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The Decision Model A Business Logic Framework
Linking Business and Technology IT Management 1st
Edition Barbara Von Halle Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Barbara von Halle, Larry Goldberg
ISBN(s): 9781420082814, 1420082817
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 8.59 MB
Year: 2009
Language: english
 THE
DECISION
MODEL
A Business Logic Framework
Linking Business and Technology
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 THE
DECISION
MODEL
A Business Logic Framework
Linking Business and Technology

Barbara von Halle and Larry Goldberg

Boca Raton London New York

CRC Press is an imprint of the

Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
The authors retain the rights related to US Provisional Patent Application 60/889460 for Decision/Business
Rule Model Creation [38118001] and all patents flowing there from, for the intellectual property represented
in the work, regarding the invention of the Decision Model and software support for the theory. The authors
retain all rights to the patented material which includes flow of usage of the Decision Model, generation or
programming of the Decision Model into software, the latter items referring to the new and useful aspects
delivered by the Decision Model that were not available prior to this patent.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Von Halle, Barbara.

The decision model : a framework for business logic and business-driven SOA /
authors, Barbara Von Halle, Larry Goldberg.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4200-8281-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Industrial management--Decision making--Data processing. 2. Business--Decision
making--Data processing. 3. Business logistics--Data processing. 4. Service-oriented
architecture (Computer science) 5. Decision making--Mathematical models. 6. Expert
systems (Computer science) I. Goldberg, Larry, 1946- II. Title.

HD30.2.V67 2010
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Contents

Foreword: Business Rules and the Real World...............................................vii

Preface and Acknowledgments........................................................................xi
About the Authors...................................................................................... xxiii
Contributors’ List......................................................................................... xxv
About the Contributors..............................................................................xxvii

Section I The Decision Model in Context

1. Why the Decision Model?.......................................................................3
2. An Overview of the Decision Model......................................................13
3. The Business Value of Decision Models.................................................37
4. Changing the Game: BPM and BDM....................................................63
5. SOA and the Decision Model................................................................91
6. How the Decision Model Improves Requirements,
Business Analysis, and Testing............................................................103
7. Getting Started....................................................................................139

Section II The Decision Model in Detail

8. The Structural Principles.....................................................................167
9. The Declarative Principles...................................................................211
10. The Integrity Principles.......................................................................231

v
vi ◾ Contents

11. At a Glance: The Decision Model and the Relational Model...............271

12. The Decision Model Formally Defined...............................................301

Section III COMMentaries

13. Enterprise Architecture: Managing Complexity and Change............. 319
John Zachman

14. Opportunities in Enterprise Architecture...........................................329

15. Service-Oriented Architectures...........................................................359
Mike Rosen

16. Specifications, Standards, Practices, and the Decision Model............385

17. Integrating the Decision Model with BPMN......................................421
Bruce Silver

18. The Case for the Physical Decision Model..........................................427

Daniel J. Worden

19. Enterprise Decision Management and the Decision Model................441

James Taylor

20. Introducing the Business Decision Maturity Model...........................455

21. The Decision Model and Enterprise 2.0: Enabling Collaboration......481
Brian Stucky

22. A Management Perspective..................................................................493

David L. Haslett and Tracy Williams

23. Better! Cheaper! Faster!.......................................................................501

David Pedersen

Bibliography.................................................................................................507
Index............................................................................................................ 511
Foreword: Business Rules
and the Real World

This is an important book: it has important things to say about an especially impor-
tant set of real-world problems—business rules. Clearly, business rules represent
one of the 21st century’s major technological challenges, and if we are to create a
new generation of large-scale information systems that are agile, adaptable, and
predictable, then we must have repeatable methods for developing consistent busi-
ness rules. Here, this book makes a contribution: it describes an approach (theory
and method) that is easy for business users and IT professionals to create consistent
sets of business rules and, at the same time, is easy for them to adapt as market-
places, laws, regulations, and technologies change.
Down the hall from my office there is a law library. It contains national and
state laws, agency rules, and pending legislative issues. Recently, it occurred to me
that this library was not so much a law library as it was a library of business rules:
rules governing taxation, rules governing the construction of roads, rules governing
the support of children and families, rules governing the incarceration of criminals,
etc. The business rules in this library are encoded in an archaic language called
legal English, and despite the enormous amount of money spent on legal fees and
research that goes into the creation and maintenance of this library, the business
rules found there are only generally consistent with one another. And each year
new cases and new laws arise that make even the most learned jurists’ heads swim.
To resolve this enormous set of new or inconsistent laws, regulations, etc., society
has found it necessary to create a legal system made up of lawyers, law clerks, pros-
ecutors, judges, appeals courts, and supreme courts. You would think with all the
smart people and sophisticated technology involved, society could do better—this
book suggests that they could.
But as useful as this approach will be in helping people developing computer
systems, this book is not really about technology. This book is really about consis-
tent rules that govern how an enterprise acts under specific situations. This book is

vii
viii ◾ Foreword: Business Rules and the Real World

about a common, consistent language and method for defining rules that can be
used by either humans or computers. In the end, the approach described here can
help both the users and the computer folks.
There are some things that computers do better than people and some things
that people do better than computers; the trick is knowing which is which. Given
the right set of consistent business rules, computers can come up with the same
answer time after time, and do so not in months or years (or sometimes decades),
but in microseconds. Clearly, one of the reasons that computer systems have become
so important in advanced organizations everywhere is this ability to get the right
answer instantly. But getting the right answer is only possible if one has a consistent
way to define and implement business rules within an organization. Anyone can
develop a simple business rule or a small set of business rules; as the number of rules
and decisions grows, the problem gets exponentially more difficult.
What about the method itself? Well, for one thing, it is elegantly simple. This
is vitally important because in today’s fast paced world, it is particularly important
that organizations and enterprises be able to define large bodies of business rules
in a manner that is at the same time clear, concise, minimally redundant, and also
easy to modify. This, as we’ve learned, is by no means a simple task. Indeed, busi-
ness rules are perhaps the most important unresolved problem facing business and
IT professionals today. One of the reasons that business rules remain a problem is
that developing consistent business rules involves both knowledge of semantics and
logic, as well as a deep understanding of business and of communication skills. And
for large business rule bases, it demands an organized method.
There are a great many approaches to developing business rules, but too much
of this writing is a rehash of logic programming or expert systems. Because these
approaches were largely developed by and for programmers, they don’t really pro-
vide business professionals and business analysts a usable methodology for devel-
oping a large business rule base. The reason is simple: the key knowledge needed
for defining business rules almost always resides in the minds of a wide assort-
ment of nonprogrammers—business managers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, and
scientists.
Like the law library, today’s large organizations have tens of thousands of busi-
ness rules expressed in hundreds of different ways. These business rules fall into any
number of major categories: national and international legal restrictions, company
policies, privacy and security rules, rules for computing key formulas, and so on.
Like the law library, these rules are expressed (locked up) in dozens, sometimes
hundreds, of obscure documents, formulas, and drawings. History suggests that
coming up with a common formal set of business rules from all of this encoded
information is a very tough chore indeed.
The world of business rules today is not unlike that of a database 40 years ago.
In the late 1960s a large number of different approaches to database design were
competing for recognition when Ted Codd and his associates at IBM Research
came up with what we now call relational database theory. Codd, a mathematician
 Foreword: Business Rules and the Real World ◾ ix

by training, was able to develop a rigorous, consistent approach for defining sets of
relational tables that would provide the requisite answer sets, were internally con-
sistent, and were minimally redundant.
Codd and his associates conceptualized a way of looking at that data that was
not only mathematically consistent, it was also maximally flexible and scalable.
Codd’s approach made possible the complex systems that exist today. Because it
was so straightforward and simple, it greatly aided the communication between
different systems and different databases. Even though relational database theory
is being challenged by other forms of data storage and manipulation approaches
today, it still provides the gold standard upon which a database is judged.
One of the secrets of Codd’s great success was his focus on elegant simplicity
along with mathematical rigor. What Barb and Larry have done is to come up with
an analogously elegant and simple approach for defining large sets of business rules
that has mathematic rigor as well. Then, starting with this compelling conceptual
model, they have been able show how to build a broad methodology for capturing,
analyzing, and using those business rules, whether for a small departmental appli-
cation or for an entire line of business.
One of the most important characteristics of the model presented here is that it
is truly a logical model, i.e., it is technology independent (or technology agnostic, if
you will). It leverages technologies, but it doesn’t require them. Over time this will
pay off because the history of computing over the last half century has shown that
logical models have a much longer life than technology-based ones. This has been
true of database modeling and design, it has been true of workflow modeling, and I
think that time will show that it is equally true of business rule modeling as well.
One of the obvious advantages that good, logical models have is that they are
clearer and more consistent, they make it easier to define large problems, and, at the
same time, to recognize broad, logical business patterns. Too often business rules are
buried in complex, unintelligible language or complex flowcharts of complex code.
In addition, it makes it particularly difficult to make sense of the underlying rules.
Moreover, this complexity makes it difficult to understand the rationale (semantics,
ontology intent) behind the rules. Clarity improves our ability to quickly see a rule
and understand whether it is correct and consistent. This kind of insight is after all
often one of the most valuable byproducts of well run business rule projects.
The authors should be complimented on their ability to specify how their
business rule methodology fits together with the whole complex of other major
business/technology concerns, including business decision modeling, business pro-
cess management, SOA, and requirements definition. This is especially important
because business rules occur in a variety of shapes and sizes: business process rules,
data rules, computation rules, application rules. The book shows how, for example,
using business rules located in common evaluation modules can greatly simplify
a business process model and make it far easier to modify these models when the
business rules change.
x ◾ Foreword: Business Rules and the Real World

A great many organizations are not so much the masters of their business rules
but prisoners of them. They have woven a web of complexity that no one really
understands but is so daunting that no one dares to change it either. That is unfor-
tunate. A great deal of this is a result of a modern education system that fails to
teach people either the careful use of language or the fundamentals of logic. Natural
language is great for ordering hamburgers or proposing marriage, but it is not well
suited for describing complex decisions. And as we have seen programming logic
is often not all that logical. The methodology presented hints at some of the major
problems that organizations face in defining and implementing their business rules.
Every so often a book comes along that reminds us that the purpose of business
rules is to take a complex issue and produce a simple logical solution. All this looks
easy, but it is not. For those who read this book, it can be a great help.
So is this book the last word on business rules? By no means. This book is not
the end of research and discussion about business rules any more than Ted Codd’s
initial paper was the end of research and discussion regarding databases, or Crick
and Watson’s initial paper on the structure of DNA was the end of research and
discussion regarding molecular genetics. Important books are not an end; they are
a framework for others to build on.

