The Data Model Resource Book, Volume 3: Universal Patterns for Data Modeling

Silverston c08.tex V2 - 11/21/2008 3:12am Page 461

Level 3 Business Rules Pattern 461

An enterprise is building a metadata repository or rules engine. Cap-

turing all of the business rules together in this fashion can be an effective

way to catalog each of the different business rules, their factors, and

their outcomes. Also by capturing all of the rules, factors, and outcomes

together, you show the breadth and depth of the types of rules that are

needed for creating a metadata repository. You may also expose com-

mon factors and/or outcomes that may apply to more than one business

rule entity.

There is a need to handle all business rules in a common fashion in

order to help with the implementation of business rules. Imagine a

programmer creating a standard interface to manage the BUSINESS

RULE FACTOR(s) and BUSINESS RULE OUTCOMES that can be

reused. This can be done only when there is a common, stable structure

underlying that code. By using a single data model for all rules, this can

help facilitate common architecture, rules, processes, and services.

There is a need for flexibility in maintaining business rules. When

there are needs for additional business rule types, factor types, outcome

types, and category types, these may be added much more easily and

without needing to change the data model. In this pattern, use of the

generalized factor and generalized outcome entities instead of modeling ...