Introduction to decision tables

Introduction to decision tables

What is a decision table?

A decision table is a simple representation of rules in a table format.

A rule is divided into conditions ("if") and actions ("then").

The rules describe decision alternatives.

Like any other table format, the decision table serves to line up data that is in an "IF-THEN" relationship with each other.

In ePOS, decision table is often abbreviated to DT.

A simple example is given in the following table of a lottery prize structure:

Condition :Prize Category

Action :Winnings

Decisions are based on conditions ("if"; prerequisites, circumstances, or assumptions = inflow or input data) and lead to actions ("then"; results, solutions = resulting or output data).

The logical combination of the condition(s) and action(s) is represented in the form of a so-called rule. Thus, a rule determines which preconditions lead to one or more actions being executed. The number of rules is not limited.