Understanding the InRule Business Rules Engine

In this article, we will discuss business rules engine technology in general, we will also dive into our own rule engine, both broadly and deeply.

You probably ended up on this page because you want to learn more about business rules engines and their capabilities, not just what it is.

Whatever the purpose of your research, let’s start with the basics:

What is a business rules engine?

A business rules engine (BRE) is software or a platform component that can execute business rules at scale without running them as application code. Think of it as software to build “If this, then that” rules, but far more complex and at greater scale.

What are business rules, you say? You might want to step back and learn about business rules in this article – and then continue reading here.

So far, this seems pretty straightforward, right? You might think that this sounds like common sense and that everyone already has this in place?

Sorry to disappoint you.

While It is correct that most companies in specific industries have a solution in place, but these “solutions” are not always rule engines – instead they tend to be very sophisticated spreadsheets.

Is there a problem with spreadsheets? No. Of course, they are one of the best inventions within the digital world – but for individuals, not for running the mission critical business rules that power a business.

These spreadsheets also tend to be built by some smart employee way back in time, which hinders anyone else from updating them because they are so complex. They are no longer spreadsheets, but have evolved into heavily customized applications.

Rule engines offer more than just a centralized way for managing business rules, as well. First off, these platforms bring business and IT closer together. Sounds cliche? Let us explain…

Historically, and in many cases, it has been a challenge for the business to change business logic. The only way to make a change is to ask IT to implement the updates.

When those changes are deployed, new requirements will probably have occurred. Enter the world of inefficiency, or the whirlwind of wasted time as some call it. Sorry, they don’t; we just made that up.

You’ve likely heard the buzz around low code and no code in recent years— and this is where it comes in.

Low Code vs No Code Rule Engines

The traditional way of explaining low code and no code platforms is to take you through a technical journey of drag-and-drops packaged with buzzwordy bells and whistles. We will spare you that explanation.

Instead, we want to lay it out it as simply as possible. To do that, we are going to use a racing metaphor: Would you let any driver sit behind the wheel of a Formula One car, or the actual driver? Cliché again, we know.

However, the point of low code and no code is that they enable business experts who have actual insights and knowledge (expertise related to a desired outcome) to make application changes without knowing how to code. As they don’t have to know how to code to make changes, IT can focus attention on more strategic, more technical initiatives.

Happy business, happy IT (happy boss, happy board, happy shareholders).

How Business Rules Engines Impact Different Job Titles and Functions

As part of researching business rules engines, it’s important to consider how they affect your business functions.

While our listing below might not include all job titles and functions, it includes the roles most commonly impacted when a BRE is deployed, as we’ve seen in our 20+ years of experience in the space.

For Business Analysts

Responsible for bridging the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders. With a business rules engine, they can:

• Collaborate with subject matter experts to design and refine rules.
• Visualize rule dependencies and outcomes without diving into code.
• Reduce time spent translating business requirements into IT specifications.

We have an entire page dedicated for rule engines and business analysts here.

For IT Teams

With the historic responsibility of coding, maintaining, and modifying rules embedded within applications and/or spreadsheets. A business rules engine makes their lives easier by:

• Offloading routine rule updates to business users.
• Streamlining integrations with existing enterprise systems.
• Ensuring consistent rule execution across applications, reducing the risk of errors.

If you want to dig deeper on the IT point of view you can read it here.

For Compliance Officers

When maintaining compliance is non-negotiable, a business rules engine will help to:

• Centralize rule management for easier auditing and reporting.
• Provide version control to track changes and demonstrate compliance over time.
• Simplify updates to reflect new regulations, ensuring the organization stays ahead of risks.

For Enterprise Architects

Building a cohesive, integrated ecosystem of platforms, applications, and systems is paramount for most Enterprise Architects. A business rules engine allows you to:

• Integrate and connect data sources with ease.
• Eradicate shadow IT and modernize legacy systems.
• Empower all users with low-code automation.

Read more about rule engines for enterprise architects here.

For Executives

At the strategic level, leaders need solutions that drive agility, reduce costs, and foster innovation. Business rules engines:

• Enable faster adaptation to market changes by allowing real-time rule updates.
• Improve decision-making with consistent, reliable rule execution.
• Provide measurable ROI by cutting down on manual processes and IT bottlenecks.

Business Leader? We got you you covered in on this page.

Key Features of a Business Rules Engine

So, are business rules engines a must-have for organizations? The answer is very much impacted by the industry you are within. For insurance, financial services, banking and healthcare and other heavily regulated industries – yes.

But let us take a look at some of the core features.

This is written from our own business rules engines perspective, trusted by 500+ customers worldwide and named as a leader in the Forrester Wave: AI Decisioning Platforms Q2 2023.

Rule Authoring and Editing

Empower users to create and modify rules using intuitive, familiar interfaces or user-friendly templates—little or no coding required.

Rule Storage and Management

Store all your business rules in a centralized repository for easy access, collaboration, and version control.

Rule Execution at Scale

Deploy rules across multiple applications and systems simultaneously, ensuring consistency and speed.

Integration Capabilities

Seamlessly integrate with your CRM such as Salesforce or Dynamics, ERP, or custom software to ensure rules are applied wherever decisions are made.

