Patent ID: 7509297

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for editing an explanatory model used for analyzing and setting values associated with an operation of a production line, the method comprising: generating, in the computer, the explanatory model in the form of a set of rules, each rule in the set of rules being represented by a logical combination of elementary premises, each elementary premise consisting of a restriction of a domain of a variable in a first set of variables, and a logical combination of elementary conclusions, each elementary conclusion consisting of a restriction of a domain of a different variable in a second set of variables; modifying a rule in the set of rules to determine a new explanatory model, wherein modifying the rule in the set of rules includes modifying the restriction of the domain of at least one of the variables, calculating quality indicators for the modified rule by applying the modified rule to a set of data, and displaying, on a screen, the quality indicators for the rule and a graphical representation of a variation of the domain of the variables of the modified rule and displaying graphical symbols representative of the set of data; setting values associated with the operation of the production line based on the modified rule; and storing the set of rules, including the modified rule, in a computer-readable storage medium.