Analyzing configuration systems with description logics: A case study

In this contribution we argue that the methods of formal knowledge representation, especially description logics, first, are valuable tools for analyzing existing configuration systems and open problems in configuration systems research, second, should be used by developers in order to make clear statements about the performance of their systems, and third, can even directly be used for building practical systems. As a case study we analyze two languages dealing with knowledge-based configuration in technical domains. The paper demonstrates that specialized languages (e.g. object-oriented languages developed for configuration problems) can be interpreted as a special purpose description logic. It is demonstrated that the construction or configuration process can be “simulated” by a modelconstructing satisfiability prover. The constructed logical model represents the artifact to be designed. We also show a methodology for describing the meaning of specialized languages by applying syntactical transformations from language constructs to description logic formulae. Considering these transformations, a language designer can easily estimate the computational costs of intended constructs. Keywords— Methods for configuration, Configuration representations, Description logics.