Decision Table Variant Mapping for Faster Rule Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional decision tables in rules engines can become large and complex, leading to difficulties in managing and troubleshooting for inconsistencies such as overlapping or redundant rules, which can result in conflicting outputs for the same set of inputs.
Innovation Solution
An improved validation process that generates a map of variants within the decision table, allowing for efficient pruning of rules during subsequent validations by comparing changed rules to previous versions, thereby reducing the scope of validation and enhancing processing speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a decision table accumulates more rules over time, then the rule base becomes more comprehensive and capable of handling more scenarios, but the decision table becomes large and complex, making it difficult to manage and troubleshoot for inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the decision table into multiple partitions or groups based on common characteristics of rules (such as shared conditions or actions). This segmentation allows the large complex decision table to be divided into smaller, more manageable units that can be validated and maintained independently, reducing the overall complexity while preserving the comprehensive rule base.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary validation actions by comparing changed rules against previously validated rules before full validation is executed. This preliminary comparison identifies and eliminates rules that cannot possibly conflict, reducing the scope of subsequent detailed validation and making the system more manageable as rules accumulate.
2Reliability
If a full validation process is performed on all rules in a large decision table, then validation thoroughness is ensured, but the validation time increases to several minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary comparisons between changed rules and previously validated rules to identify potential conflicts before executing the full validation process. This preliminary filtering step eliminates many rules from subsequent detailed validation, maintaining thoroughness for relevant rules while significantly reducing overall validation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial validation by focusing detailed validation only on rules that have actually changed and their potentially conflicting counterparts, rather than validating all rules in the decision table. This partial action approach maintains reliability for affected rules while avoiding unnecessary validation of unchanged rules.
3Reliability
If all rules are validated in every validation cycle, then consistency is maintained, but processing resources are wasted on rules that have not changed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic validation approach where the validation scope adjusts based on what has changed in the decision table. Instead of a static full validation of all rules, the system dynamically identifies only the changed rules and validates them against previously validated rules, maintaining consistency while adapting resource usage to actual needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs partial validation by validating only the changed rules rather than all rules in each validation cycle. This partial action maintains consistency for the affected portion of the rule base while significantly reducing processing resource consumption by avoiding re-validation of unchanged rules.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for validating decision tables. An example method includes comparing a new version of a decision table with a previous version of the decision table to identify a changed rule among a plurality of rules of the decision table. The method also includes pruning, by a processing device, an initial list of rules to be validated in view of the changed rule to generate a reduced list of rules based on a variant map that describes differences between the plurality of rules in the previous version of the decision table. The method also includes performing a validation process for the reduced list of rules.