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Designing a decision service using guided rules

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Red Hat Decision Manager 7.6

Red Hat Customer Content Services

Abstract

This document describes how to design a decision service using guided rules in Red Hat Decision Manager 7.6.

Preface

As a business analyst or business rules developer, you can define business rules using the guided rules designer in Business Central. These guided rules are compiled into Drools Rule Language (DRL) and form the core of the decision service for your project.

Note

You can also design your decision service using Decision Model and Notation (DMN) models instead of rule-based or table-based assets. For information about DMN support in Red Hat Decision Manager 7.6, see the following resources:

Prerequisites

  • The space and project for the guided rules have been created in Business Central. Each asset is associated with a project assigned to a space. For details, see Getting started with decision services.

Chapter 1. Decision-authoring assets in Red Hat Decision Manager

Red Hat Decision Manager supports several assets that you can use to define business decisions for your decision service. Each decision-authoring asset has different advantages, and you might prefer to use one or a combination of multiple assets depending on your goals and needs.

The following table highlights the main decision-authoring assets supported in Red Hat Decision Manager projects to help you decide or confirm the best method for defining decisions in your decision service.

Table 1.1. Decision-authoring assets supported in Red Hat Decision Manager
AssetHighlightsAuthoring toolsDocumentation

Decision Model and Notation (DMN) models

  • Are decision models based on a notation standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG)
  • Use graphical decision requirements diagrams (DRDs) with one or more decision requirements graphs (DRGs) to trace business decision flows
  • Use an XML schema that allows the DMN models to be shared between DMN-compliant platforms
  • Support Friendly Enough Expression Language (FEEL) to define decision logic in DMN decision tables and other DMN boxed expressions
  • Are optimal for creating comprehensive, illustrative, and stable decision flows

Business Central or other DMN-compliant editor

Designing a decision service using DMN models

Guided decision tables

  • Are tables of rules that you create in a UI-based table designer in Business Central
  • Are a wizard-led alternative to spreadsheet decision tables
  • Provide fields and options for acceptable input
  • Support template keys and values for creating rule templates
  • Support hit policies, real-time validation, and other additional features not supported in other assets
  • Are optimal for creating rules in a controlled tabular format to minimize compilation errors

Business Central

Designing a decision service using guided decision tables

Spreadsheet decision tables

  • Are XLS or XLSX spreadsheet decision tables that you can upload into Business Central
  • Support template keys and values for creating rule templates
  • Are optimal for creating rules in decision tables already managed outside of Business Central
  • Have strict syntax requirements for rules to be compiled properly when uploaded

Spreadsheet editor

Designing a decision service using spreadsheet decision tables

Guided rules

  • Are individual rules that you create in a UI-based rule designer in Business Central
  • Provide fields and options for acceptable input
  • Are optimal for creating single rules in a controlled format to minimize compilation errors

Business Central

Designing a decision service using guided rules

Guided rule templates

  • Are reusable rule structures that you create in a UI-based template designer in Business Central
  • Provide fields and options for acceptable input
  • Support template keys and values for creating rule templates (fundamental to the purpose of this asset)
  • Are optimal for creating many rules with the same rule structure but with different defined field values

Business Central

Designing a decision service using guided rule templates

DRL rules

  • Are individual rules that you define directly in .drl text files
  • Provide the most flexibility for defining rules and other technicalities of rule behavior
  • Can be created in certain standalone environments and integrated with Red Hat Decision Manager
  • Are optimal for creating rules that require advanced DRL options
  • Have strict syntax requirements for rules to be compiled properly

Business Central or integrated development environment (IDE)

Designing a decision service using DRL rules

Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML) models

  • Are predictive data-analytic models based on a notation standard defined by the Data Mining Group (DMG)
  • Use an XML schema that allows the PMML models to be shared between PMML-compliant platforms
  • Support Regression, Scorecard, Tree, Mining, and other model types
  • Can be included with a standalone Red Hat Decision Manager project or imported into a project in Business Central
  • Are optimal for incorporating predictive data into decision services in Red Hat Decision Manager

PMML or XML editor

Designing a decision service using PMML models

Chapter 2. Guided rules

Guided rules are business rules that you create in a UI-based guided rules designer in Business Central that leads you through the rule-creation process. The guided rules designer provides fields and options for acceptable input based on the data objects for the rule being defined. The guided rules that you define are compiled into Drools Rule Language (DRL) rules as with all other rule assets.

All data objects related to a guided rule must be in the same project package as the guided rule. Assets in the same package are imported by default. After you create the necessary data objects and the guided rule, you can use the Data Objects tab of the guided rules designer to verify that all required data objects are listed or to import other existing data objects by adding a New item.

Chapter 3. Data objects

Data objects are the building blocks for the rule assets that you create. Data objects are custom data types implemented as Java objects in specified packages of your project. For example, you might create a Person object with data fields Name, Address, and DateOfBirth to specify personal details for loan application rules. These custom data types determine what data your assets and your decision services are based on.

3.1. Creating data objects

The following procedure is a generic overview of creating data objects. It is not specific to a particular business asset.

