Validating updated business rules

• US 20070239570A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krishna, Vikas, Holmes, Scott, Kam-Chak Cheng, Isaac
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and program product for validating updated business rules. A first set of documents utilized to validate a first set of business rules is provided. A second set of business rules generated from an update of the first set of business rules is received. Each business rule includes input parameters. A second set of documents is received. A template file includes the input parameters and corresponding path expressions. An augmented set of documents includes the first and second sets of documents. The second set of business rules is automatically semantically validated against the augmented set of documents. The semantic validation includes executing the second set of business rules with each document of the augmented set. The executing includes binding, via the path expressions, the input parameters to values included in a document of the augmented set.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of validating business rules, comprising:

providing a first set of one or more documents previously utilized to validate a first set of one or more business rules;

receiving a second set of one or more business rules to be validated, said second set of one or more business rules generated from a previous update of said first set of one or more business rules, wherein a business rule of said second set of one or more business rules includes a Boolean expression that includes one or more input parameters;

receiving a second set of one or more documents;

providing a template file that includes said one or more input parameters and one or more path expressions associated therewith in a one-to-one correspondence;

augmenting said first set of one or more documents with said second set of one or more documents to provide an augmented set of documents; and

automatically validating said second set of one or more business rules, said validating performed against said augmented set or against a subset of said augmented set, wherein said automatically validating comprises;

semantically validating said second set of one or more business rules, wherein said semantically validating includes executing said second set of one or more business rules or a subset of said second set of one or more business rules with each document of said augmented set of documents, wherein said executing includes binding, via said one or more path expressions, said one or more input parameters to one or more values included in a document of said augmented set of one or more documents; and

evaluating, responsive to said binding, said Boolean expression with said one or more values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said semantically validating further includes:

checking, against a plurality of pre-defined assertions, a plurality of outcomes resulting from said executing to determine whether any assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by an outcome of said plurality of outcomes, and if said checking determines that an assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by said outcome, notifying a user of;

said assertion being violated by said outcome,

metadata of a document of said augmented set, said metadata facilitating an update of at least one business rule of said second set of one or more business rules, and

said at least one business rule of said second set of one or more business rules, wherein an execution of said at least one business rule results in said outcome, or

if said checking determines that no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes, deploying said second set of one or more business rules into a production area.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising executing a business process based on said second set of business rules, wherein no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising executing a business process based on said first set of business rules and not based on said second set of business rules, wherein said assertion is violated by said outcome.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said checking determines that no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes, and wherein said deploying comprises:

replacing said first set of one or more business rules with said second set of one or more business rules.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second set of one or more business rules is generated by a user utilizing a spreadsheet tool, but without writing a computer program, macro or script to facilitate updating said first set of one or more business rules.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said second set of one or more business rules is generated via said spreadsheet tool, said spreadsheet tool updating a comma-separated value file that includes said first set of business rules.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically validating further comprises syntactically validating said second set of one or more business rules.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium including computer-usable program code for validating business rules, said computer program product including:

computer-usable program code for providing a first set of one or more documents previously utilized to validate a first set of one or more business rules;

computer-usable program code for receiving a second set of one or more business rules to be validated, said second set of one or more business rules generated from a previous update of said first set of one or more business rules, wherein a business rule of said second set of one or more business rules includes a Boolean expression that includes one or more input parameters;

computer-usable program code for receiving a second set of one or more documents;

computer-usable program code for providing a template file that includes said one or more input parameters and one or more path expressions associated therewith in a one-to-one correspondence;

computer-usable program code for augmenting said first set of one or more documents with said second set of one or more documents to provide an augmented set of documents; and

computer-usable program code for automatically validating said second set of one or more business rules, said validating performed against said augmented set or against a subset of said augmented set, wherein said computer-usable program code for said automatically validating comprises;

computer-usable program code for semantically validating said second set of one or more business rules, wherein said semantically validating includes executing said second set of one or more business rules or a subset of said second set of one or more business rules with each document of said augmented set of documents, wherein said executing includes binding, via said one or more path expressions, said one or more input parameters to one or more values included in a document of said augmented set of one or more documents; and

evaluating, responsive to said binding, said Boolean expression with said one or more values.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-usable program code for semantically validating further includes:

computer-usable program code for checking, against a plurality of pre-defined assertions, a plurality of outcomes resulting from said executing to determine whether any assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by an outcome of said plurality of outcomes;

computer-usable code for notifying a user of;

said assertion being violated by said outcome,

metadata of a document of said augmented set, said metadata facilitating an update of at least one business rule of said second set of one or more business rules, and

said at least one business rule of said second set of one or more business rules, wherein an execution of said at least one business rule results in said outcome,

wherein said notifying is performed if said checking determines that an assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by said outcome; and

computer-usable program code for deploying said second set of one or more business rules into a production area, wherein said deploying is performed if said checking determines that no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes.

