An Integration of Rule Types and XML

Meta data types for providing business rules are described. These business rules form part of the knowledge base of an organisation. The integration of knowledge with data and information is discussed. FORM, a natural language based, conceptual modelling technique is used to describe the meta data types. XML has been recognised by many in the industry as the preferred data interchange language. XML is currently being used to interchange data and its schema. The use of XML to interchange rules is being investigated, in this paper. This will enable organisations to interchange business rules and their meta data, in addition to data and their schema. Such business rules can be interpreted and applied by the receiving systems, thus providing a basis for intelligent behavior when dealing with information being interchange