Decision Model

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 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.
Prof. Dr. Knut Hinkelmann
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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 model
makes 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 in
much 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

one—and only one—corresponding conclusion.

name of conclusion
Column headings: names being reached
of facts being tested

operator value of
condition column heading
(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 and
High 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
Prof. Dr. Knut Hinkelmann
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 A Rule Family represents all Rules for one
Conclusion
■ The Decision Model has only one Rule Family for each type of
conclusion column.

(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 29)

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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

(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 24)

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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

(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 23)

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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

(von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 25)

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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 entire
business 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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 (von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 29)
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 A Decision Model diagram begins with an
octagonal shape that represents the entire
Decision Model Diagram (2/3) business decision
The other shapes in the Decision Model
diagram represent Rule Families.
The Rule family directly connected to This diagram has 6 Rule Families.
the business decision shape is called
the “ Decision Rule Family”, its Inferring value for the
conclusion is the conclusion sought by Second Condition of
the entire Decision Model. Decision Rule Family
Conclusion
Inferred
Conditions
Conditions
Inferring value for
the first Condition
Conditions
of the Decision The Decision Rule based on facts
Rule Family family

The name of each

Rule Family is its
conclusion column
heading.

Prof. Dr. Knut Hinkelmann (von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 28) 13
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 The Decision Model Diagram (3/3)

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.

The solid line:

The conditional columns are
shown below the solid line
and above the dotted line.

Inferred
Inferred Conditions
Conditions

The dotted line: Conditions

The labels below the dotted line denote based on facts
condition column headings that do not serve
as a conclusion column heading in another
Rule Family. (von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 28)
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 (von Halle & Goldberg 2010, p. 28)
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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 conditions

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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.

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