Ken Orr
Topeka, Kansas
[email protected]
Preface and
Acknowledgments

Edwin Abbott, in his classic Flatland (Abbott, 1884), points out that if we viewed
our universe in two dimensions, we would detect only length and breadth. That
means we would see directly only points and lines. We could, however, infer the
existence of two-dimensional shapes, like triangles and squares. But no spheres.
No cubes. Such things would exist, of course, but we could not see them or even
suspect their existence.
For those of us quite comfortable with cubes and spheres, Abbott explains
how a three-dimensional artifact appears to a Flatlander, who recognizes only
two dimensions. Put a penny on a table. If we view it from a position above the
table, we perceive a circle. Now, if we view it from a position where our eyes are
even with the table’s edge, the penny suddenly appears as a simple straight line.
The same would be true of other two-dimensional shapes. Squares, hexagons,
and triangles all appear as lines when viewed from the table’s edge. In fact,
Flatland, to its inhabitants, is an entire universe of points and simple straight
lines. Even people, houses, food, and other everyday items are reduced to points
and lines.
Residents of Flatland navigate their world successfully, though, by distinguish-
ing among the shapes they can’t see based on the behavior of the lines. For example,
if such a shape, which they cannot see directly, moves closer or further away, the
line becomes shorter or longer. Abbott brilliantly illustrates that there are disad-
vantages to viewing a world in fewer dimensions than really exist. Yet, surely, some
Flatlanders sense another dimension. Abbott cautions that they do so not based on
lucid observation but on belief alone.
In our world, we actually see directly two dimensions (i.e., planes) and infer
three dimensions (i.e., solids). We are able to infer that the planes we see directly

xi
xii ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

are really solids through the perception of shadows, for example, but we don’t really
see the solids. We simply infer and believe they are there.
It seems like business rules and business logic are much like a dimension
we can’t quite distinguish. Like Flatlanders, we navigate our world successfully
(i.e., our business processes and systems) without the benefit of seeing a busi-
ness logic dimension. It remains invisible, buried in program code, manuals,
or peoples’ heads. But it’s still there, nonetheless. In fact, it runs most aspects
of our businesses. Unable to perceive it, we bump into it from time to time in
the form of system errors, inconsistent conclusions, or those based on business
logic that is unsound or even unknown. We develop explanations for its influ-
ence on our lives, such as unclear requirements, out-of-date documentation,
prepackaged inflexible software, or loss of business knowledge. If Abbott is
correct, there are disadvantages to viewing our world without this dimension
if it really exists.
But some of us have long sensed that a business logic dimension really exists.
We try to bring it into direct focus when we discover a single business rule and add
it to a list of other ones. Or, we diagram a business rule on top of a data model or
add it as a miscellaneous note to a business process model or use case. Sometimes,
we automate it diligently in special technology, but it has been known to disappear
even there. It seems like we aren’t really seeing the business logic directly. We only
infer its existence when its behavior influences our world.
Therefore, do we sense a business logic dimension based only on belief? Or is it
possible to observe it directly as having a distinct structure and behavior? After all,
Abbott implies that “dimension implies direction, implies measurement, the more
and the less …” (Abbott, 1884). Is it really there?
This book declares that it is really there. In this book, the Decision Model
gives the business logic dimension a formal, recognizable structure along with
behavior that is explained through principles belonging to this dimension.
Through the Decision Model, we are able to see directly that business logic has
an existence of its own that transcends the perception of one business rule at a
time. This idea is intriguing because moving from lower to higher dimensions
brings new awareness and opportunities. Once we can see what was previously
invisible, we are positioned to harness it to our advantage. Moreover, it will
advance our knowledge of other dimensions (e.g., business processes) so we can
simplify them.
It is natural, at first, to feel a bit uncomfortable at the thought of a whole new
dimension. Detecting a new dimension can be overwhelming. In fact, a Flatlander,
upon perceiving Spaceland for the first time, was understandably bewildered, won-
dering if it were madness or hell. A voice, emanating from a sphere, nevertheless,
offered consolation, “It is neither… . It is knowledge; it is Three Dimensions: open
your eye once again and try to look steadily” (Abbott, 1884).
 Preface and Acknowledgments ◾ xiii

We hope you enjoy the journey into the business logic dimension and the
Decision Model. May it be the beginning of new awareness, technology, and
other opportunities.

… It is as natural for us Flatlanders to lock up a Square for preaching

the Third Dimension, as it is for you Spacelanders to lock up a Cube for
preaching the Fourth. (Abbott, 1884)

How This Book Came About

This book truly began a decade ago in conventional time (but eons in Information
Technology time) when Barbara founded Knowledge Partners Inc. (KPI). Well-
known for coauthoring The Handbook of Relational Database Design (Addison-
Wesley, 1989), she intended to further her pioneering work in data architecture,
focusing on the importance of business rules. She participated in the GUIDE
Business Rules Project in its early meetings and contributed to its Final Report
published in October 1997. She began to work with clients in this area, researching
not only the subject but advancing the practice. This ultimately led to the publica-
tion of Business Rules Applied (Wiley, 2002), which she authored with contributions
from several of her colleagues at KPI.
At that time, the practice around business rules was focused on separating them
from the rest of the artifacts in business system development in the firm belief that
“It can help you build better, easily changeable systems faster than any previous
approach” (von Halle, Business Rules Applied, 2002).
It was shortly after the publication of that book that Barbara and Larry met at a
major U.S. federal agency. KPI was consulting on methodology for a business rules
approach in a modernization effort. Larry was the business sponsor for the business
rule technology vendor and for the team implementing the technology. This meet-
ing led to an exchange of experience in business rules, and the realization that we
shared a similar vision about the subject.
Larry, a serial entrepreneur in the IT arena, had built a software application
company around technology that externalized business rules, which allowed the
resulting application to be highly configurable. He had sold this company to a
niche global software vendor in the hope of broadening the market for the applica-
tion technology. It was in the pursuit of this endeavor that he was working on busi-
ness rule technology and introducing it into the federal agency.
We exchanged ideas for several years, which culminated in a business part-
nership through KPI, now renamed Knowledge Partners International, LLC. Our
intention was to develop our ideas into tangible products for the business rules mar-
ket. Our focus quickly became the recurring patterns in business rule structures
xiv ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

that had become evident as we utilized the methods in Business Rules Applied. These
patterns gave rise to the idea that there is, within business logic, an inherent struc-
ture, just as there is an inherent structure that Dr. Codd had detected in data
almost 40 years earlier.
With large organizations integrating a business rules approach into their stan-
dard business systems projects, we created such inherent business logic structures
across industries. A goal was to provide a means of representing business logic in
one and only one correct way, such that it was not left to chance or preference. This
worked well but was just the beginning.
An epiphany came when Barbara was working with a large U.S. retailer. The
team was largely a business group with a representative from information tech-
nology (IT). At a certain point the team developed the base structure for a par-
ticular “rule family” (our grouping of business rules at the time.) The IT person
remarked that, with the base structure, the IT group could design the code, even
before the business rules were populated into the structure. We talked about this
after the session with the added insight that the emerging business logic struc-
tures not only have one correct representation; they have a value that transcends
the intuitive expression and organization of business rules as a precursor to auto-
mation. The deeper we looked, the greater appeared the utility of such structures
to business people, to faster iterative development methods, and even to system
architecture.
Shortly, we began to sense some parallels with the early usage of the Relational
Model, especially the value of rigorous principles. In late 2006 we issued a paper
to formalize the ideas. Over time, the Decision Model emerged, and the paper was
extended to become the seed of this book. It is important to note that the Decision
Model was not contrived to embody the rigor of mathematical set theory as is
the Relational Model. However, as a humble beginning, it embraces some of the
concepts introduced by Dr. Codd but applies them to the business logic dimen-
sion. So, by design, this book is a mixture of Decision Model principles, giving the
model rigor, and actual experience, proving that it is teachable and practical in the
everyday world.
We began using the Decision Model in practice, with results that exceeded
our expectations. People found the Decision Model intuitive to interpret and pre-
dictable to create. At the same time, the Decision Model resulted in a dramatic
improvement in the productivity of harvesting and automating business rules com-
pared to the classical methods used in previous projects.
Because of the desire to test and prove the Decision Model, initial progress on
the book was slow. We joked that we wrote the book twice—once for us and once
for others. But, in fact, by the end, we had probably written it at least three times.
As experience revealed useful advances in the Decision Model principles, we revis-
ited chapters in the book to accommodate those enhancements.
As we reach the end of this long period of development, we believe that more is
to be discovered and improved about the Decision Model. But we have confidence
 Preface and Acknowledgments ◾ xv

that it reflects a simple nature of business logic, as a starting point, and will con-
tinue to be of value over time. Readers of this book will realize that the methodol-
ogy and techniques in Business Rules Applied remain valuable, but are enhanced
significantly by the introduction of the Decision Model as an important additional
deliverable.
Edmund Phelps, a professor of economics from Columbia University and a
Nobel Laureate, is fond of observing that it is not the great scientific discover-
ies that advance productivity in economies. Phelps says that it is actually the
practical knowledge that is learned when implementing those discoveries, the
“tweaking” that the practitioners are able to achieve that is the cause of the great
leaps in value in economies (Tilman & Phelps, 2008). Evidence of this is the pas-
sage of several decades from Codd’s initial publication of the Relational Model in
1970, to the emergence of commercial relational database management systems
in the 1980s, to their final ascendancy in the 1990s. This timeframe from inven-
tion to adoption reflects that successful practice is valuable to the adoption of a
new idea.
We placed great emphasis on the use of the Decision Model in real projects,
by us and by others, over the last two years, and have learned much from that
use. More work still lies ahead. John Zachman said “It occurs to me that once the
underlying structure of a discipline is discovered, friction goes to zero! The pro-
cesses (methodologies) become predictable and repeatable” (Zachman, 2006). We
have seen this in the dramatic improvement in productivity and quality that has
been achieved in actual projects using the Decision Model, giving our convictions
quite a good deal of courage.
Ironically, this book was completed in the middle hours of the global eco-
nomic panic of 2008. Imploding property, credit, and stock markets were
wreaking financial havoc on great and small alike. Much ink has been spent
on the causes and the possible cures. One compelling fact is that regulators,
managers of banks, and insurance company executives placed blind faith in
computer models to quantify, reduce, or even eliminate risk from complex finan-
cial instruments. Instead, it turns out that they amplified risk, and to levels that
were unsustainable. On the other hand, managers who knew and understood
the capabilities, limitations, and true content of their computer models also
understood what limits could be placed on their efficacy. Their institutions will
likely survive and prosper.
The object lesson to be learned is not to accept the output from automated sys-
tems as having value unless the business logic in those systems is known, understood,
tested to be correct, and is able to be adjusted quickly to reflect changing conditions.
Unfortunately most modern enterprises have, and continue to build, systems in
which the business logic becomes lost or is not well-managed. Trusting the future to
a black box is likely to result in unpleasant surprises. It is time that the business logic
in business systems is given recognition as something worth managing well. This is
ultimately the goal that we believe the Decision Model can help achieve.
xvi ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

Who Should Read This Book

Because the Decision Model has an impact on business and technology practices,
this book is written for both business and technology professionals. For academic
audiences the book serves as a reference for curriculums covering relevant aspects
of software engineering and enterprise architecture.
None of these audiences is likely to read the book in its entirety—nor perhaps all
of every section—as some chapters are business oriented and others are technically
oriented. The book is written in three sections—the first being an overview, the
second being a detailed technical treatment, and the third being aspects of special
interests. Each chapter in the first two sections contains discussion points and exer-
cises that may be of interest to academic and professional audiences in testing their
understanding of the chapter. Therefore, below is a brief guide for navigating the
book, based on personal objectives.

How to Read This Book

Because the book introduces a new model with tentacles in many disciplines, it is
divided into three sections:

Section I: An executive summary followed by a survey of business, technical,

and methodology implications of the Decision Model. A general reader will
get a complete overview of the Decision Model and its place in the business
and technology world by reading this section.
Section II: A detailed treatment of the foundation of the Decision Model and a
formal definition of the model. Those who wish to understand the Decision
Model in depth would read this section. Also, the section could be used
as a reference for practitioners when working with the Decision Model in
practice.
Section III: Specialized topics of interest in the Decision Model, including
both business and technical topics. Readers with particular interests will find
details on them in this section. While it is possible to read the book from
cover to cover, we have prepared a set of navigation charts for readers with
different backgrounds and objectives. Some of the categorization in these
charts is somewhat arbitrary, such as the definition of “business interests” and
“technical interests.”

