Patent ID: 8204841

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of transforming a starting list into a validated selection list by employing a configurable rule, said method comprising: receiving, by a first computing system, one or more parameters of an item being processed by a software application executing on said first computing system; generating, by said first computing system, a starting list of a plurality of elements, wherein said generating is based on a pre-defined category of said item, wherein each element of said starting list specifies a corresponding function of a plurality of functions performed by said software application; identifying, by said first computing system, a rule set of a plurality of rule sets stored in a rule set database table, wherein said rule set database table associates said rule set with one or more values that specify one or more corresponding functions of said plurality of functions, wherein said identifying said rule set comprises determining that said one or more values is a maximal subset of said plurality of elements included in said starting list; identifying, by said first computing system, a rule stored in a rule database table, wherein said identifying said rule is based on said rule set and based on said one or more parameters; applying said rule by said first computing system, wherein a result of said applying is a selection list comprising a proper subset of said starting list; and displaying said selection list on a display device coupled to a second computing system, wherein said second computing system is a computing system selected from the group consisting of said first computing system and a computing system other than said first computing system.