Business Rule Properties

You can modify an object's properties from its property sheet. To open a business rule property sheet, double-click its Browser entry in the Business Rules folder. The following sections detail the property sheet tabs that contain the properties most commonly entered for business rules.

The General tab contains the following properties:

Property	Description
Name/Code/Comment	Identify the object. The name should clearly convey the object's purpose to non-technical users, while the code, which is used for generating code or scripts, may be abbreviated, and should not normally include spaces. You can optionally add a comment to provide more detailed information about the object. By default the code is generated from the name by applying the naming conventions specified in the model options. To decouple name-code synchronization, click to release the = button to the right of the Code field.
Stereotype	Extends the semantics of the object. You can enter a stereotype directly in this field, or add stereotypes to the list by specifying them in an extension file.
Type	Specifies the nature of the business rule. You can choose between: Constraint – a check constraint on a value. In a PDM, constraint business rules can be generated in the database. For example, "The start date should be inferior to the end date of a project." Definition – a property of the element in the system. For example; "A customer is a person identified by a name and an address". Fact – a certainty in the system. For example, "A client may place one or more orders". Formula – a calculation. For example, "The total order is the sum of all the order line costs". OCL constraint [OOM only] – An Object Constraint Language expression. Requirement – a functional specification. For example, "The model is designed so that total losses do not exceed 10% of total sales". Validation – a constraint on a value. For example, "The sum of all orders for a client must not be greater than that client's allowance".

The following tabs are also available:

Expression Tab - Though business rules typically start out as descriptions, as you develop your model and analyze your business problem, you can enrich them by adding technical expressions on this tab. Expressions are used primarily in CDMs and PDMs. Each rule can include two types of expression, which you define on the appropriate sub-tab:
- Server
- Client
OCL Constraint Tab - This tab is only available for business rules with a type of OCL Constraint. The Object Constraint Language is the UML expression language. Enter your OCL expression in the text field.