All Readers and Those Desiring an Executive Summary

All readers should read Chapter 1, which justifies the need for a new model, and
Chapter 2, which introduces the nature and notation of the Decision Model. These
two chapters constitute the executive summary of the book. Readers with addi-
tional objectives can consider the paths below.
 Preface and Acknowledgments ◾ xvii

Start

Executive Summary Chapters

1&2

High level business use

of Decision Model Chapters
3&4

Specific Business-
oriented topics of Chapter Chapter Chapters
interest 20 21 22 & 23

Decision Collaboration Users’

Maturity Experiences

Figure P1 How to read about business relevance and benefits.

Readers Interested in Business Relevance and Benefits

If you are interested in the business ramifications of the Decision Model, after
Chapters 1 and 2, read Chapter 3 for an approach to determine its tangible business
value and Chapter 4 for how it simplifies business processes.
After Chapter 4, you may want to read selected chapters in Section III for more
details on specific business-oriented topics of interest.
If you are interested in understanding organizational maturity levels related
to the adoption of the Decision Model, read Chapter 20. If your interest is in the
Decision Model and enterprise collaboration, read Chapter 21. Finally, if you are
interested in advice from people like yourselves, read Chapters 22 and 23. Refer to
Figure P1.

Readers Interested in Technical Relevance and Benefits

If you are a reader interested in the technical implications of the Decision Model,
after reading Chapters 1 and 2, continue with Chapter 4 on Business Process
Management (BPM) and Business Decision Management (BDM), Chapter 5 on
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and Chapter 6 on Requirements, Business
Analysis, and Testing.
After Chapter 6, you may choose to read more detailed chapters in Section III
on specific technology topics of interest.
If you are a technical reader with an interest in the Decision Model in Enterprise
Architecture, read Chapters 13 and 14. If your interest is the Decision Model in
xviii ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

Start

Executive Summary Chapters

1&2

High level technology Chapters

subjects 5&6

Specific Technology-
oriented topics of Chapters Chapters Chapters
interest 13, 14, 15 17 & 18 18 & 19

Architecture Standards & Technical

practices methods

Figure P2 How to read about technology relevance and benefits.

SOA, read Chapter 15. If your interest is in the Decision Model’s improvements in
current and emerging standards, read Chapter 16 on standards and Chapter 17 on
Business Process Management Notation (BPMN). If you are an advanced techni-
cal reader, read Chapter 18 on the idea of physical Decision Models. If you are
interested in learning more about BDM, or as it is called in this chapter, Enterprise
Decision Management (EDM), read Chapter 19. Refer to Figure P2.

Readers Interested in Technical and Business Relevance

In Chapter 21 Brian Stucky discusses the “Purple People,” those who are not neces-
sarily purely business professionals or IT professionals, but who move effortlessly
from one world to the other (read the chapter to discover the origin of the term
“Purple People.”) For those Purple People, we suggest reading Section I from start
to finish, read Section II to the extent that you desire to learn the full rigor of the
Decision Model (or use the section for reference when necessary), then read chap-
ters of topical interest in Section III. Refer to Figure P3.

Readers Interested in Conducting

a Decision Model Project
If you are interested in managing or participating in a Decision Model project, after
Chapters 1 and 2, proceed to Chapter 7 on Getting Started and use Chapter 12 as a
handy reference during the life of the project. Refer to Figure P4. In addition, some
 Preface and Acknowledgments ◾ xix

Start

General Review of
Decision Model Section I

Full Rigor of the Decision

Model. Use Chapter 21 as a
Section II
Reference.

Explore Section III for Chapters

Section III
on areas of interest

Figure P3 How to read about both business and technology relevance and
benefits.

project team members may choose to read other chapters relevant to the members’
role on the project.

Readers Wanting Full Technical Details

If you are interested in detailed rigor and have an analytical or technical back-
ground, follow Chapters 1 and 2 with Chapters 8, 9, and 10 on the Decision
Model Principles. If you have experience with the Relational Model, you may find
Chapter 11 interesting. Use Chapter 12 as a convenient reference. You may wish to
read several chapters in Section III. Refer to Figure P5.

Start

Executive Summary Chapters

1&2

Sample Project and

Chapter
Methodology
7

Use Chapter 12 as a Reference.

Chapter
Team members explore Section III
12
different Section III Chapters

Figure P4 How to read about managing or participating on a Decision Model

project.
xx ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

Start

Executive Summary Chapters

1&2

Full Rigor of the Chapters

Decision Model 8, 9, 10

Comparison to the Chapter

Relational Model 11

Use Chapter 12 as a Reference. Chapter

Section III
Explore relevant Section III 12
Chapters

Figure P5 How to read about the full technical details of the Decision Model.

Readers Wanting a Reference

Chapter 12 provides a complete reference of terms and principles of the Decision
Model. It supplements any of the previous paths through the book, but is most use-
ful for a detailed review or for use during the progress of an actual project.

Those to Be Thanked
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our clients who trust us with some of
their most precious assets, and who had faith in the quality of our ideas. Without
them this book would not exist. For confidentiality reasons, we cannot acknowl-
edge you by name, but you know who you are and hopefully you know that we are
grateful to you.
During the research and writing we were honored that several professional
colleagues (some using the Decision Model in practice) offered to read and com-
ment on many of the Decision Model principles. Our thanks to Mishka Ilmer, Bob
Evory, Gil Segal, and Bill Shaffer, who were the patient readers of our early drafts.
A special thanks to the eclectic group that made up our second group of read-
ers, because for their pain they were rewarded with the task of writing a contribu-
tion to the book! These contributors came from several different disciplines and
backgrounds. Their contributions to the third section of the book are invaluable in
placing the Decision Model into the perspective of a wide range of different audi-
ences and specialties. Our thanks to John Zachman, Ken Orr, Bruce Silver, James
Taylor, Mike Rosen, Brian Stucky, Dave Haslett, Tracy Williams, Dave Pedersen,
and Daniel Worden. And yet, we also owe thanks to those who comprised our
 Preface and Acknowledgments ◾ xxi

third group of readers who reviewed the completed manuscript—some provid-

ing detailed comments and all providing endorsements. Our thanks to Dave Hay,
Dr. Opher Etzion, Nadav Hashon, Mannes Nauer, Bob Schork, Robert S. Seiner,
Carol-Ann Matignon, Carlos Serrano-Morales, Arne Herenstein, Professor William
Miller, Len Silverston, Andrew Spanyi, and Tom Wolfe.
Finally, a special note of thanks to our publisher, Auerbach, and editor, John
Wyzalek. John was more than anyone could ask in an editor—supportive, help-
ful, and remarkably patient. In particular, he reacted quickly to our book proposal
with enthusiasm for its potential in the marketplace. A note of thanks also goes to
the editorial staff at Taylor & Francis, Stephanie Morkert, Amber Donley, Karen
Schober and, most especially, our Project Editor, Andrea Demby, who made it all
happen.

A Personal Note from Barb

As always, I owe so much to my husband of more than 30 years, Mike. He has, at
all times, supported me in every way on many projects. This book is no different.
He generously gave of his time, edited hundreds of manuscript pages, and provided
useful insights into how best to reach the reading audience.

A Personal Note from Larry

As I think about the dislocation that my attention to this book caused my family
for the last two years, I gratefully dedicate it to my long-suffering but always lov-
ing wife of 40 years, Jillian, and our wonderfully supportive children and grand-
children, Nina, Parke, Chloe, and Betsy, and Rafael, Ashlyn, and Julian. But that
hardly reaches the measure of my indebtedness to family and is an insufficient
acknowledgment of the importance that family has played in my life, especially
during these pressured years.
Quite by coincidence, during the development of these pages, I became involved
in a broad effort across a wide group of cousins on both Jill’s side and mine to build
a family tree on the community-based Web site, Geni.com. Sadly, during this time
my mother passed away, and she will be unable to share further in the coming
together of this extraordinary family far-flung across four continents in the United
States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Israel, and Australia, whose roots lay
in the Pale of Europe. The forebearers we celebrate came from humble beginnings
and sought freedom in distant, forbidding, and strange lands in order to escape
a very cruel tyranny. Thanks to their prescience and courage, many of us were
saved from the Holocaust. We remember with reverence those who perished in the
slaughter. Those who survived were scattered across the face of the globe. Through
the effort on Geni we are trying to rebind precious ties.
xxii ◾ Preface and Acknowledgments

As the Geni project matured, the scope and scale of our ancestors’ sacrifice
became evident to me, exciting my wonder and admiration. The project became
my escape—in late night sessions of research into old shipping manifests and
archives—from the unrelenting pressure of the book deadline.
So I broaden the dedication—to family, but in the widest sense, to the group
that truly delineates family. First to my father, whose 95th birthday, fate willing,
we will celebrate this year, and whose life is an example to us all; to my brothers
Norman and Trevor, and to Jill’s brothers Jonni and the late Shalom, all of whose
closeness and love are and have been a constant in our lives; and to their families,
and our aunts, uncles, and cousins across the globe (numbering, now in the thou-
sands!), and in memory of our ancestors who set the bar so high for us all. Of them
all I must single out Raymond and Selwyn Haas, and their late parents Gertie and
Ivor, who reached out a hand of help when it was most needed, and no other was
offered; it was, and will always be deeply appreciated, even though it cannot ever
be repaid in full measure.
And finally to that most distant of relatives, but closest of kin, mentor, foil,
and beloved friend, the late Dr. Jos Gerson. He achieved much in life as a world-
renown economist. However, his most important mark may be the impression he
made among the wide, but close, circle of friends that he made across the world.
This was an eclectic group of economists, rabbis, humanists, liberals, and conserva-
tives, ranging across several generations and continents, united by his magnetic and
compelling personality, and challenged by his extraordinary intellectual energy.
He was also a deeply loving—if ever challenging—husband and father to Kirsi,
Daniel, Miriam, and Julian. Over time he taught us a great deal, but the last three
years of his life were a living lesson in honesty, grace, and courage. Jos will never
be forgotten.

As long as lips can breath, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee

William Shakespeare
About the Authors

Barbara von Halle, cofounder of Knowledge Partners International LLC, is coin-

ventor of the Decision Model and co-owner of its patent. She is also the 1995
recipient of the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from International
DAMA.
An early career highlight was Barbara’s role as the project manager overseeing
one of the first installations and tests of DB2. She assisted many corporations in
adopting and leveraging the Relational Model and related technology. Her early
exposure to the Relational Model enabled her to coauthor, with Candace Fleming,
the Handbook of Relational Database Design (Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
1989), which still serves as the most critical reference book for relational design
methodology and implementation.
She was a popular columnist in Database Programming and Design magazine for
years. She also served as the editor of the popular Auerbach series Handbook of Data
Management from 1993–1995.
Other book publications include Business Rules Applied (John Wiley & Sons,
2001), which was a finalist for the 2002 Software Development Jolt Award. She also
co-edited an anthology called The Business Rule Revolution (Happy About, 2006).
Her recent article in Intelligent Enterprise magazine, “Business Rule Maturity:
Roadmap to an Agile Enterprise,” was one of the top 20 most popular articles of
the year.
As a pioneer in data architecture, business rules, and the Decision Model,
Barbara has consulted and offered training to clients and appeared as a keynote
speaker at conferences in the United States and Europe.
Barbara has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and was the recipient of
Fordham University’s Mathematics Award, graduating as class valedictorian. She
also holds a master’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from
Stevens Institute of Technology.

