DecisionModel a Guide

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Decision Model

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Prof. Dr. Knut Hinkelmann

MSc BIS

Decision Model

The Decision Model was developed by Barbara von Halle and

Larry Goldberg

It is a template for perceiving, organizing, and managing the

business logic behind a business decision.

Objective: A model of business logic that is simple to create, interpret, modify,

and automate

a rigorous, repeatable, and technology-independent model that is

based only on the inherent nature of business logic itself

Premise: business logic has its own existence, independent of how it is executed,

where in the business it is executed,

and whether or not its execution is implemented in automated systems.Decision-Aware Business Processes 2


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The Decision Model as an Intellectual Template The Decision Model is a pure representation of business logic. it is

not biased from process, data and technology.

Similar to the relational data model for data, the decision modelmakes the inherent nature of business logic explicit.

The Decision Model is neither a language nor a grammar. It is a model.

languages and grammar can be defined over the Decision Model inmuch the same way that SQL was built over the Relational Model

If the goal is for humans to follow it,

a Decision Model can be translated into whatever format is most easily

referenced by humans.

If the goal is to automate it,

a Decision Model can be translated into one or more target

technologies through appropriate design methodologies.


(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 15)


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Decision Model Elements


A Decision Model has two different kinds of diagrams:

Rule Family Table Decision Model Diagram


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Rule Family: Basic Element of the Decision Model

Rule Family is a two-dimensional table relating conditions to

oneand only onecorresponding conclusion.


Column headings: names

of facts being tested

name of conclusion

being reached

value of

column heading

operator

condition

(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 18f)


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Translating a Rule Family into Natural Language It is possible to convert each row in a Rule Family into a sentence that

sounds natural to a business audience


Possible Conversions If/when Person Employment History is Poor and Person Mortgage Situation is

Poor and Person Miscellaneous Loans Assessment is High, then he Person

Likelihood of Defaulting on a Loan is High.

A Person with Poor Employment History and Poor Mortgage Situation andHigh Miscellaneous Loans Assessment has a High Likelihood of Defaulting on

a Loan.

It is obligatory that the Person Likelihood of Defaulting on a Loan is High if the

Person Employment History is Poor and the Person Mortgage Situation is Poor

and the Person Miscellaneous Loans Assessment is High



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A Rule Family represents all Rules for oneConclusion The Decision Model has only one Rule Family for each type of

conclusion column.




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Rule Pattern A set of Rule Family rows with a common set of condition

cells that are populated is called a Rule Pattern.

The following Rule Family represents two rule patterns




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Two dependend Rule Families Conditions of one rule family can depend on another rule family

Example: Person Employment History in the first rule family depends on

Person Years at Current employer &

Person Number of Jobs in Past Five Years




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Rule Family Tables are Decision Table

A Rule Family table is a kind of decision table

In a Rule Family table each row represents a rule

In a decision table each column represents a rule

A decision model is a structured collection of decision tables

There are some specialties:

A Rule Family must ony have one conclusion column

Inferential relationships between Rule Family are made explicit in a

Decision Model diagram




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Decision Model Diagram (1/3) The Decision Model diagram shows :

The inferential relationships between

Rule Families

Not the detailed content of the Rule

Families.

A Decision Model diagram begins with an

octagonal shape that represents the entirebusiness decision.

It is this shape that relates to tasks within

business process models and to steps within

use cases.

The business decision shape also connects

to business objectives, business tactics, and

business requirements.


(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 26f)


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Decision Model Diagram (2/3)


The Rule family directly connected to

the business decision shape is called

the Decision Rule Family, its

conclusion is the conclusion sought bythe entire Decision Model.

The Decision Rule

family

The name of each

Rule Family is its

conclusion column

heading.

Inferring value forthe first Condition

of the Decision

Rule Family

Inferring value for the

Second Condition of

Decision Rule Family

A Decision Model diagram begins with an

octagonal shape that represents the entire

business decision

The other shapes in the Decision Model

diagram represent Rule Families.

This diagram has 6 Rule Families.

Conditions

ConclusionInferred

Conditions

Conditions

based on facts



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The Decision Model Diagram (3/3)


The sol id line:

The conditional columns are

shown below the solid line

and above the dotted line.

The dotted line:

The labels below the dotted line denote

condition column headings that do not serve

as a conclusion column heading in another

Rule Family.

The solid line terminated by the dot connects

Rule Families that have an inferential

relationship: The conclusion of one Rule

Family is used as a condition in another.

Inferred

ConditionsInferred

Conditions

Conditions

based on facts



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Properties of Decision Model Diagrams

The root of a Decision Model diagram (its start) is an octagonal shape that

represents the entire business decision

The other nodes in the Decision Model diagram represent Rule Families

The Rule family directly connected to the business decision shape is

called the Decision Rule Family.

A Rule Family node has three parts:

The name is the conclusion of the Rule Family

Inferred conditions: There are Rule Families with these names

Basic conditions: There are no Rules Families with theses names

Solid lines between Rule Family nodes represent inferential relationships

The name of the node at the end with the dot occurs as condition in the other node

Leave nodes in a Decision Model diagram to not have inferred conditionsDecision-Aware Business Processes 16


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Literatur

Von Halle, B., & Goldberg, L. (2010). The Decision Model: A

Business Logic Framework Linking Business and Technology.CRC Press Auerbach Publications.


DecisionModel a Guide

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