If your rules will be deployed in an interactive software application, defining an interview allows you to specify the way in which users will interact with the rulebase.
When the rulebase is run, the Oracle Determinations Engine collects information in order to find a value for the specified goal (see Oracle Determinations Engine and the Inference Cycle for more on this process). The interview you define specifies the user's experience while providing this information and reviewing the conclusions reached by the rules. The aim of your interview design is to provide users with a logical and easy-to-understand interface to your rulebase.
Interview features
There are many options available that allow you to design a user's experience of your rulebase in the best possible way. Consider the options available and allow some time to identify the characteristics that your users would find most effective and usable in interacting with your rulebase.
Options you can use in the design of your interview include:
Grouping of questions into separate screens. This allows you to group logically related attributes so that values are entered for them at the same. For example, a group of attributes collecting income from different sources may be defined on a single "Income" screen.
Controlling the order of the question screens shown in the interview. By default, the order in which question screens are displayed to the user will be driven by the question search. This will collect information in the most efficient manner, but may not provide your users with interview navigation that they find predictable and intuitive. For more control over the question screen navigation, you can specify the order that you would like screens to appear in, or you can also define a precise screen flow, which provides even tighter control over the display of question screens and can be used to mirror application forms.
Using the known operator in your rules to collect certain base data first to feed into the investigation of the substantive
rule model. Certain attributes might play a "streaming" role,
providing sufficient information to infer conclusions across the rule
model quickly without asking redundant questions.
Options controlling the answers that users can provide for individual questions. For example, you may wish to provide a drop-down list of options that a user must select from, or to restrict the highest value that can be entered for a particular question.
Additional integrated help text, linked to questions, screens or key terms, to help users clearly understand the interview and how to answer questions.
Most interview elements are defined in a screens file. This contains details of questions screens and questions, as well as the summary screen, which guides users through available goals to investigate and presents conclusions. Specific screen orders for your question screens, and screen flows are also defined in the screens file. Other interview features, such as integrated help files or interview documents, are added as additional files and linked to from within the screens file.
To see an example of a complete rulebase with many interview features, open and run the Social Services Screening example rulebase project provided in the Examples folder in the Oracle Policy Modeling installation folder.