Date of Award

Fall 2006

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Computer Science

First Advisor

Harris, Doug

Second Advisor

Madiraju, Praveen

Third Advisor

Walker, Craig

Abstract

Software applications, which were traditionally developed for business processing, have commonly included the business logic within the application's source code. Even though this technique has been used and widely accepted for years it has come at a cost. The need for frequent changes to business rules has become routine for software developers today. Changing application source code takes time. Business can no longer afford to wait months for their systems to respond to changing market conditions. The cost of that time could be critical to an organization's overall business objectives and organizational health. This is especially true for ecommerce systems running on the web. A rule that was good for business today might not be for the same environment tomorrow. This research project will explore the potential agility gains of implementing a rules-based processing approach. The traditional approach, found in most applications today, involves the use of source code based business logic layers. To make a change to the business logic layer requires a software developer. It is believed that a successfully implemented rule-based approach provides business personnel with the ability to manage the business rules in a direct way without the assistance of a software developer. Establishing a centralized repository for an organization's business rules is desired. To demonstrate the rules-based processing approach, a prototype application will be created for the insurance industry. Even though the insurance industry will be used to give the prototype a business context, the same principles could be applied to other industries as well.

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