Quick Reference for Basic SBVR Terminology (8)
| The Semantics of Business Vocabulary andBusiness Rules (SBVR) uses thefollowing designations, with informal meanings as indicated. Terms new this article are in blue. |
- intensional definition
- a definition that describes the intension of a concept by stating the superordinate concept and the delimiting characteristics [ISO 1087-1]
- extensional definition
- a definition that is a description of a concept by enumerating all of its subordinate concepts under one criterion of subdivision [ISO 1087-1]
- owned definition
- a definition that a speech community 'owns' and is responsible for creating and maintaining
For example, EU-Rent 'owns' its definition of the concept of 'barred driver'.
- adopted definition
- a definition that a speech community adopts from an external source by providing a reference to the definition
For example, EU-Rent adopts definition 2b of 'law' from Merriam-Webster Unabridged, using the terms 'law' (primary) and 'statute' for the concept.
Note: The primary term used for the concept does not have to be the same as the primary term in the source. For example, EU-Rent has taken the definition of 'law' from MWU and might have preferred to use 'statute' as the primary term for the concept.
- designation
- a representation of a concept by a sign which [means the concept and] denotes [the extension of] it
Based on ISO 1087-1 ['designation']
A term is the typical form of verbal designation, but there are also nonverbal designations, such as icons.
- derivable concept
- a concept whose extension can be determined from its definition or from rules
- alethic modality
- a way (or mode) in which a given proposition might be true or false: necessity, possibility, and impossibility
In contrast to deontic modal logic, alethic modal logic deals with people's estimate(s) of the possible truth of some proposition.
[Note: 'contingency' — one of the historical modes — is not considered business-relevant and thus ignored by SBVR.]
- behavioral business rule (or operative business rule)
- a business rule that obligates a given state of affairs
(informally) a business rule that is intended to shape the behavior of people — even when that behavior is automated; a prescribed guide for conduct or action [MWCD 'rule']
- behavioral business rule statement
- a rule statement that expresses a behavioral business rule
- body of shared meanings
- a set of concepts and elements of guidance for which there is a shared understanding in a given semantic community
- business policy
- an element of guidance that is not directly enforceable, whose purpose is to guide an enterprise
Compared to a business rule, a business policy is not directly enforceable and tends to be less structured, less discrete (not atomic), and less carefully expressed in terms of a standard vocabulary.
- business rule
- a rule that is practicable and that is under business jurisdiction
- Business Rules 'Mantra'
- an approximation that provides a simplified explanation of the business rules approach for business people and others new to approach
(simple form) "Rules are based on facts, and facts are based on terms."
(more precise form) "Rules build on facts, and facts build on concepts as expressed by terms. Terms express business concepts; facts make assertions about these concepts; rules constrain and support these facts."
- Business Rules Team (BRT)
- the multi-national consortium, formed expressly to respond to the OMG's "Business Semantics of Business Rules" RFP
After the BRT's RFP submission was selected, BRT members, along with other individuals, then worked as the SBVR Finalization Task Force, the group that brought SBVR 1.0 to completion in December 2007.
- business vocabulary
- a vocabulary (structured set of terms and other symbols together with their meanings and relationships among them) that is under business jurisdiction
- business vocabulary+rules
- a business vocabulary plus a set of business rules specified in terms of that business vocabulary
- category
- a concept in a generic relation having the broader intension
Based on ISO 1087-1 ['specific concept']
"Having the broader intension" means that the category incorporates more characteristics than its more general concept. Thus, it is likely that a category has a smaller extension than its more general concept.
- characteristic
- a fact type that has exactly one role
Based on ISO 1087-1 (abstraction of a property of a [thing] or of a set of [things])
- closed projection
- a projection that is a closed semantic formulation
- closed semantic formulation
- a semantic formulation that includes no variable without binding
- communication content
- a subdivision of a written composition that consists of one or more statements, and deals with one point or gives the words of one speaker
A communication content is also known as an item of 'message content' or 'document content'.