Larry Goldberg, cofounder of Knowledge Partners International LLC, is co-

inventor of the Decision Model and co-owner of its patent.

xxiii
xxiv ◾ About the Authors

Larry has spent many decades in the IT industry, and has created several com-
panies focused on developing and marketing business applications, based on busi-
ness rules technology. He led the development of several successful commercial
enterprise applications, including applications in the healthcare, insurance, and
supply chain domains, and was active on the board of several industry bodies.
In 1999 he sold the PowerFlex company to a global software company. From
1999 to 2004 he led the business rules activities of that company, and was the
principal for several major business rules product developments in both govern-
ment and the insurance industry. He has consulted with clients and appeared as
speaker in conferences in the United States and Europe as a thought leader in the
application of business rules.
In recent years, Larry has been the editorial director of the BDM Bulletin,
an electronic publication of the BPMInstitute.org, and has been the track chair
of the BDM track at Brainstorm Conferences throughout the United States.
Larry also coedited an anthology called The Business Rule Revolution (Happy
About•, 2006).
Contributors’ List

Chapter 13 Chapter 19
John A. Zachman James Taylor
Zachman International CEO
La Cañada, California Decision Management Solutions
http://zachmaninternational.com Palo Alto, California
james@decisionmanagementsolutions.
com
Chapter 15
Mike Rosen
Chief Scientist Chapter 21
Wilton Consulting Group
Wilton, New Hampshire Brian Stucky
[email protected] Managing Director, Business Decision
Management
Allegiance Advisory Group
Chapter 17 Reston, Virginia
Bruce Silver [email protected]
Principal
Bruce Silver Associates/BPMessentials
Aptos, California Chapter 22
[email protected]
David L. Haslett, PMP
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.*
Chapter 18 Topeka, Kansas
[email protected]
Daniel J. Worden
Principal
RuleSmith Corporation * Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.
Toronto, Canada is not connected to this book project in any
[email protected] way.

xxv
xxvi ◾ Contributors’ List

Tracy Williams Chapter 23

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.*
Topeka, Kansas David Pedersen
[email protected] Senior Decision Analyst
Knowledge Partners International
Mentor, Ohio
[email protected]

* Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc.

is not connected to this book project in any
way.
About the Contributors

John A. Zachman
John A. Zachman is the originator of the Framework for Enterprise Architecture,
which has received broad acceptance around the world as an integrative framework,
or “periodic table” of descriptive representations for enterprises. He is not known
only for this work on Enterprise Architecture, but also for his early contributions to
IBM’s Information Strategy methodology (Business Systems Planning) as well as to
its executive team planning techniques (Intensive Planning).
In 1990 he retired from IBM, having served them for 26 years. He is chief
executive officer of Zachman International. He has spoken to many thousands of
enterprise managers and information professionals on every continent.
Mr. Zachman serves on the Executive Council for Information Management
and Technology of the United States General Accounting Office. He is a fellow
of the College of Business Administration of the University of North Texas. He
serves on the Advisory Board, Data Resource Management Program, University
of Washington, and on the Advisory Board, Data Administration Management
Association International (DAMA-I), which awarded him its 2002 Lifetime
Achievement Award. He was the recipient of the 2004 Oakland University Applied
Technology in Business (ATIB) Award for IS excellence and innovation.

Mike Rosen
Mike Rosen is chief scientist at Wilton Consulting Group, which provides expert
consulting in Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Enterprise Architecture (EA),
and Model-Driven Solutions. Mr. Rosen is also director of Enterprise Architecture
for the Cutter Consortium and editorial director for SOA Institute. His current
emphasis is on the implementation of agile, flexible, enterprise SOA solutions, and
on education and training for SOA and EA.
Mike Rosen has more than a dozen years of experience with SOA applications
in the finance, insurance, and telecom industries, and more recently, in govern-
ment agencies and technology product companies. He has helped many different
organizations initiate and implement SOA architectures, solutions, and programs,

xxvii
xxviii ◾ About the Contributors

and get beyond the simple Web-service-enabling approach to actually create more
flexible, consistent systems.
Much of Mr. Rosen’s work is also in the area of Enterprise Architecture. Given
the dozens of questions and choices about EA programs, frameworks, governance,
processes, and artifacts, Mike helps organizations cut through the clutter and focus
their EA activities toward creating value immediately and over time.
As a student of computer architecture, Mike has spent years understanding,
developing, writing, and teaching about the principles, practices, and skills of an
architect. He has years of experience in the architecture and design of applications
for global corporations and was a product architect for several major middleware
vendors. Prior to consulting, Mike had 20+ years of product development experi-
ence for distributed technologies including DCE, CORBA, DCOM, J2EE, Web
Services, Transaction Processing, and Messaging.
Mr. Rosen is an internationally recognized speaker and author of dozens of
papers and several books including Applied SOA: Architecture and Design Strategies
(Wiley, 2008) Developing eBusiness Systems and Architecture: A Manager’s Guide
(Morgan Kaufman, 2001), and Integrating CORBA and COM Applications (Wiley,
1998).

Bruce Silver
Bruce Silver is an independent industry analyst and consultant focused on busi-
ness process modeling and management. He is the author of BPMN Method and
Style (Cody-Cassidy Press, 2009, www.bpmnstyle.com), and delivers BPMN train-
ing through BPMessentials.com, the BPM Institute, and other channels. He is the
author of the popular BPMS Watch blog (www.brsilver.com/wordpress) and of the
BPMS Report series of product evaluations.

Daniel Worden
Daniel Worden has worked with Decision Support Systems since the early 1980s.
He has held management positions in private and public sector organizations, and
has been responsible for design, development, deployment and support of database
and Web-enabled solutions.
The author of five books on a range of topics from relational database technol-
ogy to storage networks and Java, he has written and presented on best practices for
adopting IT tools and techniques.
In his capacity as a consultant to management, Mr. Worden has focused on
uncovering hidden business value in information systems, as well as on leveraging
information as an asset.
Current areas of interest include Emergent Strategy, Adaptive Systems, and,
naturally, Decision Models.
 About the Contributors ◾ xxix

James Taylor
James Taylor is a leading expert and visionary in Decision Management Solutions,
helping companies build decision-centric organizations, processes, and information
systems. He actively maintains two blogs on decision management, and has been
published and quoted in a wide range of magazines from BusinessWeek to Intelligent
Enterprise. He is a frequent speaker at conferences. Previously, he was a vice president
of product marketing at Fair Isaac Corporation, and he has held posts in software
research and consulting at PeopleSoft and at Ernst & Young Management Consulting.
A graduate of the University of London, James lives with his family in Palo Alto,
California.
Mr. Taylor is a highly sought-after speaker and appears frequently at industry
conferences, events, and seminars, as well as in university lecture halls. Along with
writing numerous contributed articles for industry publications and reports, he has
contributed chapters to The Business Rule Revolution (Barbara von Halle and Larry
Goldberg, Happy About, 2007) and Business Intelligence Implementation: Issues and
Perspectives. Working with Neil Raden, he has published the definitive work on deci-
sion management: Smart (Enough) Systems (Prentice Hall, 2007).
James’ blogs can be found at
http://jtonedm.com
http://www.ebizq.net/blogs/decision_management/

David L. Haslett, PMP*

David L. Haslett’s career spans 32 years in Information Systems working for a large
health insurance company in Kansas. He started his career in March 1975 as a com-
puter operator and today is Manager of Systems Support. Mr. Haslett’s experience
has included a wide range of professional titles and responsibilities over the years,
and he has been instrumental in the successful implementation of numerous large
projects. He is currently responsible for 29 professional Information Services staff
dedicated to Enterprise Decision Management Services, Enterprise System Services
(Business Rules Engine, Imaging, OnDemand, OCR, secured transactional pages
on the company Web site, company intranet, Legal Services), Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI), e-mail, and IS division planning. Mr. Haslett graduated from
Electronic Computer Programming Institute in 1974, has attended Washburn
University in Topeka, Kansas, earned his Project Management Professional (PMP)
certification in May 2002, and was Information Technology Infrastructure Library
(ITIL) Foundation Certified in December 2006. He is a member of the Project
Management Institute, the PMI Kansas City Mid-America Chapter, and the local
Chamber of Commerce in Topeka, Kansas.

* PMP™ (Project Management Professional) is the trademark of PMI, Project Management

Institute.
xxx ◾ About the Contributors

Tracy Williams, BPMP*

Tracy Williams has enjoyed a diverse career in information systems, working for
a Midwest health insurance company. Her 9-year career has encompassed roles as
systems analyst/developer, business/rule analyst, and project manager. She is cur-
rently team leader of the Enterprise Decision Management Services unit. This team
works with many business areas throughout the organization, leading rules-related
projects from a business perspective.
Ms. Williams holds a degree in computer information systems from Washburn
University, and has been certified as a Business Process Management Professional,
BPMP.

Brian Stucky
Brian Stucky is Managing Director of Business Decision Management at Allegiance
Advisory Group. A recognized thought leader in the area of business rules, Brian
brings over two decades of experience designing and implementing business rule
and process management systems for both commercial and federal clients. Prior to
joining Allegiance, Brian was Vice President of Decision Management Solutions at
InScope Solutions, Inc. where he directed the company’s technology practice area.
Prior to joining InScope, Mr. Stucky served as the Enterprise Rule Steward at
Freddie Mac, where he set the business and technology strategy for business rule
development across the corporation. These efforts resulted in Freddie Mac winning
a 2005 Application Development Trends Magazine Innovator Award in the category
of Component-Based Development (“Freddie Mac redesigns its processes to satisfy
new customer needs”) and being named a finalist for a 2005 Mortgage Technology
Magazine “10X” Award.
Mr. Stucky also cofounded two companies that specialized in the design and
implementation of intelligent systems. He has implemented and managed busi-
ness rule development efforts in a variety of domains, including the secondary
mortgage market, credit card marketing and processing, and mutual fund port-
folio analysis.
Mr. Stucky works closely with a number of business rule vendors and speaks
internationally at conferences and professional events. He has given presentations
at the Business Rules Forum, European Business Rules Conference, Mortgage
Bankers Association Technology Conference, the Brainstorm Business Process
Management Conference Series, and was an invited panelist at a Gartner Group
Financial Services Summit. He was also a contributing author to The Business Rule
Revolution. Mr. Stucky holds a BS in computer science from the University of
Kansas and an MS in computer and information science from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.

* BPMP™ (Business Process Management Professional) is the trademark of the BPMInstitute.

org.
 About the Contributors ◾ xxxi

David Pedersen
David Pedersen has more than 25 years of IT experience and is a Certified Public
Accountant (CPA). He began his career as a CPA and quickly moved to developing
and implementing Information Systems in a variety of industries.
He has enjoyed a diverse career serving in various roles: programmer, business ana-
lyst, Senior Decision Analyst, CFO, Director of Global IT and managing partner. His
experience includes co-founding a technology company, successfully developing and
implementing enterprise systems, and leading large global business process and busi-
ness decision management initiatives.
Mr. Pedersen is currently a Senior Decision Analyst at KPI where he leverages
his diverse background and experience to implement BPM and BDM solutions
in a variety of industries. Prior to KPI he served as a Director at Ernst & Young,
LLP, where he led the development, implementation and support of a portfolio of
enterprise applications. His work included Enterprise Architecture and the devel-
opment and implementation of complex global business processes re-engineering/
improvement initiatives that were among the firm’s top global priorities. Prior to
joining Ernst & Young, LLP, he developed enterprise solutions for the hazardous
waste industry, legal profession, insurance and printing industries, and nonprofit
organizations.
Mr. Pedersen has a degree in business administration from the University of
Texas. His education includes engineering and math. He is an author of many
papers, a frequent contributing writer for the BPM Institute, BPTrends and a con-
ference guest speaker.
The Decision I
Model in
Context

Intended for all readers, this section is an introduction to the Decision Model and
the opportunities it offers both business and technology audiences.
Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to the motivations for the Decision Model.
These motivations explain why the Decision Model has a broad impact on manage-
ment practices and on business systems development and technology.
Chapter 2 provides a general understanding of the look and feel of the Decision
Model. The chapter is a prerequisite for interpreting the diagrams throughout the
book. The chapter references, but does not pursue in depth, the 15 principles of the
Decision Model and the concept of Decision Model normalization.
The four chapters that follow explore the impact and value of the Decision
Model for various disciplines. These disciplines include determining the business
value of Decision Models (Chapter 3), Business Process Management (Chapter 4),
Service-Oriented Architecture (Chapter 5), and business system requirements gath-
ering (Chapter 6). Each discipline is presented in light of the Decision Model at a
level appropriate for all audiences. These chapters enable the reader to understand,
and perhaps share, the excitement that has greeted the adoption of the Decision
Model among the current practitioners.
Chapter 7, the final chapter in the section, pulls together all ideas of the section
in a realistic project. Although fictional, different aspects of the project are drawn
from several real projects that helped deliver and automate the Decision Model.
This chapter is vital for readers familiar with a traditional business rule approach. It
reveals significant advantages that the Decision Model brings to the management
and success of real-world business rule projects. Readers can find more information
on the Decision Model at www.TheDecisionModel.com.
Chapter 1

Why the Decision Model?

