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Rule Sets

Rule sets group related rules together, providing organizational structure and bulk management capabilities. Use sets to organize rules by business domain, workflow, or functional area.

What Are Rule Sets?​

A rule set is a collection of business rules that:

  • Share a common purpose or domain
  • Execute together as a logical unit
  • Can be enabled/disabled as a group
  • Have a defined execution order

Example Sets:

  • Quality Control Rules
  • Approval Workflow Rules
  • Material Planning Rules
  • Customer Service Rules
  • Pricing and Discount Rules

Benefits of Rule Sets​

Organization: Group related rules by domain instead of managing a flat list of hundreds of rules.

Bulk Management: Enable/disable entire sets at once for testing, maintenance, or feature toggles.

Execution Control: Define precise execution order within a set using sequence numbers.

Per-Rule Control: Enable/disable individual rules within a set without affecting the rule globally.

Documentation: Sets provide context - rules make more sense when grouped with related rules.

Creating a Rule Set​

Step 1: Navigate to Rule Sets​

  1. Open Business Rules > Rule Sets in the navigation
  2. Click Create Rule Set button

Step 2: Configure Set Details​

Set ID:

  • Unique identifier (e.g., QUALITY_CONTROL_RULES)
  • Uppercase with underscores
  • Maximum 50 characters

Set Name:

  • Human-readable name (e.g., "Quality Control Rules")
  • Displayed in UI
  • Maximum 200 characters

Description:

  • Explain the set's purpose and scope
  • Document which rules belong here
  • Note any dependencies

Enabled:

  • Controls whether the entire set is active
  • Disabled sets don't execute ANY member rules
  • Default: checked (enabled)

Step 3: Save the Set​

Click Create Rule Set to save. You'll be redirected to the set detail page where you can add rules.

Adding Rules to a Set​

From the rule set detail page:

Option 1: Add Existing Rule​

  1. Click Add Rule to Set
  2. Select a rule from the dropdown
  3. Set the Sequence number (execution order)
  4. Choose whether the rule is Enabled in this set
  5. Click Add

Add Rule to Set Dialog Add rule to set dialog showing rule selection, sequence input, and enabled toggle

Option 2: Create New Rule​

  1. Navigate to Rules > Create Rule
  2. Create your rule normally
  3. Return to the set detail page
  4. Add the newly created rule to the set

Managing Set Members​

Each rule in a set is called a "member" with these properties:

Sequence:

  • Numeric value controlling execution order
  • Lower numbers execute first
  • Example: 10, 20, 30, 40 (allows inserting between)
  • Can use same number (execution order undefined for ties)

Enabled:

  • Controls whether this rule executes within THIS set
  • Independent of the rule's global enabled status
  • Useful for testing: disable in set A, keep enabled in set B

Actions:

  • Move Up/Down: Adjust sequence order
  • Enable/Disable: Toggle rule within set
  • Remove: Remove rule from set (doesn't delete the rule)

Execution Order​

Rules in a set execute in sequence order:

Sequence 10: Check material availability (GUARD)
Sequence 20: Validate work order data (VALIDATION)
Sequence 30: Calculate priority score (CALCULATION)
Sequence 40: Set assignment fields (ASSIGNMENT)
Sequence 50: Notify production team (ACTION)

Best Practices:

  • Use increments of 10 (10, 20, 30...) to allow inserting rules later
  • Group by priority: 10-20 (GUARD), 30-40 (VALIDATION), etc.
  • Document sequence logic in set description

Set Enabled vs. Member Enabled​

Three States:

  1. Set Enabled + Member Enabled = ✅ Rule executes
  2. Set Enabled + Member Disabled = ❌ Rule doesn't execute (just in this set)
  3. Set Disabled + Member Enabled = ❌ Rule doesn't execute (entire set off)

Use Cases:

Feature Toggle:

Set: BETA_FEATURES (Enabled: false)
  - Rule: NEW_VALIDATION (Member Enabled: true)
  - Rule: EXPERIMENTAL_CALC (Member Enabled: true)

Toggle the entire set on/off to enable/disable beta features

A/B Testing:

Set A: DISCOUNT_STRATEGY_A (Enabled: true)
  - Rule: VOLUME_DISCOUNT (Member Enabled: true)

Set B: DISCOUNT_STRATEGY_B (Enabled: false)
  - Rule: TIERED_DISCOUNT (Member Enabled: true)

Enable one set at a time to test different strategies

Phased Rollout:

Set: QUALITY_PHASE_1 (Enabled: true)
  - Rule: BASIC_CHECKS (Member Enabled: true)
  - Rule: ADVANCED_CHECKS (Member Enabled: false) // Not ready yet