Procedure

  1. In Business Central, go to MenuDesignProjects and click the project name.
  2. Click Add AssetData Object.
  3. Enter a unique Data Object name and select the Package where you want the data object to be available for other rule assets. Data objects with the same name cannot exist in the same package. In the specified DRL file, you can import a data object from any package.

    Importing data objects from other packages

    You can import an existing data object from another package directly into the asset designers like guided rules or guided decision table designers. Select the relevant rule asset within the project and in the asset designer, go to Data Objects → New item to select the object to be imported.

  4. To make your data object persistable, select the Persistable checkbox. Persistable data objects are able to be stored in a database according to the JPA specification. The default JPA is Hibernate.
  5. Click Ok.
  6. In the data object designer, click add field to add a field to the object with the attributes Id, Label, and Type. Required attributes are marked with an asterisk (*).

    • Id: Enter the unique ID of the field.
    • Label: (Optional) Enter a label for the field.
    • Type: Enter the data type of the field.
    • List: (Optional) Select this check box to enable the field to hold multiple items for the specified type.

      Figure 3.1. Add data fields to a data object

      Add data fields to a data object
  7. Click Create to add the new field, or click Create and continue to add the new field and continue adding other fields.

    Note

    To edit a field, select the field row and use the general properties on the right side of the screen.

Chapter 4. Creating guided rules

Guided rules enable you to define business rules in a structured format, based on the data objects associated with the rules. You can create and define guided rules individually for your project.

Procedure

  1. In Business Central, go to MenuDesignProjects and click the project name.
  2. Click Add AssetGuided Rule.
  3. Enter an informative Guided Rule name and select the appropriate Package. The package that you specify must be the same package where the required data objects have been assigned or will be assigned.

    You can also select Show declared DSL sentences if any domain specific language (DSL) assets have been defined in your project. These DSL assets will then become usable objects for conditions and actions that you define in the guided rules designer.

  4. Click Ok to create the rule asset.

    The new guided rule is now listed in the Guided Rules panel of the Project Explorer, or in the Guided Rules (with DSL) panel if you selected the Show declared DSL sentences option.

  5. Click the Data Objects tab and confirm that all data objects required for your rules are listed. If not, click New item to import data objects from other packages, or create data objects within your package.
  6. After all data objects are in place, return to the Model tab of the guided rules designer and use the buttons on the right side of the window to add and define the WHEN (condition) and THEN (action) sections of the rule, based on the available data objects.

    Figure 4.1. The guided rules designer

    The guided rules designer

    The WHEN part of the rule contains the conditions that must be met to execute an action. For example, if a bank requires loan applicants to have over 21 years of age, then the WHEN condition of an Underage rule would be Age | less than | 21.

    The THEN part of the rule contains the actions to be performed when the conditional part of the rule has been met. For example, when the loan applicant is under 21 years old, the THEN action would set approved to false, declining the loan because the applicant is under age.

    You can also specify exceptions for more complex rules, such as if a bank may approve of an under-aged applicant when a guarantor is involved. In that case, you would create or import a guarantor data object and then add the field to the guided rule.

  7. After you define all components of the rule, click Validate in the upper-right toolbar of the guided rules designer to validate the guided rule. If the rule validation fails, address any problems described in the error message, review all components in the rule, and try again to validate the rule until the rule passes.
  8. Click Save in the guided rules designer to save your work.

4.1. Adding WHEN conditions in guided rules

The WHEN part of the rule contains the conditions that must be met to execute an action. For example, if a bank requires loan applicants to have over 21 years of age, then the WHEN condition of an Underage rule would be Age | less than | 21. You can set simple or complex conditions to determine how and when your rules are applied.

Prerequisites

  • All data objects required for your rules have been created or imported and are listed in the Data Objects tab of the guided rules designer.

Procedure

  1. In the guided rules designer, click the plus icon ( 5686 ) on the right side of the WHEN section.

    The Add a condition to the rule window with the available condition elements opens.

    Figure 4.2. Add a condition to the rule

    Add a condition to the rule

    The list includes the data objects from the Data Objects tab of the guided rules designer, any DSL objects defined for the package (if you selected Show declared DSL sentences when you created this guided rule), and the following standard options:

    • The following does not exist: Use this to specify facts and constraints that must not exist.
    • The following exists: Use this to specify facts and constraints that must exist. This option is triggered on only the first match, not subsequent matches.
    • Any of the following are true: Use this to list any facts or constraints that must be true.
    • From: Use this to define a From conditional element for the rule.
    • From Accumulate: Use this to define an Accumulate conditional element for the rule.
    • From Collect: Use this to define a Collect conditional element for the rule.
    • From Entry Point: Use this to define an Entry Point for the pattern.
    • Free form DRL: Use this to insert a free-form DRL field where you can define condition elements freely, without the guided rules designer.
  2. Choose a condition element (for example, LoanApplication) and click Ok.
  3. Click the condition element in the guided rules designer and use the Modify constraints for LoanApplication window to add a restriction on a field, apply multiple field constraints, add a new formula style expression, apply an expression editor, or set a variable name.

