Decision tables overview

What is a decision table?

A decision table is a systematic and structured representation of complex business logic for decision-making processes. It helps business users, primarily in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, to organize and manage multiple input values with conditions, and returns suitable results that can be used in their operations.

Why decision tables?

When dealing with numerous input values in business logic, evaluating conditions for each one can be challenging, especially when the conditions are subject to change over time. 

Decision tables streamline this process, providing a visual and organized way to analyze different combinations of conditions and results. They offer a panoramic view of various scenarios and outcomes in a tabular format, making them particularly useful when multiple conditions impact results.

How do decision tables work?

At runtime, the input value that is fed from a workflow to the decision table is compared against the defined conditions, starting with the first row. The entire table is evaluated by checking the input value against a number of conditions, after which one or more corresponding results are returned to the workflow.

Advantages of decision tables

• Streamlined business logic handling - Decision tables provide a clear and structured approach to handling complex business logic.
   
• Readability and maintenance - They promote readability, making it easier to understand and maintain complicated decision-making processes.
   
• Optimal reuse - Decision tables facilitate efficient reuse of business logic, reducing the need for manual copying and pasting.
   
• Agile decision-making - Decision tables empower business users to make agile and efficient decisions in their workflows by offering a visual and organized representation.
   
• Flexibility for dynamic data - Particularly beneficial when dealing with dynamic data, decision tables allow for flexible adjustments to data without exhaustive edits.
   
• Reduced developer dependency - Decision tables minimize the need for constant developer intervention, enabling business users to make alterations by themselves.