Specification pattern

Abstract: Informally described design patterns are useful for communicating proven solutions for recurring design problems to developers, but they cannot be used as compliance points against which solutions that claim to conform to the patterns are checked. Pattern specification languages that utilize mathematical notation provide the needed formality, but often at the expense of usability. We present a rigorous and practical technique for specifying pattern solutions expressed in the unified modeling language (UML). The specification technique paves the way for the development of tools that support rigorous application of design patterns to UML design models. The technique has been used to create specifications of solutions for several popular design patterns. We illustrate the use of the technique by specifying observer and visitor pattern solutions.

Abstract: Attributed grammars are defned from the pattern recognidon point of view and shown to be useful for descriptions of syntactic stuctures as well as semantic attributes in primitives, subpatterns, and patterns. A pattern analysis system using attributed grammars Is proposed for pattern classification and description. This system extracts primitives and their attributes after preprocessing, performs syntax analysis of the resulting pattern representations, computes and extracts subpattern attributes for syntactically accepted patterns, and finally makes decisions according to the Bayes decision rule. Such a system uses a combination of syntactic and statistical pattern recognition techniques, as is demonstrated by illustrative examples and experimental results.

Abstract: This book shows how to apply pattern ideas in business applications. It presents more than 20 structural and behavioral business patterns that use the REA (resources, events, agents) pattern as a common backbone. The developer working on business frameworks can use the patterns to derive the right abstractions and to design and ensure that the meta-rules are followed by the developers of the actual applications. The application developer can use these patterns to design a business application, to ensure that it does not violate the domain rules, and to adapt the application to changing requirements without the need to change the overall architecture.

Abstract: List of Figures. Preface. Acknowledgments. I. A NEW APPROACH TO BUSINESS SYSTEMS. 1. The Problem. What This Book is about. Why Should You Care? What is a Business Rule? The Way We Build Software. The Vision. How Could It Be? Some Implications. Is This Really Practical? Moving Forward. Where We Stand. 2. Frameworks, Architectures, and Models. Needful Abstractions. Frameworks. Architectures. Models. Case Study: A Sample Business Architecture. Overview. Business Objects. Business Process Elements. Narratives. Business Events. Actors and Roles. Business Intentions. Organizational Units. Business Rules. What Does a Complete Model Look Like? Model Summary. II. CAPTURING BUSINESS RULES. 3. Defining Business Rules. Rule Statements. Business Rule Characteristics. Business Aspects. What Should a Rule Say? Levels of Expression. OCL. Forming Rule Statements. Pattern Conventions. Rule Patterns. Rule Sets. Static Models Versus Rule Statements. References to Facts. Terms and Rules. Individual Items. References to Multiple Items. Business Parameters. Tips on Rule Construction. Using Facts. Simple Constraints. Quantifications and Qualifications. States and Events. Actors. Dangerous Verbs. Computation. Structure and Consistency. Case Study: Microsoft Outlook. Outlook Rule Structure. Conditions, Exceptions, and Actions. Internals. Logic. Outlook Rule Features. Rule Description Summary. 4. Discovering Business Rules. That Which We Call a Rule. Where Rules Come Rrom. Information Sources. Common Indicators. Finding Rules. Static Analysis. Interactive Sessions. Automated Rule Discovery. Case Study: Loan Approval. The Early Stages. Fishbones. Input Data. Loan-assessment Rules. Rule-discovery Summary. 5. Controlling Rule Quality. Developing Quality Rules. Reviewing Rules. What to Look for in Reviewing Rules. Roles. Rule Context. Tone. Review Outcomes. Review Records and Approvals. Walkthroughs. Planning and Preparation. Conducting a Walkthrough. Inspections. Planning and Preparation. Managing an Inspection. Testing. The Use of Testing. Test Implementation. The Process of Testing. Case Study: Testing the VBB Loan-application Rules. Setting up the ABC Testing. Assessing the Rules. Choosing Test Cases. Implementing the Rule Tests. VBB Test Results. Metrics. Guidelines. Minimum Metrics. Quality Summary. III. IMPLEMENTING BUSINESS RULES. 6. The Technology Environment. More about Architecture. A Typical Reference Architecture. Business Flexibility. Shared Resources. Component Architecture. Interfaces. Component Interaction. Transactions. Server Pages and Ccripting. State Management. Implications for Business Rules. Where Rules Live. Client. Channel Tier. Middle Tier(s). Data Services Tier. Legacy Systems. Summarizing the Technology Environment. 7. Realizing Business Rules. Taking Stock. Distributing Rules. Realizing Rules. Program Statements. Scripts. Rule Components. Rules Engines. Database Mechanisms. Workflow Systems. Look-up Tables. Flags and Magic Codes. System Rules. Implementation Summary. 8. Managing Business Rules and Models. Life-cycle Costs. Managing Evolution. Coping with Changes. Automating Housekeeping. Deploying Rules. Testing a New System. Rollout. Supporting a Live System. Tools to Support Rule Management. Rule Repository. Why a Repository? Repositories and Rules Engines. An Example Repository Design. Rule Management Summary. IV. THE ROLE OF BUSINESS RULES. 9. A Wider View. Marshaling Intellectual Resources. Knowledge Management. Developing Knowledge Management. Capturing Knowledge. What's the Problem? Knowledge Representation. Enriched Models. Packaging for Reuse. New Kinds of Services. Knowledge Summary. 10. Summing Up. The Purpose of This Book. Models. Trends. Business Process Reengineering. Quality Management. Reducing the Maintenance Burden. Better Specification. Distributed Computing. Soft Assets. Business Rule Characteristics. Rule Populations. Other Properties. Who? Where? When? Rule Programming. Advantages of Business Rules. Business Rule Features. Categories of Benefits. Appendix: A Little Bit of Logic. Business Logic. Why Logic? Logic and Logics. A Logical Framework. Forms and Symbols. Propositions. What's a Proposition? Standard Forms of Proposition. Visualizing Propositions. Alternative Forms of Propositions. Logical Operations. Syllogisms. Other Kinds of Arguments. Handling Logical Values. Nothing but the Truth. Combining Logical Values. How Many Functions? Final Words. Selected Bibliography. Index. 0201743914T03042002