    Figure 4.3. Modify a condition

    Modifying a condition
    Note

    A variable name enables you to identify a fact or field in other constructs within the guided rule. For example, you could set the variable of LoanApplication to a and then reference a in a separate Bankruptcy constraint that specifies which application the bankruptcy is based on.

    a : LoanApplication()
    Bankruptcy( application == a ).

    After you select a constraint, the window closes automatically.

  4. Choose an operator for the restriction (for example, greater than) from the drop-down menu next to the added restriction.
  5. Click the edit icon ( 6191 ) to define the field value. The field value can be a literal value, a formula, or a full MVEL expression.
  6. To apply multiple field constraints, click the condition and in the Modify constraints for LoanApplication window, select All of(And) or Any of(Or) from the Multiple field constraint drop-down menu.

    Figure 4.4. Add multiple field constraints

    Modifying a condition
  7. Click the constraint in the guided rules designer and further define the field value.
  8. After you define all condition components of the rule, click Validate in the upper-right toolbar of the guided rules designer to validate the guided rule conditions. If the rule validation fails, address any problems described in the error message, review all components in the rule, and try again to validate the rule until the rule passes.
  9. Click Save in the guided rules designer to save your work.

4.2. Adding THEN actions in guided rules

The THEN part of the rule contains the actions to be performed when the WHEN condition of the rule has been met. For example, when a loan applicant is under 21 years old, the THEN action might set approved to false, declining the loan because the applicant is under age. You can set simple or complex actions to determine how and when your rules are applied.

Prerequisites

  • All data objects required for your rules have been created or imported and are listed in the Data Objects tab of the guided rules designer.

Procedure

  1. In the guided rules designer, click the plus icon ( 5686 ) on the right side of the THEN section.

    The Add a new action window with the available action elements opens.

    Figure 4.5. Add a new action to the rule

    Add a new action to the rule

    The list includes insertion and modification options based on the data objects in the Data Objects tab of the guided rules designer, and on any DSL objects defined for the package (if you selected Show declared DSL sentences when you created this guided rule):

    • Change field values of: Use this to set the value of fields on a fact (such as LoanApplication) without notifying the decision engine of the change.
    • Delete: Use this to delete a fact.
    • Modify: Use this to specify fields to be modified for a fact and to notify the decision engine of the change.
    • Insert fact: Use this to insert a fact and define resulting fields and values for the fact.
    • Logically Insert fact: Use this to insert a fact logically into the decision engine and define resulting fields and values for the fact. The decision engine is responsible for logical decisions on insertions and retractions of facts. After regular or stated insertions, facts have to be retracted explicitly. After logical insertions, facts are automatically retracted when the conditions that originally asserted the facts are no longer true.
    • Add free form DRL: Use this to insert a free-form DRL field where you can define condition elements freely, without the guided rules designer.
    • Call method on: Use this to invoke a method from another fact.
  2. Choose an action element (for example, Modify) and click Ok.
  3. Click the action element in the guided rules designer and use the Add a field window to select a field.

    Figure 4.6. Add a field

    Add a field

    After you select a field, the window closes automatically.

  4. Click the edit icon ( 6191 ) to define the field value. The field value can be a literal value or a formula.
  5. After you define all action components of the rule, click Validate in the upper-right toolbar of the guided rules designer to validate the guided rule actions. If the rule validation fails, address any problems described in the error message, review all components in the rule, and try again to validate the rule until the rule passes.
  6. Click Save in the guided rules designer to save your work.

4.3. Defining enumerations for drop-down lists in rule assets

Enumeration definitions in Business Central determine the possible values of fields for conditions or actions in guided rules, guided rule templates, and guided decision tables. An enumeration definition contains a fact.field mapping to a list of supported values that are displayed as a drop-down list in the relevant field of a rule asset. When a user selects a field that is based on the same fact and field as the enumeration definition, the drop-down list of defined values is displayed.

You can define enumerations in Business Central or in the DRL source for your Red Hat Decision Manager project.

Procedure

  1. In Business Central, go to MenuDesignProjects and click the project name.
  2. Click Add AssetEnumeration.
  3. Enter an informative Enumeration name and select the appropriate Package. The package that you specify must be the same package where the required data objects and relevant rule assets have been assigned or will be assigned.
  4. Click Ok to create the enumeration.

    The new enumeration is now listed in the Enumeration Definitions panel of the Project Explorer.

  5. In the Model tab of the enumerations designer, click Add enum and define the following values for the enumeration:

    • Fact: Specify an existing data object within the same package of your project with which you want to associate this enumeration. Open the Data Objects panel in the Project Explorer to view the available data objects, or create the relevant data object as a new asset if needed.
    • Field: Specify an existing field identifier that you defined as part of the data object that you selected for the Fact. Open the Data Objects panel in the Project Explorer to select the relevant data object and view the list of available Identifier options. You can create the relevant identifier for the data object if needed.
    • Context: Specify a list of values in the format ['string1','string2','string3'] or [integer1,integer2,integer3] that you want to map to the Fact and Field definitions. These values will be displayed as a drop-down list for the relevant field of the rule asset.

