The JSR-94 Specification › JSR-94 Implementations

JSR-94 Implementations

CA provides CA Rule Engine, a fully compliant JSR-94 implementation, for invoking inferencing services directly from Java programs. A rulebase is more than a mere aggregation of rules. It also contains additional information to allow a rule engine to execute the rules. Since the JSR-94 standard only specifies acquisition and use of a rule engine, the format of the rulebase is specific to CA Rule Engine. For more information, see JSR-94 Implementations and Rule Languages.

An understanding of CA Rule Engine requires an understanding of the JSR-94 specification. JSR-94 provides a set of services, or interfaces, which a client uses to interact with an inference engine. These services are based on the assumption that client application can execute a basic multiple-step cycle that consists of:

1. parse rules
2. register the rules that are to be executed with the inferencing service
3. load the rules (pass them to the inference engine)
4. add objects to the engine for the rules' consideration
5. execute the rules (inference and get results back from the engine)

The JSR-94 specification permits several vendor-specific extensions. For more information on the use of CA Rule Engine, see CA Extensions to the JSR-94 Specification and Special Considerations.