Rule-based decisions overview

Rule-based decisions enable you to define, manage, and execute business rules through structured conditions and corresponding outcomes. Define multiple if-then scenarios to build decision tables that generate actions that align with your business goals. Decision tables eliminate the need for complex coding or system workarounds. Rule-based decision table offers the following advantages:

• Flexible and scalable rules to define input and output that help you have better control over your business logic
• Ensure consistent decision-making by applying structured, repeatable rules
• Adapt to changing business needs by modifying rules in a central location
• Efficiently manage growing sets of rules for evolving levels of business complexity
• Create decision-making structures using a clean, intuitive interface
• Use APIs and developer tools to connect the rules engine to your existing systems

What are rule-based decisions? 

Rule-based decisions are a collection of steps that contain a set of conditions and the resultant output. Rule-based decisions depend on clearly and tightly constructed If and Then statements that guide the decision making process. The robust system helps the decision making process repeatable, predictable, and scalable to stay in line with business requirements. The decision making process broadly contains three phases: define a rules schema, build decision tables using the rules schema, and create Architect flows that use the decision table to execute the decision. 

What is a rule schema?

Rule-based decisions depend on inputs and output rules to arrive at a decision. Rule schema helps define the input and output attributes that the decision tables must refer to. For example, a decision table designed to route insurance queries checks if the customer is new or existing. The rules author defines the attribute to be of type Boolean to check if the existing customer field is true or false. Based on the response, the decision table determines the appropriate queue for the query. However, if the decision table requires the value of insurance limit to determine the appropriate queue for the query, the rules author can define the attribute to be of type integer. The decision table can now receive only integer values as input. Using the input value, it can check if the value exceeds or falls below a certain limit to determine the appropriate queue for the query. 

Based on the attributes used from rule schema and comparators used in decision table structure, Genesys Cloud defines two schemas: one for rule authoring and one for rule execution. Those two schemas may or may not be identical to the original rule schema. To make decisions on rule authoring, it is important to refer both the schemas to know how decisions are executed in real time.

What is a rule-based decision table?

Where can I use a rule-based decision table?

Rule-based decision tables can be used in scenarios that require multiple conditions to be weighed in before a decision can be arrived at. It is particularly useful for contact center managers to create routing rules, prioritize interactions based on their performance, skill selection of agents and subsequent queue identification, segmentation of interactions such as identify email or SMS type route to the right agent, workitem routing to handle standard incoming tasks, and journey orchestration rules. 

How to get started with rule-based decision table? 

After you have identified your business scenarios and the decisions you would like to automate using a rule-based decision table, you must begin creating the list of required conditions (inputs) and the corresponding results (outputs). Ensure that the necessary user permissions are in place. The conditions and the results you define will help you identify the types of rules schema you will need. Create the required rules schema. Once the rules schema is ready, create decision tables. Creation of a decision table is a two-step process: first create the conditions and the results of your decision table and then build the decision table to incorporate the conditions and the results. After the decision table is ready for use, publish the decision table, and add the decision table to an Architect flow to execute the decision table. When the conditions of the decision table are true, Genesys Cloud executes the decision you defined.

How are rules executed in real time?

After you create a decision table, Genesys Cloud generates an execution schema based on the rules schema you set. The execution schema describes the data and constraints imposed on data used to execute decision tables. The attributes in the rules schema and the execution schema can be the same, but they can also differ. For example, if you created an enum data type in the rules schema, the attribute stays enum for decision table row authoring purposes, but is promoted to string type for the purpose of decision table execution. 

As the rules schema may evolve to a different schema at the time of execution, Genesys recommends that you do not consider just the rules schema for decision table authoring purpose. Use the Genesys public API to determine if the rules schema or the execution schema is to be used for row authoring and for decision table execution.