    For example, the following enumeration defines the drop-down values for applicant credit rating in a loan application decision service:

    Figure 4.7. Example enumeration for applicant credit rating in Business Central

    EnumConfig

    Example enumeration for applicant credit rating in the DRL source

    'Applicant.creditRating' : ['AA', 'OK', 'Sub prime']

    In this example, for any guided rule, guided rule template, or guided decision table that is in the same package of the project and that uses the Applicant data object and the creditRating field, the configured values are available as drop-down options:

    Figure 4.8. Example enumeration drop-down options in a guided rule or guided rule template

    EnumDropDown

    Figure 4.9. Example enumeration drop-down options in a guided decision table

    EnumDropDownGDT

4.3.1. Advanced enumeration options for rule assets

For advanced use cases with enumeration definitions in your Red Hat Decision Manager project, consider the following extended options for defining enumerations:

Mapping between DRL values and values in Business Central

If you want the enumeration values to appear differently or more completely in the Business Central interface than they appear in the DRL source, use a mapping in the format 'fact.field' : ['sourceValue1=UIValue1','sourceValue2=UIValue2', …​ ] for your enumeration definition values.

For example, in the following enumeration definition for loan status, the options A or D are used in the DRL file but the options Approved or Declined are displayed in Business Central:

'Loan.status' : ['A=Approved','D=Declined']
Enumeration value dependencies

If you want the selected value in one drop-down list to determine the available options in a subsequent drop-down list, use the format 'fact.fieldB[fieldA=value1]' : ['value2', 'value3', …​ ] for your enumeration definition.

For example, in the following enumeration definition for insurance policies, the policyType field accepts the values Home or Car. The type of policy that the user selects determines the policy coverage field options that are then available:

'Insurance.policyType' : ['Home', 'Car']
'Insurance.coverage[policyType=Home]' : ['property', 'liability']
'Insurance.coverage[policyType=Car]' : ['collision', 'fullCoverage']
Note

Enumeration dependencies are not applied across rule conditions and actions. For example, in this insurance policy use case, the selected policy in the rule condition does not determine the available coverage options in the rule actions, if applicable.

External data sources in enumerations

If you want to retrieve a list of enumeration values from an external data source instead of defining the values directly in the enumeration definition, on the class path of your project, add a helper class that returns a java.util.List list of strings. In the enumeration definition, instead of specifying a list of values, identify the helper class that you configured to retrieve the values externally.

For example, in the following enumeration definition for loan applicant region, instead of defining applicant regions explicitly in the format 'Applicant.region' : ['country1', 'country2', …​ ], the enumeration uses a helper class that returns the list of values defined externally:

'Applicant.region' : (new com.mycompany.DataHelper()).getListOfRegions()

In this example, a DataHelper class contains a getListOfRegions() method that returns a list of strings. The enumerations are loaded in the drop-down list for the relevant field in the rule asset.

You can also load dependent enumeration definitions dynamically from a helper class by identifying the dependent field as usual and enclosing the call to the helper class within quotation marks:

'Applicant.region[countryCode]' : '(new com.mycompany.DataHelper()).getListOfRegions("@{countryCode}")'

If you want to load all enumeration data entirely from an external data source, such as a relational database, you can implement a Java class that returns a Map<String, List<String>> map. The key of the map is the fact.field mapping and the value is a java.util.List<String> list of values.

For example, the following Java class defines loan applicant regions for the related enumeration:

public class SampleDataSource {

  public Map<String, List<String>> loadData() {
    Map data = new HashMap();

    List d = new ArrayList();
    d.add("AU");
    d.add("DE");
    d.add("ES");
    d.add("UK");
    d.add("US");
    ...
    data.put("Applicant.region", d);

    return data;
  }

}

The following enumeration definition correlates to this example Java class. The enumeration contains no references to fact or field names because they are defined in the Java class:

=(new SampleDataSource()).loadData()

The = operator enables Business Central to load all enumeration data from the helper class. The helper methods are statically evaluated when the enumeration definition is requested for use in an editor.

Note

Defining an enumeration without a fact and field definition is currently not supported in Business Central. To define the enumeration for the associated Java class in this way, use the DRL source in your Red Hat Decision Manager project.

4.4. Adding other rule options

You can also use the rule designer to add metadata within a rule, define additional rule attributes (such as salience and no-loop), and freeze areas of the rule to restrict modifications to conditions or actions.

Procedure

  1. In the rule designer, click (show options…​) under the THEN section.
  2. Click the plus icon ( 5686 ) on the right side of the window to add options.
  3. Select an option to be added to the rule:

    • Metadata: Enter a metadata label and click the plus icon ( 5686 ). Then enter any needed data in the field provided in the rule designer.
    • Attribute: Select from the list of rule attributes. Then further define the value in the field or option displayed in the rule designer.
    • Freeze areas for editing: Select Conditions or Actions to restrict the area from being modified in the rule designer.

      Figure 4.10. Rule options

      Additional rule options
  4. Click Save in the rule designer to save your work.

