Oracle Policy Automation

Priya Nair
5/4/15

Agenda

Introduction to BRMS
Oracle Policy Automation (OPA)
Why OPA?
Installing OPA
Terminology: Rule
Terminology: Rulebase
Terminology: Condition, Conclusion
Writing Rules
Compiling
Oracle Web Determinations
Oracle Determination Server
OPA Example

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Introduction to BRMS
A business rules management system
(BRMS) is a software program
designed to mimic the knowledge of a
human being with expertise in a
particular area and convert it to a
computer-generated problem solving
tool.
In doing this, people with varying
levels of expertise are able to
perform
tasks
and/or
reach
conclusions without the need for
being a specialist in that particular
area.
Business rules management systems
have been used in domains such as:
Human Resources rules
Legislative Quality Assurance
Tax Law Administration
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Oracle Policy Automation

A set of tools and methods which support the creation and
deployment of rule-based knowledge models.
Oracle Policy Modeling is used to build rulebases and screens for use
by the Oracle Policy.

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Why OPA?
OPA addresses following problems:
Mistakes in primary decisions or inconsistent primary
decisions
Multiple handling of cases, because of the complexity of
material
Dependency on seniors to make a high proportion of
decisions
Inefficiency in making decisions
Poor client service and a consequent poor reputation
Costly

review

procedures

or

quality

mechanisms
Poor documentation of decisions
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High training costs

assurance

Installing OPA

Installation Guide

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Terminology: Rule
A rule is an assertion that a conclusion can be
drawn from a particular state of affairs.
For example:
If you leave the ice cream in the sun, then the ice cream
will melt.
It is a good idea to take an umbrella if it is raining outside.
Full-time students and pensioners are eligible for a discount
at the university bookstore.
Your plane can take-off from the airport if it has permission
from the control tower and has completed a safety check.
The movie ticket will cost 100, if the ticket is for a child.
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Terminology: Rulebase
A rulebase is a collection of one or more connected
rules.
For example:
Rule 1:
the person is eligible for a discount at the university bookstore if
the person is a full-time student or
the person is a pensioner
Rule 2:
the person is a full-time student if
the person is studying a full-time load and
the person does not have a full-time job

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Terminology: Conclusion,
Condition

Each rule must have a conclusion (the state of affairs that

can be determined) and usually has at least one
condition (the conditions upon which that determination
may be made).

An attribute is a single unit of data or fact

For example:
Rule 1:
Conclusion: the person is eligible for a discount at the university
bookstore if Condition:
the person is a full-time student or
Condition: the person is a pensioner
Rule 2:
Conclusion: the person is a full-time student if
Condition: the person is studying a full-time load and
Condition: the person does not have a full-time job
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Writing Rules
Rules are authored using Word or Excel.
Rules are written in natural language and formatted
using OPM styles.
Documents are compiled and generated in rule format
files (.xgen) in OPM
Files are then used to build rulebase files for use with the
Oracle Determinations Engine

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Compiling
Once you have finished writing your rules in Word or Excel you will
need to compile your rules.
When you compile your rules OPM creates a mirror XML file
(extension: .xgen) which it combines with any other compiled
files to create the rulebase.
Each Word or Excel document will have its own mirror XGEN
file (which does not appear in OPM).
On compilation, Attribute IDs will be shown in your document
in red

To execute the rules we build the rulebase from within OPM.

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Oracle Web Determinations

Oracle Web Determinations (OWD) is one way in which a rulebase

generated using Oracle Policy Modeling can be presented.

OWD uses the Oracle Determinations Engine to work with rule

models and provides support for online web deployment, help file
integration and document generation.

The web-based user interface is highly configurable.

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Oracle Determination Server

A web service which provides the ability for remote client
applications
to send assessment data,
perform inferencing based on the chosen rulebase and that
data,
return the outcomes back to the requesting client.
Clients can infer outcomes either individually or as a batch process
without the need for a user interface.

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OPA Example

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