Tool for Structural Testing of Rule-based System

Abstract

Traditional software testing techinque are useful in testing some components of the expert systems, such as the interference engine. However, there is a need for the development of a testing method that tests the structure in a rule-based system. This testing method should be computationally effective, provide a reasonable level of coverage of the rule base, and be independent of the inference engine [KIPER92]. In the article Structural testing of Rule-based Expert Systems by Dr. JAmes D. Kiper, the logical path graph (LPG) method was chosen as a practical testing method for an expert system. However, the logical path graph algorithm developed in that paper requires further investigation by application to large rule bases. This need has resulted in the development of a computer tool called Graptool. The Graptool software, that has been created, was based on the logical path algorithm and was written in the C language. This tool reads the CLIPS rule-based expert system as a text file, and constructs a listing that represents the structure of the rule base.