4.4.1. Rule attributes

Rule attributes are additional specifications that you can add to business rules to modify rule behavior.

The following table lists the names and supported values of the attributes that you can assign to rules:

Table 4.1. Rule attributes
AttributeValue

salience

An integer defining the priority of the rule. Rules with a higher salience value are given higher priority when ordered in the activation queue.

Example: salience 10

enabled

A Boolean value. When the option is selected, the rule is enabled. When the option is not selected, the rule is disabled.

Example: enabled true

date-effective

A string containing a date and time definition. The rule can be activated only if the current date and time is after a date-effective attribute.

Example: date-effective "4-Sep-2018"

date-expires

A string containing a date and time definition. The rule cannot be activated if the current date and time is after the date-expires attribute.

Example: date-expires "4-Oct-2018"

no-loop

A Boolean value. When the option is selected, the rule cannot be reactivated (looped) if a consequence of the rule re-triggers a previously met condition. When the condition is not selected, the rule can be looped in these circumstances.

Example: no-loop true

agenda-group

A string identifying an agenda group to which you want to assign the rule. Agenda groups allow you to partition the agenda to provide more execution control over groups of rules. Only rules in an agenda group that has acquired a focus are able to be activated.

Example: agenda-group "GroupName"

activation-group

A string identifying an activation (or XOR) group to which you want to assign the rule. In activation groups, only one rule can be activated. The first rule to fire will cancel all pending activations of all rules in the activation group.

Example: activation-group "GroupName"

duration

A long integer value defining the duration of time in milliseconds after which the rule can be activated, if the rule conditions are still met.

Example: duration 10000

timer

A string identifying either int (interval) or cron timer definitions for scheduling the rule.

Example: timer ( cron:* 0/15 * * * ? ) (every 15 minutes)

calendar

A Quartz calendar definition for scheduling the rule.

Example: calendars "* * 0-7,18-23 ? * *" (exclude non-business hours)

auto-focus

A Boolean value, applicable only to rules within agenda groups. When the option is selected, the next time the rule is activated, a focus is automatically given to the agenda group to which the rule is assigned.

Example: auto-focus true

lock-on-active

A Boolean value, applicable only to rules within rule flow groups or agenda groups. When the option is selected, the next time the ruleflow group for the rule becomes active or the agenda group for the rule receives a focus, the rule cannot be activated again until the ruleflow group is no longer active or the agenda group loses the focus. This is a stronger version of the no-loop attribute, because the activation of a matching rule is discarded regardless of the origin of the update (not only by the rule itself). This attribute is ideal for calculation rules where you have a number of rules that modify a fact and you do not want any rule re-matching and firing again.

Example: lock-on-active true

ruleflow-group

A string identifying a rule flow group. In rule flow groups, rules can fire only when the group is activated by the associated rule flow.

Example: ruleflow-group "GroupName"

dialect

A string identifying either JAVA or MVEL as the language to be used for code expressions in the rule. By default, the rule uses the dialect specified at the package level. Any dialect specified here overrides the package dialect setting for the rule.

Example: dialect "JAVA"

Chapter 5. Executing rules

After you identify example rules or create your own rules in Business Central, you can build and deploy the associated project and execute rules locally or on Decision Server to test the rules.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. In Business Central, go to MenuDesignProjects and click the project name.
  2. In the upper-right corner of the project Assets page, click Deploy to build the project and deploy it to Decision Server. If the build fails, address any problems described in the Alerts panel at the bottom of the screen.

    For more information about project deployment options, see Packaging and deploying a Red Hat Decision Manager project.

  3. Create a Maven or Java project outside of Business Central, if not created already, that you can use for executing rules locally or that you can use as a client application for executing rules on Decision Server. The project must contain a pom.xml file and any other required components for executing the project resources.

    For example test projects, see "Other methods for creating and executing DRL rules".

  4. Open the pom.xml file of your test project or client application and add the following dependencies, if not added already:

    • kie-ci: Enables your client application to load Business Central project data locally using ReleaseId
    • kie-server-client: Enables your client application to interact remotely with assets on Decision Server
    • slf4j: (Optional) Enables your client application to use Simple Logging Facade for Java (SLF4J) to return debug logging information after you interact with Decision Server

    Example dependencies for Red Hat Decision Manager 7.6 in a client application pom.xml file:

    <!-- For local execution -->
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.kie</groupId>
      <artifactId>kie-ci</artifactId>
      <version>7.30.0.Final-redhat-00003</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- For remote execution on Decision Server -->
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.kie.server</groupId>
      <artifactId>kie-server-client</artifactId>
      <version>7.30.0.Final-redhat-00003</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <!-- For debug logging (optional) -->
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
      <artifactId>slf4j-simple</artifactId>
      <version>1.7.25</version>
    </dependency>

    For available versions of these artifacts, search the group ID and artifact ID in the Nexus Repository Manager online.

    Note

    Instead of specifying a Red Hat Decision Manager <version> for individual dependencies, consider adding the Red Hat Business Automation bill of materials (BOM) dependency to your project pom.xml file. The Red Hat Business Automation BOM applies to both Red Hat Decision Manager and Red Hat Process Automation Manager. When you add the BOM files, the correct versions of transitive dependencies from the provided Maven repositories are included in the project.

