DaveBirchall.com on Business Technology

Archive for August 1st, 2008

The Rete Algorithm is a marked improvement on Sequentially organised systems. To understand the benefit you need to understand what it is not.

In a sequenial BRE, the rules are executed one at a time in a sequential order. The more rule you add, the more time is needed to work through them. Sequential Rules engines works prohibitively slowly for large or complexed implementations. The problem is further exasperated in solutions with a high amount of traffic.

Instead the Rete Algorithim is used as a way of calculating the quickest route to proceed through a ‘maze’ of rule. In simple terms, we are able to create rule about which rules to action. The obvious benefit is that the system can handle much larger amounts of data and faster and simulate business logic which is then automated.

I don’t know whats wrong with me this week. I just don’t seem to be able to resist the urge to write overly dramatic headlines. This one came from a weird train of thought I found myself having in a daydream like fashion on the way into work

Could we be at such a point in the ‘information age’ that if we haven’t automated your business by now, then you stand to fade away into the background wondering what happened.?

Quickly I realised that the answer was no. Stupid thought really. In fact I think we are some way away from it from many of us, but I then payed some more serious attention to a bigger question. If it IS coming, when will that day be?

In many ways we have technology available to us that is only limited by either our imagination or our courage to act. We are able to automate things that managers wouldn’t ever dream were possible. Its only our ignorance that prevents us from benefiting.

Some further food for thought. Since some businesses are find things tough right now… Imagine if you were able to automate some or all of what you did. You knew your customers better, you served customers better. Your service levels were better. Perhaps everything was better

Imagine if only you had the secret. Imagine how the competition would marvel at how you did it. Perhaps its not such a distant dream after all?