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Abstract:
Rule-based configuration systems are being successfully used in industry, such as DOPLER at Siemens. Those systems make complex domain knowledge available to users and let them derive valid, customized products out of large sets of components. However, maintenance of such systems remains a challenge. Formal models are a prerequisite for the use of automated methods of analysis. This thesis deals with the formalization of rule-based configuration. We develop two logics whose transition semantics are suited for expressing the way systems like DOPLER operate. This is due to the existence of two types of transitions, namely user and rule transitions, and a fixpoint mechanism that determines their dynamic relationship. The first logic, PIDL, models propositional systems, while the second logic, PIDL+, additionally considers arithmetic constraints. They allow the formulation and automated verification of relevant properties of rule- based configuration systems.