Principles of the Business Rule Approach

The idea of Business Rules has been around for a while. Simply put, a Business Rule is a statement that defines or constrains some aspect of the business. In practice they are meant to reduce or eliminate the delays, waste, and frustration associated with the IT department having to be involved with almost every action affecting an organization‘s information systems. The advent of Web services has created renewed interest in them. There are now several well established rules–based products that have demonstrated the effectiveness of their use. But until now there has not been a definitive guide to Business Rules. Ron Ross, considered to be the father of Business Rules, will help organizations apply this powerful solution to their own computer system problems. This book is intended to be the first book that anyone from an IT manager to a business manager will read to understand what Business Rules are, and what how they can be applied to their own situation.

From the back cover:

Backcover Copy

The Business Rule Approach represents a major paradigm shift in business–system design and development. Employing a business–driven approach, the use of business rules has been proven to enhance the effectiveness, flexibility, and efficiency of business systems. The technology is appropriate for any kind of organization, and is especially well suited for development in the rapidly expanding Web services industry.

Written by the world‘s leading expert in business rules theory and technology, Principles of the Business Rule Approach is appropriate for business and technical professionals, as well as academics. It serves as a concise introduction and tutorial, presenting understandable explanations and practical techniques.

This book explores the rationale behind business rules, as well as the many opportunities presented by this innovative new approach. It explains key business–rule concepts and offers experience–based best practices for expressing business rules. In addition, the book looks at the role of business rules within the context of a wider trend towards model–based development and offers an accessible introduction to the underlying theory of business rules and notation.

Topics covered include

• How the Business Rule Approach is changing the face of business and opening new areas of opportunity
• The direct impact of business rules on IT projects
• Organizing basic business knowledge
• Understanding business structure and processes
• Working successfully with BRS RuleSpeak,TM including rule categories and sentence patterns for rule statements
• Expressing business logic using decision tables
• An in–depth look at fact models
• Theoretical foundations, including formal constraints and predicates

Numerous appendixes address specific topics in business rule technology, such as the Pattern–R approach and notation, evaluating the truth value of a rule, IF...THEN syntax, and more.

Knowledge of the emerging Business Rule Approach is critical for all who are at the leading edge of business system development. Principles of the Business Rule Approach is the authoritative guide and an essential resource.

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About the Author:

Author Bios

Ronald G. Ross is cofounder and principal of Business Rule Solutions, LLC, a firm that provides workshops, consulting services, and publications centered on business analysis and rules. He codeveloped Proteus™ methodology, including the popular RuleSpeak™. He also serves as executive editor of www.BRCommunity.com and is a regular columnist for the internationally acclaimed Business Rules Journal hosted there.

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