RBSLA: Rule-based Service Level AgreementsRule-based Contract Representation and Management for electronic Contracts, Policies and Service Level Agreements Contact: Adrian Paschke Internet-based Information Systems, Technische Universität München Keywords IT Service Management (ITSM), Service Level Management (SLM), Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Policies, SLA metrics, Service-oriented
Architectures (SOA), Event-driven Architectures (EDA), Contract
Representation, Contract Management, SLA Monitoring, Business Rules,
Knowledge Representation, Rule Engines, Artificial Intelligence, Logic,
Utility Computing, On-Demand Computing, Grid Computing, Web Services,
Defeasible Deontic Logic with Norm Violations and Exceptions, Logic of
Norms, Conditional Obligations, Contrary-To-Duty Obligations and
Defeasible Prima Facie Obligations, Event Calculus, Complex Event
Processing, Interval-based Event Algebra, Defeasible Logic with
Integrity Constraints and Rule Prioirties, Typed Logic with Polymorphic
Order-Sorted Typed Unification, Hybrid Description Logic Programs
(Heterogeneous DLP approach with Jena and Pellet) for Semantic Web
Typing, Constraint LPs, Active ECA Rules and Transaction Logic, Event
Condtion Action (ECA), Temporal Logic, RuleML, RBSLA, Test-driven
Validation, Test Cases, Test Coverage, Integrity Constraints, Ordered
Logic Programs (OLPs).
SummaryThe
domain of electronic contracts such Service Level Agreements or
high-level policies typically faces rapidly changing business and system
environments, huge amounts of scattered contracts and data managed in
possibly distributed heterogeneous external data sources and a great
variety of more or less cooperative roles (human or automated
agents) which are involved during the contract life cycle.
Moreover, it has high requirements regarding correctness, reliability
and traceability of drawn conclusions and triggered reactions in order
to establish trust and fulfil legal compliance rules. Rule based
systems and in particular declarative logic programming (LP) qualifies
to be the right representation and execution environment for
representing, monitoring and enforcing electronic contracts such as
SLAs. However, adequate rule-based representation, monitoring and
enforcement of SLAs or policies needs more expressiveness than provided
by standard rule engines such as Prolog interpreters, e.g. in order
to actively react to occurred events, compute complex events or
actions, reason over their temporal effects on the SLA state,
automatically resolve arising conflicts due to knowledge updates and
dynamic changes or enforce agreed rights or obligations. The ContractLog
KR and the superimposed RBSLA mark up language provide selected logical
formalisms and inference services to adequately represent, manage,
interchange and execute formalized rule-based SLAs or policy contracts.
The ContractLog
approach exploits common logic programming techniques and combines them
with Semantic Web technologies (RDFS / OWL ontologies) and
procedural object-oriented Java and database functionalities in order to
enable a tight integration of declarative rule specifications with
existing external programs, systems, vocabularies and
data bases which are typically used in the system, web and
network management domain. Remarkably, the RBSLA approach in contrast to
existing languages in the SLA domain such as WSLA, WSOL, WS-Agreement,
is not just a pure syntactical specification language with predefined
language constructs, but is a declarative rule-based programming
language with an operational and a declarative logic- based semantics
for formalizing and implementing arbitrary contract-related
functionalities and specifications. This declarative
implementation-oriented design provides maximum flexibility and
extensibility for SLA representation including the use of different
contract vocabularies written as Semantic Web ontologies such as WSMO,
WS-Policy OWL ontology or KAoS and other ontologies such as OWL time,
which can be integrated as external webized type systems into the
logical SLA rules, giving them a domain-specific meaning. Compared to traditional contract management tools, the rule-based approach has the following major advantages: - contract rules are externalized and easily shared among multiple applications and domains (avoiding vendor lock-in) ;
- encourages reuse and shortens development time;
- changes can be made faster and with less risk;
- lowers cost incurred in the modification of contractual business and reaction logic;
OverviewThe
emergence of service-oriented architectures (SOA) and event-driven
architectures (EDA) together with technology standards like Web Services
and Grid Computing and upcoming On-Demand or Utility Computing models
leverage an environment based upon loosely coupled and distributed
services and dynamic service provider and service consumer
relationships. Accordingly, the need for automated management and
monitoring of service contracts like Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
increases. The prevailing system management tools and natural language
