Scaling Up Rule-Based Software Development Environments

Rule-based software development environments (RBDEs) model the software development process in terms of rules that encapsulate development activities, and assist in executing the process via forward and backward chaining over the rule base. We investigate the scaling up of RBDEs to support (1) multiple views of the rule base for multiple users and (2) evolution of the rule base over the lifetime of a project. Our approach is based on clarifying two distinct functions of rules and chaining: maintaining consistency and automation. By definition, consistency is mandatory whereas automation is not. Distinguishing the consistency and automation aspects of RBDE assistance mechanisms makes it possible to formalize the range of compatible views and the scope of mechanizable evolution steps. Throughout the paper, we use the MARVEL RBDE as an example application. Appeared in International Journal on Software Engineering & Knowledge Engineering, World Scientific, 2(1):59-78, March 1992.