DTRules
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Choosing an Implementation

DTRules is implemented in Go, providing a high-performance runtime with multiple ways to work with your rules.

The DTRules Workflow

DTRules separates rule authoring from rule execution. This is the key concept: 

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      AUTHORING PHASE                            │
│                                                                 │
│   Excel Files (.xls)  ───►  CLI Compiler  ───►  XML Files       │
│   - EDD (data model)        (Go tools)          - *_edd.xml     │
│   - Decision Tables                             - *_dt.xml      │
│                                                                 │
│   Requires: Go 1.21+                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      EXECUTION PHASE                            │
│                                                                 │
│   ┌─────────────────────┐          ┌─────────────────────┐      │
│   │   Go CLI            │    OR    │    REST API         │      │
│   │                     │          │                     │      │
│   │ • Quick validation  │          │ • HTTP endpoints    │      │
│   │ • Batch execution   │          │ • Visual UI backend │      │
│   │ • Tracing output    │          │ • Cloud-native      │      │
│   │                     │          │                     │      │
│   └─────────────────────┘          └─────────────────────┘      │
│                                                                 │
│                    Requires: Go 1.21+                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Available Tools

Tool Purpose Best For
Visual UI Interactive rule editing and testing Learning, visual debugging
Go CLI Command-line rule execution Validation, batch testing, CI/CD
REST API HTTP API for rule execution Production services, microservices
Go Library Embedded rule engine Go application integration

Performance

Go runtime highlights:

  • 130x faster operator lookup
  • 24x faster arithmetic operations
  • Zero-allocation hot paths for reduced GC pressure
  • Single binary deployment - no runtime dependencies
  • Container-friendly - low memory footprint

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: New to DTRules

Recommended: Start with the Visual UI

The Visual UI is the easiest way to understand DTRules concepts. Load the CHIP sample project and explore decision tables visually. You don't need to write any code.

Scenario 2: Rule Author

Recommended: Go CLI for compilation and testing

  1. Write rules in Excel
  2. Compile with Go CLI tools
  3. Test with Go CLI: ./dtrules -rules xml/ -entry Main -trace
  4. Use Visual UI for interactive debugging

Scenario 3: Production Service

Recommended: Go REST API

  1. Compile rules (CI/CD pipeline)
  2. Deploy XML files with Go REST API server
  3. Use the REST API for rule execution
  4. Benefit from Go's performance and low resource usage

Project Structure

myproject/
├── DecisionTables/           # Excel files with business rules
│   └── MyRules_dt.xls
├── edd/                      # Entity Definition Documents
│   └── MyRules_edd.xls
├── xml/                      # Compiled XML files
│   ├── MyRules_edd.xml
│   └── MyRules_dt.xml
├── testfiles/                # Test case input files
├── DTRules.xml               # Project configuration
└── main.go                   # Your Go application (optional)

Next Steps

Choose your quick start guide based on your needs: