IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Create business rules > Create a decision table

Work with initialization action rules

An initialization action rule automatically performs an operation of some kind when data is first being passed to a decision table.

Typically, an initialization action rule is used for the following reasons:

• To set an initial value.

  For example, to copy one or more input business object(s) to one or more output business object(s)."

• To initialize an output business object.

  For example, to set the initial value of the business objects attribute. More importantly, if the business object has attributes that are also business objects, then you can create those business objects (and this can be recursive if they in turn contain even more business objects).

Initialization action rules can also be made into templates so that they can be modified in the runtime environment.

Procedure

1. To create an initialization action rule, proceed as follows:

   1. In the decision table editor, click the Add an initialization action rule () icon.

   2. Assign a name to your new initialization action rule in the name field.

   3. In the Presentation field, enter a sentence that will describe what this initialization rule does to a web user.

   4. In the Action field, use the inline condition builder to define the operation that will take place.

2. To create a template for the initialization action rule, proceed as follows:

   1. In the decision table editor, click one of the cells in the Initialize area.

   2. Click the Convert Rule or Table cell to Template () icon. The rule area changes slightly.

   3. Click anywhere in the Initialize area, and the template editor will appear in the General tab of the properties area.

   4. Configure the template according to the instructions in Create decision table templates.

Create a decision table

Related concepts:
Decision table editor

Related tasks:
Work with conditions in a decision table
Configure actions in a decision table
Use an otherwise condition
Changing the layout of your decision table
Create decision table templates
Use templates in your decision table
Editing a decision table template