Decision table decomposition using semantic relations

A system comprising:

• a memory having computer-readable instructions;
• and
• one or more processors for executing the computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions comprising:
• determining that invocation criteria are met for a decision table, wherein the decision table comprises two or more columns, and wherein the two or more columns of the decision table comprise:
• one or more condition columns together indicating, for each row of the decision table, a condition upon which an action is to be taken;
• and
• one or more action columns together indicating, for each row of the decision table, the action to be taken given the condition specified in the one or more condition columns;
• decomposing, responsive to the invocation criteria being met, the decision table from a single table into a first sub-table and a second sub-table, the decomposing being based on a semantic model describing relations among the two or more columns of the decision table, and the decomposing being further based on a mapping table that maps each sub-tuple of the one or more condition columns to an assessment value, the decomposing comprising:
• dividing the decision table into two or more groups of rows, wherein each group of rows comprises one or more action sub-tuples representing values of the one or more action columns, and wherein the one or more action sub-tuples have equivalent values in the one or more action columns within each group of rows;
• selecting a first subset of condition columns from the one or more condition columns of the decision table, wherein the first subset of condition columns meets selection criteria requiring that values of the sub-tuples from a complementary subset of condition columns to the first subset of condition columns are identical within each group of rows;
• populating in the first sub-table the first subset of condition columns selected from the one or more condition columns of the decision table;
• and
• populating in the second sub-table a second subset of condition columns from the one or more condition columns of the decision table, wherein the second set of condition columns is distinct from the first set of condition columns;
• wherein each of the first sub-table and the second sub-table is a distinct decision table;
• and
• wherein the first sub-table and the second sub-table together represent the decision table.

A computer-program product for decomposing a decision table, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• determining that invocation criteria are met for a decision table, wherein the decision table comprises two or more columns, and wherein the two or more columns of the decision table comprise:
• one or more condition columns together indicating, for each row of the decision table, a condition upon which an action is to be taken;
• and
• one or more action columns together indicating, for each row of the decision table, the action to be taken given the condition specified in the one or more condition columns;
• decomposing, responsive to the invocation criteria being met, the decision table from a single table into a first sub-table and a second sub-table, the decomposing being based on a semantic model describing relations among the two or more columns of the decision table, and the decomposing being further based on a mapping table that maps each sub-tuple of the one or more condition columns to an assessment value, the decomposing comprising:
• dividing the decision table into two or more groups of rows, wherein each group of rows comprises one or more action sub-tuples representing values of the one or more action columns, and wherein the one or more action sub-tuples have equivalent values in the one or more action columns within each group of rows;
• selecting a first subset of condition columns from the one or more condition columns of the decision table, wherein the first subset of condition columns meets selection criteria requiring that values of the sub-tuples from a complementary subset of condition columns to the first subset of condition columns are identical within each group of rows;
• populating in the first sub-table the first subset of condition columns selected from the one or more condition columns of the decision table;
• and
• populating in the second sub-table a second subset of condition columns from the one or more condition columns of the decision table, wherein the second set of condition columns is distinct from the first set of condition columns;
• wherein each of the first sub-table and the second sub-table is a distinct decision table;
• and
• wherein the first sub-table and the second sub-table together represent the decision table.