Research in this domain has started in the late sixties by Prof. Dr. M. VERHELST, in the form of algorithms used to convert decision tables into computer programs, concluded by an article in Communications of the ACM in 1972.
The attention then shifted to the use of decision tables for specifying, validating and critically testing procedural decision logic, not only in the data processing domain, but also in the field of company policies, laws and regulations. During that period, there was an active cooperation with the international Decision Table Task Group of Codasyl, of which Prof. Dr. M. VERHELST was a member, and the first steps were made towards the automation of decision table construction. This resulted in the publishing of the book "The practice of decision tables" by M. VERHELST [1980] and the doctoral dissertation "Contribution to a critical revaluation of the decision table technique", by Ir. R. MAES [1981].
A research project at the I.C.M. (Interuniversity College for Management) allowed further elaboration of a number of theoretical aspects of decision tables. Above all it permitted to develop and implement a prototype system for the conception, analysis and manipulation of procedural logic by means of decision tables. Theoretical findings and practical applications were reported in international journals and conferences (MAES, VANTHIENEN & VERHELST [1981], [1982]).
This research led to the doctoral dissertation "Automation aspects of the specification, construction and manipulation of decision tables", by J. VANTHIENEN [1986], where the decision table technique was linked to knowledge acquisition, expert systems and relational databases and where an implementation, called PROLOGA, was developed in a general environment, due to the emergence of personal computers and widespread structured programming languages. Experiences with the research workbench (in legal, administrative, data processing, technical and medical applications) indicate that it is a promising alternative as it easily enables the designer to model the problem specification (VANTHIENEN [1988]).
After 1987, research has been focusing on the emerging area of knowledge based systems and the problems of designing and validating knowledge based applications and business rules. Research grants from the K.U.Leuven Research Fund and the National Fund for Scientific Research (1994) allowed to elaborate the area of validation and verification of knowledge based systems and the contribution of decision tables.