Method and apparatus for applying if-then-else rules to data sets in a relational data base and generating from the results of application of said rules a database of diagnostics linked to said data sets to aid executive analysis of financial data

An apparatus for providing an expert systems toolkit implementing diagnostic weighting, comprising:

• a memory for storing data;
• a computer coupled to said memory and having a video display and an input device;
• a program in execution by said computer for controlling operations thereof for receiving user input defining one or more analysis rules to be applied to user specified data from said memory, and for controlling said computer to receive and store user data defining a unique diagnostic statement associated with each true result of each said analysis rule, each said diagnostic statement comprised of a user defined alphanumeric text string, and for controlling said computer to receive user input defining a subjective mathematical statement associated with each said analysis rule, each said subjective mathematical statement being comprised of a user programmable combination of mathematical functions, and each said mathematical statement to be executed only when said associated analysis rule returns a true result, said subjective mathematical statement operating on user specified data from said memory and outputting a numeric result in the form of a weighting number, and for controlling said computer to receive user input controlling which of said analysis rules is to be applied to said data, and for applying said analysis rules so designated to the data in said memory designated by said user and returning a true or false result depending upon the state of the data to which the analysis rule was applied, and for each true result returned by an analysis rule, controlling said computer to store in a file in said memory the diagnostic statement associated with each true result as a diagnostic in a diagnostic database and the corresponding weighting number from the corresponding mathematical statement, and for controlling said computer to receive and store in said memory user input defining one or more expert tests, each expert test comprising a user defined logic statement to be applied to one or more diagnostics selected by user input from the diagnostics stored in said diagnostic database, each said expert test also including an associated user programmable subjective weighting mathematical statement, each said subjective weighting mathematical statement being comprised of a user programmable combination of mathematical functions to be applied to the weighting numbers associated with the diagnostics combined by the logic statement of said expert test, at least one said mathematical function designed to select the maximum of all the weighting numbers associated with diagnostics combined by the corresponding expert test logic statement, and at least one said mathematical function designed to select the minimum of all the weighting numbers associated with the diagnostics combined by the associated expert test logic statement, said logic statement of each said expert test comprised of logical operators from any logic set such as predicate logic or Boolean logic including at least the AND, OR and NOT functions, each said expert test returning either a true or false result, and for controlling said computer to receive user input defining a super diagnostic statement in the form of an alphanumeric string associated with each true result of one of said expert tests, and for controlling said computer to receive user input defining which of said expert tests to execute and for executing the expert tests so designated, and for controlling said computer to store as a super diagnostic in a super diagnostic file in said memory the super diagnostic statement associated with any true result returned by any said expert test in addition to the numeric result of the associated weighting mathematical statement.

An apparatus for providing an expert systems toolkit, comprising:

• a memory for storing data including at least first and second database files;
• a computer coupled to said memory and having a video display and an input device;
• a program in execution by said computer for controlling operations thereof for receiving user input defining a first set of one or more analysis rules to be applied to user specified data from said first database file, and for controlling said computer for receiving user input defining a second set of one or more analysis rules to be applied to user specified data from said second database file, each said analysis rule in said first and second set of analysis rules returning either true or false results depending upon the state of the data to which the analysis rule was applied, and for controlling said computer to receive and store user data defining a unique diagnostic statement associated with each true result of each said analysis rule in said first and second set of analysis rules, each said diagnostic statement comprised of a user defined alphanumeric text string which the user can program to define the significance of the true result, its relevance or any other expression which provides meaning to the user of the true result of the analysis rule, and for controlling said computer to receive user input controlling which of said analysis rules in each of said first and second sets of analysis rules are to be applied to said data of said first and second database files and for applying the analysis rules so designated from said first and second sets of analysis rules, and for applying said analysis rules so designated to the data designated by said user and returning a true or false result for each analysis rule so applied, and for each true result returned by an analysis rule in said first set of analysis rules, controlling said computer to store in said memory the diagnostic statement associated with each true result as a diagnostic in a first diagnostic database, and for each true result returned by an analysis rule in said second set of analysis rules, controlling said computer to store in said memory the diagnostic statement associated with each true result as a diagnostic in a second diagnostic database, and for controlling said computer to receive and store in said memory user input defining one or more expert tests, each expert test comprising a user defined logic statement to be applied to one or more diagnostics selected by user input from the diagnostics stored in either or both of said first and second diagnostic databases, said logic statement comprised of logical operators from any logic set such as predicate logic or Boolean logic including at least the AND, OR and NOT functions, each said expert test returning either a true or false result, and for controlling said computer to receive user input defining a superdiagnostic in the form of an alphanumeric string associated with each true result of one of said expert tests each said superdiagnostic being an alphanumeric string which the user can program to define the significance of the true result of the expert rule, its relevance or any other expression which provides meaning to the user of the true result of the expert rule, and for controlling said computer to receive user input defining which of said expert tests to execute and for executing the expert tests so designated, and for controlling said computer to store as a superdiagnostic in a superdiagnostic file in said memory the superdiagnostic statement associated with any true result returned by any said expert test.