11. The program product of claim 10, further comprising computer-usable program code for executing a business process based on said second set of business rules, wherein no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes.

12. The program product of claim 10, further comprising computer-usable program code for executing a business process based on said first set of business rules and not based on said second set of business rules, wherein said assertion is violated by said outcome.

13. The program product of claim 10, wherein said checking determines that no assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions is violated by any outcome of said plurality of outcomes, and wherein said computer-usable program code for deploying comprises:

computer-usable code for replacing said first set of one or more business rules with said second set of one or more business rules.

14. The program product of claim 9, wherein said second set of one or more business rules is generated by a user utilizing a spreadsheet tool, but without writing a computer program, macro or script to facilitate updating said first set of one or more business rules.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein said second set of one or more business rules is generated via said spreadsheet tool, said spreadsheet tool updating a comma-separated value file that includes said first set of business rules.

16. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-usable program code for automatically validating further comprises computer-usable program code for syntactically validating said second set of one or more business rules.

17. A computer-implemented method of validating business rules, comprising:

providing a first set of one or more documents previously utilized to validate a first set of one or more business rules, said first set of one or more documents residing in a gateway of a computing system, said gateway being a middleware component of said computing system;

receiving at said gateway, and from a knowledge base external to said gateway, a second set of one or more business rules generated from a previous update in said knowledge base of said first set of one or more business rules, wherein a business rule of said second set of one or more business rules includes one or more input parameters;

receiving at said gateway a second set of one or more documents based on said second set of one or more business rules;

generating a template file external to said gateway, said template file binding in a one-to-one correspondence said one or more input parameters with one or more values included in a document of said second set of one or more documents;

augmenting said first set of one or more documents with said second set of one or more documents to provide an augmented set of documents; and

automatically validating said second set of one or more business rules, said validating performed against said augmented set, wherein said automatically validating comprises executing said second set of one or more business rules with each document of said augmented set of documents, wherein said executing employs said one or more values if said executing is performed with said document of said second set of one or more documents.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

if said executing included in said automatically validating does not result in a violation of any assertion of a plurality of pre-defined assertions based on requirements of a business process, deploying said second set of one or more business rules into a production area of said gateway, or

if said executing included in said automatically validating results in a violation of an assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions, notifying a user of said computing system of said violation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said template file includes one or more XML path expressions, each XML path expression facilitating a binding between an input parameter of said one or more input parameters and a value of said one or more values.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium including computer-usable program code for validating business rules, said computer program product including:

computer-usable program code for providing a first set of one or more documents previously utilized to validate a first set of one or more business rules, said first set of one or more documents residing in a gateway of a computing system, said gateway being a middleware component of said computing system;

computer-usable program code for receiving at said gateway, and from a knowledge base external to said gateway, a second set of one or more business rules generated from a previous update in said knowledge base of said first set of one or more business rules, wherein a business rule of said second set of one or more business rules includes one or more input parameters;

computer-usable program code for receiving at said gateway a second set of one or more documents based on said second set of one or more business rules;

computer-usable code for generating a template file external to said gateway, said template file binding in a one-to-one correspondence said one or more input parameters with one or more values included in a document of said second set of documents;

computer-usable program code for augmenting said first set of one or more documents with said second set of one or more documents to provide an augmented set of documents; and

computer-usable program code for automatically validating said second set of one or more business rules, said validating performed against said augmented set, wherein said automatically validating comprises executing said second set of one or more business rules with each document of said augmented set of documents, wherein said executing employs said one or more values if said executing is performed with said document of said second set of one or more documents.

21. The program product of claim 20, further comprising:

computer-usable program code for deploying said second set of one or more business rules into a production area of said gateway, wherein said deploying is performed if said executing included in said automatically validating does not result in a violation of any assertion of a plurality of pre-defined assertions based on requirements of a business process, and

computer-usable program code for notifying a user of said computing system of said violation, wherein said notifying is performed if said executing included in said automatically validating results in a violation of an assertion of said plurality of pre-defined assertions.

22. The program product of claim 20, wherein said template file includes one or more XML path expressions, each XML path expression facilitating a binding between an input parameter of said one or more input parameters and a value of said one or more values.