    Example BOM dependency:

    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.redhat.ba</groupId>
      <artifactId>ba-platform-bom</artifactId>
      <version>7.6.0.redhat-00004</version>
      <scope>import</scope>
      <type>pom</type>
    </dependency>

    For more information about the Red Hat Business Automation BOM, see What is the mapping between Red Hat Decision Manager and the Maven library version?.

  5. Ensure that the dependencies for artifacts containing model classes are defined in the client application pom.xml file exactly as they appear in the pom.xml file of the deployed project. If dependencies for model classes differ between the client application and your projects, execution errors can occur.

    To access the project pom.xml file in Business Central, select any existing asset in the project and then in the Project Explorer menu on the left side of the screen, click the Customize View gear icon and select Repository Viewpom.xml.

    For example, the following Person class dependency appears in both the client and deployed project pom.xml files:

    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.sample</groupId>
      <artifactId>Person</artifactId>
      <version>1.0.0</version>
    </dependency>
  6. If you added the slf4j dependency to the client application pom.xml file for debug logging, create a simplelogger.properties file on the relevant classpath (for example, in src/main/resources/META-INF in Maven) with the following content:

    org.slf4j.simpleLogger.defaultLogLevel=debug
  7. In your client application, create a .java main class containing the necessary imports and a main() method to load the KIE base, insert facts, and execute the rules.

    For example, a Person object in a project contains getter and setter methods to set and retrieve the first name, last name, hourly rate, and the wage of a person. The following Wage rule in a project calculates the wage and hourly rate values and displays a message based on the result:

    package com.sample;
    
    import com.sample.Person;
    
    dialect "java"
    
    rule "Wage"
      when
        Person(hourlyRate * wage > 100)
        Person(name : firstName, surname : lastName)
      then
        System.out.println("Hello" + " " + name + " " + surname + "!");
        System.out.println("You are rich!");
    end

    To test this rule locally outside of Decision Server (if needed), configure the .java class to import KIE services, a KIE container, and a KIE session, and then use the main() method to fire all rules against a defined fact model:

    Executing rules locally

    import org.kie.api.KieServices;
    import org.kie.api.builder.ReleaseId;
    import org.kie.api.runtime.KieContainer;
    import org.kie.api.runtime.KieSession;
    import org.drools.compiler.kproject.ReleaseIdImpl;
    
    public class RulesTest {
    
      public static final void main(String[] args) {
        try {
          // Identify the project in the local repository:
          ReleaseId rid = new ReleaseIdImpl("com.myspace", "MyProject", "1.0.0");
    
          // Load the KIE base:
          KieServices ks = KieServices.Factory.get();
          KieContainer kContainer = ks.newKieContainer(rid);
          KieSession kSession = kContainer.newKieSession();
    
          // Set up the fact model:
          Person p = new Person();
          p.setWage(12);
          p.setFirstName("Tom");
          p.setLastName("Summers");
          p.setHourlyRate(10);
    
          // Insert the person into the session:
          kSession.insert(p);
    
          // Fire all rules:
          kSession.fireAllRules();
          kSession.dispose();
        }
    
        catch (Throwable t) {
          t.printStackTrace();
        }
      }
    }

    To test this rule on Decision Server, configure the .java class with the imports and rule execution information similarly to the local example, and additionally specify KIE services configuration and KIE services client details:

    Executing rules on Decision Server

    package com.sample;
    
    import java.util.ArrayList;
    import java.util.HashSet;
    import java.util.List;
    import java.util.Set;
    
    import org.kie.api.command.BatchExecutionCommand;
    import org.kie.api.command.Command;
    import org.kie.api.KieServices;
    import org.kie.api.runtime.ExecutionResults;
    import org.kie.api.runtime.KieContainer;
    import org.kie.api.runtime.KieSession;
    import org.kie.server.api.marshalling.MarshallingFormat;
    import org.kie.server.api.model.ServiceResponse;
    import org.kie.server.client.KieServicesClient;
    import org.kie.server.client.KieServicesConfiguration;
    import org.kie.server.client.KieServicesFactory;
    import org.kie.server.client.RuleServicesClient;
    
    import com.sample.Person;
    
    public class RulesTest {
    
      private static final String containerName = "testProject";
      private static final String sessionName = "myStatelessSession";
    
      public static final void main(String[] args) {
        try {
          // Define KIE services configuration and client:
          Set<Class<?>> allClasses = new HashSet<Class<?>>();
          allClasses.add(Person.class);
          String serverUrl = "http://$HOST:$PORT/kie-server/services/rest/server";
          String username = "$USERNAME";
          String password = "$PASSWORD";
          KieServicesConfiguration config =
            KieServicesFactory.newRestConfiguration(serverUrl,
                                                    username,
                                                    password);
          config.setMarshallingFormat(MarshallingFormat.JAXB);
          config.addExtraClasses(allClasses);
          KieServicesClient kieServicesClient =
            KieServicesFactory.newKieServicesClient(config);
    