defined contracts are not suitable to solve this task. In a global
computing economy, service providers will have to monitor and execute
thousands of contracts, potentially across different service customers,
with complex contract rules on an individual or a group level. Contract
management tools need to be able to automatically detect contract and
norm violations, to check rule sets for consistency, and to perform
automated rule chaining for representing sophisticated distributed
business policies (e.g. differentiated pay-per-use pricing rules or
complex quality of service (QoS) rules on a business level). This
requires new ways of knowledge representation for contractual agreements
and new technical solutions for contract monitoring and contract
enforcement. The Rule Based Service Level Agreements (RBSLA)
project focuses on sophisticated knowledge representation concepts for
service level management (SLM) of IT services. At the core of our
contract and service level management tool are rule-based languages to
describe contracts such as service level agreements or
policies in a generic way. The research draws on basic knowledge
representation concepts from the area of artificial intelligence (AI)
and knowledge representation (KR) and as well as on new standards in the
area of web services computing and the semantic web. A particular
interest is the investigation of expressive logic programming techniques
and logical formalisms such as defeasible logic, deontic logic,
temporal event/action logics, transaction and update logics, description
logics as a means of deriving formal declarative contract
specifications with which to reason about ideal and actual behaviours
relating to agreed contract norms (permissions, obligations and
prohibitions and their violations (contrary-to-duty obligations) or
exceptions (defeasible prima facie obligations)). The developed novel
and unique KR (ContractLog KR) and the rule-based mark-up language for SLA representation (RBSLA mark up language)
combine selected adequate logical concepts to describe complex contract
rules. An implementation of a rule-based service level management tool (RBSLM) is being built with a computational model based on the ContractLog KR and the open source rule engine Prova. The
important advantages of our approach are the automated verification,
validation and consistency checks of large possibly distributed and
interchanged rule sets, the automated chaining, (scoped) reasoning and
execution of rules and distributed contract modules as well as the
flexibility in the dynamic extension with new contract rules (dynamic
transactional updates). This facilitates contracts which are flexible
and thus able to adapt in order to meet changes to service requirements
dynamically with the indispensable minimum of service execution
disruption at runtime, possibly permitting coexistence of differentiated
contract variants and simplifying contract management and contract
execution. More Information
Main Publications
- Adrian Paschke: Rule based service level agreements: RBSLA; knowledge representation for automated e-contract, SLA and policy management. Technical University Munich 2007, published by Idea Verlag GmbH, ISBN 978-3-88793-221-3, pp. 1-316 (book, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke, Martin Bichler: Knowledge representation concepts for automated SLA management. Decision Support Systems, 46(1): 187-205 (2008) (article, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke, Harold Boley: Rule Responder: Rule-Based Agents for the Semantic-Pragmatic Web. International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools 20(6): 1043-1081 (2011) (article, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke: Verification, Validation and Integrity of Distributed and Interchanged Rule Based Policies and Contracts in the Semantic Web. in Journal CoRR abs/cs/0609119 (2006) (pdf, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke, Alexander Kozlenkov, Harold Boley: A Homogeneous Reaction Rule Language for Complex Event Processing. 2nd International Workshop on Event Drive Architecture and Event Processing Systems (EDA-PS 2007) at VLDB 2007, re-published in Journal CoRR abs/1008.0823 (2010) (pdf, bibtex)
- Kia Teymourian, Adrian Paschke: Semantic Rule-Based Complex Event Processing. RuleML 2009: 82-92 (pdf, bibex)
- Adrian Paschke: ECA-LP / ECA-RuleML: A Homogeneous Event-Condition-Action Logic Programming Language. International Conference on Rules and Rule Markup Languages for the Semantic Web (RuleML06), Athens, Georgia, USA, Nov. 2006 in Journal CoRR abs/cs/0609143 (2006) (pdf, poster, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke: ECA-RuleML: An Approach combining ECA Rules with temporal interval-based KR Event/Action Logics and Transactional Update Logics. in Journal CoRR abs/cs/0610167 (2006) (pdf, bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke, Martin Bichler: Knowledge Representation Concepts for Automated SLA Management. in Journal CoRR abs/cs/0611122 (2006) (pdf, bibtext)
Further Publications
