About Decision Table Elements

Familiarize yourself with all the elements that constitute a decision table.

The following figure shows an example decision table with all its elements noted:

The image shows a decision table called Bonus Percentage. The first row of the table contains the hit policy cell with the Any hit policy selected, an input header cell that has the input variable Age entered, another input header cell that has the input variable Work_Experience entered, and an output header cell that contains the decision name. There is an Allowed Values cell within each header cell, with values set as Auto for inputs and as Any for the output. There are three subsequent rows that constitute rules of the decision table. Each row consists of a cell indicating the rule number (from 1 to 3), two input entry cells, and an output entry cell. Values entered in input and output entry cells are as follows: First rule: dash, >=20, and 10; Second rule: >=50, dash, and 10; Third rule: <50, <20, and 5.

  1. Row and column controls: Add rows and columns.
  2. Input header cell: Contains the expression associated with a particular input column, and lets you specify the allowed values for the column.
  3. Hit policy cell: Displays the hit policy selected for the table.
  4. Rule: A row within a table.
  5. Input entry cell: Contains an input entry.
  6. Output entry cell: Contains an output entry.
  7. Output header cell: Contains the name of the output column, and lets you specify the allowed values for the column.
  8. Add Annotation button: Adds a column for documenting or annotating decision rules. Annotations aren’t considered as part of the decision logic; they serve as explanatory notes for designers.
  9. Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete buttons: Cut, copy, paste, or delete rows and columns within a decision table. However, you cannot:
    • Copy a row into a column, and vice versa.
    • Copy an input column into an output column or an annotation column, and vice versa.
  10. Table Actions menu: Contains options to copy and paste an entire decision table.

Learn about each element in detail and how to use them to configure different parts of a decision table. See the following topics: