Using dialog-controlled rule systems in a maintenance module for knowledge bases

Dialog-controlled rule systems were introduced as a tool to describe the way in which the WIMDAS system for knowledge-based analysis of marketing data manages its dialog with the user. In this paper the authors discuss how dialog-controlled rule systems can be used to specify a formal language aiding a knowledge engineer in maintaining a system’s knowledge base. Although this language is finite, it must be defined generically, being too extensive to be enumerated. In contrast to the well-known traditional methods for defining formal languages-using finite automata, regular expressions or grammars-the present method can be applied by a user who need not be an expert in theoretical computer science.