Thanks Cameron. It is really uplifting to see that at least this one engine is recognized as important. Gives me a cause for optimism about the future of VistA.
Regards, Richard. > From: "Cameron Schlehuber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 18:46:59 -0600 > To: <hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net> > Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] Configurability of fields in FileMan > > While looking forward to Richard's response, let me chime in here with some > primitive examples of efforts along the lines of "business rules & engine" > in VistA and observations on where things might end up (those who know me > well know that I'm a perpetual optimist!) > > One example is the ORDER DIALOG file 101.41. It was designed with the > intent of being able to script very complex dialogs for placing orders. The > rules of prompt/user response/prompt carries the templates of VA FileMan to > a higher level of abstraction and functionality. The new capabilities in > CLINICAL REMINDERS v 2.0 are likewise based on rules that can be built and > exchanged between users without having to write M routines. These are > special cases that have been justified due to user demands. What is missing > is the next level ... a generalized rules engine that could support ANY > service or application. > > The down-side to date is the holding back of the creation of a good (not > perfect, good!) rules engine. In large part due to the belief that rules > engines are "too difficult to build" or "don't work well in the general > case". A few fortunate circumstances are coming together now though. One > is that the VA's Enterprise Architecture appears (to me at least) to be > poised to aggressively explore true rules engines and actually get down to > doing some real implementations. Another circumstance is a prototype effort > to mine a couple of VistA applications for their rules and build a database > of them (using some new OMG draft specifications for such representations > and models) such that the rules can be modified at the business > representation layer and forward engineered into running applications. I > believe these are sufficiently low cost efforts for now that they can afford > to "make mistakes" and risk reaching for something potentially very > productive. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim Self > Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 4:29 PM > To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [Hardhats-members] Configurability of fields in FileMan > > Richard Davis wrote: >> Today, the core database within VistA does not contain a generalized >> "business-rule" engine as a centralized, high level, tabled driven module >> that controls all data storage and retrieval. Classical DHCP applications >> and the VistA modules of today are obliged to embed their business rules in >> M(UMPS) routines where they are extremely difficult to manage. >> >> No amount of "open" design in DHCP/VistA can overcome this shortcoming of >> the missing business rule engine. > > Please give more description and some examples of what you think is missing > and how it > might be added. > > --------------------------------------- > Jim Self > Systems Architect, Lead Developer > VMTH Computer Services, UC Davis > (http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/us/jaself) > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by: New Crystal Reports XI. > Version 11 adds new functionality designed to reduce time involved in > creating, integrating, and deploying reporting solutions. Free runtime info, > new features, or free trial, at: http://www.businessobjects.com/devxi/728 > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by: New Crystal Reports XI. > Version 11 adds new functionality designed to reduce time involved in > creating, integrating, and deploying reporting solutions. Free runtime info, > new features, or free trial, at: http://www.businessobjects.com/devxi/728 > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: New Crystal Reports XI. Version 11 adds new functionality designed to reduce time involved in creating, integrating, and deploying reporting solutions. Free runtime info, new features, or free trial, at: http://www.businessobjects.com/devxi/728 _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
