First some definitions are made along with an explanation of the structure of a typical expert system tool. This is followed by a short description of a few historically important expert systems. Some typical management needs which can be satisfied by expert system technology are discussed. This introduction gives an overall sense of the capabilities of expert system technology. To develop this insight more fully, several applications have been included on a diskette.
Knowledge acquisition is the process of formalizing a person's conscious and subconscious knowledge.
This is important because with expert system technology it takes less time and effort to implement complex decision logic than with conventional technology. As a result, expert system technology can be applied to applications which would be prohibitively costly otherwise. A significant benefit of this methodology is that it can be applied to a wide variety of business situations without requiring extensive training in artificial intelligence. For example, a dBase file can be used to store facts which would ordinarily be stored in a knowledge base. Using the dBase file, the skill level and time required to maintain such systems is significantly reduced.