Best Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)

How does a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS) work?

A BRMS is a software application that allows business users to define and manage rules. It provides an intuitive user interface for defining, testing, deploying and managing the execution of business rules in real-time or batch mode. The system can be used by any type of organization – from small businesses with just one department to large corporations with multiple departments across different countries. Business Rules Management Systems are typically deployed on premise but some vendors offer cloud based solutions as well (e.g., Oracle’s BPM Cloud Service).

What types of Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS) exist?

There are two types of BRMSs. The first type is a standalone system that can be used to manage business rules for an entire organization, and the second type is embedded in other applications such as ERP or CRM systems. Standalone BRMS products include IBM's Business Rule Management System (BRMS), Oracle's Rules Engine, SAP NetWeaver Business Process Manager (BPM) and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 R2 with its new rule engine component called "Rules Composer." Embedded BRMS components exist within many popular enterprise software packages including Siebel Systems' Enterprise Application Integration Suite 7.0; PeopleSoft 8i; JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Release 9; SAP R/3 4C release 2a; Baan IV 6E1 SP4+SP5+SP6b + SP7c + SP8d ; JDEdwards OneWorld Release 5eR12 through 12fR1p10g11h13j14k15l16m17n18o19q20r21s22t23u24v25w26x27y28z29aa30ab31ac32ad33ae34af35ag36ba37bb38bc39bd

What are the benefits of a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)?

A BRMS is a software system that allows business users to define and manage rules for their organization. It provides the ability to capture, store, modify and reuse these rules in an easy-to-use manner. The benefits of using a BRMS include:• Improved decision making by providing access to all relevant information;• Increased efficiency through automation of repetitive tasks; and, most importantly…• Reduced risk due to better compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX), Basel II/III or HIPAA.

What are the disadvantages of a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)?

The main disadvantage of a BRMS is that it requires the business to change its way of working. It also needs an investment in time and money, as well as training for users.

Which companies should buy a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)?

Any company that has a large number of business rules and processes to manage. A BRMS is not just for the largest companies, but also smaller ones with complex operations or regulatory requirements. The key factor in deciding whether you need a BRMS is how many people are involved in managing your business rules and processes? If it’s more than 10 then you should consider using one as this will save time and money by automating these tasks.

Based on what criteria should you buy a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)?

The criteria for buying a BRMS are the same as those used to buy any other software product. You should consider your business needs, how well you understand them and whether they can be met by using an off-the-shelf solution or if it is better to develop something in house. If you decide that developing a custom system will meet your requirements then there are many factors which need consideration before deciding on what type of development methodology (Agile/Waterfall) and toolsets (Java/.NET etc.) would best suit your project.

How is a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS) implemented?

A BRMS is implemented by using a rules engine. The most common implementation of the rule engine is to use an SQL database as its back-end storage mechanism, although other implementations are possible (e.g., XML).

When should you implement a Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS)?

When you have a large number of business rules that are not easily maintained in spreadsheets or databases.