Decision Tree & Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) RuleMap™

This model compares a strict decision tree hierarchy, which allows one parent per node, with a DAG, which allows multiple parents per node. The tree is commonly used to document business rules. During this presentation, we proposed DAG's as another way to document rules for business users. We also recommended that Business Rule Engine (BRE) software vendors should look into DAG's to see whether this technique can or should be incorporated into their rules management software products. In our experience harvesting rules with expects, DAG's are just as effective and as easy to understand as decision trees - - for very complex trees, a DAG approach helps to simplify complexity.

Source: The medical rules in this example are from a presentation or web page on decision trees developed by someone else. I can't remember where it came from, if you know please contact us so we can link to their source page/document. Whoever created these rules did a great job because this is a very practical and easy to understand example. Their example was for a decision tree only - - we adapted their rules for the diagram above, and we created the equivalent DAG version. We welcome your comments on DAG's vs. decision trees.

This RuleMap™ was demonstrated at October Rules Fest 2008 in Dallas, TX.