          // Set up the fact model:
          Person p = new Person();
          p.setWage(12);
          p.setFirstName("Tom");
          p.setLastName("Summers");
          p.setHourlyRate(10);
    
          // Insert Person into the session:
          KieCommands kieCommands = KieServices.Factory.get().getCommands();
          List<Command> commandList = new ArrayList<Command>();
          commandList.add(kieCommands.newInsert(p, "personReturnId"));
    
          // Fire all rules:
          commandList.add(kieCommands.newFireAllRules("numberOfFiredRules"));
          BatchExecutionCommand batch = kieCommands.newBatchExecution(commandList, sessionName);
    
          // Use rule services client to send request:
          RuleServicesClient ruleClient = kieServicesClient.getServicesClient(RuleServicesClient.class);
          ServiceResponse<ExecutionResults> executeResponse = ruleClient.executeCommandsWithResults(containerName, batch);
          System.out.println("number of fired rules:" + executeResponse.getResult().getValue("numberOfFiredRules"));
        }
    
        catch (Throwable t) {
          t.printStackTrace();
        }
      }
    }

  8. Run the configured .java class from your project directory. You can run the file in your development platform (such as Red Hat CodeReady Studio) or in the command line.

    Example Maven execution (within project directory):

    mvn clean install exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.sample.app.RulesTest"

    Example Java execution (within project directory)

    javac -classpath "./$DEPENDENCIES/*:." RulesTest.java
    java -classpath "./$DEPENDENCIES/*:." RulesTest
  9. Review the rule execution status in the command line and in the server log. If any rules do not execute as expected, review the configured rules in the project and the main class configuration to validate the data provided.

5.1. Executable rule models

Executable rule models are embeddable models that provide a Java-based representation of a rule set for execution at build time. The executable model is a more efficient alternative to the standard asset packaging in Red Hat Decision Manager and enables KIE containers and KIE bases to be created more quickly, especially when you have large lists of DRL (Drools Rule Language) files and other Red Hat Decision Manager assets. The model is low level and enables you to provide all necessary execution information, such as the lambda expressions for the index evaluation.

Executable rule models provide the following specific advantages for your projects:

  • Compile time: Traditionally, a packaged Red Hat Decision Manager project (KJAR) contains a list of DRL files and other Red Hat Decision Manager artifacts that define the rule base together with some pre-generated classes implementing the constraints and the consequences. Those DRL files must be parsed and compiled when the KJAR is downloaded from the Maven repository and installed in a KIE container. This process can be slow, especially for large rule sets. With an executable model, you can package within the project KJAR the Java classes that implement the executable model of the project rule base and re-create the KIE container and its KIE bases out of it in a much faster way. In Maven projects, you use the kie-maven-plugin to automatically generate the executable model sources from the DRL files during the compilation process.
  • Run time: In an executable model, all constraints are defined as Java lambda expressions. The same lambda expressions are also used for constraints evaluation, so you no longer need to use mvel expressions for interpreted evaluation nor the just-in-time (JIT) process to transform the mvel-based constraints into bytecode. This creates a quicker and more efficient run time.
  • Development time: An executable model enables you to develop and experiment with new features of the decision engine without needing to encode elements directly in the DRL format or modify the DRL parser to support them.
Note

For query definitions in executable rule models, you can use up to 10 arguments only.

For variables within rule consequences in executable rule models, you can use up to 24 bound variables only (including the built-in drools variable). For example, the following rule consequence uses more than 24 bound variables and creates a compilation error:

...
then
  $input.setNo25Count(functions.sumOf(new Object[]{$no1Count_1, $no2Count_1, $no3Count_1, ..., $no25Count_1}).intValue());
  $input.getFirings().add("fired");
  update($input);

5.1.1. Embedding an executable rule model in a Maven project

You can embed an executable rule model in your Maven project to compile your rule assets more efficiently at build time.

Prerequisites

  • You have a Mavenized project that contains Red Hat Decision Manager business assets.

Procedure

  1. In the pom.xml file of your Maven project, ensure that the packaging type is set to kjar and add the kie-maven-plugin build component:

    <packaging>kjar</packaging>
    ...
    <build>
      <plugins>
        <plugin>
          <groupId>org.kie</groupId>
          <artifactId>kie-maven-plugin</artifactId>
          <version>${rhdm.version}</version>
          <extensions>true</extensions>
        </plugin>
      </plugins>
    </build>

    The kjar packaging type activates the kie-maven-plugin component to validate and pre-compile artifact resources. The <version> is the Maven artifact version for Red Hat Decision Manager currently used in your project (for example, 7.30.0.Final-redhat-00003). These settings are required to properly package the Maven project.

    Note

    Instead of specifying a Red Hat Decision Manager <version> for individual dependencies, consider adding the Red Hat Business Automation bill of materials (BOM) dependency to your project pom.xml file. The Red Hat Business Automation BOM applies to both Red Hat Decision Manager and Red Hat Process Automation Manager. When you add the BOM files, the correct versions of transitive dependencies from the provided Maven repositories are included in the project.

