Decision Table Explained

What is Decision Table?

Decision table provides a handy and compact way to represent complex business logic. In a decision table, business logic is well divided into conditions, actions (decisions) and rules for representing the various components that form the business logic.

Conditions

The factors to consider when making certain business decision.

Actions

The possible actions to take when certain business decision is made.

Rules

The combinations of condition(s) and action(s) that form the business decision.

What Decision Table can do?

Decision table is a way to decision making that involves considering a variety of conditions and their interrelationships, particular for complex interrelationships. People use decision table to represent and discover business logic, which ultimately lead to better business.

The Use of Decision Table Software

Using a decision table software offers many benefits over paper methods. First, it makes editing and re-editing easy. Contemporary decision table tools can also give added value by supporting features like conditions/actions/rules highlighting, table layout, reporting, etc. And of course, when it comes to working with a software, it makes sharing, discussion and management of work much easier.

Text vs Table

What is the discount for a frequent flyer who want to make an early reservation?

Find answer from

  • Text
  • Decision Table
AIRFARE DISCOUNT

Infant passengers under two years old are offered a discount of 80% on domestic flights. Infant passengers under two years old are offered a discount of 70% on international flights. Youth passengers (between two and sixteen) are offered a discount of 10%, for any kind of destination. Passengers who make reservation five months before their journey are offered a discount of 10%. For international flights, passengers are offered 15% discount if they travel during off-seasons. There would be no discount for international flights, except that when the passenger is an infant passenger or when travelling during off-season. Frequent flyer enjoys a discount of 15%. The amount of discount is accumulated. The maximum amount of discount for infant passengers is 80% The maximum amount of discount for non-infant passengers is 20%.

Effective Communication

Nowadays, computer-based information system has become an integral and vital part of any successful business because a well-developed information system can perform accurate data processing and decision making in a short period of time, which as a result increase the productivity and improves the quality of work and services.

In order to develop an information system with business logic accurately implemented, it is essential for the business people and system analyst to communicate effectively. However, business people and system analysts are like two different species in terms of their profession, expertise, background and viewpoints. How can effective communication be achieved?

Decision table is like a communication platform that allows business people to interact with and collaborate with system analysts. Decision table provides a simple and neat interface that everyone can read and understand easily. Business people and analysts can both read, discuss and work base on the same set of business logic that represent in a decision table. The clear tabular representation also prevents system analysts or developers from making mistakes that may happen when studying loosely organized business documents or instructions. With all these benefits, coupled with the well planned business decisions, a practically useful information system can be developed easily.

  • Conditions and Actions defined
  • Bold related actions of selected condition
  • Bold related conditions of selected action
  • Select conditions and action of selected rule
Example of Insurance
The following decision table example lists out the premium of single trip insurance offered by an insurance company. Simply put: With such an organized decision table, system analysts can understand the insurance policy with no argue and no doubt.
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