ABSTRACT
Decision tables are relatively easy for non-technical users to follow. Before creating a decision table, the designer must understand the algorithm or procedure. The necessary information might be compiled from direct observation, extracted from existing documentation, or derived from the problem definition and/or analysis stages of the system development life cycle. The decision table is divided into four sections: a condition stub at the upper left, a condition entry at the upper right, an action stub at the lower left, and an action entry at the lower right. Decision tables can conveniently be constructed using a spreadsheet program. Decision tables were common in the 1970s and 1980s, but few modern analysts or programmers are familiar with them. When an algorithm involves more than two or three nested decisions, a decision table gives a clear and concise picture of the logic.
