ILog Module Speeds Deployment of Analytic Models

Companies that are "Competing on Analytics" can now add another trick up their sleeves to compete that much more quickly. Rule engine vendor ILog says its new Rule Studio Scorecard Modeler will enable companies handling credit- and risk-based decisions to quickly deploy and fine tune analytic scorecards. An add-on module to the JRules business rules management systems (BRMS), the Rule Studio Scorecard Modeler is also said to put control over scorecards in the hands of business users rather than IT.

Financial services and insurance firms often use analytics to better manage risk, fraud and regulatory pressure by screening would-be transactions against predictive and statistical models. These models are at the heart of "scorecards" that are often implemented through a BRMS. The rule system automatically interprets the analytic score and other inputs, rendering high volumes of case-by-case decisions on loans, new accounts, new policies, claims, purchases and other transactions in real time. The Rule Studio Scorecard Modeler is designed to speed deployment of scorecards by eliminating custom development work.

"Once the statistical models are finished, they have to be translated into the transactional system so it can be automated, and that's where we come in," says Bruno Trimouille, director of market development. "We make it faster, easier and more user-friendly to translate the models into scorecards and implement them in origination systems."

Businesses also need to adjust scorecards to improve performance, and the Scorecard Modeler is said to save time and IT expense by giving business analysts a way to adjust parameters. "Instead of having developers go back and forth with the statistical team, the Scorecard Modeler lets business users identify and add attributes, adjust ranges and manage the scorecard over time," says Janet Wall, BRMS product management. "If any changes need to be made such as adjusting age brackets or changing reason codes for denying a loan, business users can do that through the module's user interface."

More sophisticated scorecards often blend credit or risk models with cross-sell and up-sell prediction. Thus, ILog says the Rule Studio Scorecard Modeler will be attractive to telecommunications companies and retailers as well as financial services and insurance companies. Prices for the module where not disclosed and it can be used only in conjunction with the JRules BRMS.