Getting started with SBVR ..

This was the question on my mind last Saturday.I had no clue as to what SBVR really is. This post is essentially my story of how I went about unraveling it, and what I have found in the first week.

Now, SBVR really stands for Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules.

My first reaction was to do a Google define for semantics and then I started with the Specification from the first page, and quickly gave up in about 10 minutes.

After thinking for 2-3 days as to how to go about this seemingly impossible task of comprehending the spec, I realized that chapters 1-12 (the whole spec) are not written for engineers like me, but written for logicians by logicians.

I started with appendix A and then went on to read the EU Rent examples, the SBVR syntax, mapping to UML, and now, I think I might know enough to be able to understand any text/conversation on SBVR.

The SBVR FAQ

So, here I go, with my preliminary understanding of SBVR. My comprehension, I have tried to present as a FAQ. Easy for me, and easy for other newbies who want to get into what SBVR is.

What is SBVR ?

SBVR is an OMG specification that details how business rules and business vocabulary can be captured and specified in unambiguous terms.

What does Vocabulary mean and what does it include?

Vocabulary includes all those words, terms that represents things, operations in an organization. It is the business lingua franca.

Examples: process rate, order price, customer retention rate, Gold Level Support, Customer, Order, Order Item etc.

The vocabulary does not include the special SBVR syntax or other SBVR compliant syntaxes like in Rule Speak.

Rules are built using Vocabulary and the special SBVR syntax.

SBVR sounds complicated? Why should I read it?

You are right, and if you don’t work for a business rules vendor, then I don’t think you need to understand the internals at all.

But, if you are looking at business rules, their capture, and are interested in the evolution of rule capture and analysis methodologies and tooling, then this might be interesting to follow.

Is SBVR the only Standardization Effort in the Business Rules space?

No. There are actually 3 efforts that are going on.

1. SBVR . Intended to let business personnel capture rules using a natural language syntax.
2. PRR . Aims to specify a standard rule format for production rules. James heads the chair for this spec.
3. Rule Interchange Format - I have no idea as yet about this one

What kinds of Rules can I capture using SBVR?

Declarative Rules Only ! For example,

It is permitted that a rental is open only if an estimated rental charge is provisionally charged to the credit card of the renter of the rental.

• Orange Text >> SBVR syntax
• Green Text >> Vocabulary (Concepts, business terms)
• Blue Text >> Relationships between concepts
• Concept >> Analogous to a thing (UML class)

But, SBVR does not include other types of Rules. There is no guidance on how SBVR rules will map to the well known If Then Rules, Decision Tables, Flow Rules, like in QuickRules.NET.

If you ask me, SBVR rules will not map to many other rule formats. This means, if any BRMS vendor adopts it, SBVR style rules will be one of the kind of rules that will be available.

What stage of the Business Rules Lifecycle does SBVR fit in?

If you have not heard the term Business Rules Lifecycle before, you should read this first.

SBVR will apply in the Rule capture and Rule Refinement stages.

If any BRMS vendor chooses to adopt SBVR, then I suppose the Rules will somehow be converted to the BRMS vendor specific rule formats during the Rule Implementation Phase.

Do I need to spend any time now to learn SBVR or any other Spec?

Not really. As long as you are aware that these are coming, and you have an idea about what they are, it should do, I suppose.

There is no saying if SBVR will ever become widely adopted. PRR is also very far away.

Final Words

This FAQ is of course very rudimentary and does not talk of how SBVR fits in with MDA, or the relationship of SBVR with MOF, UML and XMI.

Those are related to enabling rule exchange, which I think is not important to begin with when you are trying to understand what this is.

If you think you can add more wisdom and clarifications, please post a comment. Or if you have questions, I can either answer immediately, or later by figuring out from the spec.