Enable advanced checks when ready without creating new set

Rule Set vs. Global Rules​

Global Rules:

  • Not part of any set
  • Execute based on entity type and event type
  • Use rule priority for ordering

Set Rules:

  • Part of one or more sets
  • Execute in set sequence order
  • Set must be enabled for rules to execute

A Rule Can Be:

  • In no sets (global only)
  • In one set
  • In multiple sets (with different sequence/enabled in each)

Viewing Sets​

Rule Sets List Page​

Shows all rule sets with:

  • Set name and description
  • Number of rules in set
  • Enabled status
  • Actions: Edit, Enable/Disable, Delete

Filters:

  • Search by name or ID
  • Filter by enabled status

Rule Sets List Rule sets list showing all defined sets with member count and enabled status

Use Cases​

Quality Control​

Set: QUALITY_CONTROL_RULES
Description: "Comprehensive quality checks for manufacturing"

Members:
  10 - Visual Inspection Required (GUARD)
  20 - Measurement Validation (VALIDATION)
  30 - Defect Score Calculation (CALCULATION)
  40 - Quality Status Assignment (ASSIGNMENT)
  50 - QA Team Notification (ACTION)

Approval Workflow​

Set: ORDER_APPROVAL_WORKFLOW
Description: "Multi-level order approval process"

Members:
  10 - Check Approval Threshold (VALIDATION)
  20 - Calculate Approval Level (CALCULATION)
  30 - Set Approval Fields (ASSIGNMENT)
  40 - Notify First Approver (ACTION)
  50 - Log Approval Request (ACTION)

Material Planning​

Set: MATERIAL_PLANNING
Description: "Material availability and procurement"

Members:
  10 - Block Without Materials (GUARD)
  20 - Check Lead Time (VALIDATION)
  30 - Calculate Shortage (CALCULATION)
  40 - Set Procurement Flag (ASSIGNMENT)
  50 - Notify Material Planner (ACTION)

Customer Onboarding​

Set: CUSTOMER_ONBOARDING
Description: "New customer setup and validation"

Members:
  10 - Validate Customer Data (VALIDATION)
  20 - Calculate Credit Limit (CALCULATION)
  30 - Set Default Values (ASSIGNMENT)
  40 - Create Welcome Package (ACTION)
  50 - Notify Account Manager (ACTION)

Best Practices​

Keep Sets Focused: Each set should have a clear, single purpose. Don't create catch-all sets.

Use Descriptive Names: Set names should clearly indicate the business domain or workflow.

Document Dependencies: If rules depend on each other, document this in the set description.

Plan Sequences: Use increments of 10 to allow inserting rules later without renumbering.

Test Thoroughly: Test the entire set together to ensure rules work correctly in sequence.

Monitor Performance: Watch execution logs for the entire set to identify slow rules.

Version Control: When modifying a set, consider incrementing a version number in the description.

Start Small: Begin with a few rules, test thoroughly, then add more.

Common Patterns​

Progressive Enhancement​

Start with basic rules, add advanced ones later:

Phase 1: Basic validation rules (enabled)
Phase 2: Calculation rules (enabled)
Phase 3: Advanced AI rules (disabled, testing)

Environment-Specific Sets​

Use sets to manage rules by environment:

Set: PRODUCTION_RULES (Enabled: true)
Set: STAGING_RULES (Enabled: false)
Set: DEV_RULES (Enabled: false)

Domain-Driven Organization​

Organize by business domain:

Sets:
  - Sales Rules
  - Finance Rules
  - Operations Rules
  - Compliance Rules

Troubleshooting​

Set Not Executing:

  • Check set is enabled
  • Verify at least one member rule is enabled
  • Check member rules have correct entity types
  • Review execution logs

Wrong Execution Order:

  • Check sequence numbers
  • Verify no duplicate sequences
  • Review rule priorities (set sequence overrides priority)

Rules Conflicting:

  • Review rule conditions for overlaps
  • Check if multiple rules set the same field
  • Use sequence to control order
  • Consider consolidating into single rule

Performance Issues:

  • Check execution logs for slow rules
  • Review condition complexity
  • Consider disabling non-critical rules
  • Split into smaller sets

API Access​

Manage rule sets programmatically:

# List all sets
curl -X GET "$BASE_URL/api/business_rules/sets" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

# Get set with members
curl -X GET "$BASE_URL/api/business_rules/sets/{id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

# Add rule to set
curl -X POST "$BASE_URL/api/business_rules/sets/{id}/members" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ruleId": "rule-uuid", "sequence": 20, "enabled": true}'

See Sets API documentation for complete details.

Next Steps​