- community
- a group of people having a particular unifying characteristic in common
- concept
- a unit of knowledge created by a unique combination of characteristics
- concept model
- a set of concepts within a body of shared meanings, structured according to the relations among them
- definition
- a representation of a concept by a descriptive statement [expression] which serves to differentiate it from related concepts
- definitional business rule (or structural business rule)
- a definitional rule that is a business rule
- definitional rule (or structural rule)
- a rule that necessitates a given state of affairs
(informally, a rule that is intended as a definitional criterion)
- definitional rule statement
- a rule statement that expresses a definitional rule
- designation
- a representation of a concept by a sign which [means the concept and] denotes [the extension of] it
Based on ISO 1087-1 ['designation']
- deontic modality
- a way (or mode) in which one might think of the social desirability of a certain other person(s)'s making true some proposition, that is, the social desirability that the act(s) be performed, by a certain other person(s), that would make the proposition true; viz., permission, obligation, and their respective negations: nonpermission (forbidden/prohibition) and non-obligation
In contrast to alethic modal logic, deontic modal logic deals with people's estimate(s) of the social desirability of some particular party's making some proposition true.
- description
- a representation of a concept that provides a detailed account of something relevant about the concept
In essence, a description provides a verbal portrait of a concept.
- descriptive example
- a representation of a concept that provides descriptive material that is a sample of the thing of the concept being defined
Typically, a descriptive example calls out a prototypical case that is a representative instance of the concept.
- designation
- a representation of a concept by a sign which [means the concept and] denotes [the extension of] it
Based on ISO 1087-1 ['designation']
- element of guidance
- a means that guides, defines, or constrains some aspect of an enterprise
- embedded rule keyword style
- a style of rule statement that uses modality-conveying keywords embedded in the statement (usually in front of the verb)
- enforcement level
- a position in a graded or ordered scale of values that specifies the severity of action imposed in order to put or keep a behavioral business rule in force
- EU-Rent
- the (fictitious) car rental company
[This popular case study was contributed to the SBVR effort by Model Systems and appears in detail as Annex G of the SBVR document.]
- expression
- something that expresses or communicates, but [is] independent of its interpretation
- extension
- the totality of objects [every thing] to which a concept corresponds
- formal representation
- a representation in which every word is annotated ('tagged') in accordance with a notation that can be mapped to SBVR
For example, the SBVR Structured English scheme of word styling and key words is one such notation; RuleSpeak is another.
- impossibility statement
- a definitional rule statement that is worded as the state of affairs being impossible or beingnever the case
- informal representation
- a representation in which not every word is annotated ('tagged') in accordance with a notation that can be mapped to SBVR
However, an informal representation may have some of its words annotated — i.e., tagged individually as terms, names, verbs, or keywords.
- information source
- a role played by some item of communication content when it is used as a resource to supply information or evidence about a concept
- ISO terminology standards
- • ISO 1087-1 (2000) "Terminology work — Vocabulary — Theory and application"
• ISO 704 (2000) "Terminology work — Principles and methods"
• ISO 860 (1996) "Terminology work — Harmonization of concepts and terms"
- logical formulation
- a semantic formulation that formulates a proposition
(informally) the SBVR conceptualization of formal logic
- meaning
- what is meant by a word, sign, statement, or description; what someone intends to express or what someone understands
(informally, how we think about things)
- modal operation
- a logic operation used in the formulation of business rules, having a representation in business rule statements by a specified key word or phrase, or by a special symbol that means the operation
[E.g., the meaning represented by the modal operators: 'it is necessary', 'must', ▢ )
- modality
- a way (or mode) of considering some proposition; a classification (category) of propositions with respect to characteristics as being necessarily true, possibly true, obligatory, permissible, etc.
[In SBVR, the two main modalities are: alethic modality — the modality of necessity (also including possibility, etc.) and deontic modality — the modality of obligation (also including permission, etc.). Alethic modality aligns with SBVR definitional (or 'structural') rule; deontic modality aligns with SBVR behavioral (or 'operative') business rule.]