In addition, here is how we integrate with Javascript Rule Engines and Azure Rule Engine.

Testing and Simulation

Validate rules in a controlled environment before deploying them live, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring optimal performance.

Analytics and Reporting

Gain insights into rule performance and outcomes with detailed reports, helping you refine strategies and make data-driven decisions.

The Relationship between Decision Management, Decisioning , Business Rules Engines and Decision Automation

We know there are lots of buzzwords related to decision technology so it’s understandable to feel confused about their meanings.

Is AI decisioning the same as decision automation? What’s the difference between Decision Management Systems and Business Rules Engines?

They all aim to solve the same things – better decision-making. But let’s break it down to a hierarchy and how they relate to each other:

Decision Management ( The Strategy)

Decision Management is all about creating a comprehensive strategy to help organizations make better decisions. It looks at the big picture, aiming to enhance the way decisions are made throughout the entire organization. By focusing on improving the overall decision-making process. Decision Management helps ensure that decisions are not only more effective – but lead to better outcomes.

Decisioning (The Methodology)

Decisioning is about putting decision-making strategies into action in a practical way. It focuses on creating a systematic method to help make decisions automatically and consistently. This often involves using tools and technology, like business rules engines, to streamline and improve how decisions are made in various processes. As AI has gone mainstream in recent years, Decisioning is also referred to as AI Decisioning.

Business Rules Engine (The Tool)

A business rules engine is a tool that helps organizations create and apply guidelines for making decisions. It’s an important part of decision management systems, allowing businesses to set up, implement, and oversee rules for how decisions should be made. This helps ensure that decisions are consistent and aligned with the organization’s goals.

Decision Automation (The Outcome)

Finally, let’s talk about decision automation – the outcome of all the above. With the use of technology and data this enables to make automatic decisions with our without human supervision. Some cases might aim to simplify repetitive choices, while others empowers their decision makers with explainability.

We have an dedicated article purely about decision automation, but you may also be interested in a video. The video below presents a walkthrough of the ABC’s of our decision automation platform (aka, AI decisioning Platform, aka business rules engine).

Use Cases for Business Rules Engines

We have already mentioned some key industries where BRE’s add value. While a rules engine can address challenges across multiple industries and departments, we have handpicked some of the most common patterns with these use cases:

Insurance

• Automate claims processing and adjudication to speed up decisions and improve customer satisfaction.
• Enforce underwriting guidelines to minimize risk and ensure compliance.
• Automated underwriting.
• Ensure compliance with evolving regulations.
• Prevent and detect fraud for claims and accounts.

In the video below, our Pre-Sales Engineer, Hannah, walks you through a speciality insurance case with our platform.

Finance

• Streamline credit approval processes with consistent risk assessments.
• Implement fraud detection rules to flag suspicious transactions in real time.

Healthcare

• Simplify eligibility checks for benefits and services.
• Automate appointment scheduling based on patient needs and resource availability.

Public Sector

• Ensure policy compliance in benefits administration.
• Automate decision-making processes for eligibility, licensing and permits

If you are interested in use cases, we’ve got you sorted. Here are all our customer case stories within insurance, financial services, healthcare and public sector. Of course there are other industries too.

Evaluating a Business Rules Engine: What to Look For

Choosing the right business rules engine for your organization is of course critical. Here are some factors that scored InRule a leader in the Forrester Wave, that should come in handy for you as well.

There are plenty of rule engines out there for different needs. There are components vs stand alone. There are open source vs licensed software. Point solutions vs platforms, and it goes on and on. In this case we will focus on some of the fundamental questions to ask yourself and your vendor:

1. Ease of Use: Does the platform empower non-technical users to manage rules independently?
2. Scalability: Can it handle complex rules and high transaction volumes?
3. Integration: Will it integrate with your existing systems seamlessly?
4. Customization: Does it allow you to tailor rules to your specific business needs?
5. Support and Documentation: Does the vendor provide robust support, training, and resources to help you succeed?

To add to that, below are the most common questions we get from customers.

How to Calculate the ROI

Streamlined businesses do not come for free—that is not our tagline. But on a more serious matter, how do you measure the ROI when investing in a Business Rules Engine?

We can offer you two ways of consuming the same content.

1. The Total Economic Impact of Inrule Rule Engine

This study was made in collaboration with Forrester and based on interviews with our customers who use Inrules Business Rules Engine and the economic impact the investment had.

2. The Cost of Inaction

Let’s say you decide to either invest in a Rule Engine or just continue to work as per today. Believe it or not, this is the most common discussion we have with potential customers. That’s why we converted the study above into numbers that might be true – if you don’t take any action.

 

Why InRule Stands Out

Yes, here is the section where we get to shine. Our business rules engine is designed with these factors in mind, offering unparalleled flexibility, performance, and user-friendliness. And again, this is not our words, rather globally acknowledged analysts combined with user reviews on G2.

Whether you’re looking to centralize business logic, streamline operations, reduce IT dependency, or improve compliance, this is what sets our solution apart:

• User-Centric Design: Empower business users with tools they can easily understand and use.
• Advanced Integration: Connect effortlessly with your existing tech stack.
• Proven Reliability: Trusted by industry leaders across insurance, finance, and beyond