SUMMARY

See the on-line review or hardcopy publication for real review; we merely outline here.

The main idea of the book starts lies in starting from an extant in- or semi-formal (modeling) system/scheme, with possible extensions, and formalizing portions of it. IBM's BSDM is discussed often. AI dominates, e.g., logic programming and Prolog, modal operators, expert systems (CLIPS), and case based reasoning. Some items entertained are an "Entity Model," the authors' formal language, DefBM, its Inheritance Class Hierarchy (ICH), Life Cycle Diagrams (LCD), sets of "must follow" rules and and "less enforcement" guidelines. A "consultation" example illustrates detection of an intentionally introduced error in an LCD. Process Models are treated next, along with a Process-Entity Matrix tying this process model layer to early layers and attribute rules, which get a lot of attention. Development of a rule/guideline philosophy preceeds another consultation example. A Procedural Model is an add-on relative to BSDM and we read about both "generic" models for process types and a concrete model in an academic-context. A simulator helps explore dynamics while a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) engine and a Generic Model Advisor and library serve model comparisons, model development and launching new models. Use of KBST-BM (one version of their systematics) offers a workflow view of model development and casts insight into tool batteries. The book begins to wind down with tracts on system evaluations, completeness, verification, process support, GMA (again), and comparisons to other support tools. Check-up and advanced exercises are given, with ideas even on term projects. We thought the book's first 75 pages were more a diversion than an aid, and keeps the reader away from the core material. (The latter also is too brief at points and 75 added pages on it would be quite worthwhile.) Some of this and other chapters, e.g., that on intro to Prolog, could go to appendices. The work described in the book is an over a decade long effort, but we don't get a lot of information on how it's been viewed. Diagram captions are often too brief and sometimes even seem at variance with the text. The index is slim and definitions could use help, e.g., the notion "lightweight use" of logic isn't helped a lot by saying it's "not heavyweight"! There are other criticisms that can be made, e.g., misspellings and occasional hard to interpret phraseology. Despite negatives, the reviewer endorses this work for those interested in business modeling and applied AI action. The balance across theory and practice is notable.