Each task in a business process can be performed automatically. When a task can be done automatically, it's because the business process has embedded knowledge about the task and can make logical decisions about it. This knowledge can be in the form of program code or another knowledge representation, such as a decision table.

This knowledge about a process is called business logic or business rules. For instance, a business rule in a bank loan process can be 'validate the amount requested versus the amount limit; if it exceeds the amount limit cancel the loan'. All business rules clearly have two parts—the 'if' or condition part, and the 'then' or consequence part. If the condition is true, then the consequence is executed. This structure will be clearer later on in the chapter.

There are two ways to embed this knowledge inside our OSWorkflow business processes, depending on the type of rules. For most simple rules, OSWorkflow Conditions...