    Example BOM dependency:

    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.redhat.ba</groupId>
      <artifactId>ba-platform-bom</artifactId>
      <version>7.6.0.redhat-00004</version>
      <scope>import</scope>
      <type>pom</type>
    </dependency>

    For more information about the Red Hat Business Automation BOM, see What is the mapping between RHDM product and maven library version?.

  2. Add the following dependencies to the pom.xml file to enable rule assets to be built from an executable model:

    • drools-canonical-model: Enables an executable canonical representation of a rule set model that is independent from Red Hat Decision Manager
    • drools-model-compiler: Compiles the executable model into Red Hat Decision Manager internal data structures so that it can be executed by the decision engine
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.drools</groupId>
      <artifactId>drools-canonical-model</artifactId>
      <version>${rhdm.version}</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.drools</groupId>
      <artifactId>drools-model-compiler</artifactId>
      <version>${rhdm.version}</version>
    </dependency>
  3. In a command terminal, navigate to your Maven project directory and run the following command to build the project from an executable model:

    mvn clean install -DgenerateModel=<VALUE>

    The -DgenerateModel=<VALUE> property enables the project to be built as a model-based KJAR instead of a DRL-based KJAR.

    Replace <VALUE> with one of three values:

    • YES: Generates the executable model corresponding to the DRL files in the original project and excludes the DRL files from the generated KJAR.
    • WITHDRL: Generates the executable model corresponding to the DRL files in the original project and also adds the DRL files to the generated KJAR for documentation purposes (the KIE base is built from the executable model regardless).
    • NO: Does not generate the executable model.

    Example build command:

    mvn clean install -DgenerateModel=YES

For more information about packaging Maven projects, see Packaging and deploying a Red Hat Decision Manager project.

5.1.2. Embedding an executable rule model in a Java application

You can embed an executable rule model programmatically within your Java application to compile your rule assets more efficiently at build time.

Prerequisites

  • You have a Java application that contains Red Hat Decision Manager business assets.

Procedure

  1. Add the following dependencies to the relevant classpath for your Java project:

    • drools-canonical-model: Enables an executable canonical representation of a rule set model that is independent from Red Hat Decision Manager
    • drools-model-compiler: Compiles the executable model into Red Hat Decision Manager internal data structures so that it can be executed by the decision engine
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.drools</groupId>
      <artifactId>drools-canonical-model</artifactId>
      <version>${rhdm.version}</version>
    </dependency>
    
    <dependency>
      <groupId>org.drools</groupId>
      <artifactId>drools-model-compiler</artifactId>
      <version>${rhdm.version}</version>
    </dependency>

    The <version> is the Maven artifact version for Red Hat Decision Manager currently used in your project (for example, 7.30.0.Final-redhat-00003).

    Note

    Instead of specifying a Red Hat Decision Manager <version> for individual dependencies, consider adding the Red Hat Business Automation bill of materials (BOM) dependency to your project pom.xml file. The Red Hat Business Automation BOM applies to both Red Hat Decision Manager and Red Hat Process Automation Manager. When you add the BOM files, the correct versions of transitive dependencies from the provided Maven repositories are included in the project.

    Example BOM dependency:

    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.redhat.ba</groupId>
      <artifactId>ba-platform-bom</artifactId>
      <version>7.6.0.redhat-00004</version>
      <scope>import</scope>
      <type>pom</type>
    </dependency>

    For more information about the Red Hat Business Automation BOM, see What is the mapping between RHDM product and maven library version?.

  2. Add rule assets to the KIE virtual file system KieFileSystem and use KieBuilder with buildAll( ExecutableModelProject.class ) specified to build the assets from an executable model:

    import org.kie.api.KieServices;
    import org.kie.api.builder.KieFileSystem;
    import org.kie.api.builder.KieBuilder;
    
      KieServices ks = KieServices.Factory.get();
      KieFileSystem kfs = ks.newKieFileSystem()
      kfs.write("src/main/resources/KBase1/ruleSet1.drl", stringContainingAValidDRL)
      .write("src/main/resources/dtable.xls",
        kieServices.getResources().newInputStreamResource(dtableFileStream));
    
      KieBuilder kieBuilder = ks.newKieBuilder( kfs );
      // Build from an executable model
      kieBuilder.buildAll( ExecutableModelProject.class )
      assertEquals(0, kieBuilder.getResults().getMessages(Message.Level.ERROR).size());

    After KieFileSystem is built from the executable model, the resulting KieSession uses constraints based on lambda expressions instead of less-efficient mvel expressions. If buildAll() contains no arguments, the project is built in the standard method without an executable model.

    As a more manual alternative to using KieFileSystem for creating executable models, you can define a Model with a fluent API and create a KieBase from it:

    Model model = new ModelImpl().addRule( rule );
    KieBase kieBase = KieBaseBuilder.createKieBaseFromModel( model );

For more information about packaging projects programmatically within a Java application, see Packaging and deploying a Red Hat Decision Manager project.

Chapter 6. Next steps

Appendix A. Versioning information

Documentation last updated on Friday, May 22, 2020.

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