Contents
How It Began.........................................................................................................4
Automated Business Systems: The Beginning.....................................................5
The One Dimension Left Behind.......................................................................6
What Is Business Logic?................................................................................6
Why Separate Business Logic?.......................................................................6
A Disruptive Solution from the Past..................................................................7
The Current Separation of Business Logic..............................................................7
The Need for a New Model...............................................................................8
The Advent of the Decision Model................................................................8
Underlying Premise of the Decision Model...................................................8
Five Most Interesting Characteristics of the Decision Model.......................10
Rigor of the Decision Model............................................................................10
The Decision Model as an Impetus for Change....................................................10
Summary..............................................................................................................12
New Vocabulary Introduced in This Chapter........................................................12
And What about the Quote..................................................................................12
Discussion Points and Exercises............................................................................12

Business rules have always represented one of the knottiest problems in

application development. … In recent years, there has been a rediscovery
of the importance of business rules, and exciting research has been work-
ing to make business rules as independent as, say, database management.
Ken Orr, Chief Scientist, Ken Orr Institute

3
4 ◾ The Decision Model

The Decision Model is a new model that impacts not just technology trends,
but also business management practices. It brings to the world of business
rules a well-defined structure based on the inherent nature of logic, extended
with integrity and normalization principles. This is similar in concept to what
the Relational Model brings to the world of data.
This chapter is an introduction to the reasons for the development of the
Decision Model. It begins with a historical perspective of the reasons lead-
ing to the model, and continues with a brief review of the role of the model
in both a business and a technology context. Finally, the chapter closes with
insights into the potential opportunities offered by adoption of the Decision
Model.
In Chapter 2 there is an overview of the structure of the Decision
Model and its notation.

How It Began
Since the inception of computer systems in the early 1950s,* there has been a
constant expansion of the functionality of computerized business systems. This
expansion has resulted in their playing a central role in the enterprise. Even a medi-
um-sized organization has hundreds of discrete applications. Large organizations
have thousands of applications, each succeeding application more complex than
the last. Today, there are few systems in an enterprise that are not at least partially
automated.
Before the advent of commercially available computers, a business carried out
its processes through human effort guided by human thinking and logic. In many
cases, critical processes were documented as a set of tasks and important check-
points, along with guidance for carrying out decisions along the way. Indeed, such
documentation exists today for many processes that are partly or wholly carried out
by humans. The documentation together with training informs the processes and
evolves them over time.
In the age of commercial computer processing, important business processes,
or parts thereof, have become ideal targets for automation. The sequences of steps
along with the business logic for making decisions behind those steps have been
translated into program code.
Businesses have gained a great deal by automating business processes.
The ability to process transactions quickly, in greater volume, and with more

* And even earlier, beginning with the advent of card-sorting machines.

 Why the Decision Model? ◾ 5

Security Workflow Transaction

Component Component Component

Presentation Base
Component Application
Business
Logic
Component
Reporting/BI Database
Component Component
“Big Ball of Mud”
Separated Application Component

Figure 1.1 Teasing out the big ball of mud. (Source: Adapted from Ken Orr
“Putting Data into SOA,” Cutter Consortium, Business Intelligence Vol. 7, No 11.
Used with Permission.)

consistency has made all the difference in the world to most businesses. The
gains have been enormous and, consequently, the wave of business automa-
tion has grown beyond initial expectations. So, too, have the sophistication of
technology and the way automated systems are designed. However, a price has
been paid for these great advances. That is, many, if not most, enterprises have
lost track of and control over the business logic that is embedded in these sys-
tems. This is a natural result of how the design and development of automated
systems have evolved.

Automated Business Systems: The Beginning

Ken Orr explains the evolution of automated business systems: “In the beginning,
individual programs and systems resembled a big ball of mud* (Figure 1.1). All the

* “A big ball of mud is haphazardly structured, sprawling, sloppy, duct-tape and bailing wire,
spaghetti code jungle. We’ve all seen them. These systems show unmistakable signs of unregu-
lated growth, and repeated, expedient repair. Information is shared promiscuously among
distant elements of the system, often to the point where nearly all the important information
becomes global or duplicated. The overall structure of the system may never have been well
defined. If it was, it may have eroded beyond recognition” (Foote and Yoder, 1999). What the
authors of this famous passage left out is “logic is shared promiscuously among distant ele-
ments of the system, often to the point where nearly all the important logic becomes global or
duplicated.”
6 ◾ The Decision Model

functionality was contained in a single framework: dimensions like reporting, data-

base, transaction processing, presentation, workflow, security, and business rules.
Over time, these major dimensions have been teased apart so that they can be
developed (and modified) independently” (Orr, 2007).

The One Dimension Left Behind

Although it is true that much progress has been made in teasing out the distinct
aspects buried in the big ball of mud, there has not been widespread success in teas-
ing out the business logic so that it can be developed and modified independently.
Ironically, the business logic is the very heart of automated business systems.

What Is Business Logic?

For the purpose of this chapter, business logic is simply a set of business rules rep-
resented as atomic elements of conditions leading to conclusions. As such, business
logic represents business thinking about the way important business decisions are
made. Examples of business decisions include the decision to grant an education
loan or to pay a claim. The business logic behind such business decisions includes
evaluation of a student’s academic and financial status or a claim’s eligibility for
payment. So, business logic is the underpinning of an organization’s identity, integ-
rity, innovation, and intelligence. Business logic represents the “rules of the busi-
ness” that operate perhaps thousands of times a day in service to customers and
partners. They are the present and the future of the company.

Why Separate Business Logic?

Yet, many “rules of the business” are buried in program code or in people’s heads.
Sometimes, the business rules executing in program code are not what the busi-
ness thought they were or even what the business needs them to be. They are an
important consideration in implementing change and delivering enterprise agility.
However, today they operate as a silent, invisible business asset rather than one wor-
thy of being managed separately from other dimensions. As a result, they remain
buried, scattered, and resistant to change.
Even when captured separately from models and requirements, the technol-
ogy for storing business logic ranges from documents, spreadsheets, modeling
tools, repository tools, and proprietary software, to home-grown databases. They
are managed as a catalog or list of business rule statements, tied in one way or
another to related deliverables. They are not managed in a common model as
data is managed today. The historic impact of a common model for data is worth
contemplating.
 Why the Decision Model? ◾ 7

A Disruptive Solution from the Past

One of the earliest aspects teased out of the ball of mud was data. In the late 1960s
and early 1970s, there emerged the recognition that data should be separated from
process. An early attempt at separation was the introduction of data dictionaries
or data catalogs. However, the mere separation of data into a list of data elements
was not sufficient for delivering the anticipated benefits of increased data sharing
and data quality. That’s because design approaches still varied and were influenced
by proprietary database technology. So, separation alone proved to be insufficient.
There arose the need for a common design approach.
Success came with the introduction of a model for data that was different from
existing models. In 1970, Dr. E. F. Codd wrote of a model (Codd, 1970) that
changed forever the way the world thinks about, manages and leverages data stored
in databases.* His model led to revolutionary advances in technology, methodol-
ogy, career paths, academic programs, and almost every aspect related to the build-
ing of automated systems.
Codd’s model, the Relational Model, is significant for many reasons, but what
led to its endurance is that it provided the database field with a stable, scientific
foundation. It was based only on the inherent nature of data itself, and nothing
more.† Adoption of the Relational Model along with related technology and best
practices significantly improved the quality of data stored in database technology.
Consequently, data is now a well-recognized business asset supported by a multibil-
lion dollar industry. Today, there are data standards, commercial data models, and
a universal way of structuring most data that is a “relational way.”
Nevertheless, the success of the Relational Model was not an overnight phe-
nomenon. The model had its critics. It stirred the kind of resistance that accom-
panies the introduction of a disruptive invention. Yet, the eventual adoption of
the Relational Model by software vendors and practitioners has been a significant
contributing factor to the advent of the Information Age and the related advances
in global productivity.

The Current Separation of Business Logic

Returning again to Ken Orr’s insight, recent years have seen a rediscovery of busi-
ness rules as an important asset worth teasing out from the ball of mud. A desire
has arisen to separate business rules and make them as independent as database

* An analysis of the Relational Model and the Decision Model is found in Chapter 11.
† To be more accurate, the Relational Model is based on a rigorous theory (including functional

dependency, normalization, and set theory) applied to the characteristics of data.

8 ◾ The Decision Model

management. In fact, over the past ten years or so, books have emerged on the topic
of “business rules,” and adoption of business rule technology (e.g., business rule
management systems) has increased. More recently, major vendors are endorsing,
introducing, or acquiring business rule management system software.
As with data in the 1970s, the mere separation of business logic into a list of
business rules has not proved sufficient for delivering the anticipated benefits. Again,
current technical solutions play a role analogous to the proprietary database man-
agement systems of the 1970s. That is, the products themselves are excellent and
mature, but proprietary. As a result, design approaches vary and are highly influ-
enced by proprietary target technology. Although vendors are making advances in
managing and maintaining such business rules in a business-friendly manner, each
vendor does so in its own way. Standards and specifications groups are addressing
common languages or grammars for business rules, but there is no universal model
that serves as a starting point independent of language and target technology. The
lesson from the data separation precedent is that large-scale success is more likely to
come with the introduction and adoption of such a model.

The Need for a New Model

So, a very simple question comes to mind: Is there a model of business logic that is
simple to create, interpret, modify, and automate? Is there a rigorous, repeatable,
and technology-independent model that is based only on the inherent nature of
business logic itself and nothing more?
Such a model would provide a missing link in today’s technologies, methodolo-
gies, and business practices and also lead to technology advances that preserve the
technology-independent view of business logic. As the Relational Model did for
data, it would enable the separation of business logic from other concerns by pro-
viding a very specific representation for its maintenance and automation.

The Advent of the Decision Model

These possibilities instigated several years of research. The Decision Model was
tested and refined, which resulted in the writing of this book. The goal now is to
promote wide-scale usage of the Decision Model and continue its evolution.

Underlying Premise of the Decision Model

The Decision Model structure is based on the premise that business logic has its
own existence, independent of how it is executed, where in the business it is exe-
cuted, and whether or not its execution is implemented in automated systems. The
Decision Model has a recognizable structure that is not the same as the structure of
other kinds of models. Refer to Figure 1.2 for a quick glance at obvious visual dif-
ferences among data, process, and Decision Models. With the introduction of the
 Why the Decision Model? ◾ 9

Data Models

Person’s Good High Set Person’s

Start Employment Person’s End
Credit Rating
History Debt
to A

Bad Low
Process Model
Set Person’s
Credit Rating
to?

