ILOG's position on Rule Languages for Interoperability

The most noticeable characteristic of executable business rules is that their execution results necessarily in executing some actions: specifically, the actions that are required to enforce the underlying business policy (or non-executable business rule). From an inference point of view, the true assertion that is inferred from a business rule is thus always that some specific actions must be executed. In other words, business rules specify which actions can or have to be executed when certain conditions are met.