ARulesXL Newsletter ARulesXL Newsletter
We have been working on a new release of ARulesXL. This version will include capabilities to:
The beta test release of ARulesXL is now available for all those wishing to experiment with the new features and willing to provide bug reports and feedback. This version has preliminary samples, tutorials and documentation. You can download it now from www.arulesxl.com/download
A new function, RTable() allows the direct representation of multi-dimensional worksheet tables in a rule set. RTable() provides an easier, more intuitive way to get data from a worksheet into a rule set, providing a better alternative to the deprecated RRef() and RInput() functions.
Rules using pattern-matching variables can be used to analyze the tables along any and all dimensions. The results of the analysis can be displayed using array forms of RQuery().
RQuery() can also now be called from VBA. A new RANGE() function provides the cell addresses of the items in a table, and using that with RQuery() makes it easy to write VBA procedures that annotate tables on a worksheet. For example, you could highlight each quarter where the profits were not greater than a year ago that quarter.
A new sample included in the test release analyzes a four dimensional budget (region, year, quarters, category). A simple VBA routine colors and comments the cells in the tables that require attention (click on the screen shot to view).
The same technology can be used to construct configuration and planning solutions on a worksheet from rules that create these complex structures.
The release also includes full support for logic programming. The reference documentation includes a section introducing logic relations and their use in ARulesXL rule sets. Logic relations allow for the specification of more abstract high-level rules, which can also be recursive. For example, logic relations make it easy to specify how a set of rules describing a configuration are linked together.
International support has been added for this release, and the first language/locale supported, besides English, is French. We appreciate the help from our French customers in creating this translation.
If you are interested in a national language version for your country, and would like to help with the translation of the keywords and message texts, let us know.
And the final, not yet documented goodie, is the ability to deploy ARulesXL applications on the Web. This feature is under development, but the initial work of being able to take input and call RQuery() from Web pages is complete.
The first sample is a product advisory application that, based on customer inputs recommends the product that best fits that customer's needs. It runs under ASP.NET. A Java/JSP/Servlet version is under development. If you want to experiment with this capability, please contact us.
ARulesXL is now available for $99 per copy. Organizations interested in multiple licenses can contact us for information on quantity discounts and site licensing.
You can purchase a copy now at the ARulesXL Web Store.
ARulesXL is a trademark of Amzi! inc. Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.