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Fusion 5.12
    Fusion 5.12

    Business rulesOverview

    Business rules are manually-created formulas for rewriting queries. This is the most versatile strategy for creating custom query rewrites. It supports a variety of conditions and actions to address a wide range of use cases. When you need a very specific query rewrite, this is the best strategy.

    Business rules are applied in the Apply Rules stage of the query pipeline.

    To learn how to use business rules in the Rules Editor, see Use Business Rules in the Rules Editor.

    Configuration options

    General

    General configurations are used to characterize a rule, including its name, description, group, and more. They are also used to set a rule’s precedence, or priority over other rules.

    For complete details, see General configurations.

    Condition

    Conditions, or triggers, define the environment necessary for the rule action to fire. Any combination of conditions (date, field value, query, and query profile) can be defined for a rule.

    For complete details, see Conditions.

    Action

    Business rule actions define what actions are taken when a rule fires.

    For complete details, see Actions.

    Custom Rule Actions

    Custom rule actions allow you to define a unique action to take when certain conditions are met. They involve three primary components: a query pipeline, a custom rule type, and a rule that is triggered by conditions defined by the user.

    For complete details, see Custom Rule Actions. To learn use custom rule actions with the API, see Create Custom Rule Actions with the API.

    Query Elevation Component

    Managed Fusion supports the use of the Query Elevation Component (QEC) with boost lists and filter lists.

    For instructions about using the QEC, see Use the Query Elevation Component.

    Additional details

    Query pipeline stages for rules

    These stages are part of the default query pipeline:

    Rules query stages in the query pipeline

    To trigger a rule that contains a tag, specify the tagname in the request URL of the user search app. See Easily define triggers in tags for more information.
    • Modify Response with Rules

      Most rules operate on the request, but some rule types, such as banner rules or redirect rules, do their work when the response comes back. The Modify Response with Rules stage applies those rules to the response. For example, a banner rule can add a banner URL to the response before returning it to the client.

    Generally, if you are using rules, you need both of these stages enabled in your query pipeline. The Apply Rules stage must come before the Solr Query stage, while the Modify Response with Rules stage must come after the Solr Query stage. Disabling or removing the Apply Rules stage will disable rules entirely. Disabling or removing the Modify Response with Rules stage will disable only the rules that perform response rewriting, if any.

    Rules on response signals

    Response signals capture a list of rule IDs that match the query in a multi-valued field named rule_ss.

    Rules and experiments

    The easiest way to integrate rules and experiments is to create one query pipeline with rules enabled and one without. Keep all other settings constant between the two pipelines. The pipeline without rules enabled must be configured manually.

    To create an experimental rule, use tags on the rule and set the tag in one of the variant pipelines.

    FAQ

    What are arbitrary values?

    Arbitrary values are values that are not actively used by Managed Fusion. Instead, they are used by the user or the search application. For example, the Description is considered an arbitrary value, as it serves only to inform the user what the business rule is used for.

    Additional resources

    Lucidworks offers free training to help you get started with Fusion. Check out the Query Rewriting with Business Rules and Search Rewrites course, which focuses on how using business rules and search rewrites gives you the opportunity to boost conversions and create better customer experiences by improving your relevancy:

    Query Rewriting with Business Rules and Search Rewrites

    Visit the LucidAcademy to see the full training catalog.