An Engine-Independent Framework for Business Rules Development

Abstract

There is a compelling need for highly customized Domain Specific Languages and Business Vocabulary in certain industries such as insurance, mortgage, and finance to enable Knowledge Workers to articulate and to automate complex rules pertinent to their areas of function within their companies. Rule Engine vendors attempt to provide a solution to the problem by selling an integrated Rules Engine and Business Rules Management System. Usually, the BRMS's provided by vendors need to be customized and integrated into the overall Enterprise Architecture. This results in the Enterprise Architecture to be tightly coupled with the vendor's rule offering. Moreover, it poses a significant risk to the Enterprise as vendor solutions change between releases. The Enterprise Architecture needs a way to insulate itself from such impacts. This paper describes a framework that delivers the core BRMS functions of authoring and representation in a vendor neutral fashion. In addition, the paper sheds light on specific areas of the framework that can be standardized.