Launched at the 2003 Altitude User Conference, Altitude's Business Logic Unified Engine, (BLUE) module was designed to unify rule-related aspects into a unique frame for all Altitude solutions. Airlines with more than one Altitude solution will benefit from a complete integration of functionalities within a single interface.

Altitude's Business Logic Unified Engine module simplifies the customization of the Altitude solutions. Solutions can now be customized in a faster and more reliable manner, because:

• Rules are only written once.
• Rules are now simpler to write.
• Rules can be tested early from the graphical user interfaces.
• Rules can be quickly adjusted to your needs.

The information system and solver components need to share a rather large set of complex business logic rules, ranging from national regulations and customer specific collective agreements to optimization strategies. The addition of the Business Logic Unified Engine module to the Altitude suite provides the bridge between both worlds, applying the Write Once, Read Anywhere (WORA) motto of Java to the management of business rules. Rules, not just parameters, are now part of scenarios' data. They are written in the Scheme dialect of Lisp, which was chosen for its clear syntax and the relationship with artificial intelligence. The engine's main role is to allow the Altitude suite components to evaluate rules dynamically yet efficiently.

With the addition of a specialized business logic engine to the Altitude suite, we provide our customer with a solution that can adapt to their evolving needs, reaffirming our determination and commitment to developing high-quality automated and optimized airline scheduling solutions.

Read about the BLUE module in the September 2003 edition of Blue Sky News.