An End-to-End Model-Driven Platform:

Progress Rollbase + Progress Corticon

Pedram Abrari

VP of Engineering, Rollbase

Former CTO of Corticon

October 8, 2013

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 2

Agenda

Overview of Model-Driven Architecture

Introduction to Business Decisions and Rules

Progress Rollbase + Progress Corticon

2014 Roadmap

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 3

Generations of Programming Languages

Machine Language – 1GL

Assembly Language – 2GL

High Level Langs – 3GL C, C#, Java, JavaScript…

Very High Level Langs – 4GL SQL, PowerBuilder, Progress ABL…

Model-Driven Langs – 5GL Visual Programming, BPM, BRMS…

Pro

gra

mm

ers

Cit

izen

Develo

pers

AD&D

OpenEdge

Rollbase

Progress Pacific

Going back to our roots!

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 4

What Are Models?

pla

ce

s

Customer

Order

Customer

Order

1

* places

belongs to

REAL WORLD ABSTRACTION APPLICATION

Order

Form

Ship

Order

Check

Inventory

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 5

Application Modeling

Decisions

Processes UI

Data

Business

Rules

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 6

A Model-Driven Architecture

Models Repository

Decision Models

Process

Models

UI Models

Data

Models

Dep

loy

Business

Applications

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 7

A Model-Driven Architecture

Models Repository

Decision Models

Process

Models

UI Models

Data

Models

DE

PL

OY

Business

Applications

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 8

Progress Rollbase Server-side Business Logic

Programmer

Citizen Developer

JavaScript

ABL

Corticon

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 9

Agenda

Overview of Model-Driven Architecture

Introduction to Business Decisions and Rules

Progress Rollbase + Progress Corticon

2014 Roadmap

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 10

Business Activity Types in a Typical Business Process

Profile

Customer

Start

Check

Customer

Credit

Ship Order

Generate

Invoice

Done

Offer

Special

Promos

Print & Mail

Invoice

Decision

Activities Activities

Performed by

People

Functional

Activities

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Decision Activities Resist Traditional Automation

Rote

Decisions

Creative

Decisions

Offer Special

Promotions

Generate Invoice

Profile Customer

Time Span Sub-second Sub-second to Days Days to Months

Performed By Machine Machine or Person/Team Person/Team

Business Decisions

Enter

Data

Define

New

Product

Up to 70% of core business processes are business decisions

Internal Study based on IBM IAA Framework

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 12

Business Rules

1. Customers who have spent over $10,000 in the past year are ‘Gold Club’ customers.

2. Customers with a credit score under 500 are ‘High Risk’ customers.

Business Decisions Are Composed of Business Rules

Profile

Customer

Offer

Special

Promos

Generate

Invoice

Business Process

Business Decision

How valuable/important is this customer to the company ?

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 13

Declarative vs. Procedural Paradigms

Declarative Paradigm

What Needs to be Done – Business Rules Captured as a Set of Discrete Rules

Spreadsheet Example: Sum

Procedural Paradigm

How to Do It – Business Rules Hard-coded into Application Logic

Code Example: Sum

Integer i

Float tmp

tmp = 0

For i = 2 to 7

tmp += B[i]

Next I

B[8] = tmp

“WHAT Not HOW” C.J. Date

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 14

Agenda

Overview of Model-Driven Architecture

Introduction to Business Decisions and Rules

Progress Rollbase + Progress Corticon

2014 Roadmap

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 15

Progress Pacific PaaS – A Model-Driven AD&D Platform

Decisions

Processes UI

Data

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 16

Sample App – Rollbase + Corticon Life Insurance

Applicant

Application

Risk Profile Applicant

After Create

After Update

Risk Classification

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 17

Demo

Risk Profile

Applicant

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 18

Agenda

Overview of Model-Driven Architecture

Introduction to Business Decisions and Rules

Progress Rollbase + Progress Corticon

2014 Roadmap

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 19

Progress Pacific 2014 Roadmap Deeper Integration of Rollbase + Corticon

Embedded Corticon Rule Engine within Rollbase Platform

Share Object Model

Decision Triggers

• Invoked based on Object Lifecycle events

• As standalone invocation

Web-based Decision Modeling within Rollbase Platform

Support for Fully Model-Driven Application Development

© 2013 Progress Software Corporation. All rights reserved. 20

Questions