Simple Rule Flows, Complex Rule Flows, and BY Groups

There are two general types of rule flows: simple and complex. A simple rule flow has a single group of rule sets. All of the rule sets are run and output is generated for each input record.

A complex rule flow has at least three sections: Initial, Main, and Final. Rule sets in the Initial section are run only when the first input record is processed. Rule sets in the Main section are run for each input record. Rule sets in the Final section are run after the last input record has been processed by the rule sets in the Main section.

For complex rule flows, you can specify BY-group terms. If you specify BY-group terms, then SAS Business Rules Manager sorts the input data by those terms.

If you specify BY-group terms, SAS Business Rules Manager adds two new sections to the rule flow, Group Start and Group End. The rules sets in these sections are run with the first and last input record in each BY group.