Determine
Policy
Renewal
Method

Policy Renewal Policy Renewal

Method Override
Policy Tier Within Insured Major
Bounds (P2, P3) Ownership Change
Policy Renewal (P2)
Policy Tier Within Override (P1), (P3) Insured Major
Bounds Location Change
Policy Discount (P2) (P1)
Policy Annual
Policy Tier (P1)(P2) Premium (P3)
Policy Discountinued
Agent (P4)
Policy Manual Flag
Insured Major (P5)
Ownership Change

Insured Minority Insured Major

Policy Discount Stockholder(P3)(P4) Location on Change
Insured Majority Insured Location on
Policy Grade (P1) Stockholder(P2) Zip-5 (P1)
Package Grade (P1) Insured Board Insured Location on
Policy Discount (P1) Change(P1) Occupied Square
Location State Insured CEO Change Footage (P2)
Category (P1) Insured Location on
(P1)(P3) Construction (P3)

Decision Model

Figure 1.2 A glance at some models for a simple visual comparison.

10 ◾ The Decision Model

Decision Model, it is improper to impose (and thereby bury again) business logic
onto other kinds of models because business logic now has its own model.

Five Most Interesting Characteristics of the Decision Model

It is important that the Decision Model have its own notation and principles that
make it a totally different model from other kinds of models. Five overall charac-
teristics that make it interesting are as follows:

1. It defines a technology-independent way of organizing an important, some-

what intangible business intellectual asset. That asset is business logic.
2. The Decision Model is a pure representation of business logic. That is, it is
devoid of biases from process, data, or technology. It possesses three signifi-
cant features of technology-independent models: a simple structure, declara-
tive nature, and optimal integrity.
3. Despite being independent of technology, it is easily implementable in tech-
nology and transcends current and future technology products.
4. The Decision Model is neither a language nor a grammar. It is a model. Yet,
languages and grammar can be defined over the Decision Model in much the
same way that SQL, as a language, was built over the Relational Model.
5. It is a model that addresses an important unsolved problem: how to effec-
tively manage business logic and business rules, not as lists or annotations
attached to or buried in other models, but in a model of their own.

Rigor of the Decision Model

Rigor is introduced into the model through a set of 15 principles, detailed in
Chapters 8, 9, and 10, that define the model’s structure, its declarative nature, and
its integrity. These principles ensure that the model is stable, flexible, and remains
technology-independent. They also introduce the concept of normal form to the
model. This ensures that each business logic statement, that is, each business rule,
is atomic and is placed in the one and only one proper place in the model.

The Decision Model as an Impetus for Change

The Decision Model has the potential to change current business management
practices and future technology, enabling both business and IT professionals to
rethink the way they view, design, execute, and govern business logic. Practice indi-
cates that the Decision Model makes it possible for nontechnical business people
to interact intuitively with their own business logic. This leads to natural business
governance over business directions and agility.
 Why the Decision Model? ◾ 11

Industry analysts predict significant growth* in the technology areas of Service-

Oriented Architecture (SOA), Business Process Management (BPM), and Business
Decision Management (BDM—also, and interchangeably, referred to as Enterprise
Decision Management (EDM)). Major corporations investing in one or more of
these technologies span all industries. The interest in these areas stems from a grow-
ing need to enable business agility, leverage current investments in IT infrastruc-
ture, and gain control over IT governance.
Each of these trends promises to deliver supporting infrastructure around an
important and proprietary business asset: the business’s logic that should drive its
operational transactions in the most desirable manner. Therefore, a model of such
business logic is at the center of all of these emerging areas. Industry analysts, ven-
dors, and practitioners proclaim that such business logic today needs to be separated
from other logic so as to be reusable, changeable, and deployed in corresponding
technology. It needs to be delivered in appropriate technology and made avail-
able to all business processes and systems that need it and across emerging SOAs.
However, without a well-formed model of business logic, there is little rigor and no
solid roadmap for achieving this.
Based on experience, the Decision Model has the potential to bring about the
following kinds of changes:

◾◾ IT and business management methodologies that promote business decisions

and corresponding Decision Models to the level of prominent management
levers
◾◾ Commercial automation software that supports decision services derived
from Decision Models
◾◾ Commercial modeling and requirements software that enable specification
and governance of Decision Models from business to technology
◾◾ Delivery of domain-specific decision logic that become standard commodities
◾◾ Business leaders who will view, value, challenge, and simulate their own busi-
ness logic, before, after, and even if it is not, automated

This book sets out not only to present the details of the Decision Model, but also to
explain how it integrates with emerging management methods.

* “The pure-play business process management and business rules engine software markets will
outpace other software infrastructure markets from 2005 through 2010, growing by 11.8 %
and 9.2 % for license revenue, respectively” (Cantara, 2006); “Web services and Web 2.0
technologies are features in many current software products deployed in Service-Oriented
Architecture environments. By 2011, 63% of products in the software infrastructure market
and 56% in the software application market will support Web services and Web 2.0 technolo-
gies” (Dataquest Insights, 2007).
12 ◾ The Decision Model

Summary
The Decision Model is a new model aimed at representing business logic. The
Decision Model is based only on the inherent characteristics of business logic itself;
therefore, it is unbiased by other concerns and is very easy to create and manage.
The important points in this chapter are the following:

◾◾ There has not been wide-scale success in teasing out the business logic so that
it can be developed and modified independent of other concerns.
◾◾ The Decision Model structure is based on the premise that business logic has its
own existence, independent of how it is executed, where in the business it is exe-
cuted, and whether or not its execution is implemented in automated systems.
◾◾ Business logic has a recognizable structure that is not the same as the struc-
ture of other assets for which there are models.
◾◾ Although the Decision Model fills a missing gap in today’s technology trends, its
greatest significance may be its potential to give birth to new, related directions.

A general overview of the Decision Model is presented in Chapter 2.

New Vocabulary Introduced in This Chapter

◾◾ big ball of mud
◾◾ business logic
◾◾ Relational Model
◾◾ Decision Model

And What about the Quote

The quote at the beginning of the chapter speaks of the emergence of business rules
(and business logic) as a separate asset of business concern. The Decision Model is
a solution to the long-standing issue of separating business logic from other dimen-
sions in business systems, automated or not.

Discussion Points and Exercises

1. Discuss why people often resist new ideas such as the Relational Model.
2. If you want to introduce the Decision Model to an organization but suspect
some people will resist it, how would you proceed?
3. Discuss symptoms you have seen or experienced indicating that business
logic is mismanaged or not managed. What do you believe may have been
the consequences?
Other documents randomly have
different content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lemmen
lauluja
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
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Title: Lemmen lauluja

Valikoima

Author: Eino Leino

Release date: January 13, 2024 [eBook #72703]

Language: Finnish

Original publication: Helsinki: Kust.Oy Kirja, 1919

Credits: Jari Koivisto

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEMMEN

LAULUJA ***
LEMMEN LAULUJA

Valikoima

Kirj.

EINO LEINO

Helsingissä, Kustannusosakeyhtiö Kirja, 1919.

Lukijalle.

— Veliveikkonen! Niissä asioissa voidaan yhdessä hetkessä tehdä

tuhmuuksia, joita ei tehdä vuosisataan.

Näin ystäväni.

Tahtomatta millään tavalla kilpailla hänen timanttisen, kimaltelevan

järkensä kanssa, uskallan omana mielipiteenäni huomauttaa, että
minulle on käynyt päivä päivältä aina vaikeammaksi rakkautta
elämästä erottaa. Siis vaikeaksi myöskin mitään erikoisia
lemmenlauluja kirjoittaa ilman niiden tuskallisen tarkkaa
vastaavaisuutta omassa poloisessa todellisuudessani.

Pyydän pitää selviönä, että ihanne sellaisenaan on puolta

palanutta puupalasta ala-arvoisempi, ellei se tule luussa ja lihassa
meitä vastaan, mieluimmin kaikkien kauniiden jäsenten ihanuuteen
verhoutuneena. "Alles Vergängliche ist nur ein Gleichnis," Monessa
muodossa on elämä verrannut itseään minulle. Olen omasta
puolestani ollut taipuvainen luulemaan jokaista niistä lopulliseksi,
aivan kuin jokaista iltaa viimeiseksi ja jokaista aamua ensimmäiseksi,
mutta niin yleispätevästi havainnollisten tosiasiain edessä ei kaiketi
ole muuta tehtävää kuin heikkoutensa tunnustaminen.

Rakkausrunojen klassillinen muoto on serenaadi. Toivoisin, että

lukija tätä valikoimaa selaillessaan huomaisi sen muodostavan yhden
ainoan, pitkän tunnustuksen-antamisen, hommage, niille
epäjumalankuville, joilla elämä ja taide ovat hamasta nuoruudestani
saakka mielikuvitustani kansoittaneet. Nykyään olen yksin, mutta se
ei estä minua tuntemasta itseäni onnelliseksi siitä, että olen ollut
ihminen muiden ihmisten seassa, vieläpä ihminen siihen määrään,
että olen ollut vähällä koko ihmisyyteni menettää pelkästä intohimon
rakkaudesta. Kivi, se ensimmäinen, on aikoja sitten heitetty jo,
säästäen siis vaivan asianomaiselta käsittelijältään. Runo, se
viimeinen, ei ole vielä kirjoitettu, jonka vuoksi myöskin tämä
valikoima esiintyy erinäisissä suhteissa tuiki puutteellisena. Se ei
muodosta mitään päätettyä kokonaisuutta, yhtä vähän kuin oma
elämäni sitä muodostaa.

Olen rakkauden olemuksessa ymmärtänyt vain arvon antamisen.

Elämä on tullut minua vastaan kauniiden muotojen muhkeuteen
pukeutuneena, ja olisin tuntenut itseni kovin paljon köyhemmäksi,
ellen olisi suvereenisti itseäni ja runouttani niiden runsaudella
rikastuttanut. Mutta siitä huolimatta on iankaikkinen murhe jäänyt
sydämeeni, se Rouva Suru, joka ei sieltä ensi hädässä lähtenekään,
joka seurannee hautaan saakka minua ja jonka käärinliinoiksi eivät
kelvanne parhaatkaan ajatukseni. Olen eheä vasta hänen kerallaan.

Lähtekää siis, lauluni, kaikkeen maailmaan ja viekää viesti

miehestä, joka luultavasti ei ole rakastanut muuta kuin omaa
rakkauttaan, mutta on siitä huolimatta ollut onnellinen kuin te, ollut
onneton kuin te, kärsinyt ja nauttinut kuin te, ja tullut tulokseen,
jota tahtoisin rakkauden ritaruudeksi nimittää. En tiedä, lienenkö
oikein eritellyt itseäni. Mutta lemmen trubaduuriksi tunnen itseni,
olen tuntenut itseni varhaisimmilta poikavuosiltani saakka, ja aion
mennä hautaan siinä hurskaassa uskossa, että rakkaus on annettu
meille merkiksi korkeammista voimista, jotka itsensä sen kautta
meille ilmoittavat. Rakkauden orja olen. Mutta tunnen sen kautta
vain vapautuvani.

Olkoon se ensimmäinen ja viimeinen kerta kuin koetan itseäni

näihin asioihin nähden määritellä. Sisältyy itse käsitteeseen, että sen
olemus on määrittelemätön. Viisaimmat sanat siinä suhteessa on
mielestäni sanonut Edda, jossa luemme: "Ofta vinnes den vise, den
vettlöse ej, af de däjeliga drag."

Ja nyt olen nähdäkseni kyllin itsestäni puhunut.

