SBVR (

1
SBVR (Semantics of Business Vocabulary
Business Rules)

• Definition
• an OMG Adopted Specification that provides
• a Business Vocabulary / Ontology for Business
  Vocabulary Business Rules
• for a business audience to specify the business
• a XMI Schema for the interchange of Business
  Vocabulary Rules
• for a tool vendor audience
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• Provides a RIF that supports the interchanging
  rules among people and organizations in human
  language terms use case
• Impact on the RIF
• More than one RIF with SBVR fulfilling the above
  use case
• Pointers for more information
• http//www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?dtc/05-11-01

2
Semantic Community

• Definition
• group of business people who share the
  understanding of a set of discrete meanings about
  business things and not about their
  representation in IT systems
• concepts (noun concepts and verb concepts)
• propositions (facts and rules)
• questions
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• Interchanged rules must mean exactly the same
  thing in human language terms (even when the
  terms used are in different languages) to the
  receiving party as they did to the sending party,
  if they are to be of any use
• Impact on the RIF
• Must provide meaning of definitions and rules
  interchanged in human language terms as well as
  machine terms
• Pointers for more information
  http//www.brcommunity.com/a2004/b182.html SBVR
  Specification

3
Definition

• Definition (of definition)
• expression of the meaning of a concept
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• Specifies the meaning of every term referenced in
  a rule in human language terms in a way that
  enables a formal logic interpretation of that
  meaning
• Based on ISO standards for Terminology and Common
  Logic
• Impact on the RIF
• Must provide a single means to specify meaning
  both in human language and formal logic terms
• Pointers for more information
• ISO 1087-1 Terminology work - Vocabulary - Part
  1 Theory and application
• ISO 24707 Common Logic

4
Business Vocabulary

• Definition
• set of symbols and forms of expression drawn
  primarily from a single language, and owned by a
  Speech Community, to express one Semantic
  Communitys set of discrete meanings where the
  Speech Community is part of the Semantic
  Community
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• Provides cohesive basis for multilingual and
  multi-notation capability that maintains semantic
  integrity
• Impact on the RIF
• Must be able to separate the specification of
  meaning from all representations of the meaning
  without losing semantic integrity
• Pointers for more information
• http//www.brcommunity.com/a2004/b182.html

5
Operative Business Rule

• Definition
• an obligation governing conduct or action
  undertaken by an organization -- not necessarily
  automatable may be broken and needs enforcement
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• This type of rule is the heart of business
  governance and therefore regulatory compliance
• Impact on the RIF
• Must be able to interchange non-automatable rules
• Must be able to specify rules about rules to
  support enforcement
• Pointers for more information
• Business Rules Manifesto http//www.businessrules
  group.org/brmanifesto.htm
• Annex D EU-Rent Example http//www.omg.org/cgi-b
  in/doc?dtc/05-11-01
• Section D.2.2.7 EU-Rent Guidance expressed using
  the EU-Rent English Vocabulary (will be
  Annex E in the Final Adopted Specification)

6
Semantic Formulation

• Definition
• formal logic-based structure of the meaning of a
  (see example on next slide)
• definition
• rule
• question (query)
• Relevance for this Group and RIF
• Comprehensive means to specify meanings
  declaratively in formal logic terms that maps
  directly to natural language grammar
• Impact on the RIF
• RIF must provide a means to specify the meanings
  of definitions and rules in formal logic terms
  that is declarative and at least as comprehensive
• Pointers for more information
  (http//www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?dtc/05-11-01)
• SBVR Chapter 9, especially the Introduction
• SBVR Chapter 10 and Annex A (Annex A will be
  incorporated into Chapter 10 in Final Adopted
  Specification)

7
Semantic Formulation of a Simple Rule

• Each rental car always has exactly one vehicle
  identification number.

means ?
Rule
Necessity Claim
A position paper for this workshop, Semantic
Formulations in SBVR, is available on the
workshop website
Universal Quantification
Exactly-One Quantification
Atomic Formulation (rental car has vehicle
identification number)
Variable (rental car)
Variable (vehicle identification number)