Abstract: A method is provided in a computer system executing a repository program and having a storage means for mapping alterations in system state to rules, both of which are part of an object-oriented model resident in a persistent repository. The method includes storing in the persistent storage means the model comprising a set of rules and a set of facts defining event states, both of which are stored as objects. The set of rules and said set of facts comprise an object-oriented representation of the model. Next, a set of commands representing an extensible inference engine are loaded as meta objects into the persistent storage. The method accepts as inputs events representing alterations in the set of facts. All of the events are retained and the events are mapped to the set of rules for deriving a list of affected rules, which are evaluated to determine if they have been qualified. Only those affected rules determined as qualified are saved for further processing.

Abstract: A method for processing rules using a model resident within a persistent storage means of a computer system executing a repository program. The method includes the steps of storing in the persistent storage means the model, which comprises a set of rules and a set of facts defining event states. Both of these are stored as objects. The set of rules and set of facts comprise an object-oriented representation of the model. Next, a set of commands representing an extensible inference engine are loaded as meta objects into the persistent storage. The method accepts as inputs events, which represent alterations in the set of facts and determines which of the rules is associated with the alterations in the set of facts. The most salient one of the rules determined in the preceding step is then selected and executed.