IDIOM Demonstration
Make your business processes more intelligent and configurable with decision automation
Note: To get the most value from this example, you really need to understand the IDIOM concept of a "formula". We suggest you read the following before watching the demo:
- What is a formula?
- Building formulas using IDIOM
- Demonstration scenario
What is a formula?
An IDIOM formula is the specification of the logical process that produces a decision. Formulas are made up of a set of operations, and constructing a formula is a merely a process of selecting the appropriate operations. As with the formula itself, an operation always returns just a single value. It will produce this value by transforming a set of arguments into the value. An argument may itself be an operation, or it may be a literal value. The Figure below illustrates these concepts using a formula from within an IDIOM repository.
Figure 1: A formula in IDIOM
An IDIOM formula can therefore be described as an operation; this operation may itself be comprised of further operations, thus creating a `tree’ of operations. The root of the tree is the single operation that produces the formula result. The tree terminates at the ‘leaves’. The arguments that comprise the leaves are always either literals, or primitive operations, which obtain their values directly from the environment. Primitive operations include:
- A node (element or attribute) that is defined on the formula's current interface (XML) document.
- System values (eg current date, current year).
- The result of executing another formula.
- A data element within a table (a table is held within IDIOM).
- A literal (a value supplied by the user directly into the formula).
IDIOM does NOT provide direct access to databases, programs, files, or other external sources of data. This is to ensure complete independence between the IDIOM Decision Engine and the host environment. One result of this independence is a very high degree of deployment flexibility. The other is the ability to delegate formula construction fully and safely to business users inside and outside of the organisation without the need for IT technical support.
Building formulas using IDIOM
In IDIOM, the formula construction process, from the leaves through to the root, is supported by an extensive set of wizard - controlled operators, including logic, string, arithmetic, and date operators. These operators are an important set of formula `components' that can simply be dragged onto the Formula palette, to be plugged together using a unique and highly productive graphical programming approach. As the CEO of one our customers has said, "more fun than playing golf!". Quite simply, this is the fastest way to construct programming logic.
The schemas that are used to describe the business data to IDIOM provide the source of the other components that are used to build formulas. These can also be `dragged and dropped' onto the palette to provide a complete set of building blocks for formula construction.
The ‘working presentation’ of a formula within the palette starts with the ‘root’ operation in the top left corner. The result of this operation is the output from the formula itself. The initial presentation of an operation is as a set of unresolved arguments - this is similar to the approach taken by Excel (‘unresolved’ means that the argument does not have a value, nor does it have a definition of how that value can be derived).
While this implies a ‘top down’ approach to formula definition, our palette actually allows you to start the definition of the formula at any point - build it bottom-up, top-down, or start at multiple points and plug the evolving parts together. This allows you to approach the problem in your own style, and to build rules very quickly and accurately. And there is no need to document your rule in narrative form - IDIOM will generate a business readable version of the rule for you (HTML or PDF). And for the `technical audience', IDIOM generates Java and/or C# source code, error free and ready to implement without human intervention.
The process of constructing formulas is an intelligent, Wizard-controlled process. Wizards provide an easy to use and quick way to generate complex logic structures. An important objective of the Wizards is to ensure that the user cannot introduce mistakes into the formula – IDIOM cannot protect the user from creating an incorrect formula, but it can protect them from creating an invalid or illogical one.
Demonstration Scenario
The ‘Set Expiry Date’ movie provides a brief overview of the entire process of defining Decisions and Formulas. The simple outcome of an Expiry Date for an Insurance Policy is used as a focus. It is based on an example motor vehicle insurance schema (shown below). This schema is used to demonstrate some basic principles and does not represent a real insurance schema.
Figure 2: Schema used in the IDIOM Vehicle Insurance Demonstration