Mutta kuinka puhua teistä, te kauniit näkymättömät? Onko mitään

mahdollisuutta julkilausua teille kiitollisuuttaan miehen, joka teitä
ilman ei koskaan olisi tuntenut, Shakespearen sanoja käyttääkseni,
"hiljaisen hulluuden" hiipivän aivoihinsa? Voisi lauluistani päättäen
luulla, että olen nähnyt elämässäni vain pelkkää puutteellista
kauneutta. Näin heittyy varjo vioistani niidenkin autuaallisten
olentojen ylitse, jotka kuitenkin ovat tehneet minulle elämän
mahdolliseksi elää, sen polulle säteilleet, sen tietä valaisseet. En sitä
tahtoisi, vaan tahtoisin kiittää vedet silmissä kaikesta, kaikesta
kauniista, mitä nuoruuteni toukokuisista kuutamoista saakka olen
tämänpäiväni täyteen syksyyn elänyt.

Kaukana hyperborealaisten mailla on maailmankaikkeus aivan

erikoisessa määrässä nähnyt hyväksi kansoittaa tämän leveys-asteen
muutamilla psykofyysiliisen muodon moitteettomuuksilla, jotka ovat
ilo ihmiselle. Pyydän siinä merkissä tämän pienen esipuheeni
allekirjoittaa.

Helsinki 17.I.19.

Eino Leino.

Kesä

"Linnut liitteli sanoja, puien latvat lausehia."

Kanteletar.

Lemmen uhrit.

Veikko: "Anna, sisko, ruusu tuosta, ruusu ihanaisin, että

viedä immelleni illalla sen saisin!"
 Sisko: "Ota ruusu! Lemmellesi
annan ruusun parhaan —
oma lempi ryösti multa
elon ruusut varhaan."
1891.

Yli metsän koitti jo päivän koi —.

Yli metsän koitti jo päivän koi, kun nurmella neitonen kulki,

kukat kukkivat auki jo ummut loi, jotk' eilen illalla sulki.

Ja neitonen nuori se nurmella vain niin hiljaa, hiljaa astui,

ja kukkaset nyökkäsi kuiskuttain, kun kasteesta helmat kastui.

1892.

Kaupunkimatka.

Poika nuori kaupunkihin läksi myötätuulta, purtta pientä

viima vinha saatti salmen suulta.

Alkumatkan aavan seljän

kulki joutuisasti.
Vasta illan tullen pääsi
kaupunkihin asti.
 Missä viipyi poika nuori,
vaikk' on myötätuuli?
Rannalla on kullan koti,
siellä simahuuli.
1892.

Siskojen kesken.

"Niin suloinen ja hertas on kyll' onnellinen lempi, mut lempi

vallan onneton on vielä suloisempi.

Näät siin' on aina tenhoa

ja tuntehille uutta,
on toinen päivä toivoa
ja toinen toivotuutta."

Tään Siiri kuuli siskoltaan ja päätti tuota koittaa. Mut

turhaan! Kaikki poiat vaan hän vangiksensa voittaa.

1892.

Kylätiellä.

Noin poikajoukko se vallaton

kylän reuhasi raitiolla.
— "Kas, kasvitarhassa tyttö on!" —
— "Mun rauhassa suokaa olla." —
 — "Älä huoli, solmia meille vaan
pari morsiusseppeleitä,
ja sitten me lähtähän tanssimaan —
kas, mistä on kyyneleitä?" —

— "Mun äitini kuollut on äskettäin,

hänet eilen hauta jo sulki,
ja hälle ma solmian seppeltäin." —
Pois poikaset hiipien kulki.

1892.

Onnen apila.

Nelilehtisen apilan tullessain ma löysin karjatiellä, mut

toisen hukkasin rinnaltain ja siit' olen murhemiellä.

Sen oisin ma antanut neidollein —

sinä armahin neitokulta!
Mut tuost' älä itke, impyein,
saat ainoonkin sinä multa.

Kun illan tuulonen tullevi tuo,

niin sille ma aion sen antaa,
se onneni kukkasen impeni luo
niin hiljaa, hellien kantaa.

Ja jospa se joutuis aalloillen,

kun järven poikki se lentää,
niin tottahan lahjana laineiden
se neitoni rantahan entää.

Näin kulki mun kukkani toivoen ja kuohusta raittiiksi kastui.

Mut nähnyt ei sitä impyinen, vaan — murskaksi onneni astui.

1892.

Syystunnelma.

Teit oikein, ystävä ainoo,

kun luotani läksit pois.
Sun rintasi nuori ja lämmin
mun rinnalla jäätynyt ois.

Kas, maantiellä kalpea kukka

lumipälvestä nostavi pään.
Mitä vuottelet kukkani vielä?
On aika jo painua pään.

Tuhat aatosta sieluni tunsi,

tuon vaan minä muistaa voin:
Oli tielläni kuihtunut kukka
ja sen peitoksi lunta ma loin.

1892.

Haaveilevalle siskolle.
 Käy pois, oi sisko, sen koivun alta, se koivu on turmion,
tuskan puu! On huolten aaltoja lahden aallot ja kaihon tuoja
on illan kuu.

Sen koivun oksilta sinulle soipi

tuo tarina kaunis ja utuinen,
mi pettänyt on niin monta, monta —
minä myös olen kuullut kerran sen.

Se kevään toivoja tarjoo sulle

ja kutsuu onnehen ikuiseen,
mut ällös lauluhun liioin luota,
ei koskaan kuulu se toteuneen.

Ken kerran kuuli sen laulun tenhon, sen onnen kalpea kaiho
vei, hän itku silmässä illat istui ja rinnan rauhoa saanut ei.

1893.

Kuljin kerran läpi honkaholvin —.

Kuljin kerran läpi honkaholvin, risut, puiden oksat peitti

tien, avojalkani mun vuosi verta, tuota tuntenutko silloin lien!

Tie se vei mun kahden kuusen alle,

kahden tumman silmän poltteesen,
siellä taivas kaksi valaa kuuli
sykkiessä kahden sydämen.
 Palatessain — aamun koittaessa —
tunsin tiellä risut, oksat jo,
mut en tuntenut ma, kuinka sydän
verta vuosi, kärsi angervo.

Joutui sekin päivä, jolloin tunsin tuskalla ma pistot

sydämen, tunsin rinnan riehut, poltot tunsin — neitoani
tuntenut ma en.

1891.

Aatekuteet, toiveniidet.

Päivä istuttu oi' alla haapain vehreällä sammalmättähällä, laulut

liedot kertoi lemmen tulta, naurut raikkaat rinnan puhtautta,
päämme päällä haavanlehdet helkki, aallot leikki jalkojemme alla.

Joutui ilta, painui päivän kulta, utuisiksi lientyi lahden rannat,

tuuli tyyntyi, talttui rannan aalto, haapain lieto helke hienontui ja
kuiskeeks suli tuskin kuultavaksi.

Lakkas silloin liedot lempilaulut, naurannasta raikuneet ei rannat,

äänetönnä, sanatonna siinä istuttiin vain käsi kättä vasten —
tunteet yhtyi, aatos toistaan etsi.

Kumma kudos, tunnehuntu hieno tuntui yhdistävän meitä silloin,

kuteet toivehista kultaisista, niidet siinä auer-aattehista; yö se
kuteet kutoi, nitoi niidet, metsärastas polkusia polki, sukkulata
heitti illan tuuli, pirtaa veti rannan viime laine.
1893.

Miksi suree kummun kuusi?

Kasvoi kummulla kuusi tuores, tuoksuten, kukkapäin,

tuulten tuudussa päivät leikki, tuskin uinahti tyynin säin.

Kerran lehvälle kuusen lensi

illalla sirkkunen,
lauloi lauluja lemmen nuoren,
kertoi kaihoja keväimen.

Hiljaa laulua kuullen laski

kuusonen kukkapään,
hiljaa, hiljaa sen oksat painui
eikä leikkinyt lehvätkään.

Aamun tullessa laulaen sirkku lehvältä lensikin. Hiljaa

surren kuusen oksat jäivät huomenen huolihin.

1893.

Soita somer, helkä hiekka!

Suvi-illan suussa impi astui virran vieremää, kuuset kuiski,

laine loiski, tuoksui nurmi nukkapää.
 Sorsat kaislikossa souti,
kalaparvet karkeloi,
tuomilehdon lentosuukot
vastarannan tuuli toi.

Ilakoiten impi kulki

vieremätä virran veen,
somer soitti, hiekka helkki
alla Annin askeleen.

Suven vienot vihkilaulut

kaikui munkin mielessäin,
kun ma virran äärtä kuljin
armas impi vierelläin.

Soita somer, helkä hiekka, laula laine huoleton, ilakoitse

impi nuori, — lyhyt Suomen suvi on.

1895.

Aamutunnelma.

Kuin välkähti huomenen kultainen koi läpi haavanlehtien

keväisten, niin lensit luokseni, immyt oi, läpi unteni lehtojen
leijaillen.

Kuin lehvältä rannan raidan vain yön kyynel läikähti

kalvohon veen suven suloja hetkisen heijastain — niin lensi
mun lempeni riemuineen.
1895.

Metsäpuro.

Kevät joutui, metsäpuro paisui, vaahtopyörtehissä vedet

kiiti, aallot vallatonna leikki, telmi, rannan kaarteet kaikki
huuhtoellen; kuuset katsoi kummastellen tuota, hongat
varoitteli vakavasti.

Miksi niin on tummaa vesi sulla — mietin usein puron

partahalla — vesi tummaa, vaahto valkeata, loiske laineiden
niin kumman lieto?

Siksi niin on tummaa vesi sulla, tulet sydänmailta,

hallanmailta, siks on vaahto sulla valkopäistä, kevättoiveita
kun kansan kannat.

Mutta mistä loiske kumman lieto? Puron partahalla,

kunnahalla siell' on kullan koti kuusten alla, sieltä sivumennen
laulut kuulit, laulut liedot, nuoret nuoren rinnan — sieltä lie
tuo sinivuokko myöskin, jonka aallot tänne mulle tuovat.

1893.

Huolissaan huokaileva.
 Koko metsä on laulua täynnä, joka lehvällä lemmitään, joka
oksalla sirkut ja peipot vain kertovat keväästään.

Mut yhtä puutapa linnut ne karttavat kammoten — sen alla

ma onneton istun ja huoltani huokailen.

1894

Minä metsän polkua kuljen —.

Minä metsän polkua kuljen kesäillalla aatteissain ja

riemusta rintani paisuu ja ma laulelen, laulelen vain.

Tuoll' lehdossa vaaran alla

oli outoa äskettäin,
niin vienoa, ihmeellistä
all' lehvien vehreäin.

Minä miekkonen vain sen tiedän, minä vain sekä muuan

muu ja lehdon lempivä kerttu ja tuoksuva tuomipuu!

1894

Hyljätyn valitus.

Illalla kävelin ma kangasta pitkin,

kankaalta kimpuksi kanervia kitkin.
 Yö oli ihana ja tuuloset nukkui,
kukat kaikki tuoksui ja käköset ne kukkui.

Mikä minun sydämeni synkäksi saikaan?

Muistoni lensivät nuoruuden aikaan.

Katselin kädessäni kankahan kukkaa,

ajattelin impeä tuuheatukkaa.

Maahan ma kanervani kaunihit heitin —

noinpa ma ilonikin multahan peitin.

1895.

Ylioppilasmuisto.

Järven taakse tehtiin venheretki, järven taakse

talontyttölöihin, siellä viivyimme me päivän kaiken: aamu
aholl' oltiin mansikassa, ilta pihamaalla karkeloitiin — yö? se
maattiin aitass' impysien.

Purjepurrella kun sitten sieltä pois me aamun tullen

laskettihin, muilla kaikill' oli muisto joku, kellä ruusu, kellä
lemmenkukka, kellä kielokimppu rinnassansa. Minä yksin
ilman olin, eipä kukkaa suonut impi mustakulma — antoi
oman nuoren sydämensä.

