How to Create and Populate Decision Tables in Rule Team Server

Samples > Rule Team Server Authoring Extensions > How to Create and Populate Decision Tables in Rule Team Server

How to Create and Populate Decision Tables in Rule Team Server

This sample shows how to create a decision table in Rule Team Server by copying an existing decision table. The values used to populate the decision table model come from a customized data provider object.

This sample comes with the following providers:

File provider: data is stored in a csv file
Excel provider: data is stored in an Excel file
Database provider: data is stored in a database

Key Features

Key features of this sample include:

Create a new project
Create and delete packages and decision tables in a project
Copy project attributes to a target project:

Simple attributes, such as name, lastChangedBy, createdBy, documentation, and group.
More complex attributes such as the definition attributes, tags, and overridden rules.

Add project security, dependencies, and categories to a project
Copy and populate a decision table

Installing this Sample

To install this sample:

In the Samples Console, locate the teamserver > servercopydecisiontable sample.
Check that the Samples Server is started.

For information on how to start and stop the Samples Server, see Stopping and Restarting the Samples Server from the Samples Console.

Execute the build command.

This command builds the application that creates the target project, copies the sample decision tables into it, and populates them with data.

Running this Sample

This sample can only be opened and run in the Samples Console.

To run this sample:

In the Samples Console, locate the teamserver > servercopydecisiontable sample.
Check that the Samples Server is started.

For information on how to start and stop the Samples Server, see Stopping and Restarting the Samples Server from the Samples Console.

Execute the run command.

This command creates the target project, creates the environment for the decision tables (security, dependencies, categories, parameters), selects the decision tables to be copied to the target project, and populates them. The environment and decision tables that are created are dependent on the arguments that are passed.

Source Files

This sample is located in <InstallDir>/teamserver/samples/servercopydecisiontable. It contains the following files:

To delete decision tables in a project:

DeleteDecisionTablesinProject.java - The main class that deletes decision tables from the target project. For example, if you re-run the sample, it clears down the target project so that the sample behaves as though you are running it for the first time.
ProjectDeletionArgument.java - The class that holds the arguments that are passed to the DeleteDecisionTablesinProject class.

To copy decision tables:

DTCopyArgument.java - The main class that holds the arguments to be passed.
CopyProjectElements.java - Copies the decision table. It holds the arguments that are passed to the CopyProjectElements class.

To populate decision tables:

DecisionTableLoader.java - The main class that populates a decision table. It loads the configured data source, according to the arguments passed.
DTLoadArgument.java - Holds the arguments that are passed to the DecisionTableLoader class.
JdbcLoader.java - Called when the application uses a JDBC loader. It reads data from a database.
FileLoader.java - Called when the application uses a file loader. It reads data from a file.
ExcelLoader.java - Called when the application uses an Excel loader. It reads data from an Excel spreadsheet.
DataProvider.java - Extends the ilog.rules.dt.model.provider.IlrDTAbstractDataProviderTableModel interface. It is constructed with ilog.rules.studio.samples.dtpopulate.helper.DataLoader. It implements the class and delegates all its work to it. Three factory methods help to create the data loader:

public static IlrDTDataProvider createFileDataProvider (...)

public static IlrDTDataProvider createJDBCDataProvider (...)

public static IlrDTDataProvider createDataProvider (...)

AbstractTabularDataLoader.java - Implements most of the methods defined by DataLoader.java.

Rule Team Server Model Helper files:

RTSHelper.java - The most important class in this sample. It concentrates all the methods that manipulate the Rule Team Server Model.

Model Classes:

Project.java - A class representing the Rule Team Server project.
JBOSS40Connection.java - A class holding a connection to a remote Rule Team Server, installed on a JBoss application server.
Connection.java - Represents an abstract connection to Rule Team Server on an application server.
Argument.java - An argument wrapper that defines mandatory data to connect to a Rule Team Server.

Utility class:

Utilities.java - Helps to print to standard output console and manipulate strings.

Highlights

The highlights of this sample are described in the following sections.

