computer science

OpenL Tablets

OpenL Tablets is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenL Tablets rather than just read about it. In short: OpenL Tablets is a business rule management system (BRMS) and a business rules engine (BRE) based on table representation of rules. Engine implements optimized sequential algorithm.

Key takeaways

OpenL Tablets belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenL Tablets to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenL Tablets from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OpenL Tablets is a business rule management system (BRMS) and a business rules engine (BRE) based on table representation of rules. Engine implements optimized sequential algorithm. OpenL includes such table types as decision table, decision tree, spreadsheet-like calculator.

History The OpenL Tablets project was started as an in-house development project in 2003 and later in 2006 was uploaded to SourceForge. Initially it was an open-source business rule engine for Java. Starting from version 5 it became a BRMS.

Technology OpenL Tablets engine is specially designed for business rules and uses table rules presentation. Table format enforces rules to be structured and format itself is close to tables found in various business documents. OpenL Tablets is based on OpenL framework for creating custom languages running on Java VM. The engine is designed to allow pluggable language implementations. Currently, it uses 2 languages: table structure for rules format and java-like for code snippets in rules. Java-like language is Java 5.0 implementation with Business User Extensions. OpenL Tablets rules are mixture of declarative programming for rules logic and imperative programming for workflow control. Table formats are flexible enough to match the semantics of the problem domain. Tests, traces, benchmarks are integral part of the engine. It also provides powerful type definition capabilities to handle rules domain model inside rules files. The project is written in Java, but can be used at any platform using Service-oriented architecture approach, e.g. via web service.

Patents The OpenL Tablets engine has patent pending validation feature. There are usages of OpenL Tablets which may be patented.

BRMS OpenL Tablets includes several productivity tools and applications addressing BRMS related capabilities. They include web application to edit rules called OpenL WebStudio, web application to deploy rules as web services, Rules Repository to store and manage rules, Eclipse plug-ins to work with rules projects.

Related systems CLIPS: public domain software tool for building expert systems. ILOG rules: a business rule management system. JBoss Drools: a business rule management system (BRMS). JESS: a rule engine for the Java platform - it is a superset of CLIPS programming language. Prolog: a general purpose logic programming language. DTRules: a Decision Table-based, open-sourced rule engine for Java.

References

External links Official website Openl Tablets on GitHub Openl Tablets on SourceForge OpenL Tablets at Eclipse marketplace Archived 2017-09-29 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenL Tablets

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenL Tablets claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenL Tablets before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenL Tablets ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenL Tablets

In research: OpenL Tablets appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenL Tablets in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenL Tablets is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cross-platform free software, Free business software, Free software programmed in Java, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenL Tablets outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenL Tablets in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenL Tablets means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenL Tablets out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenL Tablets in simple terms?

OpenL Tablets is a business rule management system (BRMS) and a business rules engine (BRE) based on table representation of rules. Engine implements optimized sequential algorithm.

Why does OpenL Tablets matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenL Tablets?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenL Tablets.