The previous topic illustrated the simplest examples of parameterized rules. Other subtler examples occur frequently. For example, let's return to the Trade Allocation sample application included in the Corticon Studio installation.

A recurring pattern in Trade Allocation might be that specific accounts prohibit or restrict the holding of specific securities for specific reasons. You might notice this pattern by examining specific business rules captured during the business analysis phase:

The first specific rule might be motivated by another, general rule that states:

The general rule explains why Airbus places this specific restriction on its account holdings: Boeing is a competitor. The second rule is very similar in that it also defines an account restriction for a security attribute (the issuer's industry classification), even though the rule has a different motivation. (A client's investments must not conflict with its ethical guidelines.)

There may be many other business rules that share a common structure, meaning similar entity context and scope. This pattern allows you to define a generic business rule:

You can also write the rule as a constraint:

Because there is not a method for accommodating many similar rules as a single, generalized case, you need to enter each specific rule separately into a Rulesheet. This makes the task of capturing, optimizing, testing, and managing these rules more difficult and time-consuming than necessary.