- Adrian Paschke: Rule based service level agreements: RBSLA; knowledge representation for automated e-contract, SLA and policy management. Technical University Munich 2007, published by Idea Verlag GmbH, ISBN 978-3-88793-221-3, pp. 1-316 (book, bibtex)
- Irfan Ul Haq, Adrian Paschke, Erich Schikuta, Harold Boley: Rule-based validation of SLA choreographies. The Journal of Supercomputing 63(1): 24-45 (2013) (bibtex)
- Adrian Paschke, Harold Boley, Zhili Zhao, Kia Teymourian, Tara Athan: Reaction RuleML 1.0: Standardized Semantic Reaction Rules. RuleML 2012: 100-119
- Adrian Paschke, Harold Boley: Rule Responder: Rule-Based Agents for the Semantic-Pragmatic Web. International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools 20(6): 1043-1081 (2011) (article, bibtex)
- Irfan Ul Haq, Erich Schikuta, Ivona Brandic, Adrian Paschke, Harold Boley: SLA Validation of Service Value Chains. 9th International Conference on Grid and Cooperative Computing (GCC 2010): 308-313, Nanjing, China, Nov. 1-5th, 2010 (pdf)
- Irfan Ul Haq, Adrian Paschke, Erich Schikuta, Harold Boley: Rule-Based Workflow Validation of Hierarchical Service Level Agreements. GPC Workshops 2009: 96-103 (pdf)
- Adrian Paschke: RBSLA: Rule Based Service Level Agreement - RuleML, Colloquium at NRC-IIT, Fredericton, Canada, April 2007 (ppt)
- Adrian Paschke, Alexander Kozlenkov, Harold Boley: A Homogeneous Reaction Rule Language for Complex Event Processing. 2nd International Workshop on Event Drive Architecture and Event Processing Systems (EDA-PS 2007) at VLDB 2007, re-published in Journal CoRR abs/1008.0823 (2010) (pdf, bibtex)
- Kia Teymourian, Adrian Paschke: Semantic Rule-Based Complex Event Processing. RuleML 2009: 82-92 (pdf, bibex)
- Adrian Paschke, Martin Bichler: Knowledge representation concepts for automated SLA management. Decision Support Systems, 46(1): 187-205 (2008) (article, bibtex)
- Paschke, A.: SLA Management regelbasiert, http://www.computerwoche.de/produkte_technik/software/537086/, in Computerwoche, 9/2007
- Paschke, A., Dietrich, J., Giurca, A., Wagner, G., Lukichev, S.: On Self-Validating Rule Bases, Int. Semantic Web Enabled Software Engineering Workshop (SWESE'06 at ISWC'06), Athens, Georgia, USA. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: A
Typed Hybrid Description Logic Programming Language with Polymorphic
Order-Sorted DL-Typed Unification for Semantic Web Type Systems, OWL-2006 (OWLED'06), Athens, Georgia, USA, 2006. (pdf)
- Adrian Paschke, Elisabeth Schnappinger-Gerull: A Categorization Scheme for SLA Metrics. Service Oriented Electronic Commerce 2006: 25-40(pdf)
- Paschke, A.: Verification, Validation and Integrity of Distributed and Interchanged Rule Based Policies and Contracts in the Semantic Web, Int. Semantic Web and Policy Workshop (SWPW at ISWC 06), Athens, Georgia, USA, 2006. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: ECA-RuleML/ECA-LP: A Homogeneous Event-Condition-Action Logic Programming Language, Int. Conf. of Rule Markup Languages (RuleML'06), Athens, Georgia, USA, 2006. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: ECA-RuleML 0.2: A Homogeneous Event-Condition-Action Logic Programming Language for RuleML , Reaction RuleML TG, Technical Telephone Conference, 2006-09-21 (slides)
- Paschke, A.: Rule-based Knowledge Representation for Service Level Agreements , Doctoral Symposium of MATES'06 (MATES'06), Germany, 2006.( pdf)
- Paschke, A.: The Mandarax RDF / RDFS/ OWL / DLP Module - Integration of Semantic Web Data into the Rule Engine Manadarax.
International Workshop on Rule-Based Modeling and Simulation of
Interacting Systems and Agents (AORML), Cottbus, Germany, Feb. 2006. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: The Rule Based Service Level Agreement Project (RBSLA).
International Workshop on Rule-Based Modeling and Simulation of
Interacting Systems and Agents (AORML), Cottbus, Germany, Feb. 2006. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: Typed Hybrid Description Logic Programs with Order-Sorted Semantic Web Type Systems based on OWL and RDFS, Internet Based Information Systems, Technical University Munich, Technical Report 12/05, 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: RBSLA - A declarative Rule-based Service Level Agreement Language based on RuleML, International Conference on Intelligent Agents, Web Technology and Internet Commerce (IAWTIC 2005), Vienna, Austria, 2005. (pdf) (pres.)
- Paschke, A. and Kozlenkov, A.: ECA-RuleML: An Approach combining ECA Rules with temporal interval-based KR Event/Action Logics and Transactional Update Logics , IBIS, Technische Universität München, Technical Report 11 / 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A. : ECA-LP: A Homogeneous Event-Condition-Action Logic Programming Language, IBIS, Technische Universität München, Technical Report 11 / 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A., Bichler, M., Dietrich, J.: ContractLog: An Approach to Rule Based Monitoring and Execution of Service Level Agreements, International Conference on Rules and Rule Markup Languages for the Semantic Web (RuleML 2005), Galway, Ireland, 2005. (pdf) (pres.)
