Embedded Rule Engine

Definition - What does Embedded Rule Engine mean?

An embedded rule engine is an embedded software component of an application that allows its users to define, edit or remove business logic for the software application. Since there is no need to have prior knowledge of software programming to manage business logic, an embedded rule engine is a useful tool for users without programming backgrounds, such as marketing personnel.

An embedded rule engine is also known as an embedded business rule engine.

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Techopedia explains Embedded Rule Engine

To understand an embedded rule engine, one must understand business rules. A business rule is a business-oriented statement designed to support a business. For example, the business rule for determining a car insurance premium could be: if the car's age is greater than five years and the car is a sedan, then the insurance premium would be a certain amount.

An embedded rule engine typically works by separating the business rules from the core software code so that it is easy for the user to define or configure the business rules. A typical embedded rule engine should comprise the following functionalities:

Rule repository: A database for storing all rules defined by users
Rule editor: An intuitive user interface that allows creation, modification and removal of rules
Reporting: An intuitive user interface that allows the user to query business rules from the repository
Engine Execution Core: Programming code that enforces the business rules defined by the user