What is BREX and what is its relationship to the S1000D Business Rules?

BREX is the acronym for Business Rules EXchange.

In our Business Rules Development page we mentioned that the Data Exchange Business Rules needed to be defined, this is the point at which BREX needs to be discussed and developed. BREX is by definition, a computer readable file written as a Data Module, which has its own schema.  The BREX data modules content contains validation rules, and it is the means to communicate the technical Business Rules for the project.

Every Data Module that is created refers to a BREX file, so that the content can be validated against the projects rules. Once the BREX Data Module is developed, it will contain:

1. Details about the SNS (System Numbering) that will be used by the project.
2. Details about the elements and attributes that must/must not be applied to the content generated.
3. Definitions of values which are allowed or used for the project.
4. Descriptions of mark-up elements and attributes that will be used by the project.
5. This content will be written in a format that can be read by computers instead of people.

When the customer provides the BREX, communication is enhanced because the customer has defined what is expected in the product delivery.

Making BREX validation tools available during the authoring process ensures the author is always working to the customer’s business rules, ensuring a smoother transition through Quality Control.

Tammy Halter