process transactional data to assess the likelihood of fraud and alert systems, and then take defined actions based on the results of the assessment. The results of any rule execution can then be logged and stored in a database for future reference. WebSphere ILOG JRules also incorporates scorecards. You can use the results of the scorecards as part of your overall ruleflow.
It is important to note that WebSphere ILOG JRules does not provide the underlying analytics that are used to define the assessment rules or scorecard parameters. Rather, his process requires predictive analytic modeling tools, such as those provided by Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) or SPSS, Inc.

Does WebSphere ILOG JRules support “top-down” rule modeling, where rules can be defined independently of the business object model (BOM)?
Yes, WebSphere ILOG JRules provides two ways to define a rule vocabulary:
1. Bottom-up: This is usually used when extracting the rules from an existing application. For example, if an execution model already exists, the execution model (XSD, Java, web services, DB) can be imported and the rule vocabulary automatically defined.
2. Top-down: This is usually used for the implementation of a new decision service. WebSphere ILOG JRules makes it possible to define rule vocabulary independently from an execution model. When the execution model is selected and implemented at a later date, you can specify your rule vocabulary mapping in WebSphere ILOG JRules.

You can define a BOM in one of two ways:
1. Bottom-up: If your XOM extensively describes quite extensively what is needed for rule editing you can create a BOM entry from the XOM. If you discover that some elements are needed in the BOM to facilitate rule editing for policy managers, you can always extend the BOM by creating business elements and mapping to the XOM.
2. Top-down: You can create business elements without necessarily considering the way the execution elements should be implemented. When the execution elements are implemented at a later date, you can specify the mapping for all your business elements.

Is there a maximum number of rows in a decision table?
There is no limit to the number of rows in a decision table.

Can rules be versioned, and where are they stored?
Software developers often use source code control, version management, and/or configuration management tools to manage and version their code artifacts. WebSphere ILOG JRules allows business rules to be managed and versioned along with other code artifacts.
The prior session’s topic focused on the “business user” role and WebSphere ILOG Rule Team Server. The WebSphere ILOG Rule Team Server uses a shared business rule repository, stored in a relational (SQL-based) database. The rule repository can support versioning and history at this level.

Can we test rules as they are created?
Yes. Business rules can be tested within WebSphere ILOG Rule Studio. Alternatively WebSphere ILOG Rule Scenario Manager can be used for richer scenario based testing. WebSphere ILOG Rule Scenario Manager is a test and simulation module for business rules created with WebSphere ILOG JRules.

Is there a limit to the number of columns in a decision table?
There is no limit to the number of columns in a decision table.

What mechanisms can a calling application use to consume rules and/or ruleflows?
Calling applications can execute rules via Web Services and Java Message Service (JMS). Calling applications can consume rule services through a variety of integration patterns, such as:

• Local invocation

• Remote invocation

• Standards-based Web Services

• Common Java integration techniques like J2SE and J2EE

When using Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) via stateless or stateful session beans or message-driven beans

Can the data in decision tables be database driven?
Yes.Decision tables can be created from data that resides in a database.

Do we need a specialized analyst to edit rules?
WebSphere ILOG Rule Team Server (RTS) has a Web-based environment that can be configured or customized so non-technical business users can participate in rule authoring and maintenance. With RTS’s role-based controls, business analysts can access more advanced rule management capabilities can approve rule changes before deployments as part of a rule governance workflow.

Is there a version of WebSphere ILOG JRules for the .NET platform?
Yes. If you would like to try WebSphere ILOG Rules for .NET, download a 90 day trial version.

Does WebSphere ILOG JRules work with legacy applications?
Some of our customers use WebSphere ILOG JRules within mainframe environments. WebSphere ILOG Rules for COBOL allows legacy application business rules to be managed within ILOG BRMS and then compiled in COBOL copybook format for deployment directly within the legacy application.

Is it possible to run different versions of the same rule at the same time?
Yes. Rules are typically executed as sets of rules, called rule sets. Rule sets are versioned and can run side-by-side in the same environment.

Can one place limits on users, so they can only select rules form a predefined list of rules, and not add new rules?
Yes. By combining user access and permissions you can limit a user’s ability to perform a variety of actions, including adding new rules. Rule templates are typically used as “predefined” rules.
A rule template is a partially written rule that is used as a starting point to create other rules that share the same content and structure. The template can also specify that certain parts of the rules be frozen so they cannot be edited. This is a convenient way to give users a common starting point for creating rules, or to restrict what certain users can do when writing rules from scratch.

Does IBM ILOG software support a custom domain-specific language (DSL)] to author rules?
The ILOG business object model (BOM) is a domain-specific representation of the core concepts of a business and their logical connections. The business object model is the basis for the vocabulary used in business rules. Rules are then defined in a language-like syntax (Business Action Language or “BAL” rules), as decision tables or decision trees. Rules defined in tables and trees can also be viewed as BAL rules. IBM ILOG also has a framework for defining custom business rule languages when the standard rule formats are not sufficient.

Can a decision table be created outside of WebSphere ILOG JRules (i.e. in Microsoft Excel) and imported into WebSphere ILOG JRules?
Yes. Business logic that is currently represented in Microsoft Excel (or other structured format) can be used to populate decision tables.

What is the relationship between a business process management system (BPMS) a business rule management (BRMS)?
A BPMS and BRMS are both used for process improvement, but each provides a unique set of benefits. A BPMS is used to model, orchestrate and monitor long-running process, including both human workflow and systems-based integration activities. A BRMS is used to model, execute and monitor automated decisions at specific points within a process.

There are a number of compelling reasons for using the BPMS and BRMS together in a loosely-coupled architecture, including:

• Processes and decisions evolve at different rates, and different people are involved in their management.

• A BPMS can typically handle basic rules around routing and simple if-then decisions, but are not designed to handle complex rules involving multiple inter-relationships, as well as other types of rule constructs, such as decision tables or trees, for example.

• Using a BRMS allows for the re-use and sharing of rules across multiple processes, as well as with other applications.

Where can I access this webinar series and related demos?
Our BRMs webinars and demos include:

• The WebSphere ILOG BRMS in Action Series: Build your own solution with this series of live demos performed by business rule experts.

• WebSphere ILOG BRMS Best Practices: Get a thorough grounding in business rule theory and practice.

• WebSphere ILOG BRMS Legacy Modernization: Learn smart steps for achieving agility and flexibility without replacing or rebuilding your legacy systems.

• WebSphere ILOG BRMS Hot Tips: Get in-depth, practical tips you can immediately apply to your ILOG BRMS-based projects.