Well that is an excellent question, “what is a rules table”. A Rules Table can also be referred to as a Decision Table. Being unaccustomed with the intricate details of modern controls and automation engineering you might hear and wonder about a “rules table”. So, what is a rules table?
A Rules Table, in the case of process control automation for batching systems, defines what formulas, classes of formulas and ingredients can follow others. Each rule can be individually enabled or disabled. If multiple qualifications are set on a rule, then all of these qualifications must be matched for the rule to apply. For example to explain what a Rule is:
- if both a formula and ingredient are set as qualifications for a Rule, the Rule applies when a version of that formula containing that ingredient is scheduled. If no qualifications are set for a Rule, the Rule matches any formula.
- If no operator is specified as a qualification for a Rule, the Rule has no effect. Formula, Ingredient, and Class 1 match the scheduled formula. Formula, Ingredient, and Class 2 match the previous formula. The operators read left-to-right, e.g., Formula 1 cannot follow Class 2.
A Rules Table will check formulas scheduled to run in a Batching System against a set of rules and determine if any of the rules are violated. If a rule is violated, the system will not start batching until the violation is fixed. For example, if you have a formula classified as a Dairy formula and another as a Horse formula you might have a Rule that says “Dairy cannot follow Horse”
For more thorough explanation and discussion about Batching Software applications and What is a Rule Table. please contact Sterling Systems & Controls at 815-625-0852 or sci@sterlingcontrols.com