Make Excel SMARTER with a Rule Engine using Drools

I want to share the results of a technical exploration in bridging, bringing together and integrating a diverse set of technologies and platforms, ranging from classic spreadsheet applications (Excel) to serverless platforms (Knative on OpenShift) to technical rules executed by our rule engine (Drools)!

This content has been inspired by a great book I had the opportunity to read recently (see more in the end of the video). So I wanted to take on a personal challenge to build a novel example, based on some of the powerful techniques presented in the book, and then add some more, going beyond. Specifically, I wanted to be able to invoke some custom DRL rule evaluation in a serverless way, by connecting Excel with my Quarkus-based Drools application served by Knative on OpenShift.

As I wanted a use-case with plenty of realistic data for this technical exploration, I decided to focus my attention on the IoT (Internet of Things) which is another factor revolutionizing the way we live. If I think about the diverse ranges of devices available nowadays, from smart homes to connected cars, these IoT devices in my opinion are changing not only the way we interact with our surroundings… when used sapiently, I believe they can really augment and improve our lives. However, IoT is more than just internet-connected devices! To me, it is also about leveraging various technologies and platforms to create intelligent systems that can automate processes, optimize, and improve our decision-making.

More specifically, I wanted to try processing the technical data collected through my Withings smart scale and smart watch, collecting into Excel, and then processing it via the intelligent application described above. This will give us the opportunity to highlight some of the benefits of the integration scope mentioned in the preamble, and a perspective on how these techniques can help your organization or benefit your own use-cases! Before wrapping up, I will share my review of the mentioned book.

companion blog post: https://blog.kie.org/2023/05/integrat...

0:00 Rule engine with Drools
6:35 Integrating Excel
11:15 Book review
12:45 Conclusions

#excel #drools #quarkus