Pega RULES: An Enterprise Rules System

Extensible, Object-Oriented RulebasePegaRULES uses an object-oriented model for its rulebase, and powerful inheritance and hierarchical algorithms to apply the right business rule at the right time. This hierarchical rule structure delivers flexibility, personalization capabilities, rapid application configuration, modification, and deployment.For example, general quality rules, compliance rules, and services rules can be defined as valid for the corporation, while specialized versions of these rules can be made available for specific organization units and/or applications.Common Enterprise Rulebase, Distributed Rule ExecutionThe PegaRULES enterprise rules engine runs as a series of loosely coupled “nodes” that bring the execution of rules in close proximity to the requesting user or system. Distributed nodes provide the option to share a common rulebase and behave as a single system, enabling the ability to provide “local” performance over distributed physical machines.The Right Rule at the Right TimeAt runtime, the PegaRULES enterprise rules engine dynamically selects the right business rule depending on the business purpose, product, organization, RuleSet and version, date, time, customer-associated circumstance and security. Once selected, the rule is converted to Java and executed at Java speed.Rules can be defined to apply during specific system dates and/or during an application-defined effective date. For example, this capability provides insurance companies with the ability to process claims in accordance with the rules that were in effect when the policy was issued.Forward and Backward Chaining Offers Application FlexibilityPegaRULES provides rich application capabilities by allowing both forward chaining (procedural logic) and backward chaining (goal-based logic). By utilizing dependency networks, PegaRULES determines known and unknown dependent facts.For example, when evaluating an expression or constraint, if a required fact is not available, PegaRULES invokes goal-seeking logic to compute that fact — from other known values.PegaRULES retrieves or computes the missing value, either by interacting with other enterprise systems or by asking a user to supply the value. Once that fact is known, it is automatically used to continue the evaluation of expressions or constraints until the final value is determined.Intuitive Rule Forms Ease BusinessUser Change PegaRULES provides intuitive rule forms to build, manage and configure all rules — reducing the need for programmers to write and maintain code.1. Over 70 different Fit-for-Purpose HTML rules forms are provided, allowing for easy rule creation2. IT can allow specific rules and/or sections of rules to be managed by business users, increasing business agility and reducing IT costs3. Users can view the history of changes made to each rule, meeting compliance needs4. Once a rule is changed and checked back in to the system, a review and approval process can be initiatedDozens of Fit-for-Purpose Rule TypesWhere other products require developers to utilize Java or a proprietary rule language to build complex rules, PegaRULES provides a family of rule types to help organizations get started quickly and maximize productivity.1. Declarative Rules: A set of rules that, utilizing dependency networks, compute values or enforce constraints as other properties change, ensuring that data remains consistent2. Decision Tree Rules: A family of rules that conduct fact-based inferencing (forward chaining) to execute “if-then” types of logic3. Process Rules: As part of PegaRULES Process Commander, Pegasystems’ Business Process Management (BPM) product, these rules manage the receiving, assignment, routing, and tracking of workBuild Rules Applications GraphicallyComplex applications can be efficiently built using diagrams to design the rule-flow logic. PegaRULES integrates Microsoft Visio as a graphical front-end to its rulebase, enabling users to connect and link a variety of built-in rules to create a complete rules-based application.Intelligent Agents Automate Key ActivitiesPegaRULES includes agents to identify and act on events. This capability offers an extremely powerful mechanism to create business alarms that take appropriate action when business metrics step out of line.