
rules, such as via a task scheduler. When the rules fire, they read from and update
the application database—the database tables that contain the information about the
underlying business area. Lastly, there is a set of Administrative Tools. These include
management reports about the rules that have been defined, and audit functions that
permit the tracing of rule execution.
These components are what must be built in order to create a functioning busi-
ness rules engine. Each component consists of several subcomponents, and any sub-
component may be quite complex in its own right. Furthermore, there are many
design alternatives for each component and ...