Knowledge Management Using an Expert System Written in SAS®

Expert systems are a branch of artificial intelligence that encode the knowledge and performance of a subject matter expert. An expert system provides a powerful approach to managing and applying knowledge to the business. The paradigm here is to encapsulate knowledge in an automated "expert" who can utilize this knowledge for the company's benefit. An expert system can shield a company from employees leaving with critical information. It can help make knowledge available throughout the enterprise and help solve the problem of "knowing what we know." It can implement business rules to bridge the gap between written policy and practical application. It also allows importing automated subject matter experts when needed. This paper describes an expert system written in SAS and reviews some of the major design considerations. Several knowledge bases are demonstrated to show how an expert's knowledge is encapsulated in a knowledge base and applied at run-time.