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Process Reference  
Rules Engine Administration
Installing and enabling
Rules repository
Transferring workflows
Workflow and repository versions
Starting Rules Builder
Creating and exporting rules
Reinitializing regions
Troubleshooting
   

Creating and exporting rules

ILOG Rules Builder enables you to create business rules for use with workflows. Rule sets are named and assigned to workflows using the Process Designer. These rule set appear in ILOG Rules Builder as rule packages. The individual rules are created and added to the rule packages in ILOG Rules Builder. The figure below shows version 1 of a workflow repository in ILOG Rules Builder. The workflow repository contains four rule packages (rule sets)—AfterLaunch, BeforeSubMap, CalculateDiscount, and UpdateBalance; the CalculateDiscount rules package contains three rules. Note that the Rules Engine interface supports the JRules business action language (BAL) rule language only.

To create or update rules for a workflow you must first transfer the workflow to the Rules repository. Once the workflow repository is in the Rules repository, you can create or update the rules from within ILOG Rules Builder. Before the rules can be executed you must export the rules packages to an .ilr file—a compiled version of the rule packages. One .ilr file contains all rule packages for a workflow repository.

Each time a new version of a workflow is transferred to the repository, Rules Engine also creates a new version of the .ilr file—provided there are no errors in the rules. If the rules contain errors such as an invalid data field, a new rule set .ilr file is not created. You must manually edit and check the rule, and then export the rule set to a new .ilr file.

To create a rule set for a workflow

  1. If you have not already done so, transfer the workflow from the Process Designer.
  2. Start ILOG Rules Builder by executing runilog.bat (Windows) or runilog (UNIX) from a command prompt.
  3. Open the repository for the workflow you transferred. If there is more than one version of the workflow, Rules Builder prompts you to select the project (version of the workflow) you want to open.
  4. In the left pane, expand the rules package node and select the rule you want to create/edit.
  5. Edit the rule as appropriate. See the ILOG documentation for information on creating rules.
  6. When you are finished editing the rule, verify that the rule syntax is valid by right-clicking on the rule and selecting Check from the context menu.
  7. Edit and check any additional rules as necessary.
  8. Save the repository by selecting File > Save Repository.

To export a rule set for a workflow

  1. Start ILOG Rules Builder by executing runilog.bat (Windows) or runilog (UNIX) from a command prompt.
  2. Open the workflow repository that contains the rule set you want to edit. If there is more than one version of the workflow, Rules Builder prompts you to select the project (version of the workflow) you want to open.
  3. Verify that the syntax of the rules packages (rules set) in the repository is valid by right-clicking on the repository node and selecting Check from the context menu.
  4. Export the rule set by selecting File > Export > Ruleset > ILR from the Rules Builder menu bar.
  5. In the Generate Rule File dialog specify the name and location of the rule set .ilr file.

    NOTE The .ilr file must have the same name, including the version number, as the workflow project. For example, a rule set .ilr file for a workflow project named loanApproval_1 in region 120 must be named loanApproval_1.ilr and saved under fnsw_loc\connectors\ILOG\rules\120\ (Windows) or fnsw/local/connectors/ILOG/rules/120/ (UNIX).
  6. Click Save.