Kotirantaan päästyämme toiset riistivät jo kukat

rinnastansa, mutta kauemmin ja hellin huolin immen
sydäntä ma säilyttelin — heitin pois sen vasta viikon päästä.
1895.

Syyslaulu neidolleni.

Jo pilvihin taivas peittyy, jo paljas on rannan puu, tuul'

laineita lahden nostaa, keto kukkiva kellastuu.

Suven hertas ja hempeä aika

se kestävi hetken vaan,
mut ainaiseksi se rinnan
voi velloa aaltoamaan.

Kesän kukkaset elpyy kyllä taas tullessa keväimen — kun

kestäis kesämme lempi yli talven ja tuiskujen!

1895.

Rakastunut.

Raikkahasti laulaa aamun aalto, kun se läikkyellen rantaan

lyö, hilpeä on haapalehdon helke, sit' ei paina elon päivätyö;
yksin kerttu laulaa murheissansa ikävöiden omaa armastansa.

Minä myöskin aamun aallon lailla ennen lapsenmiellä

laulelin, sitten lietona kuin rannan haavat leikin, lemmin,
lauloin, tanhusin; nytp' on riemu poissa, kerttu kulta, saanut
olen huolenvirret sulta.
1895.

Matkalla.

Matka pitkä, mieli musta, mistä lohdun saapi?

Entis-ajan auvon muistot murheet karkoittaapi.

Sinne jäi mun neitoni kuin kukka kotirannan;

venhoni ma viiman viedä aukealle annan.

Ällös kukka kotirannan katso ulapalle,

katso ennen laaksohon tai rannan kukkulalle.

Sortuvan mun aallon alle nähdä voisit siellä,

siitä ehkä kauan oisit, impi, murhemiellä.

Joskus mua muista sentään, muista immyt rukka,

ettei ensi aallon helmaan heity rannan kukka.

1895.

Ensi lumen aikoihin.

Oli tullut lunta jo tulvaltaan ja vaippa valkea kattoi maan

kuin neitosen, unta mi unelmoi sydäntoiveistaan, suvi joita
toi.
 Lumi puhdasna päilyi ja impyinen tuo latuja hiihteli
hangellen. Ja päivän ne säilyi ja yöhyen — kunis uus lumi
peitti ne umpehen.

Oli ihana neito, niin puhtoinen ja nuori ja kaino ja

kaunoinen. Hänet kerran kun, keito, ma nähdä sain, heti
leimahti lempi mun rintahain.

Kesä-yöhyet vienot me lemmittiin, mut syksyllä sitten me

erottiin. Vain muistomme hienot ne säilyivät — kunis uutehen
lempehen häipyivät.

1895.

Sinipiiat.

Sinipiikojen laulu.

Soi, simapilli, kutsuos immet kuusikon helmasta

karkelohon! Kuutamo kaunis, alkava yöhyt — kaikki ne
käskevät karkelohon,

Liehuos, liina, huiskios, huntu, verho sa ihanan impeyden!

Impinä täällä vain elon kaiken leijaamme lehvillä kuusosien.
 Ei sinipiiat lemmestä huoli, aarre se vainen on ihmisien.
Aarreko? Ei vaan kirous, tuska, riemun ja onnen mi ontoksi
syö.

Montapa kertaa luoksemme tullut illalla leikkihin ihminen

on, tanssinut täällä, suukkoja saanut, kylpenyt kanssamme
virroissa myös.

Illan hän leikki, toisen jo itki, ett'emme lempeä tuntea voi

— aamulla läksi kaihoa kantain, päivät mi nukkuu ja valvovi
yöt.

Tuostapa paljon impyjä metsän ihmiset syyttävät —

meidänkö syy? Leikkihin miks ei ihminen tyydy, ilman ei
tuskaa tuntea voi?

Mutta kun joskus illalla yksin istumme lehdossa, vierellä

vuon, lainehet virran vienosti laulaa, rantaman ulpuja
tuudittaen,

silloinpa meilläi pohjasta, rinnan nousevi huokaus haaveilon

… Onneksi silloin ei ole tiennyt luoksemme hiipiä poikanen
maan.

1894.

Pihlajan alla.

— "Miks äkkiä vaikenit, impyein, miks silmäsi kyynelöi? Mikä

pilvi peittävi päivyein, mikä onnesi ontoks söi? Kas, kuinka
 kukkivi kaunis maa ja laulavi leivonen ja kuinka pihlaja
tuoksuaa — sinä vain olet murheinen!

Sa oothan umpussa nuoruuden ja rintasi raikas on ja elämä

viittovi hymyillen — siis olkosi huoleton! Ja jospa huolien
häivä vois sun taivosi synkistää, sen paistais lempeni päivä
pois, ja taas olis suukkossää."

— "Ma muistin syksyä synkeää, kun harmaja taivas on, kun

nurmen kukkaset peittää jää ja metsä on lauluton. Ma elämän
syksyä aattelin, kun harmaja taivas on, kun poiss' on poskien
ruusutkin ja ääni on soinnuton.

Ja syksyn-synkeä aatos tuo se hiipi mun rintahain: lie silloin

jäässä jo lempes vuo ja tuntehes tuhkaa vain. Sa lemmit
säihkyä silmien ja ruusuja poskipään, kun niiden näät sinä
kuollehen, kuin käynevi lempes tään?" —

— "Oi, ällös itke, mun armahain! Suven aika on suloisen,

kukit lempeä, lauluja tuoksuttain kuin pihlaja keväinen. Sen
tuoksuja hengin ma vallaton, ja kukkia poimin vaan, kun
taivas siintävä, kuulas on ja nuori on nurmi maan.

Niin, talvi saapuvi kerran kai ja kukkaset kuolla voi, mut

pihlajassapa talvellai taas tilhien laulu soi. On sorja kukkiva
pihlapuu, mut sorjempi marjassaan, kun kylmä, kuollut on
luonto muu ja poissa on marjat maan." —

1895.
Sonetti Leilalle.

Mua syytät, Leila, siitä, etten laula kuin muutkin lempiväiset

immestään, vaikk' ennen niistä lauloin yhtenään ja sullai
silmät on ja suu ja kaula.

Ja väität, etten sua lemmikään ja tuhkaa vain jo tuntehein

on taula ja että löyhä lie sen lemmen paula, mi aina ihannoi
vain itseään.

Ei taide taivon päivää luoda saata,

vaikk' kyllä tähden. Siks se kuvaa ain
vain päivän heijastuksia ja maata.

Ma ennen kyllä lauloin neitojain,

mut sinun eessas täytyi laulun laata
ja itseäni ilmi tuoda vain.

1896.

Sukkamieli.

Kaks istui palolla paimenta,

yks verevä, toinen vaalea.

Se verevä se soitteli torveaan,

se vaalea vaieten istui vaan.
 Niin saapui kolmas ja kaukaa huusi
"Hei veikot, hei, mull' on tarina uus!

Tuoli' äsken ma Sukkamielen näin,

kun astelin aamunkoittohon päin.

Hän oli niin viehkeä varreltaan

yli kunnahan korsien kulkeissaan.

Sinikellot soi hänen silmistään,

katinkullat kuulteli päällä pään.

Ja kun hän kulki, niin aatelkaas,

hän viittas mulle ja viittas taas!"

Näin kolmas se haasteli riemuiten,

ja kaiholla kuuli se verevä sen:

"Ken miekkonen näkis hänet kerrankaan!"

Se vaalea vaieten istui vaan.

Se vaalea istui itkien.

Hän oli jo nähnyt immen sen.

1896

Tälläpä pojall' on —.

Tälläpä pojall' on kulta jo tietty ja kulta kuin apilan kukka,

huuli joll' on kuin mansikan marja ja silmä kuin sametin
 nukka.

Tälläpä pojall' on anturakengät

ja kello, mi käy ja kukkuu —.
Varrohan, tyttöni, kyllä ma joudun,
jahka sun äitisi nukkuu.

Tälläpä pojall' on välkkyvä varsa

ja karhun talja on reessä —
varrohan, varsani, kohta sa välkyt
pappilan kuistin eessä.

Tälläpä pojall' on mökki jo valmis ja katsottu sarkaa kaksi

— sinne ma tyttöni, tyttöni noudan lautsojen laulelijaksi.

1896.

Hatara sydän.

Voi, voi sinun sydäntäsi, tyttöparka, ja voi mua onnetonta,

kun sydämesi ikkunat aina on auki ja niitä on liian monta.

Minä miekkonen myös olen ollut siellä

ja istunut illan ja toista,
mut huu! sitä vetoa ja prrr! sitä tuulta —
en, en ole nähnyt sen moista.

Ken usko ei, käyköhön koettelemassa, ja minä en käske, en

kiellä — mut sitä minä ain olen ihmetellyt, miten itse sa
tarkenet siellä.
1896.

Samettisilmä.

Oi, sinä impeni samettisilmä, neitoni kaurihin-katseinen,

miks on ilmehes arka aina, aina käyt kuni säikkyen?

Puhdas tunto on pulmun turva —

niinhän vanhojen virsi soi —
kun ei rintaa rikokset paina,
kulkea kuoleman matkat voi.

Vanhat on viisaat, vanhat on tyhmät,

maailma kuorehen katsovi vain!
Miks on perhosen pelko, jonka
kukkanurmelta kiinni sain?

Miksi herkkä on jänösen korva,

miksi pysty on oravan pää,
miksi kaino on karitsan mieli? —
siks on impeni arka tää.

Pelkäät, perhoni, siipesi kultaa,

väistelet silmiä vainoojain,
katselet kyttää, kuuntelet nuolta,
lehden lentoa säikyt vain.

Oi, sinä impeni samettisielu, kaunoni kaurihin tunteinen,

kauanko säilyt, kauanko päilyt syöttinä silmien ahneiden?
1896.

Soutelemassa.

Yli tyynen lampuen soudeltiin suvisillalla immen kanssa, ja

silloin Laina se lausui niin alas katsoen aatteissansa:

— "En tahdo ma katsoa taivaaseen,

vaan katselen järven pintaan,
on aurinko astunut alle veen
ja laskenut lammen rintaan.

Ja päälläpä päivyen heijastuu

siell' untuvahattara hieno
ja rannan lempeä lehmuspuu
ja ulpukan umppu vieno.

Niin, maailma aaltojen allakin on

ja maailma kaunihimpi,
mut tiedätkö, miksi se kauniimp' on?" —
Näin hiljaa haasteli impi.

Se soutaja vastasi huoahtain:

— "Ah, impeni armahainen,
vale kauniimpi paljasta totta on ain,
ja tuo on valhetta vainen.

Siks sorja on nuoruus murheeton

ja armas on kevään aika,
mut syksy ja vanhuus synkät on,
kun poissa on valheen taika.

Näät tuoksut ja laulut ja kukkaset

ja onni ja lempi ja nainen
ja unelmat, uskot ja toivehet —
tuo kaikki on valhetta vainen.

Vain totta on halla ja myrsky ja mies

ja murhe ja murheen muisto,
on totta sammunut toivon lies
ja lehdetön lemmen puisto.

Kas, minulta haihtui jo harhat nuo

ja kaunihit kangastukset,
on suljettu mulle jo taivas tuo
ja kiinni on onnenukset.

Olen heittänyt uskoja haaveineen

ja joutunut uskohon uuteen,
olen pyrkinyt, pyrkinyt totuuteen
ja joutunut — todellisuuteen.

Olen yksin pyrkinyt, taistellut,

myös taistellut tuhanten kanssa,
saman näät on valkaman saavuttanut
koko aikani taistostansa.

Siks elämän halla nyt hallitsee,

ja kruunu on talven päässä,
siks sydämet syksy nyt vallitsee
ja tunne on järjen jäässä.
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