Review of Building Intelligent .NET Applications

Stu Egli

Andre Inistotov

Frenny Saldana

Kate Styers

Nishant Zinzuwadia

MSE 614

February 26, 2008

The Book

• Assigned the book Building Intelligent .NET Applications by Sara Morgan Rea

• The book uses Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET environment to develop Artificial Intelligence Applications

• Examples provided in the book include– An application built using the Speech Application SDK (Software

Development Kit)

– A voice-only telephony example

– Another application using the Speech Application SDK

– A prediction application that utilizes SQL Servers Analysis Services

– A distributive schedule application using SQL Servers Analysis Services

– A rule-based application

– An agent based application

Why Use .NET for Artificial Intelligence Applications?

• Microsoft is one of the largest software vendors• The author believes that Microsoft will be making software for

many years to come• Microsoft Research will continue to support the development of

technologies like Artificial Intelligence to support continued use of Microsoft products

• The author utilizes the Speech Application SDK (Software Development Kit)

Minimum System Requirement for a .NET Artificial Intelligence Application

• Processor -- Pentium III class (600 MHz or higher)• RAM -- 256 MB or higher• Operating Systems

– Windows 2000, service pack 3– Windows 2003 Server– Windows XP Professional, service pack 1

• Hard disk space -- 950 MB• Soundcard -- Speakers are optional• Microphone -- Headset with close-fitting microphone

(for speech processing applications)

Software Requirements for a .NET Artificial Intelligence Application

Software Comments Cost

Windows 2000, service pack 3Make sure all available critical updates have been install. Updates are available at http://windowsupdate.com.

N/C

Windows 2003 Server

Make sure all available critical updates have been install. Updates are available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b5eac37-bd48-41fd-869b-f9b06fa64a61&DisplayLang=en

N/C

Windows XP Professional, service pack 1Make sure all available critical updates have been install. Updates are available at http://windowsupdate.com.

N/C

Microsoft English Visual Studio .NET 2003

Current version offered by Microsoft is Visual Studio .NET 2008. A 90-day trial version is available at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/products/aa700831.aspx

90-day trial

version

Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.1 or higherCurrent version offered by Microsoft is 6.0. The download is available at http://www.iis.net/downloads/default.aspx?tabid=3

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0, service pack 1 or higher

Standard on computers running Microsoft Operating System

Microsoft .NET Framework Class Library 1.1, service pack 2 or higher

Current version offered by Microsoft is 3.5. The download is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531-508D977D32A6&displaylang=en

Should come with

Visual Studio

Microsoft SQL Server 2000Current version is SQL Server 2005. A 180-day trial is available at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/downloads/trial-software.mspx

180-day trial

versionMicrosoft SQL Server 2000, Service Pack 3a or higher see above

Languages Provided with Visual Studio

• Visual Basic .NET• C# (C sharp)• J# (J sharp -- Microsoft’s version of Java [special add-on to

Visual Studio])

AI Technologies explored in Book

• Intelligent AgentsUsually has 3 – 4 of the following characteristics

– Functions independently

– Reacts to its environment

– Able to communicate

– Personalized

– Able to learn

Ex. Windows file update system by multiple remote monitoring agents to keep the user system updated by checking xml file that lists all the available file using Microsoft’s FileSystemWatcher class & transferring all the possible updates through Microsoft’s Background Intelligent Transfer Service.

AI Technologies explored in Book (cont.)

• Data Mining

Also known as Data Warehousing enables use of huge amount data available and make useful predictions. Ex. Analysis Services

Create a mining model includes:

Creating a Database

Naming the Data Source

Using mining model wizard to create actual model

Creating a training dataset to make prediction results

AI Technologies explored in Book (cont.)

• Rules – based SystemCapturing knowledge of expert and encapsulating into set of rules, programming it into computer code checking its reliability against set of inputs

4 phases used to apply all potential rules:

Conditioning matching – returns a true value & utilizes System.Reflection namespace to invoke condition methods.

Priority Evaluation – Identifies first phase based on name,default flag & priority, accepts its and passes generated result to next phase.

Application of Results – orders rules based on priority, executes each result method and create log indicating rules applied.

Adjustment – Monitors ResultLog & ResultLogDetail tables, adjusts rules when application determines matching question & condition, invokes a result method or encounters an error.

AI Technologies explored in Book (cont.)

• Speech Processing

The speech engine recognizes what the user says by applying predefined grammar rules

Speech Application SDK once installed creates new speech application for Speech Web Application

Prompt Editor managing Prompt Database which contains prerecorded phrases used by user. If not Text-to-Speech will speak

Telephony Application Simulator and Speech Debugging Console are used in developing and debugging voice-only application.

Call Viewer and Speech Application Report, provided my Microsoft Speech Server allows to analyze and report on call event data.

Other Areas of AI and Microsoft Research

• Fuzzy Logic

• Game AI

• Genetic Programming

• Natural Language Processing

• Neural Networks

• Machine Learning

• Robotics

Visual Studio.NET is a wonderful tool for creating powerful distributed

Applications. The upcoming versions will be even more powerful. They will

be based on some exciting technologies coming out of Microsoft

Research.