Deleting Decision Tables in a Project

The following arguments are used to delete decision tables:

-targetproject: The target project
-rootfolders: A list of root folders, separated by semi-colons, containing the decision tables to be deleted. For example: path1/subpath; path2/subpath; path3/subpath
-rtsdatasource: The Rule Team Server datasource (jdbc/ilogDataSource)
-rtsurl: URL to connect to Rule Team Server (JBOSS=jnp://localhost:1099)
-rtsuser: Username to connect to Rule Team Server
-rtspwd: Password to connect to Rule Team Server

Decision tables belonging to the passed packages (see the rootfolders argument above) are selected and then deleted. They are selected using the IlrSession.findElements(IlrDefaultSearchCriteria searchCriteria) API. To delete the decision tables, we used the element IlrSession.deleteElement(IlrElementHandle).

Copying Decision Tables from a Source Project to a Target Project

The following arguments are used to copy decision tables:

-targetproject: The target project
-sourceproject: The source project
-rootfolders: A list of root folders, separated by semi-colons, containing the decision table to be copied. For example: path1/subpath; path2/subpath; path3/subpat
-rtsdatasource: The Rule Team Server datasource (jdbc/ilogDataSource)
-rtsurl: URL to connect to Rule Team Server (JBOSS=jnp://localhost:1099)
-rtsuser: Username to connect to Rule Team Server
-rtspwd: Password to connect to Rule Team Server
-addDependencies: A list of the projects you want to add as project dependencies, separated by semi-colons
-copySecurity: Specifies whether the source project security is to be copied to the target project
-copyDependencies: Specifies whether the source project dependencies are to be copied to the target project
-copyCategories: Specifies whether the source project categories are to be copied to the target project
-copyParameters: Specifies whether the source project parameters are to be copied to the target project

Each decision table belonging to the folders (and subfolders) that are passed as arguments is selected using the IlrSession.findElements(IlrDefaultSearchCriteria searchCriteria) API. They are then copied to the target project.

The copy process is carried out in several stages:

Create a new decision table
Create the package in the target project, if it does not already exist
Specify the package in which the decision table is to reside in the target project
Copy the attributes of the source decision table to the new decision table
Create and copy the definition
Create and copy the tags
Create and copy the overridden rules
Commit the work to the database

Populating a Decision Table

The following arguments are used to populate decision tables:

targetproject: The target projet
rtsdatasource: The Rule Team Server datasource (jdbc/ilogDataSource)
rtsurl: URL to connect to Rule Team Server (JBOSS=jnp://localhost:1099)
rtsuser: Username to connect to Rule Team Server.
rtspwd: Password to connect to Rule Team Server.
mapping: The mapping file containing the decision table to be loaded with the corresponding datasource.

Populating decision tables is carried out in several stages:

Retrieve the decision table from its path and name
Get its IlrDTController
Populate the decision table
Set the body definition
Commit the work to the database

File configuration

File provider:

# FILE PROVIDER FORMAT csv:PATH_TO_THE_FILE/SHEET_NAME/

COLUMN_SEPARATOR computation/bankruptcyScore=csv:data/input/bankruptcyScore.data/

The bankruptcyScore decision table located in the computation folder is populated from a comma-separated csv file.

Excel provider:

# EXCEL PROVIDER FORMAT xl:PATH_TO_THE_FILE/SHEET_NAME

 eligibility/grade=xl:///./data/input/grade.xls/sheet

The gradedecision table located in the eligibility folder is populated from an Excel spreadsheet named sheet.

Database provider:

# DATABASE PROVIDER FORMAT jdbc:PATH_TO_THE_FILE_DB_CONFIGURATION/QUERY computation/

salary2score=jdbc:./data/input/derby.properties/SELECT * FROM DATATABLE

The salary2score table located in the computation folder is populated from the database query.

The derby.properties file provides all the data for the database connection.

Cells are populated in the following formats:

={12,15}: matches the values 12 and 15
={Gold, Silver}: matches if the value is not Gold or Silver
>=15: matches if the value is greater than 15
[15: matches if the value is greater than 15
]15: matches if the value is lower than 15
[10..13]: matches if the value is 10,11,12,13
<otherwise>: represents an Otherwise cell

Rebuilding this Sample

To rebuild this sample to restore it to its original state:

Open the Samples Console.
Execute the build command to compile the code.

Related Concepts

Using the Rule Team Server API

Related Tasks

Working With Decision Tables