- more general concept
- a concept in a generic relation having the narrower intension
Based on ISO 1087-1 ['generic concept']
"Having the narrower intension" means that the more general concept incorporates fewer characteristics than any of its categories. Thus, it is likely that a more general concept has a larger extension than its categories.
- necessity statement
- a definitional rule statement that is worded as the state of affairs being necessary or being always the case
- notation
- a language used to represent semantics or, more precisely, abstract syntax
[Notations can be verbal, graphical, or any combination thereof. Other words for 'notation' are 'grammar', 'syntax', and 'concrete surface syntax'. Notation is nonnormative in the SBVR standard, although three notations are discussed in informative annexes of the standard.]
- note
- a representation of a concept that annotates or explains the concept
A note is typically a statement whose meaning is a proposition. However, the meaning of a note that comments on a concept is itself most likely not a representation of that same concept.
- noun concept
- a concept that is the meaning of a noun or noun phrase
- Object Management Group (OMG)
- an international, open membership, not-for-profit computer industry consortium whose members develop enterprise integration standards for a wide range of technologies
Numerous standards organizations and other consortia maintain liaison relationships with the OMG.
- obligation statement
- a behavioral business rule statement that is worded as the state of affairs being obligated
- prefixed rule keyword style
- a style of rule statement that prefixes the statement with a keyword that conveys the rule's modality
- prohibition statement
- a behavioral business rule statement that is worded as the state of affairs being prohibited
- reference
- a representation of a concept that is the mention or citation of a particular source of information used to direct a reader elsewhere for additional information about the concept
Typically, the reference is to a source of information (book or article) that is external to the vocabulary.
- representation
- an actuality that a given expression represents a given meaning
- restricted permission statement
- a behavioral business rule statement that is worded as the state of affairs being permitted only if a given condition is met
- restricted possibility statement
- a definitional rule statement that is is worded as the state of affairs being possible only if agiven condition is met or being possibly the case only if a given condition is met
- rule
- a proposition that is a claim of obligation or of necessity
The two fundamental categories of 'rule' are:
• behavioral rule (obligations), also known as 'operative rule'
• definitional rule (necessities), also known as 'structural rule'
- rule statement
- a guidance statement that expresses a behavioral business rule or a definitional rule
- RuleSpeak®
- the business rule notation developed by Business Rule Solutions, LLC (BRS)
[RuleSpeak has been used with business people in actual practice in large-scale projects since the second half of the 1990s.]
- SBVR
- shorthand for "Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules" (pronounced "S-Beaver")
- SBVR Metamodel
- the standard metamodel for representing the semantics of business vocabulary and business rules
(specifically) the MOF-based metamodel that supports a MOF representation of theconcepts represented by the SBVR Vocabulary, as described in SBVR Clause 23
- SBVR Structured English
- the particular way of using English that maps mechanically to SBVR concepts, as described in Annex A of the SBVR specification
[SBVR Structured English is not meant to offer all of the variety of common English, but rather, it uses a small number of English structures and common words to provide a simple and straightforward mapping.]
- SBVR Vocabulary
- the vocabulary that is standardized by the SBVR specification, as presented in SBVR Clauses 8 through 21
(informally) the vocabulary that makes up SBVR itself and that is used for talking about semantics, vocabulary, and rules
- semantic community
- a community whose unifying characteristic is a shared understanding (perception) of the things that they have to deal with
- semantics
- the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs [MWCD]
- Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR)
- the OMG specification that standardizes a vocabulary and rule set that are the foundation for the SBVR Metamodel
- speech community
- a subcommunity of a given semantic community whose unifying characteristic is the vocabulary and language that it uses
- term
- a verbal designation of a general concept in a specific subject field [ISO 1087-1]
- verb concept
- a concept [that] ... is the meaning of a verb phrase that involves one or more verb concept roles
- verb concept wording
- a representation of a verb concept by an expression that has a syntactic structure involving asignifier for the verb concept and signifiers for [each of] its verb concept roles
- verb symbol
- a designation that represents a verb concept and that is demonstrated by a verb concept wording