Data Management: Business Rules (Definitions)

"A statement expressing a policy or condition that governs business actions and establishes data integrity guidelines." (Larry P English, "Improving Data Warehouse and Business Information Quality", 1999)

"An organizational standard operating procedure that requires that certain policies be followed to ensure that a business is run correctly. Business rules ensure that the database maintains its accuracy with business policies."  (Microsoft Corporation, "Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 System Administration Training Kit", 1999)

"[…] a business rule is a compact statement about an aspect of a business. The rule can be expressed in terms that can be directly related to the business, using simple, unambiguous language that's accessible to all interested parties: business owner, business analyst, technical architect, and so on." (Tony Morgan, "Business Rules and Information Systems", 2002) 

"the set of conditions that govern a business event so that it occurs in a way that is acceptable to the business." (Barbara von Halle, 2002)

"The logical rules that are used to run a business." (Anthony Sequeira & Brian Alderman, "The SQL Server 2000 Book", 2003)

"A set of methods or guidelines associated with a company’s data and business processing that reflect its methods of conducting business operations." (Jill Dyché & Evan Levy, "Customer Data Integration" , 2006)

"A statement that defines or constrains some aspect of the business. It is intended to assert business structure or to control or influence the behavior of the business." (Alex Berson & Lawrence Dubov, "Master Data Management and Customer Data Integration for a Global Enterprise", 2007)

"Business-specific rule that constrains the data." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Database Design Solutions", 2008)

"The defined operations and constraints that help organizations create a data environment that promotes efficient operations and decision making. An example of a business rule for a hospital would be that no male patient can be marked pregnant. Organizations typically have thousands of business rules, but not all facets of the same organizations follow all of them, and, in some cases, the rules can conflict." (Tony Fisher, "The Data Asset", 2009)

"Either a set of conditions, a directive, or an 'element of guidance'. A constraint on a business’s behavior. There is not yet an industry standard definition of business rule although authors seem to be converging." (David C Hay, "Data Model Patterns: A Metadata Map", 2010)

"A directive, intended to govern, guide or influence business behavior, in support of a business policy that has been formulated in response to an opportunity, threat, strength or weakness." (The Business Rules Group, "The Business Motivation Model: Business Governance in a Volatile World", 2005)

"An element of guidance that introduces an obligation or necessity, [and] that is under business jurisdiction" (Business Rules Team, 'Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules", 2005)

"The logical rules that are used to run a business" (Microsoft)