- Paschke, A., Dietrich, J., Kuhla, K.: A Logic Based SLA Management Framework, Semantic Web and Policy Workshop (SWPW), 4th Semantic Web Conference (ISWC 2005), Galway, Ireland, 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: The
ContractLog Approach Towards Test-driven Verification, Validation and
Integrity of Distributed Scoped Rule Bases - A Homogeneous Integration
of Test Cases and Integrity Constraints into Dynamic Labelled Scoped
Update Logic Programs and Rule Markup Languages (RuleML), IBIS, TUM, Technical Report 10/05. (pdf)
- Paschke, A., Schnappinger-Gerull, E.: A Categorization Scheme for SLA Metrics. IBIS, TUM, Technical Report 09/05. (pdf)
- Jens Dietrich and Adrian Paschke, On the Test-Driven Development and Validation of Business Rules, 4th International Conference on Information Systems Technology and its Applications (ISTA 2005), New Zealand, May 2005. (pdf)(pres.)
- Paschke, A., Bichler, M.: SLA
Representation, Management and Enforcement - Combining Event Calculus,
Deontic Logic, Horn Logic and Event Condition Action Rules, E-Technology, E-Commerce, E-Service Conference (EEE05), Hong Kong, 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A., Kiss, C., Al-Hunaty, S.: A Pattern Language for Decentralized Coordination and Negotiation Protocols, E-Technology, E-Commerce, E-Service Conference (EEE05), Hong Kong, March 2005. (pdf)
- Paschke, A.: Contract Management for IT-Services, Poster at CEC05 / Open House Day TUM, 2005, (engl.)
- Paschke,A., Bichler, M.: Repräsentation und automatisiertes Management von IT-Service-Verträgen
- Ein Ansatz zum Einsatz wissensbasierter Systeme für die
Repräsentation, Automatisierung und das Management elektronischer
Dienstleistungsverträge, IBIS, TUM, Technical Report, 10/2004. (abstract)
- Bichler, M., Diernhofer, N., Fay, F., König, C., MacWilliams, A., Paschke, A., Setzer, T., Völk, G.: "Dynamic Value Webs for IT-Services - IT-Service Technologies and Management, Siemens SBS / TUM research study, 10/2004
- Paschke, A., RBSLA: A Rule Based Service Level Agreements Language based on RuleML. IBIS, TUM, Technical Report 8/2005.
- Paschke, A.: ContractLog - A Logic Framework for SLA Representation, Management and Enforcement. IBIS, TUM, Technical Report, 07/2004.
- Paschke, A..: Regelbasiertes SLA-Management - Ein regelbasierter Ansatz zum automatisierten IT-Dienstleistungsmanagement, IBIS, TUM, Technical Report, 6/2004.
- Paschke, A.: Contract Management for IT-Services, Poster at Open House Day TUM 2004, (engl.) (ger.)
- Paschke, A.: Rule-based Service Level Agreements, Presentation at the IBIS strategic seminar, 2004 (pdf)
- Paschke, A., Bichler, M.: Regelsprachen
zur Beschreibung elektronischer Verträge - Ein Konzept zum Einsatz
wissensbasierter Systeme für die Entwicklung flexibler internetbasierter
Geschäftssysteme. Technical Report, IBIS, 04/2003.
- Paschke, A.: eContracting - an overview of relevant language standards, Talk at IBIS, 2003 (pdf)
ImplementationsOur implementation is structured into four layers: The Prova rule engine, the ContractLog KR, the declarative Rule Based Service Level Agreement Markup Language (RBSLA) and the Rule Based Service Level Management (RBSLM) tool.  Layered Architecture of the Rule Based SLA Approach
Downloads
Prova - The Prova Rule Engine and Scripting Syntax with ContractLog and RBSLA extension Mandarax RDF/OWL API 1.1 - Integration Framework for Semantic Web RDF, RDFS and OWL into Mandarax Mandarax Event Calculus EC 1.0 - Event Calculus Extension for Mandarax Sourceforge Mandarax 3.4 - The Mandarax Core Java Rule Engine
RBSLA v. 0.2 - The Rule Based Service Level Agreement Markup Language Reaction RuleML v. 0.1 - The Reaction Rules Markup Language RuleML - The Rule Markup Language Initiative
Associated projectsProva Jena Pellet RuleML Reaction RuleML IT Service Operations Management |